JJ's pov
When Kie walked over to me, she looked absolutely stunning, her hair glowing in the sunlight, and I couldn't help but smile. I took her outside, and we drove to a small pier where an old-fashioned ice cream van was parked, the kind that plays cheerful music.
"Want some ice cream?" I asked, trying to keep things light.
"Of course!" she said, flashing that irresistible smile of hers, showing off her perfect teeth. We waited in line, both of us standing close enough that our arms kept brushing against each other. It felt good, natural, like things were falling back into place. When it was finally our turn, the vendor greeted us with a friendly grin.
"Hey there! What can I get for you two lovebirds?"
Before I could speak, Kie jumped in. "I'll have a cookie dough ice cream, and he'll take a chocolate one."
I couldn't help but grin. She knew my favorite flavor without asking—it's the little things like that which remind me why I love her. The vendor worked quickly, handing us our cones and spoons with a cheerful "Enjoy!"
As we walked away, I glanced over at her. "Wanna taste mine?"
Kie raised an eyebrow but played along. "Sure," she said, taking a small spoonful of my ice cream and tasting it. "Not bad, but mine's better," she teased.
I smirked, taking a bit of her ice cream on my spoon, but instead of eating it, I gently dabbed it on the tip of her nose.
"JJ! I swear, I'm going to kill you!" she laughed, rolling her eyes before dipping her finger into her ice cream and smearing some onto my cheek.
We were both laughing now, and for a moment, it felt like everything was perfect again, like the tension between us was disappearing with each laugh.
"How are we going to clean ourselves off?" she giggled, still trying to wipe some of the ice cream off her face. "The guy didn't give us any napkins!"
"I've got an idea," I said, leaning in and gently kissing the tip of her nose, licking away the bit of ice cream I'd left there. She blushed, her eyes widening in surprise, but she smiled and returned the favor, brushing her lips softly against my cheek where she'd smeared the ice cream.
The moment was sweet, but I could feel something else too—something more. This was us, the real us, before all the drama.
"So... what now, Maybank?" she asked, glancing around, clearly happy but curious.
I grinned, tossing the rest of our ice creams into the trash and grabbing her hand. "Come with me," I said, pulling her gently toward the pier.
As we walked, I led her up to the edge, where the pier dropped off into the water below. The waves crashed gently against the wooden beams, and the wind whipped around us. I hopped up onto the railing and held out my hand for her.
"JJ, I can't... it's too high," she said, her voice wavering a little.
"Do you trust me?" I asked, locking eyes with her.
She hesitated for a second, then nodded. "Yeah, I trust you."
I helped her up, and we stood there, side by side, with the wind in our hair and the sound of the waves below us. She was gripping my arm tightly, but I didn't mind—I liked that she needed me in that moment, that she trusted me to keep her safe.
The sensation of the breeze on our faces and the peaceful rhythm of the ocean was perfect. I glanced over at her, seeing her eyes closed, just enjoying the moment, and I realized how much I'd missed this—how much I'd missed her.
Pope's pov
We were all hanging out at the château, waiting for the two lovebirds to get back from their date so we could finally take JJ's charter boat and head out to the coordinates. John B was getting antsy, pacing back and forth.
"OMG, what is taking them so long?" he complained, clearly frustrated.
"Let them be alone, John B," Sarah said, rolling her eyes. "They need this date. Let's just wait for them."
We ended up waiting for a long time, just talking and goofing off to pass the time. I think John B was about to lose it when we finally heard a knock at the door.
"Finally," I said, getting up to open it. JJ and Kie were standing there, both of them looking like they'd just been through a hurricane. JJ's hair was all over the place, and Kie's was tangled beyond belief.
"What happened to you two?" I asked, trying not to laugh.
"The wind was crazy today," JJ said with that signature grin of his.
"Yeah, can I just fix my hair real quick, and then we can go?" Kie asked, already running her fingers through the knots.
"Okay, but hurry up," I added.
After a few minutes of Kie handling her hair, we finally made our way to JJ's boat. The crew was all together again, and it felt like old times. We started the engine and began cruising around the OBX ocean, following the coordinates.
"This is stupid. We're not finding anything," Cleo said after a while, looking around at the endless blue horizon. "You sure these coordinates aren't a dead end?"
I checked the map again, realizing we'd been going slightly off course. "No, we've been going the wrong way. We need to head west," I said, motioning for JJ to turn the boat.
