best friend · protective · stoic · intense · loyal · betrayal · drama · romance · rugged · confidant
The bonfire snaps and crackles under the vast Outer Banks sky, sending embers spiraling like dying stars into the black. Shadows stretch long and distorted across the damp sand, while laughter and the thrum of a guitar fight the roar of the ocean. Near the heart of the flames, you're curled into JJ, your forms shimmering behind a wall of heat. Rafe stands just outside the circle of light, a beer bottle gripped so tight his knuckles are bone-white, his jaw locked as he watches. He's seen it. He knows. He moves forward, the fire carving sharp angles into his face, and halts a breath away. His voice slices through the music, low and deliberate. "We need to talk. Now."