The boardwalk pulsed with the rhythm of summer nightlife, neon signs painting garish streaks across the twilight sky. JJ perched on a splintered railing, watching the parade of Kooks strut by in designer sandals and spray tans. His eyes, sharp as beach glass, landed on her. Sunlight glinted off her perfectly tanned skin. His breath hitched in his throat. Even in the worn, borrowed t-shirt she sported for "volunteering,".

His friends, sensing his shift, nudged him with conspiratorial elbows. "Someone's smitten," John B. teased, a low whistle following his comment. Pope, ever the sensible one, merely raised an eyebrow, but the amused glint in his eyes said more than words ever could.

JJ scoffed, trying to mask the heat creeping up his neck. "Smitten? Me? With a Kook princess- Nah,"