"Got it," JJ replied, steering the boat in the new direction.
As we cruised along, I noticed Kie sitting off to the side, practically falling asleep. She and Sarah were having a quiet conversation—probably about the date or something. They both kept glancing over at JJ and giggling, so I assumed it went well. John B was still helping me double-check the coordinates, but it felt like we were on the right track now.
"Is this gonna take much longer?" Kie asked, sounding half-asleep.
"Probably," I answered.
"Well, in that case, I'm gonna go take a nap in the cabin. See y'all later," she said, waving lazily as she got up and headed inside.
JJ's pov
I watched as Kiara headed inside, feeling a pull to follow her. I turned to John B. "Hey, can you drive this thing for me?" I asked casually.
He furrowed his brows, confused. "Why?"
I shot him a look that basically screamed, *I want to be with my girl.*
"Ohhh, I get it," he chuckled, finally catching on. "Yeah, I got it," he nodded, taking over the controls. As I headed inside, I could hear Sarah giggling behind me.
I knocked lightly on the cabin door. "Come in," I heard Kie say, her voice soft and tired. When I opened the door, I saw her curled up with her hair covering her face. She brushed it aside when she saw me and smiled.
"Hi," she greeted me.
"Sup," I responded, leaning against the doorway.
She sat up, tilting her head slightly. "What are you doing in here?"
"I was just checking on you," I said, lying down beside her, looking up at the ceiling. She laid back too, copying me, her eyes still filled with that quiet curiosity.
"Kie, are we okay?" I asked, staring up but feeling her eyes on me.
She was silent for a moment before answering. "I think so... well, not totally fine, but we're on the path to that," she nodded, and I turned to look at her, those deep, brown eyes staring back at me. "You really hurt me, Jayj. When I saw you fall off that bike, it broke my heart that you thought hurting yourself would prove something. And you didn't even tell me the race prize was $75,000. That caught me off guard."
She looked away, her eyes tearing up as she glanced out the small cabin window, which had a view of the endless ocean. The silence between us lingered, thick with everything we hadn't said.
After a few beats, I let out a sarcastic laugh, breaking the tension.
"What's so funny?" she asked, looking over at me with curiosity.
"I was just remembering something," I chuckled, feeling the weight lift just a little.
"Oh yeah? What's that?" she asked, turning to face me.
"You know, I've had a crush on you for what feels like forever. Pretty much since we met," I admitted, and I saw her eyebrows raise slightly. "I never thought I had a chance, so I'd hook up with other girls, hoping maybe you'd get jealous or something. I kept hoping that one day you'd notice me. And when I tried flirting with you, you always shut me down. It hurt, but I never stopped trying."
She was quiet, listening.
"Then I saw you with John B," I continued, "and yeah, I was jealous. But I still told him to go for it, to 'try your door,' you know?"
"'Try my door?'" she repeated, sounding confused.
"Yeah. Your door. The one that's always been locked to me. I tried to open it so many times, but I always had the wrong key. And then... when you kissed Pope, man, something inside me just exploded. I wanted it to be me so bad. And when you finally started to love me back, I thought I was ready. But I wasn't. Then I was the one shutting you out, which I regret every single day. I finally had you, my Kie, and I messed it all up. My only chance... and I lost it."
Kiara stayed still, processing everything I had just said. Then, after what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke. "You didn't completely lose me, Jayj," she whispered softly, her voice almost a breath. "The door's still open... even if it's just a few inches."
She leaned toward me, closing the gap. My eyes flickered between her lips, her eyes, her nose—taking in every little feature as if I hadn't seen her a million times before. I couldn't resist anymore, so I leaned in too, pulling her closer by the waist as I kissed her. Her hands cupped my face, and everything else disappeared.
We kissed for what felt like minutes, the tension between us melting away as she slid onto my lap. I was sitting between her legs, her hair brushing against my face. I kissed her neck, feeling her smile against me when—
Knock, knock.
"Guys! I think we found it! Come on!" Sarah shouted, her voice breaking through the moment and totally ruining it.
I sighed in frustration as Kiara climbed off of me, rolling her eyes but giving me a little smile. God, I missed this. I quickly adjusted myself, my body still buzzing from the moment we had shared.
Before she left the cabin, Kie giggled softly, leaned down, and kissed me on the cheek. I watched her go, still trying to compose myself, feeling the loss of her warmth as the door closed behind her.
