𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐃 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

John B and Pope disappear across the water, laughing like this was some brilliant plan. Kiara gave a little wave. Sarah shouted something about “talking it out.”

They’d been set up.

By their friends.

“Unreal,” JJ muttered under his breath,

The boat rocked gently beneath them, but the tension stayed still—thick and unmoving. The sun was bright and relentless, making they’re skin burn as they watched their friends leave them stranded, the only sound left to be heard is the engine fading into the distance and the quiet slap of water against the boat.

It had been weeks since that night. Drunk off stolen whiskey and whatever it was between them that had finally boiled over. It wasn’t supposed to happen. Not really. But it had. And since then? Nothing.

No texts. Stiff eye contact. Barely any words. Just long silences and excuses not to be alone.

Until now.

The others didn’t say it outright, but you knew what they were doing. This was a classic Pogue move. Force the awkward people together, strand them, and wait for emotions to boil over. Except what they didn’t realize was—this wasn’t some surface-level tension. This wasn’t about a stupid fight or a sarcastic comment gone too far.

It started at the JJ’s place. An unusual place to be at. No Luke— he was out of town, no stressors, just the familiar burn of cheap liquor and the reckless comfort of knowing no one was watching. JJ had been quieter than usual. Still smiling, still joking—but there was something off behind his eyes. You’d asked if he was okay. He didn’t answer, just handed her another drink. And somehow, between the music and the haze and the silence between them, his hand found hers.

The kiss had been desperate. The rest, even more so.

It was messy. Breathless. Not romantic. Not soft.

It was real.

And ever since, they’d barely looked at each other.

But avoidance wasn’t working anymore. The Pogues noticed. The glances. The weird energy. The fact that the two of them, once inseparable, now moved like magnets flipped the wrong way.

That’s why they left them out here. Together. Alone. In the middle of nowhere with nothing but the water, the heat, and what neither of them would say out loud.

You laid on the bow, letting your skin soak up the suns heat, your sunglasses perched on your nose.

JJ stayed in the back, rummaging through the cooler, clearly trying to look busy.

Time passed like that. Heavy and unspoken.

At one point, she caught a glimpse of him from the corner of her eye—shirt off, hair pushed back, pacing the deck like he couldn’t stand being still.

Within minutes he broke the silence, pulling a can of cold beer from the cooler and cracking it open. The sound echoed in the quiet.

A cloud of shade covered you. Confused, you opened your eyes to see JJ holding a beer for you.

“Don’t want it.” You muttered before closing your eyes again.

“Since when do you not want a beer?”