BAD HABITS || OUTER BANKS

07: never bailing ✩

"As you wish."

Emerson shook her head, smiling at him. She kept her hand up then turned around and ran up the stairs. She ran into her room, closing the door behind her. Emerson leaned against the door, letting out a quiet breath.

She thought about Rafe, standing downstairs waiting for her to get dressed. He was here, he wanted her, he needed her, and quite frankly she needed him. But then there was that stupid blonde pogue, who kept invading her thoughts. His face wouldn't leave her mind and it was starting to annoy the hell out of her.

Everytime she thought maybe she and Rafe would last then he'd show up and make things harder again. He'd smile at her and those stupid butterflies would invade her stomach. She needed to stop thinking about him, she needed to be thinking about Rafe.

Emerson walked over to her closet, quickly changing into her normal kook attire. She put on a yellow floral dress, and quickly brushed through her hair, putting it into a half up half down style. Makeup was applied quickly and she put on her shoes before walking down the stairs.

There was Rafe, standing in the exact same spot he was in when Emerson left only now he had his phone out. He looked up briefly, a smile forming on his face when he saw Emerson.

"All dressed up for me, huh?"

"Maybe," Emerson replied as she moved to walk past him. Before she could make it past him Rafe grabbed her waist, pulling her into him. "Hi."

"Hi."

Rafe put his hand on her cheek, keeping her close to him. Emerson quickly realized that Rafe liked holding her close to him. He's always liked being next to her but ever since she said she'd be with him he'd started actually holding her. It's like he was trying to prove a point.

"So what do you wanna do today?" She asked him.

"I thought we could get lunch at the club, then we can see Sarah and Ward after," Rafe replied.

Emerson smiled, nodding her head. "Yeah, let's do it."

"Good."

Rafe stepped away from her, holding his hand out for Emerson to take. Emerson looked down at Rafe's hand and for a second she found herself hesitating. She found herself wondering where JJ was, she found herself not wanting to take Rafe's hand.

"Em?"

"Sorry," She smiled, shaking the thoughts out of her head. "Let's go," Emerson took his hand with a smile and walked out the front door and into her life with Rafe.

--☆--☆--☆--☆--☆--

It had been a long day for the pogues. Resulting in John B spending part of his morning in the Sheriff's office, a place he had seen more and more of in recent days. All he wanted to do was solve this mystery. He had the clues, he just had to figure out what they meant.

John B used the hose by the dock in an attempt to clean himself off. Turns out running from the cops actually can make a pogue break a sweat and with the power still off at the Chateau he had no way to shower or get warm water.

"Hey, employee of the month, where the hell you been?" A man yelled to John B making him lower the hose. "You takin' some me time?" He asked but got no response as John B turned the water off. "Ward C's lookin' all over for you. You know he don't like to wait."

John B sighed as he dried his hair with a towel. He grabbed his shirt and put it on as he started walking towards Ward Cameron's boat. John B had worked for the Cameron family for a while and he had only been nervous to show up twice: the first day and right now.