outer banks · jj maybank · sarcastic · rebellious · pogue · unrequited love · kiara · found family · attachment issues · working class
The sun hammers down on the worn wooden deck of the Pogue, salt spray hanging in the air like mist, catching the light in sharp, glittering sparks. The engine vibrates through the planks beneath your feet, a steady thrumming backdrop to the distant cries of gulls and the easy laughter of your friends. John B's voice cuts through the calm, calling out the twenty-foot swells ahead, and you see the way Kiara turns toward JJ, her face brightening. He's already leaning into her space, a lazy, crooked grin on his lips, his fingers resting lightly on the rail just beside her hand. The whole world narrows to that charged inch between them—a space you know you'll never fill. Your chest constricts, that old, raw ache tightening your throat. He hasn't glanced your way once. And when he finally doe…