P4L | Outer Banks | JJ Maybank

Dreaming

 When Cory woke, she thought she was dreaming.

The sun was shining through the slats of John B's blinds, golden against the sheets and against Cory's tanned skin.

There was an arm underneath her neck, holding her head at the perfect place to lay comfortably on the pillow.

And there was a hand, a very familiar hand, playing with a strand of her hair.

Cory groaned softly, lifting her head slightly to look up at the boy beside her.

JJ jumped ever so slightly at the sound of her quiet voice, looking down at her. He smiled softly.

"Hey, blondie," he whispered.

"JJ," Cory responded.

"Do you remember yesterday?" he asked. "You had a little too much to smoke."

Cory's brows furrowed. She kind of forgot a lot of the previous day (likely because she was asleep for most of it, though she didn't realize that), but she couldn't forget what had happened the night before.

She smiled softly.

"I remember."

"You do?" JJ asked teasingly. "I'm shocked."

Cory scowled. "I didn't have that much."
"Oh I dunno, you had enough to make you wanna kiss me," JJ joked, though he was grinning.

Cory let her hand move gently across his chest. "No, I wanted that sober."

"Oh yeah?" JJ asked, but he was lifting her head up as he said it.

They exchanged a gentle kiss, one that felt perfectly matched with the peaceful morning in the Chateau. It had been a long time since they had just spent the night in the Chateau and woken up with nothing insane on the schedule.

Other than figuring out how to help John B.

But no one was on the verge of death, and that's what mattered to Cory.

In the doorway, Kiara appeared.

"Hey, lovebirds," she interrupted, earning teasing glares from the two. "I made breakfast."

Cory grinned, sitting up straight.

"God, I missed that sentence," she said.

As Kie walked away, she called out. "Chocolate chip pancakes!"

JJ and Cory grinned at each other for a moment, and then the two both bolted for the door.

Cory reached it first, only for JJ's arms to wrap around her waist.

"Jay!" she cried out, laughing as he placed her down behind him.

He pulled the door shut in between them and started sprinting down the hallway into the kitchen.

When Cory finally made it into the kitchen, JJ was sitting at the counter, a plate of pancakes in front of him. Cory scoffed, sitting next to him. She nudged him playfully as she grabbed her own pancakes.

"Have fruit," Kie said in motherly fashion, nudging the bowl of watermelon forward. "It'll go bad before long."

"Mmm," Cory said, grabbing a piece and shoving it into her mouth. "Bless you, Kie."

"What she said," JJ added, going at his pancakes.

"What?" Kiara chuckled. "You two hungry after last night?"

The two froze, their faces exploding with pink. They looked up at Kiara, finding her laughing at the two of them.

Through mouthfuls of food, the two began to argue, their words overlapping each other.