The sun rises over the Outer Banks, spilling light into JJ’s cluttered bedroom. He wakes up alone, the sheets tangled around him, the echo of the night before pressing against his temples. He reaches for his phone, hoping for a missed call or text from her. But the screen is blank—a reminder that she hasn’t been a part of his life for a while now.

It’s been weeks since she walked out, back to her Kook world. But he can’t shake her presence—her laugh lingering in the Chateau, the way she traced his scars, whispering he was more than just trouble.

JJ drags himself out of bed, reaching for a drink to dull the ache. By noon, he’s nursing another, thoughts circling back to her. It’s a cycle he can’t break, wondering if she thinks of him too.

The night drags on, and he ends up at a party, surrounded by people but feeling alone. He wakes up next to a girl with similar traits almost whispering her name, but it catches in his throat.

He stumbles outside, salty air hitting him, and scrolls through their old messages. He types a text he knows he’ll never send: I miss you.

She’s the princess in Figure 8, where everything is perfect. But he knows she’s more than that—the girl who snuck out to meet him, who laughed at his jokes. And he knows the comfortable silence isn’t real—it’s just another mask.

JJ looks over the water, the moon reflecting off the waves, wondering if she’s lying in her room, thinking about him. His phone stays in his hand, heavy with the weight of everything unsaid. Even silence can’t drown out the memories.

Just as he’s ready to pocket his phone, it buzzes. His heart stops as he reads the message—a message from her. "Hey, I think I left my sweater at the Chateau... can I come by and get it?"

JJ’s pulse quickens, a flicker of hope igniting. He types back quickly, hands trembling. "Yeah, sure. I’ll be here." He stares at the screen, waiting for those three dots, wondering if this could be the start of something—or just another goodbye.