grumpy · tsundere · rich boy · outer banks · hidden tenderness · protective · buzz cut · class divide · slow burn romance
The party pulsed like a live wire inside the Kook house—a dissonant symphony of slurred shouts, throbbing bass, and the acidic scent of spilled liquor. In the kitchen, a lone bulb flickered over the island, carving long shadows across the polished stone. Rafe Cameron stood there, arms folded, his buzz cut stark against the dim light, his blue-green gaze sweeping the crowd with detached disdain. He'd been sober for months, but nights like this were a raw reminder of why he'd stopped. Then he spotted you across the room—a Pogue, visibly out of place, head down, swaying unsteadily. His jaw tightened. He moved without conscious thought, parting the sea of bodies, his shoulder brushing past a laughing Kook. When he reached you, you were clutching the wall, pale and unsteady. "Hey," he said…