ISSUES II outer banks

that kind of guy

"I'd rather run away through the Cut with you than to lay with someone else at the beach on Hawaii."

❥

"We said we wouldn't tell anyone!" "What the hell, you were dating John B and now JJ?", Kie yells, "Who's next, Pope?!" "Kie, I think you should calm down", Pope coughs slightly while I stand up.

"Calm down? You're telling me to- Wait, did you know it? You knew it!" "I found them hooking up in the bus, it's not like they told me." "But you didn't tell us!"

"We asked him not to tell you guys", I explain, "JJ and I didn't want you to know because of this. We knew you would freak out."

"So what about John B and you?", JJ hisses at me now with a serious look, "I knew you've been flirting with him all day long." "Bells, is it true?", Sarah asks me with a thin voice.

"Can I explain it to you guys without getting yelled at?", I mutter, look around and move on when they don't say something, "There's nothing much to say actually. We weren't dating. We hooked up once, that's it."

"Ah, so we hooked up once?", John B repeats giving me a skeptical look, "As much as I remember you came over more than one time until you dumped me." "I didn't dump you!" "Well, I didn't dump you either!"

"What do you call it then if you have sex and the next morning you're completely quiet? You played with me!" "I was too afraid to ask you out, okay!", John shouts frustrated and as I look around, everyone is watching us with wide eyes.

"It doesn't matter anyways", I mutter shaking my head, "That's the past, it doesn't matter. You're dating Sarah now and I'm with JJ." "Yeah, about-", JJ starts but I interrupt him anxiously. "What, JJ? Do you want to break up with me because of this now or what?"

"I don't know what to say or think. You've fucked my best friend. Are we done here now? Because I would like to leave", JJ stands up but Pope pulls him back down. "We agree for once", Sarah adds uncomfortably.

"JJ", I whisper with a thin voice, "Are you breaking up with me?" "I don't know", he just mumbles moving past me to the inside of the chateau.

I thought about following him but if I push him now, he's probably just going to be angrier. Instead, I start to cry and let myself glide down with my against the wall. "I told you this would happen!"

"Shut up, Kiara! Don't you see that she's hurt?", Sarah screams for the first time here and sits down next to me. "I'm sorry, Sah." "No, I'm sorry. If there's still something between you and John-" "It's not." "Yeah, it's not", John agrees with me.

"Kie, whatever you'd like to say now, let Iz talk to JJ first. And Iz, go in and talk to him. It'll be fine, JJ loves you", Pope first talks to Kie but turned back to me then. "I don't kn-" "Go in. You need each other right now." "I'll be right back."

❥

"JJ?", I call him quietly and knock against the door to JJ's bedroom. "What do you want, Iz? I've heard enough!" "Can I come in?" "Do whatever you can't stop yourself from."

Opening the door, I find JJ sitting on John's bed but as he looks up to me, I can see that he's been crying. "J", I whisper, "I'm sorry, really sorry. I should have told you before. I just.. I don't like talking about because we are all friends and it happened more than a year ago. I didn't want it to be awkward between all of us."

"Why are you still flirting with him then?", JJ asks looking into my eyes. His eyes are red already from crying and I wish I could make him feel better. I fucked up this time.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel like I've been flirting with John B but I didn't really mean to do so, I didn't intend to hurt you." "Iz-"

"No, JJ, wait. Don't break up with me. I love you way too much to handle that, I can't-" "You love me?", JJ repeats making me realize what I've just said. Fuck. "No, I mean yes, but.. shit, I didn't mean to scare-"

I try to tell him that I didn't want to rush things by admitting my love for him but JJ is fast enough to interrupt me by grabbing my neck and placing his lips on top of mine. JJ starts slowly and softly but soon enough things get heated as he places himself over me making me lay back in the bed and deepening our kiss.

Without thinking about where we are or what is going on right now, I grab the waistband of his trousers. I interrupt our kiss just so I could push him into the bed and sit on top of him. "I love it when you're on top, baby", JJ whispers against my lips with a grin so I lay my hands underneath his shirt and pull it upwards until we're interrupted by someone crashing into this room.

❥

"There you a-", John B comes in but stops furrowing his eyebrows as he looks at us, "You didn't plan to.. I mean, in here? In my room?"

"I mean we couldn't do it in the living room when you guys are outside right?", I reply biting my lip shyly. "Wait.. Have you been doing this before in my room, in my bed?", John B asks confused. "You know.. I'm barely home with my dad and Iz lives with Kie so.."

"God, you're gross. I liked you better when you fought", John B mumbles, "We're waiting outside for you. We thought you would just make up and not hook up." As John B leaves the room, I stand up and close the door just to make sure that JJ and I are fine again. The others don't have to hear that.

"So you're not breaking up with me?", I ask him nervously. He never said he would or he would not, he also didn't say he loves me back or not. I have no idea what is really going on between us.

"Are you crazy?", JJ chuckles, "I would never break up with you, Iz. I.. I don't know why.. But sometimes I have this feeling that I'm not good enough for you.. Kie constantly claims that. And even though he's a fucking dick and I would enjoy beating him up, Rafe and Topper are kooks like you." I am about to say something but he shakes his head and continues speaking.

"You're a pogue in your heart but your life is the one of a kook. It's not even a bad thing, Iz. But I'll always be a pogue. I'm just the guy who gets hit by his dad whenever I'm not around you. You deserve more than to get in trouble with us. If anything, you should break up with me." Was he trying to make me break up with him before?

"What do you expect me to do? Go back to Rafe? That boy could literally become a gentleman and I wouldn't care about him or his life. You said it yourself. I'm a pogue by heart and my parents' money won't change who I am. Even if we find the gold, it's not going to change you either. Yes, JJ, you are the guy who gets hit by his dad but you're also the guy who stood up for me in front of his dad although you knew he would beat you even harder. You're the guy who made me - literally the most anxious person in outer banks - surf during a storm, break into a motel, run away from people who tried to kill us, steal a drone and many more things I would have never done with someone else. I did this because of you and I wasn't as anxious as I would normally be because you were around me", I almost cry, my voice becoming louder with each word, "You are the guy who stood up for his friend. It wasn't you for once and you still took the blame! That is who you are so never tell me again that you are just the guy who gets hit by his dad or say that you are not enough. I can fucking decide myself who I want to be with and that's you, dickhead."

First, JJ had his mouth wide open and seemed to be surprised about my voice and what I've just said but within a second he comes a step closer and pulls me into his arms tightly to which I can only react to. It feels different this time.

I don't know why, I've seen him cry before but he seems way more emotional than the minutes before we were talking.

"I love you Isabella", JJ whispers so quietly into my ear that I could barely hear him, "And I'm sorry I made you say it first."