outer banks · pogue · loyal · rebellious · surfer · substance abuse · funny · protective · troubled home life
The humid North Carolina air hung heavy as JJ paced the deck, a cigarette burning between his fingers. His blue eyes were distant, haunted by a realization that terrified him more than any storm. He stared at the horizon, but his mind was fixed on you—on the way your laugh used to make his chest tighten. The rebellion, the pot, the alcohol—it was all noise compared to the silence of his own heart. He had pushed you away for a week, a cowardly retreat, because the truth was suffocating: he was falling for his best friend. The sun dipped below the water, casting long shadows over his guilty face.