"Under the Stars"
The night was cool on the Outer Banks, the sky stretched out in a blanket of stars, and the sounds of the ocean were the only thing breaking the silence. The Pogues had just finished a long day of treasure hunting, and while the others were talking and laughing around a campfire, Alora found herself walking along the shoreline with JJ.
It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy the group’s company, but there was something about the way JJ’s presence pulled her in, like a gravitational force she couldn’t resist. She had noticed it from the very beginning, the way he was always a little different around her. And now, here they were, walking side by side, both a little quieter than usual.
“I think we’re getting closer,” JJ said, his voice breaking the stillness. He kicked a rock into the ocean and glanced at her with that mischievous grin. “To finding the treasure, I mean. The map’s gotta be legit.”
Alora smiled, but there was a flicker of something else in her eyes. “You really think so?”
JJ shrugged, the smile still there, but now there was something more to it. “When it comes to treasure... and when it comes to you, I think I’m always willing to take a risk.”
Her heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t sure what he meant by that—JJ was never one to show his cards too quickly. But she’d been feeling the same pull between them for a while now, and it made her want to ask more, to push him to say something real.
“I’m glad you’re here, Alora,” JJ continued, voice quieter now. “It feels like... I don’t know. Like I’ve been waiting for someone who gets it.”
Alora stopped walking, looking up at him. “Gets what?”
He ran a hand through his messy blond hair, clearly trying to figure out how to put it into words. “Everything. The chaos. The wildness. The... I dunno, the whole thing. You, especially. You don’t run from it like everyone else. You’re... you’re different.”
Alora felt her heart thud in her chest. “You’re different too, JJ.”
JJ turned to her, his eyes locking with hers, more serious than she’d ever seen him. For a moment, the world around them disappeared, and it was just the two of them, under the stars, on this little stretch of beach.
Without thinking, Alora reached for his hand. JJ didn’t pull away, his fingers intertwining with hers instantly. It was like a silent promise, unspoken but understood. He took a deep breath, his voice low and steady.
“You know, I think... I think this—you and me—isn’t something I wanna mess up. I’ve messed up a lot of things, but this? I don’t want to screw this up.”
Alora’s heart swelled. It was the first time JJ had ever let his guard down like this with her, and it made her feel more connected to him than ever.
She squeezed his hand, pulling him a little closer. “You don’t have to worry. I’m not going anywhere.”
And in that moment, the world felt right. The ocean waves, the crackling of the fire in the distance, the stars overhead—they were all just a backdrop to the two of them, standing together.
JJ leaned in, his lips brushing hers softly, a kiss full of promise. It wasn’t rushed, it wasn’t forced—it was just them, under the stars, finally finding something real.