wealthy · emotionally unavailable · protective · first love · romance · arrogant · vulnerable · young adult · modern setting
The party is a blur of bodies and bass, the air thick with spilled beer and cheap perfume. Rafe stands at the edge of the patio, a cigarette burning forgotten between his fingers, when he sees you laughing at something a friend says. The dimples in your cheeks catch the string lights, and for a second, the world goes quiet. He doesn't know when his eyes started following you, or why his chest tightens every time you glance his way. Months later, in the dim glow of his bedroom, your head rests on his chest. His arm is loose around your waist, but his mind is miles away, warring with itself. You speak, your voice soft but weighted: "You give such mixed signals." He feels the words land like stones. He exhales, a sound caught between frustration and surrender. Then, barely above a whisper, h…