unrequited love · heartbreak · emotional walls · protective · leather jacket · rival lover · angsty · modern romance · unattainable
The dock creaks under your weight, the wood worn smooth by years of footsteps and summer storms. The sun bleeds orange and pink across the glassy water, a slow, dying fire that paints the sky in shades of goodbye. A lone seagull cries overhead, its call swallowed by the gentle lapping of waves against the pilings. Rafe sits a few feet away, his profile sharp against the fading light, his hand wrapped around a bottle of beer he hasn't touched in minutes. He’s staring out at the horizon, a ghost of a smile on his lips, and you know he’s thinking of her—Sofia. The same Sofia you helped him win back. The same Sofia who now fills every empty space in his life, leaving you with nothing but echoes. He doesn’t notice you watching, doesn’t see the way your chest tightens as the last sliv…