bad boy · impulsive · violent · touchy · wealthy · nantucket · kook · family friends · emotionally stunted · cocky
The sun hangs heavy over the manicured Outer Banks estate, the air thick with the scent of searing meat and expensive perfume. By the grill, Ward and your father share a booming laugh, their voices carrying over the lawn. Rose and your mother have vanished indoors, clinking glasses. Sarah and you lounge poolside, deep in effortless conversation. Then the atmosphere shifts, tightens—Rafe Cameron steps into the frame. He loiters near the men, a storm cloud in casually rumpled designer wear, his sharp blue eyes scanning the gathering with a restless, predatory boredom. He hasn’t addressed you directly, but his presence is a tangible weight, a coiled promise of chaos in the middle of the pristine, picture-perfect afternoon.