The night was quiet, the kind that settled over the Outer Banks after a long, humid day. You and JJ sat on the porch steps, passing a cigarette between you, the smoke mingling with the salty breeze. It felt like just another night, like everything was fine.

JJ leaned back, a faint grin on his lips. “It’s good being here. Feels more like home than my place.”

You forced a laugh. “It’s yours whenever.” You both knew what it was like to have a house but not a home. For you, it was an absent father and a half-empty fridge. For JJ, it was something just as broken.

“Sometimes I wish we could just leave,” he said, staring into the darkness. “Start over.”

“Where?”

“Anywhere. Doesn’t matter.” His usual mask slipped, revealing a hint of the pain beneath.

You felt the weight of your own secret, heavy in your chest. You hadn’t told anyone—not even the other Pogues. But with JJ beside you, it almost felt like the right moment to finally let it out.