underwater || outer banks- jj maybank

nine - on top of the world

nine - on top of the world

Layla had woken up to an empty bed.

She had fallen asleep dressed in nothing, spotting her clothes that were strewn on the floor previously now sat on her desk chair.

She kicked the sheets off of her, pulling herself to the edge of the bed and climbing out of it. Her door was nearly completely shut, the hallway outside of it dark.

She reached her nightstand, pulling a pair of underwear from the drawer. She slipped them over her legs, grabbing the t-shirt that sat on top; it was JJ's light gray shirt over her body. As it went down to her knees, she didn't bother putting on shorts for the moment. There would be a time to get dressed, but it didn't feel like right now.

She opened her door the rest of the way, heading to the bathroom across. After brushing her teeth, she headed down the stairs with her messy brown hair thrown over her shoulders.

JJ was seated on the couch, dressed in a pair of gray shorts. His lighter gray underwear peaked out from above the waistband. His hair was dampened, his face focused down on his phone in his lap.

A small smile came to his lips at the content on the screen, swiping across the surface and letting out a light laugh at the next item.

He was so emerged in the device, he'd barely noticed the girl until she came and sat down next to him. He glanced over at her, giving her a small smile. "Hey." She smiled, as he leaned over and placed a kiss quickly on her cheek. "Wanna see what I found?"

She nodded, a small yawn coming over her body. She reached her arms up, rolling her shoulders. JJ pulled the phone in between the pair, swiping back one. It was an image of the pair; they were about thirteen in the image, both dawned in swimsuits and covered in sand up to their shoulders. They stood next to each other, Layla in the action of shoving JJ's shoulder. The boy was slightly shorter, lacking the solid abs he exhibited now. His hair had more brown in it previously as well.

She smiled at the memory, the day clear in her mind. It was a few months after she had become friendly with the group of four. She initially bonded with Kiara, and then she met JJ. Slightly after, she became close with Pope and John B. While the first year was fairly difficult for her, the group made it much easier to acclimate to life in a different state without her mother, and subsequently her father.

He swiped his phone, a picture that was more recent illuminating the screen. It was taken a few months ago, JJ and Layla seated on the HMS Pogue. Their feet hung off, touching the water that the boat was floating on. She was in a cropped t-shirt and shorts, JJ dressed similarly in a muscle tee and shorts. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulder, Layla sticking out her tongue at the camera.

That day filled Layla's mind; it was one of the first times they had all taken the Pogue out, and Layla had loved the adventure. At the end of the night, Layla and JJ had hung out together out back at John B's. That was one of the nights that had made them closer to each other than the others, staying out and talking until the early hours of the morning.

"You remember that night?" Layla questioned softly to the boy next to her, a small smile erupting on her face.

He smiled down at the phone, basking in the memory. "One of the best nights of my life."