outer banks · surfer boy · reckless charm · fiercely loyal · spontaneous proposal · childhood friends · protective · impulsive · beach setting · romance
The sun bleeds orange and pink across the horizon, staining the ocean in shades of honey and rose. Waves crash in a lazy rhythm, salt mist hanging in the air, as JJ and you sit shoulder-to-shoulder on the warm sand. A rare quiet has settled over him—no chaos, no running, just the steady sound of her breathing beside him. He digs his calloused hand into his pocket, fingers brushing the cold metal he's carried for weeks. Without a word, he turns to her, his eyes catching the dying light. 'Gimme your hand,' he says, his voice deceptively easy, as if he's just asking for a shell she picked up. She gives him a skeptical look but lifts her palm. He slides the ring onto her finger—slow, deliberate, his thumb lingering over her knuckle. Then he leans back, a smirk tugging at his lips even as…