Kind Of Infinite (Outer Banks)

Chapter 2

"What you doing there, Elfie?" Ava heard a light voice and lifted her head. She lowered her arms and rested them on her knees, as the strong look of concentration slowly left her face. Her lips curled into a smile and she tilted her head a little to look at JJ.

"What does it look like?", she asked back and watched how JJ shrugged his shoulders. With both hands in his pockets, he walked up the pavement to the grey house. Right where Ava sat on the porch, he stopped and leaned against the wooden handrail that lead up to their door. Ava sat on the stairs and looked up at him, squeezing her eyes a little, when the sun blinded her.

"Like a lot of work.", JJ finally answered, after he had looked at all the flowers that were spread around the porch. Ava smiled and followed his gaze. She gently pushed some of the flowers aside and looked back at JJ to see if he got the hint. He did and sat down next to her, careful not to step or sit on any of the flowers.

"It's midsummers today, so I thought I would make a flower crown.", Ava explained and held up the pink and purple flower crown she had just worked on.

"You're going to the midsummers? It's a kook thing.", JJ answered and Ava shook her head with a small smile.

"No. We celebrate midsummers in Iceland, too. I always made my own flower crowns and every year, I tried a different one. But this one really isn't my favourite one." Ava held up the crown again and turned it around a few times as she inspected it. JJ tilted his head and looked at it, thinking that it looked pretty perfect. Lifting his head, he looked back at the girl and smiled a little at her irritated face as she inspected her work.

"Why not? It looks really pretty.", JJ said and picked up one of the flowers that laid around the porch. He twirled it around and waited for Ava to answer, but instead, she just shrugged her shoulders and put the flower crown down. When he realized, that she wouldn't answer him, he looked up again and studied her face. Last time he had seen her, she had worn a smile on her lips the whole time and her brown eyes had sparkled brighter than the sun itself. This time, her eyes looked different. Kind of lost and JJ thought, that maybe, she was homesick.

"Well, I like it.", JJ said and took the flower crown in his hands. He studied it for a moment, before he placed it onto his head. Ava giggled and JJ couldn't help but feel proud, that he was able to cheer up the pretty girl.

"It's not even finished yet.", Ava mumbled and rested her chin on her hands, as she looked at the flower crown in his dirty blonde hair.

"Things can be beautiful, even if they are incomplete. Don't you think?"

"Yeah, they can.", Ava agreed with a smile and reached up to fix a few flowers on the crown anyway.

"So, if you don't like it, I'll keep it. What you think?"

"Keep it, I like it more on you anyway.", Ava answered with a laugh and JJ smiled.

"I told her that the flower crown looks good 45 minutes ago and I didn't get to keep it.", a voice interrupted the both and Ava instantly hid her face in her hands. JJ on the other hand, turned around and looked up to see a man standing right behind them. He was well tanned and his chin was covered in grey stubbles, even though his hair was still dark. His brown eyes stared JJ down and the blonde boy would have felt a little uneased, if the man wouldn't have worn the same smirk on his lips, that Ava had worn when they had first met.

"JJ, that's my dad. Dad, JJ from down the street.", Ava mumbled and gestured between the both of them without even looking up. She just knew, that her dad would embarrass her anyway.

"It's nice to meet you, sir.", JJ said as he stood up to shake Trevors hand. Trevor gave him a friendly smile, before he let the blonde boy pull his hand back again.