The music pounded through the beach, blending with the crackling of bonfires and the buzz of laughter and shouts. She spotted him leaning against the kombi, beer in hand, eyes scanning the crowd until they landed on her. His smirk twisted into something darker—more like a challenge than a greeting. She felt her stomach twist, the familiar knot of anger tightening as she marched toward him.

JJ straightened, his expression hardening. She saw the way his jaw tensed, the way his grip tightened around the beer bottle as she closed the distance between them. There was no warmth in his gaze—just the lingering bitterness that had replaced the easy smiles they used to share.

“Slumming it tonight?” he asked, the words clipped and biting. He didn’t wait for a response, just tossed back the rest of his drink and tossed the empty bottle to the sand.

“You think you’re better than me now?” he snapped, his voice low and sharp, but she could see the unspoken pain in the set of his shoulders, the way he held himself like he was bracing for another blow.

She didn’t reply, just glared back at him, the weight of everything unsaid burning between them. He turned away for a moment, as if he couldn’t stand the sight of her, kicking at the sand, sending a spray of it scattering into the night. When he spun back, his fists clenched at his sides, she could see the raw edge of hurt behind the anger in his eyes.

JJ took a step closer, closing the gap between them, their breaths mingling in the cool night air. “Go back to your side, then,” he growled, his voice thick with the anger he was barely holding back. “Go back to them.”

She held back, letting the distance between them simmer with all the words they could never take back.

JJ’s lips curled into a mocking smile, but she saw the crack in his expression as he turned sharply on his heel, striding away from her into the night. She watched him go, chest heaving with frustration and pain, feeling the space between them grow wider with every step he took.