what now? | outerbanks

• twenty-two •

"Oh, JJ. Where's Jo-" I start, but I'm cut off before I can finish my question.

"Sarah Cameron?" I turn on the balls of my feet upon hearing my name, my mouth instantly falling agape at the sight in front of me.
There, maybe twenty feet in front of me, is John B. His curls are blowing in the wind, and his cheeks look windswept as he slowly gets down on one knee. The love of my life.
"Oh my God," I breathe out in shock, slowly walking over closer to John B. As if I'm in a trance, I forget that our friends are standing there too, and it feels like it's just us in the world.
"Babe, I have loved you since the first time I saw you. From stealing gear off of your dad's boat to falling thirty feet just to go on a secret date with you, hell, even surviving a boat crash; you're the best thing that's ever happened to me." I walk to him and crouch down to be level with his eyes, my hands covering my mouth and nose in shock. Tears spill from my eyes and he wipes them gently with his calloused thumbs.
"John B., my heart is beating so fast," I nervously laugh out, moving his hand to my heart for him to feel it; and he laughs when he does.
"Scared to marry me?" He jokes with a wink and a sly smile.
"Never in a million years," I respond. Our eyes are locked like never before, and it's almost like his gaze is pulling me into him.
"Well, Sarah Elizabeth Cameron, by the powers invested in me, and by the stars, the sky, and the sea, I ask: will you be my wife?" He reaches his hand into his coat pocket and pulls out a ring box made of seashells; I can tell it's homemade, which means more than he knows. He opens it slowly to reveal the most beautiful I've seen since my mom's wedding ring. It's emerald cut-my favorite- and there are tiny diamonds all the way around the dainty gold band. It's gorgeous.
I choke out a sob in happiness and surprise and immediately pull his forehead to mine, basking fully in his presence. I pull away slightly before kissing his lips in a tender, loving kiss.
"John Booker Routledge," I speak as I cup his face in my hands, forgetting all of my worries. "I wouldn't wish for anything more." He picks me up and kisses me passionately, spinning me in a circle.
"Holy shit, is this real life!?" I speak against his lips, and neither of us can help from laughing out loud. I lean my head back in laughter, suddenly noticing our four friends watching in awe.
"Woohoo!" Kie yells from afar, raising both her arms in the air. The others cheer and clap as well, and I feel my cheeks blush in shyness.
"We're really doing this?" I ask my now fiancée. He snakes his arms around my waist and raises his eyebrows.
"Hell yeah, we are." I hold my right hand out to him, and he places his left one in it with a slap. We shoot our held hands up into the sky in triumph, walking over to our friends.
"Way to go, man." JJ is the first to congratulate, walking up to John B. and engulfing him in a tight hug. I continue to cry as I wrap my arms around Cleo and then Kie.
"I mean," I hold my hand up to the girls. "This is crazy, right?"
"Yeah, well, we kind of knew," Kie trails off, realizing halfway through her sentence that maybe she should have kept it in, and Cleo slaps her arm in discipline.
"You knew?!" I gasp at the girl.
    "Yeah, John B. told us all on the plane ride back from El Dorado. We're all surprised you never caught on."
    "You sneaky bastards, I knew something was up." I playfully punch Cleo in the arm, and she braces for impact.
    "Wait, wait. We want to see the ring again, girl." I hold my left hand out, and the girls hold it gently, observing the rock.
    "Shit, John B. This is a boulder. I ain't seen nothing like this." Cleo exclaims, looking to the boy.
    "Taking notes, boys?" Kie asks JJ and Pope, who instantly look at one another in youthful shock. We all laugh at their innocence.
    "Absolutely- yeah, um,"
    "Mhm, taking notes. Yep," the boys stutter out awkwardly, responding to the girl.
    "Better sleep with one eye open, Sarah." Kie winks at me and I make an offended face.
    "Yeah, if they'll be sleeping at all," JJ looks disapprovingly at John B. and me and makes a fake thrusting motion.
    "Gross, Jayj. Stop." Kie hits him a couple of times with disgust on her face, and he stops, but he still laughs at himself silently.
    "So, what about we make you guys dinner and let you guys have a date night; just the two of you?" Pope says, his typical, genuine smile plastering across his face. An angel, truly.
    "Aw, Pope, thank you." I pull him into a hug and rub his back a couple of times. "That would be lovely." I lean back against John B, and his arms wrap around my neck, his hands falling just below my chest. He kisses me softly on the head and I look up at him lovingly.
    "Well, that looks like your cue," Cleo says, pointing to something past me. I turn to see a sailboat, a man getting off of it and waving kindly.
    "For us?" I ask, surprised.
    "Yup, ordered it last night," JJ says, a tight-lipped smile on his face. I grab John B.'s hand and run for the boat. "Don't be too long; reservation at the Kildare Surf Kitchen is at 7:30!"
    We make our way down the dock, my barefoot feet patting against the cold, damp wood.
    "She's all yours," the man tells us, helping us onto the boat.
    "Really?" I ask.
    "Yeah. Return it to the nearest marina tomorrow morning, and you're golden." He sucks his teeth and shoots finger guns at us, reminding me of some of my first impressions of John B.
    "Thank you, sir!" I call out as he pushes the boat from the dock, waving. I look past him to my friends, and they're waving as well, hollering and blowing kisses.
    How could we be so lucky?