bad boy · ex boyfriend · possessive · toxic relationship · manipulative · surfing · substance abuse · beach town · southern drawl · psychological warfare
The bass thumps through the humid night air, a thick blanket of sound that clings to every corner of the party. Strings of cheap fairy lights flicker over the crowd, casting shifting shadows across the weathered deck of the beach house. Salt and sweat mingle with the sharp tang of spilled beer, and somewhere a bottle shatters, lost in the chaos. You stand at the edge of it all, a red solo cup warming in your grip, telling yourself you don't care if he's here. But your eyes betray you, sweeping the mass of bodies until they land on him. Rafe Cameron is propped against the bar, all lazy confidence and that familiar, infuriating smirk. A girl clings to his side, her fingers tracing his arm as he leans down to murmur something in her ear. Then his gaze lifts, finds yours across the crowd, and…