After the Storm- JJ Maybank (Outer Banks)

22.

Sarah smiled to me as I walked on to the beach. I was meeting JJ there. I wasn't sure what I was going to tell her. I had basically disappeared and given her no warning. The sun was just beginning to rise, it was so beautiful.

"Hey! Rachel! Where the hell have you been?" She skipped up to me, the smile still remaining on her face.

"Hey Sarah, I'm sorry I've been gone. A lot of things have been happening. I didn't mean to ghost you."

"It's all good!! I noticed you and Rafe haven't been hanging out as much anymore, did something happen?"

"It's sort of complicated. I didn't mean to hurt him. Has he said anything?"

"No, he's mostly staying to himself in his room. What happened?"

"I-"

I'm interrupted by JJ, his arms going around my waist and spinning me around. It wasn't exactly a good time for this to happen. I gave him a smile.

"Morning." He looked from my eyes down to my lips and back up to see Sarah behind me.

"Good morning, JJ."

"Oh, so this is what happened?" Sarah crossed her arms.

"Sarah, this isn't what it looks like."

"You ghosted me and my brother for a pogue?"

"I think it's time for us to go." JJ grabs my arm but I pull it away.

"There's a lot you don't know, Sarah. Trust me. I never meant to hurt you or Rafe. I'm sorry. I hope we can still be friends."

"Just forget about it." She scoffed, turning away.

I turned around to JJ, seeing the surfboards on the ground. Sweat was heading at his forehead.

"This isn't what it looks like?" He stood a few feet from me.

"That's not what I meant. I meant that we weren't dating- because the night we met, I was sort of on a date with Rafe."

"Yeah, but that sounded different to me."

"JJ, can we please just forget about it? It's not what I meant. You and the others are my friends. Sarah and Rafe used to be, not anymore. I care about you more than I care about myself. I don't care if you're a freaking pogue, I'm a pogue. I was never a Kook."

"I know. I know. Let's just go surf, look at the sun. It's so beautiful. Almost as beautiful as you." He shook his shoulder into me.

"That was a good one, Maybank. Now, let's see if you can keep up with me."

"I'm going to destroy those waves, you just watch."

"Oh yeah?"  I grab the board and start running out to the waves.

"Hey! Cheater!" He screams out, grabbing the board.

I laughed louder than I had ever before, my toes touching the cold water. I laid out, beginning to paddle. The wave was beginning to rise and I stood up, surfing over it. I watched JJ slowly come up beside me and we surfed the wave together. I kept a smile across my face as we went through the wave, under the water. Little waves of the water splashed in my face as I saw the exit. I flipped my board and went into the water, quickly realizing I wasn't quite ready for that big of a wave. I continued to watch JJ from under the water, but saw his body fall in after me.

I started swimming up towards him, seeing his body was just floating above the water. I breathed in the fresh air, holding tightly to my board. I looked to JJ, seeing him continue to float.

"JJ? JJ!"

I grabbed his body, pulling him and his board closer to land. The water wasn't very deep, my toes finally touching. I flipped his body over to see his face, he looked flushed.

"JJ! Oh my god." I was tapping his cheeks, his body finally laying flat in the sand.

I felt around for his pulse, his heart was still beating. Thank god. I decided to plug his nose and was beginning to lean down to blow into his mouth, maybe hoping it would get the water out of his lungs. But, he grabbed my waist and rolled his body over to be over mine.

"JJ! You son of a bitch! You scared me." I was fighting to move my body under his hold, trying to smack him.

"I'm fine. Just wanted to see you under pressure. You work pretty well."

"Screw you. You scared the shit out of me. I thought you weren't breathing."

"I was. My heart might've stopped a bit when you leaned down to kiss me though."

"I was not going to kiss you. I was going to give you a breath so that the water in your lungs could escape, you idiot."

"Yeah, right."

I looked away from him, unable to stay mad at him with that look on his face.

"Can't even look at me now, huh?"

I get a hold of him, flipping his body over to the sand. I was now hovering over him.

"Shut up."

"Gladly."

I let go of him and sat in the sand, watching the sun rise. The colors were so beautiful, way better than surfing.

"I could watch the sunrise every morning."

"Not me, I like my beauty sleep." I heard JJ yawn beside me.

"It's not doing you very good."

"Ouch."

"That's payback. You're lucky I'm not beating you into the sand right now."

"I wouldn't complain."

I push him away from me, just getting a chuckle from him. I begin to shiver and feel a towel wrapped around my shoulders.

"You're always cold." He leaned into my shoulder, resting his head on it.

"You know me so well." I laid my head into his.

We watched the sunrise over the Outer Banks, with no other cares in the world.