KOOK'S BET ☼ outerbanks

Part 15

Lev's POV

I woke up to sunlight stabbing straight through the blinds and directly into my skull.

"God—" I groaned, dragging my arm over my eyes. My head pounded, my mouth was dry, and every sound felt ten times louder than it should've been. The faint echo of last night's music still rang in my ears.

Bad idea.

All of it.

I pushed myself up slowly from the couch, immediately regretting it as the room tilted slightly. My phone was somewhere on the floor, my shoes were... somewhere, and I was still in yesterday's clothes.

Great.

I sat there for a second, elbows on my knees, trying to piece together everything from last night—Kelce's house, the music, Sarah's face when I said I was staying away, the pit in my stomach that didn't go away no matter how loud the party got.

And then, like it had been waiting for me to be conscious again—

JJ.

The guilt hit instantly.

Before I could even reach for my phone, there was a knock at the front door.

Three sharp taps.

I froze.

Another knock, a little louder this time.

"Lev."

My stomach dropped.

Of course.

I closed my eyes for a second, exhaling slowly. Of course he would show up.

"Yeah," I called out, voice rough, pushing myself up and making my way to the door. Every step felt heavier than it should've.

I pulled it open—

And there he was.

JJ stood on the porch, hair messy from the wind, eyes scanning my face immediately like he was checking for something. Concern, frustration—both there, tangled together.

"Hey," he said.

I leaned against the doorframe, crossing my arms loosely. "Hey."

There was a pause.

He took in my state—the tired eyes, yesterday's clothes, the obvious hangover—and his expression shifted slightly.

"...You look like hell," he said.

I let out a small, humorless laugh. "Yeah, I feel like it too."

Another pause. Thicker this time.

Then, "Can I come in?"

I hesitated for half a second before stepping aside.

"Yeah."

He walked in, glancing around briefly before turning back to me. I shut the door and stayed leaning against it, like I needed something solid to hold me up.

Neither of us spoke right away.

JJ ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. "You just—disappeared."

I swallowed, looking down at the floor. "I know."

"For three days, Lev," he added, not raising his voice, but it still hit hard. "No calls, no texts... nothing."

"I know," I repeated, quieter.

He shook his head slightly, pacing a step before stopping in front of me again. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

That made me look up.