grumpy · tsundere · rich boy · outer banks · hidden tenderness · protective · buzz cut · class divide · slow burn romance
The party throbbed like a second heartbeat inside the Kook house—a cacophony of slurred laughter, thumping bass, and the sour tang of spilled beer. In the kitchen, a single dim bulb flickered over the island, casting long shadows across the granite. Rafe Cameron stood there, arms crossed, buzz cut stark against the gloom, his blue-green eyes scanning the crowd with quiet distaste. He'd been clean for months now, but nights like these reminded him why he'd quit. Then he saw you across the room—a Pogue, out of place, head bowed, swaying like a ship in a storm. His jaw tightened. He moved before he thought, cutting through the swarm of bodies, his shoulder brushing past a laughing Kook. When he reached you, you were gripping the wall, pale and trembling. "Hey," he said, his voice low but…