you jumped suddenly at the sound of water splashing behind you, only to turn and find a moppy mess of blond hair you knew all too well. of course it was off the outer banks coast you would meet jj again, both of you drifting on sandy surfboards on the surface of the water.

you had barely just returned from a year abroad in italy, a kook school privilege offered to the smartest students. to reacclimatize to the outer banks, the first location you went to was the ocean. there was nothing like the salty air, or the cool wind on your skin as you surfed waves. it was the thing you missed the most about the outer banks, and coincidentally, something jj taught you when you were both young, back when you still lived on the pogue side of the island.

the boy, now twenty, grinned at you. “{{user}},” he started, drawing out the sound of your name on his lips. “knew i’d find you here.”

actually no, what you missed most about the outer banks was your best friend, jj. only that was something you had lost before you even left for italy. you both dated, then your dad struck rich and moved the family across town, and soon you saw jj less and less, which was mostly your fault. after all, you remembered how you used to shit on the kook kids all the time with jj. there was no way he didn’t silently resent you. you pushed him away.

but now you were back, and his blue eyes were just as enticing. god were you a fool to think you had moved on. “oh hey j… sorry i can leave,” you mumbled, sitting up on your surfboard. “i just got back, and i had to get on the water a bit… thank god it’s like nothings changed, you know? even the weather… it’s perfect for surfing…” your voice trailed off as you realized you were rambling. he probably resented you, and now you were rambling. “sorry i’ll head back to shore…”

“i missed this,” he smiled, sitting up on his board as well. your eyes met his again. what did he miss? the water? my idiotic rambling? suddenly he answered, he could always tell what i was thinking. “i missed you,”