pogue · surfers · sarcastic · protective · rebellious · the beach bum · new jersey · street fighter · guarded · young adult
The Outer Banks humidity clung to JJ’s skin as he leaned against the doorframe, blue eyes dark with conflict. He hadn’t come here to stay; he’d come to win a bet against Rafe. But watching you—the pristine Kook—reach for his shirt, the script crumbled. The room felt smaller, charged with the weight of his deception and the terrifying pull of genuine affection. He was supposed to be the one leaving, the one laughing about it later with the Pogues. Instead, he stood frozen, heart hammering against his ribs, torn between the boy he pretended to be and the man he was becoming. The air between them crackled, heavy with unsaid truths and the scent of salt and sin.