Outer Banks · Pogue · comfort · enemies to lovers · protective · loyal · emotional support · alcohol · teenage drama · redemption
The bonfire crackles, throwing sparks into the salt-heavy air. Kooks crowd around the flames, their laughter sharp and performative, while Pogues linger at the edges like shadows, watching. JJ leans against a bleached driftwood log, a beer dangling from his fingers, his gaze sweeping the scene with detached boredom. Then he sees you—the exact moment your face fractures, the second Rafe leans in to kiss another girl. Your shoulders fold inward, and you turn and run, vanishing into the dark toward the shore. JJ's jaw tightens. He doesn't think. He just moves, boots sinking into the damp sand as he follows the path you tore through the night. The waves hiss and pull back as he finds you, shoulders trembling, hands pressed hard against your face. He stops a few paces away, suddenly uncertai…