BAD HABITS || OUTER BANKS

20: masterminds ✩

"And I'd take it back if I could."

"...but I get it," She said and JJ let out a sigh of relief. Emerson let out her own sigh before continuing, "I am willing to forgive you, for saying you were just using me and everything. But I just can't... right now. Everything in my life is turning upside down and I really need for you to understand this and not be mad-"

"I'd never be mad at you," JJ told her, but Emerson scoffed knowing he had already been mad at her plenty of times already. "Well... I won't be mad at you for this."

Emerson nodded understandingly then held her hand out to JJ. "Friends?" she asked, even though it wasn't what she wanted. She wanted JJ, but she didn't just want to be another hook up to him, she wanted more than that. So until he's ready for more, she's going to find a way to be just friends.

"With benefits?" he replied, making Emerson laugh. God, he loved her laugh. He loved seeing her smile and he loved being the reason that she smiled.

"Friends for now," She said with a small smirk, implying that other things could happen. Emerson lowered her hand but before she could say anything else JJ pulled her into a hug.

The young kook didn't realize how much she missed being in JJ's arms until that hug. She didn't realize how safe she felt in his arms, and for a moment she didn't want him to pull away. In fact she didn't plan on pulling away until she heard clapping coming from the other side of the room.

She and JJ pulled away from each other then saw Sarah and John B standing at the entrance to the kitchen. Sarah lightly hit John B for ruining the moment, but it was too late.

"That was beautiful, truly," John B said, clapping his hands again. "But can we please go fishing?"

"Fishing?" Emerson asked as she glanced at the three other people in the room.

"Fishing," John B told her with a bright smile.

The four had taken Heyward's boat out onto the marsh for the afternoon. Pope claimed he joined them later but there had been no sighting of the boy since they left.

The kook princesses were happily doing whenever they spent a day on the water. They laid out on their towels soaking in the afternoon sun. The smell of crisp air and the saltwater brought them comfort as the boys splashed around in the water. Little did the kooks know that the boys' plan was going perfectly.

"Come in the water," they heard John B yell, causing them both to sit up.

They glanced at each other, having an entire conversation through only a few expressions. "Let's go," Emerson said as she stood up. She held her hand out to her best friend who happily took it.

"We have pogue boyfriends," Sarah whispered, just loud enough that neither of the boys could hear her.

"You have a pogue boyfriend," Emerson clarified, making Sarah roll her eyes. "I have... you?"

"You always have me," Sarah laughed.

"Hey!" John B yelled, catching their attention again. "You comin' in or what?"

The girls jumped into the water, splashing the boys in the process. Sarah immediately swam over to John B, holding onto him. Which of course left Emerson and JJ treading water on their own. They looked at each other, sharing an awkward smile.

Both of them knew how much they wanted to be in each other's arms, to feel each other's skin, but they couldn't. JJ wanted to respect Emerson's decision, no matter how much it angered him. What he didn't realize was that Emerson was simply trying to respect his boundaries, because she knew that if she pushed him he'd bail.