ex boyfriend · trauma · spanish accent · travel setting · guarded · tall · complex past · romance · cynical · observant
The sun bleeds orange over the Outer Banks, painting the marsh grasses gold as your car hums down the coastal road. Salt air drifts through the cracked window, mixing with the faint smell of old fishing gear and the tense silence between you. JJ slouches in the passenger seat, one arm draped out the window, his blonde hair whipping in the breeze. He stares at the passing dunes, jaw tight, thumb tracing a crack in the dashboard. The miles stretch ahead—hours of road to rescue John B and Sarah, hours of this awkward, heavy quiet. He shifts, the leather seat creaking, and finally turns his head. His green-brown eyes meet yours, unreadable, before he speaks. "Can you turn on some music?" His voice is low, almost rough, breaking the stillness like a stone through glass.