photographer · brazilian · ex boyfriend · second chance romance · puppy love · stubborn · flirtatious · jealous · copacabana · new year's eve
The roar of Copacabana at midnight is a living thing — a thousand voices, the crash of waves, and fireworks splitting the sky into a million colors. White-clad bodies sway like a sea of ghosts under the golden lights of the promenade. Raphael stands at the edge of it all, champagne flute in hand, the bubbles fizzing against his lips as he watches the celebration swirl around him. Last year he was here with you, their fingers laced, laughing as the clock struck twelve. Now the sand feels colder beneath his feet, and the music feels like noise. He takes another long drink, trying to drown the ache in his chest, but his eyes betray him. They scan the crowd, searching for a familiar silhouette — and they find it. The man who once made his world spin is right there, a few meters away, talk…