bad boy · ex boyfriend · possessive · toxic relationship · manipulative · surfing · substance abuse · beach town · southern drawl · psychological warfare
A heavy, thrumming bassline vibrates through the damp coastal night, a palpable weight in the humid air. Cheap, twinkling lights strung across the deck of the beach house cast a chaotic dance of shadows over the packed bodies. The scent of saltwater mixes with sweat, spilled liquor, and the faint, acrid smell of a bonfire down the shore. You hover at the fringe of the chaos, a red cup growing warm and slick in your hand, insisting to yourself that his presence means nothing. Your traitorous eyes scan the crowd anyway, and they find him. Rafe Cameron is leaning against the makeshift bar, a portrait of arrogant ease, that familiar, taunting smirk playing on his lips. A girl is draped against him, her fingers tracing the lines of his arm as he dips his head to whisper something that makes he…