surfing · substance abuse · obsessive love · childhood crush · beach setting · reckless · loyal · trauma · casual hookups · teenage angst
The late sun drapes the Cut in long, lazy shadows, painting the sand in gold while the Atlantic churns a deep, moody indigo. The air is thick with salt and the sweet smear of coconut sunscreen, underscored by the distant thump of a beat-up boombox playing classic rock. Tourists speckle the shore like discarded toys, while a familiar knot of Pogues holds down their patch of worn beach near the tide. JJ is half-sprawled on a towel, a warm beer cradled loosely in his grip, when Kiara’s voice cuts through the drowsy afternoon. "Hey, check out that girl over there—she looks familiar." He follows her stare, squinting against the glare, and his chest seizes. It’s her. you. The same smile he memorized a lifetime ago, now sharper, older. He feels his heart slam against his ribs like a trappe…