BOOK 1 [with seasons 1 & 2]
Aurora "Rory" Routledge is not just your average Outer Banks teen-she's John B's twin sister and the perfect partner-in-crime for summer adventures. Alongside their tight-knit group of best friends-JJ, Pope, and Kie-the R...
'Cause all of the small things that you do Are what remind me why I fell for you And when we're apart and I'm missing you I close my eyes and all I see is you And the small things you do
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Rory~
THE room was quiet, the kind of quiet that felt right after everything we'd been through. I lay my head on JJ's chest, his heartbeat steady beneath my ear, grounding me. The smoke from our joint swirled lazily above us, like the remnants of our past finally drifting away. JJ was leaning back against the headboard, his arm wrapped around me, and I could feel the tension slowly melting from his body, replaced by something softer, more at peace.
"I can't believe he's free," I murmured, a smile tugging at my lips as I stared at the shifting patterns in the smoke. The reality of John B walking free, the charges dropped, still felt like a dream I was afraid to wake up from.
"Yeah," JJ replied, his voice low and warm, the way it always got when he was feeling something deep. He pressed a soft kiss behind my ear, sending a shiver down my spine. "I told you, everything would go back to how it was."
I couldn't help but grin up at him, turning in his arms so I could see his face. His eyes were bright, blue like the ocean on a sunny day, and I reached up to cup his jaw, feeling the rough stubble beneath my fingers. "Bless you for manifesting that, baby," I teased, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek.
JJ's lips curved into that lopsided smile I loved so much. "I'll take all the credit if it means seeing you smile like that, Princess," he said, his voice softening on the nickname.
It was strange, in a good way, how normal things felt again. After everything—the chases, the fights, the fear—there was finally peace. John B was out of jail, the charges were gone like smoke in the wind, and Sarah was back home with us where she belonged. Even though there was still tension between Kie, Pope, and Carter, and Jackson had wandered off to God knows where, the weight of all the chaos had lifted.
Now, it was just me and JJ, our little bubble of normalcy in a world that had been anything but. I snuggled closer, feeling his arm tighten around me.
"Can you believe it's just us now?" I whispered, letting the warmth of his body seep into mine. "Feels like we're finally where we're supposed to be."
"Yeah," he said, but his voice had a different tone now—lighter, yet with a hint of something else. I could tell he was thinking, that JJ way he did when he got quiet and his eyes went a little distant. "But sometimes I wonder..." He trailed off.
"What is it, Jay?" I asked, pulling back just enough to look up at him. His expression was soft, but there was a shadow there, something lurking behind the blue of his eyes.
He hesitated, his thumb brushing absently over my shoulder. "I just... I can't help but think about how close I am to ending up like him. Like Luke." He sighed heavily.
