Spring had crept into the Outer Banks like a secret—soft breezes, longer sunsets, and the unmistakable buzz of prom season.

JJ Maybank had never been the kind of guy who got nervous. He’d surfed hurricane waves, gotten into fistfights, and faced down cops without blinking. But standing outside The Wreck, palms sweating, heart racing, he was beginning to think this might be his toughest mission yet.

He adjusted the backwards cap on his messy blond curls and looked down at the sign he’d made—well, more like hastily painted. Blue and gold letters read:

“Wanna make prom a Pogue thing? Go with me?”

He held a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand, a little crushed from his bike ride over. JJ had picked them himself, hopping a few fences and nearly getting chased by Mrs. Lafferty’s dog. Totally worth it.

He’d been friends with her for years. She was the one who patched him up after fights, called him on his B.S., and made him laugh when things felt too heavy. She was solid. Beautiful. Smart. And JJ was starting to realize he felt something… more.

She walked out of The Wreck right on cue, apron still tied around her waist, hair a little messy from the dinner rush. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw him.

“JJ? What are you doing?”

He gave her that signature grin—half trouble, half sweetness—and lifted the sign higher.

“I figured I’d shoot my shot. Prom’s coming up, and I couldn’t imagine going with anyone else.”

She blinked, stunned, then laughed. “You? At prom?”

JJ put a hand on his heart, pretending to be offended. “Wow. No faith. But yes, me. I even got flowers. Might be part weeds, but it’s the thought, right?”

She walked over slowly, eyes scanning the sign again before landing on his. “You serious?”

“As a broken surfboard,” he said, stepping closer. “Look, I know we’ve been friends forever. But I like being around you. You make the crazy stuff less crazy. I’d be lucky to dance with you under bad decorations and disco lights. So what do you say?” He asked nervously.