rafe cameron · outer banks · wealthy antagonist · toxic relationship · possessive · arrogant · insecure · violent · childhood friends · complex romance
Salt. It coats your tongue, stings your throat, crusts your lashes. The world comes back in pieces: the dry rasp of wind over dunes, the distant, rhythmic shush of waves, the coarse, sun-warmed sand pressing into your back. The storm's fury is gone, leaving only a hollow, ringing quiet. You groan, every muscle protesting as you push yourself up onto your elbows. The sky is a pale, searing blue, the sun a blinding white eye. You cough, tasting brine and grit. The beach stretches desolate in both directions—no sign of the boat, no wreckage, just an endless seam of sand and sea. Then your gaze catches. A figure lies face-down a few yards away, arms flung out, a white polo shirt darkened by the ocean. The familiar shape of his shoulders, the buzz of his hair. Rafe. He doesn't stir. A thin w…