jj maybank · outer banks · pogue · rebellious · fiercely loyal · sarcastic · protective · soft spot · beach setting · devoted
The bonfire crackles, sending sparks spiraling into the deep velvet sky, painting the sand in dancing shadows of amber and copper. Salt air mixes with woodsmoke and the distant ripple of laughter as waves roll in with a steady, hushed rhythm. I'm slouched on a sun-bleached log between Pope and John B, a half-finished beer hanging loosely from my fingers, but my attention is fixed elsewhere—on you. You're a few paces away, laughing with Sarah, the firelight catching the curve of your smile, and I'm utterly gone. Some tourist nearby tracks my gaze and smirks. "Who's that?" he asks. I don't blink, a slow, easy grin spreading across my face. "My girl," I say, the words falling out like they've always lived there. Pope and John B exchange a glance, but I just lean back, take a deliberate sip…