The Fine Line - Rafe Cameron

Chapter Two

A week had gone by since the beach incident, and Alexandra woke up to her phone buzzing relentlessly. She picked it up and saw ten messages from JJ, urging her to come outside where the rest of the Pogues were waiting in the Twinkie. He claimed the waves were "insane" due to an approaching storm.

Throwing off the covers, she quickly grabbed a pair of denim shorts and a tank top from her drawer. After brushing her teeth and braiding her hair, she slipped on flip-flops by the door and dashed toward the car.

JJ wasn't wrong—the waves were incredible. The rest of the crew expertly carved their surfboards through the water while Alexandra sat on the beach, soaking up the sun.

Her eyes flew open as water dripped over her, and she looked up to see an upside-down JJ, drenched from head to toe, grinning at her. "Did you just see that?" he exclaimed excitedly.

Closing her eyes again, Alexandra replied blandly, "Yeah, it was super cool."

JJ plopped down next to her and nudged her shoulder playfully. "You weren't looking, were you?"

"Nope," she smiled back.

Alexandra and JJ's relationship was complicated. He always wanted more than friendship, and they drunkenly hooked up a few times, but she never wanted it to go further. The rest of the guys often teased JJ for being so obsessed with her, but she brushed it off, knowing their bond ran deeper than that. At the end of the day, he remained her best friend—the one she could always count on.

Resting his head on her legs and shutting his eyes, he asked, "How's your nose doing?"

Alexandra let out a long sigh, recalling the night when Rafe's elbow had met her face. "Fine. Not enough damage for a nose job, unfortunately."

JJ opened one eye and said, "I like your nose, though."

She blinked, caught off guard. "Thanks?"

"Just saying," he added quickly, trying to play it cool.

Thankfully, the rest of the group walked up just in time to interrupt the moment. John B approached, grinning. "I've never seen waves like that in my life."

Kiara pushed her wet hair back and sat down to catch her breath. "Alex, you seriously need to learn how to surf."

"Yeah, maybe," Alexandra replied, glancing at the crashing waves. The thought of getting on a board made her anxious. "But I gotta head back soon for a family dinner."

JJ shot up from Alexandra's legs. "Is your mom making her famous lasagna?"

Alexandra laughed to herself, recalling JJ's stupidity. "You're banned from entering my house after what you did on Wednesday."

"How was I supposed to know your bedroom has such thin windows?" he scoffed.

A few nights ago, JJ had attempted to wake Alexandra from her sleep by throwing rocks at her window, but he ended up breaking them instead.

Sarah chimed in, laughing. "Yeah, JJ, you're supposed to use pebbles, not rocks the size of baseballs."

JJ shrugged, crossing his arms. "Whatever."

Pope shook his head, laughing at JJ.

After sharing a laugh, Alexandra stretched her legs and got up from the sand. "Alright, I should probably get going," she said, brushing off her shorts.

"Already?" JJ asked, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "You're not staying to watch us wipe out?"

"Sorry, but I have a family dinner to get to," she replied, glancing back at the waves. "You guys have fun, though!"