CHAPTER 0:

( opening image )

THE OPENING IMAGE-girl standing inattentively at the counter of a local surf shop, cheek in her hand, the soft lull of some Beach Boys song playing in the background. She wasn't paying any mind to the customers, attention shifting from an obnoxiously large and stereotypically tropical flowered clock to the brash oceanic waves that called out to her from beyond the confines of her workspace. Someone could probably steal an entire longboard and she would still keep her eyes on the water.

Then a boy walks in, the boy, blonded hair sprouting from beneath a backward cap, toothpick poking out of his mouth, rays of golden sunlight beaming from behind him as the door closed. His eyes immediately trained on the girl staring dreamily outside and he couldn't help but crack a grin at the sight.

He allowed his eyes to wander mindlessly around the store as he slowly approached her, hands flitting over the cheesy keychains with random names engraved on them, the empty picture frames with hibiscus flowers circling an unknown smiling family, and finally the tacky and fake floral arrangements of hibiscus, orchids, and plumerias.

The blond drummed his hands on the counter-space in front of the girl ultimately clawing her out of her daydreaming with his obnoxious need to ring the Lilo and Stitch-themed bell beside her. Just before a poorly hidden glare could form on her features they had taken the shape of familiarity at the sight of the boy.

"And what might you be doing here? Again?" she questioned him while straightening her posture and diverting her attention to the wavering tourists that inched around the store.

"Oh, y'know." He leaned an arm against the edge of the counter. "Just passing through."

She disbelievingly furrowed her brows at him. "Passing through, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, I just said that," he scoffed, "you need your ears checked, Ro?" He leaned forward as if going to inspect her ears but she quickly swatted him away.

Before the boy could even get another word out, Ro was pushing him aside to let a customer get into his place. He didn't resist, of course, he knew she was still on the job for about five more minutes and her father insisted she stay behind the counter until the very last second of her shift.

The blond watched her silently, as uncharacteristic as it was, as she tended to the small woman purchasing a mini license plate magnet with the word Aloha scrawled onto the front. This had been a day-to-day routine for the two for two years. He would come into her family's surf shop, they would talk for as long as they wanted whether she was on break or not, and then when her shift was over they would go surf.

But a hurricane was on its way to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Hurricane Agatha. The sole reason for the abnormal lack of so many tourists in Kuhulu Surfs and the sole reason the boy had come into the store for a second time in the last five hours.

He had come in around two forty-five-average time for her to be away at work and for him to pester her. He bought nothing but her attention per usual and then he had been gone after an hour once she shooed him away for long enough. But now it was six-twenty and he was back.

The blond resumed his place in front of her and glanced at the comically large clock behind him-break time.

Ro caught sight of his attention and her pearly whites shone as soon as he turned around and he could only match it with his own.

"JJ, you don't even have to ask," she stopped all words forming at his lips as she ran around the edge of the counter, hand dragging along the top. "I assume your board is outside?"

The blond, JJ, hummed in response and followed her toward the exit. "Ladies first," he deepened his voice after skipping in front of her to open the door first.

"Well, if you insist," she replied stepping past him.

Turning to lock the door, the two almost collided head-on as JJ had been so quick to walk out behind her, their only salvation had been the girl's reflex to move the boy aside for a second time, this time with her hands at his waist rather than his hands.

Locking the door was quick and easy, turn and take out, yet when Ro faced him once more, it had appeared that the action had stressed him more than it should have by the look of his lightly flushed cheeks. The girl paid no mind to it.

"Let's go surf that surge."

NOTE. if you saw me publish this already, no you didnt 🕴🏽

ALSO the beginning of this book is gonna take place in like beginning of June so the plot of obx can be more drawn out to expand on the different relationships in here