Now or Never ⇀ John B Routledge [1]

xl. the night we met

Ashtyn Hughes sat alone on a piece of driftwood, blue eyes trained on the burning flames ahead of her. The fifteen year old hadn't expected her final night in the Outer Banks to go like this; she didn't expect to spend it alone.

Luke had disappeared with a pretty blonde upon their arrival to the bonfire, leaving his baby sister to fend for herself. She wasn't angry with him though, having planned to do the same when she found John B, but the brunette surfer was nowhere to be found.

The Boneyard was packed, the entire beachfront crowded with teenagers of all ages drinking and enjoying their final week of freedom. School would be starting soon, so it was no surprise that every kid on the island was in attendance.

Every kid except the one she came for that is.

She hadn't even seen Pope or JJ, and that alone made the girl believe she'd been stood up.

Several guys had attempted to hit on her over the course of the night, drink in hand hoping to get lucky, but it was no use. None of them were John B.

The teens eyes shifted from the blazing fire to her brother, gagging at the sight of his tongue down a different girl's throat. If that kept up, they'd never make it home, but she also didn't want to ruin his fun.

Luke was her best friend. He dealt with a lot of shit to keep Ashtyn happy and healthy, and she'd never be able to repay him.

"Penny for your thoughts?" The familiar voice made her heart stop. "You're looking a little lonely over here Miss Hughes. Figured you'd like some company."

Tearing her eyes away from her horny brother, Ashtyn smiled at the man now occupying the spot next to her. She wanted to be angry, to yell at him for keeping her waiting all night, but the guilty look on his face told her he already felt bad enough. "Hey."

"I'm sorry." His apology was fast, as if he had rehearsed it multiple times before coming over. "Kie came home today and had an emergency, so we were at The Wreck all afternoon. I would've been here sooner-"

The mainlander waved him off, deciding it was best to forgive and forget. "It's okay John. No worries, I'm not mad."

"Are you sure? I can leave you alone if-" Using her pointer finger, the girl shushed him.

In their short time together, she'd noticed the way John babbled when he got nervous. It was cute. "I would've left your ass sitting here if I didn't want to spend time with you Johnny."

There it was, the stupid nickname that only she could call him. If it were anyone else, he'd throw a fit, but when Ashtyn said it, his heart skipped a beat. "Care to dance?"

"You want to slow dance?" She rose a brow, focusing on the popular Lord Huron song playing. "With me?"

He extended a hand, pushing his body up off the rotting wood. "I'm full of surprises, Hughes. Care to humor me?"