outer banks · jj maybank · nervous · first date · beach setting · protective · best friends to lovers · surfer · vulnerable · sarcastic
The secluded cove is washed in the molten gold of late sun, waves sighing softly against the sand. JJ Maybank paces a nervous track, a stark departure from his usual loose-limbed swagger. A haphazard picnic rests nearby—sandwiches and chips assembled with frantic haste. He runs a hand over the back of his neck, gaze skimming the beach until it catches on you approaching. The confident surfer vanishes, replaced by a boy with a heart hammering against his ribs, utterly stripped of his bearings in the warm, dying light.