KOOK'S BET ☼ outerbanks

Part 16

JJ's POV

I didn't hear anything after that.

Not her voice, not Rafe, not the ocean in the distance—nothing. Just this ringing in my ears and the one sentence that wouldn't stop repeating.

You were a bet.

My boots hit the steps hard, too fast, like if I slowed down even for a second I'd lose it right there on her porch.

I kept walking.

Because if I turned around, I wasn't sure what I'd do. And I didn't trust myself enough to find out.

"JJ, wait, this was before—"

Before?

That word hit something raw in my chest, and I stopped.

Not because I meant to. My body just... did.

I let out a breath through my nose, slow, controlled, trying to keep whatever was building inside me from spilling over. My hands clenched at my sides.

Then I turned.

She was halfway down the porch, tears streaming, panic written all over her face. And behind her—

Rafe.

Of course.

Something dark flickered in my chest at the sight of him, but it was buried under something worse.

Her.

I looked back at Lev, really looked at her this time, like I was trying to find something—anything—that told me this wasn't real.

"Before what?" I asked.

My voice didn't sound like mine. Too flat. Too calm.

Her lips parted, but nothing came out at first. Just a shaky breath.

"Before I—before I actually—" she tried again, but her voice broke completely.

I laughed.

Not because it was funny. It wasn't. It was the kind of laugh that comes out when something inside you snaps just a little.

"Before you what?" I pressed, stepping closer now. "Before you started feeling bad about it?"

"Before I fell for you!" she said, the words rushing out like they'd been trapped.

That should've meant something.

A day ago? Hell, even an hour ago—it would've been everything.

Now?

Now it just twisted the knife deeper.

I shook my head slowly, running a hand through my hair. "So what—you just forgot to mention that part?" I asked. "Or were you waiting for the right moment to tell me I was part of some game?"

"It wasn't like that—" she stepped toward me again.

"It is exactly like that, Lev," I cut in, sharper this time. "You don't get to spin it into something pretty now."

Her face crumpled, but I couldn't stop.

"Was it funny?" I added, quieter, but somehow worse. "Watching me... what—fall for you? Trust you?"

"No," she shook her head quickly, tears falling faster. "No, it wasn't—it stopped being that a long time ago, JJ, I swear—"

"A long time ago?" I echoed. "It's been almost two months."

Silence.

That hit.

I could see it in the way she froze, like she didn't have a response that would fix this. Because there wasn't one.