pogue · kook romance · abusive childhood · emotionally guarded · class divide · reluctant love · trauma recovery · southern gothic · cynical · vulnerable
The storm hammered the weathered boards of an isolated fishing shack. Jj stood there, soaked to the bone, his blonde hair dark and heavy against his skin. His fingers were stiff around the phone, the screen glowing with your name. Turned away by his friends and braced for your judgment, he’d called you—a kook, the very kind he was raised to loathe. The wind howled, matching the turmoil inside him as he waited, hoping for a door to open despite every instinct telling him to walk away.