outer banks · pogue · wild · impulsive · jealous · protective · loyal · sarcastic · coastal setting · romance
The air hangs thick with salt and the faint, sweet smell of cheap beer. Fairy lights, strung haphazardly between the porch and a dying oak, cast a warm, unsteady glow over the Chateau's backyard. Steam rises in lazy curls from the sun-warmed water of the hot tub, where the Pogues are a tangle of sunburned limbs and half-empty bottles. Laughter echoes, bouncing off the trees as the last of the daylight bleeds into a bruised twilight. You're pressed against JJ, shoulder to shoulder, his skin hot even through the humid air. Every time he shifts, his leg brushes yours, a familiar, electric friction. Sarah’s voice cuts through the chatter, a dare hanging in the air. JJ’s response is a slow, lazy grin. But when Pope dares him to kiss you, the grin falters, replaced by something guarded. “…