KOOK'S BET ☼ outerbanks

Part 14

JJ's POV

Three days.

That's how long Lev had been gone.

Not gone-gone—but gone enough. No calls back. No texts. No random pull-ups. No showing up like she always did, like she belonged there just as much as the rest of us.

Three days of nothing.

I leaned back against the HMS Pogue, staring out at the water but not really seeing it. My phone sat face-up beside me, screen dark. I'd checked it so many times it was starting to feel like a joke.

"She text you yet?"

I didn't have to look up to know it was John B.

"No," I said flatly.

There was a pause, then footsteps as Pope and Kiara joined us. I could feel it coming before anyone even said it.

"So... what happened?" Kiara asked carefully.

"Nothing," I shot back a little too fast.

Pope raised an eyebrow. "JJ."

"What?" I snapped, sitting up. "Why does everyone keep acting like something happened?"

"Because something obviously did," Kiara said. "Lev doesn't just disappear."

That hit harder than I wanted it to.

I ran a hand over my face, exhaling sharply. "She just needed space or whatever. It's not a big deal."

John B crossed his arms, watching me. "Is she—" he hesitated, then just said it, "—is she breaking up with you?"

The words landed like a punch.

"No," I said immediately. Too immediately. "No, it's not like that."

"Then what is it like?" Pope asked.

I didn't have an answer.

All I had was the way she looked that day—eyes glassy, voice tight, pulling away from me like I'd done something wrong just by being there. And then Rafe... always somehow in the background of it.

My jaw tightened.

"I don't know," I admitted finally, quieter. "She won't talk to me."

Kiara frowned. "That's not like her. Well atleast not the girl she has been for the past month."

"Yeah," I muttered. "I know."

Silence settled for a second, heavy and uncomfortable.

John B stepped a little closer. "You think this has something to do with Rafe?"

At the sound of his name, something in my chest twisted.

"Probably," I said, voice low. "Everything lately somehow does."

Pope shook his head. "Man, that's not good."

"No," I agreed. My gaze drifted back out to the water, but this time my thoughts were louder. "It's really not."

Because whatever this was—whatever she was doing—it felt like she was slipping further away.

And I had no idea how to stop it.

Lev's POV

Music pulsed through the beach house, bass vibrating through the floors, through my chest, through everything I was trying not to feel.

The place was packed—laughing, shouting, bodies moving, drinks everywhere. Classic Kook party.

I leaned against the kitchen counter, red cup in hand, pretending I was just another part of it. Like I belonged here.

Like this wasn't easier than facing him.

"Lev."

I turned slightly at the voice, already knowing who it was.

Sarah.

She stepped up beside me, eyes scanning my face in that way she had—like she could read right through whatever front I was trying to put up.

"You've been MIA," she said.

I shrugged, taking a small sip. "Just busy."

"Mm," she hummed, clearly not buying it. "JJ's been asking about you."

My grip tightened slightly around the cup. He talked to my friends?

"I figured," I said, trying to sound indifferent. "When was this?" I asked.

Sarah tilted her head. "Yesterday. So... you gonna tell me what's actually going on?"

I let out a quiet breath, staring down into my drink for a second before answering.

"It's just... complicated right now."

"With JJ?" she pressed.

"With everything," I corrected softly.

There was a beat.

"Does this have to do with my brother?" Sarah asked, more serious now.

I didn't answer right away, which was answer enough.

She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Lev..."

"I'm just trying to avoid a situation," I said quickly, finally looking at her. "That's it."

"What kind of situation?"

"The kind where JJ and Rafe are in the same place at the same time," I said, my voice quieter but firm. "You know how that goes."

Sarah's expression tightened slightly. "Yeah. I do."

"I can't—" I shook my head, frustration creeping in. "I can't deal with that right now. Not another fight, not another... whatever. It's easier if I just stay away for a bit."

"From JJ?" she asked.

The question hit harder than I expected.

I looked away, swallowing. "From everything."

Sarah studied me for a moment. "You know that's not really solving anything, right?"

"I know," I admitted. "But it's preventing something."

She crossed her arms slightly. "And what, you think JJ's just gonna be okay with you disappearing like this?"

Guilt twisted in my chest.

"No," I said quietly. "Probably not."

"Then why do it?"

I hesitated, then finally said the part I hadn't wanted to.

"Because if I don't... something's gonna blow up. And I'd rather have him mad at me than—" I cut myself off, shaking my head.

"Than what?" Sarah asked softly.

I exhaled, voice barely above a whisper.

"Than him getting hurt."

The music swelled around us, people laughing, shouting—completely unaware of the tension sitting between us.

Sarah's expression softened, but there was still concern there.

"Lev," she said gently, "you can't protect everyone by pushing them away."

I gave a small, humorless smile. "Watch me."

A/N: DRAMA.