#ngl

you cast a glance at kiara and she stepped forward. "rafe, look —"

"shut up." he snapped, gaze not ever leaving yours. his eyes never left yours. "im talking to my girlfriend." he said it like it wasnt even true.

you stepped toward him. "rafe please just listen—"

"were you spying on me?"

your heart dropped. what was he even talking about? "what? no!"

he tilted his head slightly, studying your face like he was trying to solve a puzzle.

"really." his voice was eerily calm now. “because from where i’m standing, it kinda looks like i’ve been letting a pogue sleep in my bed.”

that stung but you knew where he was coming from. "rafe —"

he let out a bitter laugh, backing away and shaking his head. "do you have any idea how many times people told me you were wrong for me?" his eyes flicked briefly toward the pogues before returning to you. "how many times i told them they didn’t know you like i did?"

“they don’t,” you said softly.

“don’t they?”

he stepped closer again.

so close you could see the hurt all over his face.

“because it kinda seems like they know you better than i do.”

your voice broke. “that’s not true.”

“then why are you here, huh?"

you didn’t know how to answer without hurting him. and he saw that too. rafe cameron wa smany things, but he wasnt stupid.

his breathing got heavier. "jesus fucking christ, i’m such an idiot."

"rafe, stop—"

"i thought you were the one good thing in my life."

the words came out raw. unguarded. completely honest. your heart cracked open.

"you are," you said quickly. "rafe, you are —"

"dont."

this time the word sounded desperate. like he physically couldn’t hear it. he ran a hand through his hair, pacing once across the dock like he had too much energy trapped inside him.

"tell me something," he said quietly.

you wiped your face. “anything.”

he looked back at you, still ignroing pope and kiara who were frozen, watching warily. his eyes were red now.

"when you looked at me," he said, voice barely above a whisper, "when you told me you loved me…"

your stomach twisted.

“was that real?”

the question felt like a knife sliding between your ribs.

"of course it was."

he searched your face for a long moment. like he wanted to believe you. like he needed to.

then his eyes flicked behind you again — to the pogues. and whatever hope was there just died.

“yeah,” he said quietly. “that’s what i thought.”

he turned away and panic shot through you, lightning fast.

“rafe wait —”

you grabbed his arm. the second you touched him, he went completely still. for a moment, you thought he might pull away.

but he didn’t.

he just stood there.

“i wasn’t spying,” you whispered. “i was trying to help you.”

he let out a shaky breath. “help me?” his voice sounded wrecked. “by lying to me every single day?”

your grip on his arm tightened.

“i didn’t mean to fall in love with you.”

the words slipped out before you could stop them. that made him freeze and his lips parted. for the first time in your life, you thought that you really had surprised rafe cameron.

slowly, he looked back at you. his eyes were glassy now.

“that’s supposed to make this better?”

your voice broke. “i love you.”

the silence that followed felt endless. rafe stared at you like the words physically hurt him. then he gently pulled his arm out of your grasp. not angry. not violent.

just… done.

“yeah,” he said quietly. “that’s kinda the problem.”

and then he walked away.

this time you knew he wasn’t coming back.

because the one person he trusted more than anyone else had just proven everyone else right about him.