Riptide - An Outer Banks Fanfiction

Chapter 37

'Real friendship is shown

in times of trouble;

prosperity is full of friends.'

- Euripides

. . .

"Do you have any idea what's happening between us?" Rip asked, letting her head fall back against her head rest.

     JJ's eyes flickered over to her, the silence of the car empty bar them and a sleeping five year old slinking between them. Once again they found themselves outside the Cameron estate, Kie and Pope gone to try and hunt down Sarah as she was the only one that could clear their friend's name. So that left Rip and JJ alone, Noah having fallen asleep again. All the excitement they seemed to be facing just seemed to knock the boy out after a bit.

     And now Rip had decided to ask questions.

     How on Earth was he supposed to answer something like that? He could barely discern his feelings at the best of times and now she was asking if he knew what was going on between them?

      JJ had no fucking idea.

     He knew that something in him wanted to be close to her all the time. He wanted to see her smile, to hear her laugh. He wanted to make those things happen. But as well as that he wanted to listen to all the sadness she had to bare and sit with her in the darkness just as she had done so many times for him.

     He had no idea how to label that.

     He didn't know why he was feeling such a way.

     "I don't know." He admitted.

     Rip pursed her lips, looking out into the night.

     "I know – I can't – I ju –" JJ let out a soft growl of frustration, dragging Rip's attention over to him. "I just don't know!" He bit his tongue when he realised he spoke a slight too loud, eyes flickering over to Noah. "I don't know."

      Rip nodded. "That's okay." She pursed her lips as she thought. "I don't know, either."

      JJ inhaled a breath and looked at her looking at him and he just didn't understand how someone could be so beautiful, even with bruises marring her face. Albeit they didn't look as bad as they had done, though they were starting to turn an odd yellow green colour. JJ took some comfort in the fact that they were finally healing.

      When he realised he'd been quiet for a beat too long he nodded. "'Suppose we can figure it out together, no?"

      Her eyes, eyes that still seemed to contain something that he couldn't quite grasp, some secret that he still wasn't aware of, flickered over to him once again. His heart thumped a little harder in his chest, as she gave him a small smile. A smile that seemed only to be reserved for him.