S I E N N A

𝙈𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨.

[secretlyrafes]

S I E N N A’ S B L O G

・・・۶ৎ・・・۶ৎ・・・・۶ৎ・・・

she/her, 18+, european, vanilla themed, music lover, rafe cameron’s secret girlfriend, sucker for bad boys ㅤꨄ︎

my masterlist, send request!

© please do not copy any of my work!

・・・۶ৎ・・・۶ৎ・・・・۶ৎ・・・

[secretlyrafes]

It Has Always Been You 2

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Yourusername

Liked by rafecameron, kie.carrera and 61 others

yourusername - dress shopping for midsummers!!

sarahcam with rafe instead of me…

↳ yourusername girl you already had your dress

rafecameron most boring day of my life

↳ yourusername stop acting like it wasn’t fun

↳ rafecameron best day of my life*

kie.carrera so excited to see your dress!

↳ liked by creator

Sarahcam2 (private story)

Liked by yourusername, t.thornton and 13 others

sarahcam2 - someone pls tell my brother to make a move

jjmaybank bestfriends my ass

↳ sarahcam2 convincing absolutely nobody lol

yourusername sarah we talked about this..

↳ sarahcam2 girly is still in denial

t.thornton me and kelce have been telling him

↳ liked by creator

Yourusername

Liked by sarahcam, anderson.cleo and 73 others

yourusername - gordon ramsay who???

anderson.cleo girl that looks amazing

↳ liked by creator

rafecameron baby you didn’t make that pasta

↳ sarahcam baby???

↳ yourusername I literally chopped the veggies

Sarahcam2 (private story)

Liked by yourusername, kie.carrera and 4 others

sarahcam2 - take a guess at who’s he’s looking at

kie.carrera boy is down BAD

↳ sarahcam2 beyond saving

yourusername my guess is the pasta

↳ sarahcam2 hunny who are you lying for

[secretlyrafes]

It Has Always Been You

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SMAU MASTERLIST

Synopsis: you and Rafe grew up inseparable. From scraped knees on Figure Eight pavement to sneaking sips of Ward’s whiskey on the roof of your house, every memory had the other in it. Somewhere between childhood and growing up, the lines between friendship and something more started to blur.

Part 1 Part 4 Part 7

Part 2 Part 5 Part 8

Part 3 Part 6 Part 9

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[secretlyrafes]

It Has Always Been You

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Yourusername

Liked by sarahcam, kie.carrera and 54 others

Yourusername - hot girl summer has officially started

sarahcam hell yeah we look hot asf

↳ yourusername as always

kie.carrera very pretty

↳ liked by creator

rafecameron stunning

↳ yourusername thank you rafe

↳ sarahcam ew

Rafecameron

Liked by t.thornton, obxkelce and 41 others

rafecameron - summer’s alright ig

obxkelce gym is paying off man

↳ liked by creator

t.thornton lit

↳ liked by creator

sarahcam wow dad will love that third photo

↳ rafecameron I’ll kill you

↳ sarahcam ly2

Sarahcam

Liked by yourusername, rafecameron and 81 other

sarahcam - found this historical artifact

yourusername omg I’ve never seen this before??? send me this pls

↳ sarahcam just did! so adorable

yourusername literal babies

↳ liked by creator

rafecameron can’t even remember this

↳ sarahcam well you were 7 so…

[secretlyrafes]

Maybank!reader x Soft!rafe

━━━━━━━ °‧ 𓆝 𓆟 𓆞 ·｡ ━━━━━━━

⟢ Headcannons / Get to know Maybank!reader and Soft!rafe

⟢ Rolling With The Enemy / Smoking sessions to clear your head turned into secret meetings with the enemy. Only for you to find out he’s not that much different than you are.

⟢ Three Days Too Long / After a fight with your dad, you disappear without a word. Three days later, Rafe is the one to find you after days of worrying.

⟢ㅤ Ten Minutes Of Torture / Rafe gets jealous when a guy hits on you at the Boneyard, leading to confessions.

[secretlyrafes]

٠࣪⭑ S I E N N A ´S ٠࣪⭑ M A S T E R L I S T

──────────

𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝒷𝑒𝒾𝓃𝑔, 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓃𝓁𝓎 𝓌𝓇𝒾𝓉𝑒 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝑅𝒶𝒻𝑒 𝒞𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇𝑜𝓃

⟢ 𝘚𝘰𝘧𝘵!𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘹 𝘔𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘬!𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 (au)

⟢ 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴!𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳!𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘦 (smau)

⟢ 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥!𝘣𝘴𝘧!𝘳𝘢𝘧e

⟢ 𝘛𝘰𝘹𝘪𝘤!𝘣𝘧!𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘦

──────────

[secretlyrafes]

Ten Minutes Of Torture

Pairing: maybank!reader x soft!rafe

Synopsis: Rafe gets jealous when a guy hits on you at the Boneyard, leading to confessions.

Wordcount: 1,1k

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The boneyard was loud and crowded in the way it usually was around weekends. With the help of music and cheep beer, everyone seemed to get along for the sake of the party.

While JJ was hitting on Tourons, John B and Sarah were lost in conversation and Pope, Cleo and Kiara argued over something ridiculous, you wandered over to the keg to refill your beer.

Reaching for the tap, your hand brushed against someone else’s.

“Sorry.” You laughed softly, pulling back.

“Don’t worry, that’s on me.” The guy besides you flashed an easy grin. You didn’t recognize him, probably some Touron. Taller than you by a bit, sun-bleached hair and eyes you could get lost in. “Ladies first.”

Shooting him a soft smile, you reached for the tap as he stepped aside. “What a gentleman.”

“For such a gorgeous girl, damn right I am.”

You rolled your eyes, filling your cup. “Gross.”

He placed a hand on his chest, wincing dramatically. “Ouch.”

“You’ll survive.”

“I don’t know,” he sighed. “You called me gross before I even got the chance to impress you.”

You laughed as he filled his own cup, a small amount of beer spilling over the edge. “Are you an amateur in the keg field or am I making you nervous?”

He looked down at the mess in mock disappointment, his smile betraying him. “Well, there goes my chance of looking cool.”

“I don’t think you had much of a chance to begin with.” You teased, watching him over the edge of your cup as you sipped your beer.

He laughed, eyes trailing down to your lips. “Confident, aren’t you?”

“I prefer realistic.”

“Hm,” he tilted his head. “I think brutally honest is a bit more accurate.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

“I like a challenge.”

“You think I’m a challenge?”

He huffed, shaking his head before he laughed. “I think you’re the kind of girl who enjoys making people work for your attention.”

You smiled at the accusation, brows raised. “What if I just enjoy watching people embarrass themselves?”

“Then I hope I’m putting on a good show.” He smiled, bringing his cup to his mouth.

“Well,” you started, shrugging lightly. “You had a few decent moments.”

The words made him smile even wider, copying your raised brows. “Just a few?”

“One or two.” You deadpanned, watching his amused face.

He glanced over his shoulder before meeting your eyes again. “I have to get back to my friends, but could I maybe get your number?”

For a second, your mind shot to Rafe. Would he mind you giving your number to a random guy at the Boneyard?

You quickly pushed that thought down as you reminded yourself that Rafe was someone you tolerated, nothing more.

A slow smile spread across lips, your head tilted. “So you can embarrass yourself once more?”

“Something like that.”

After exchanging numbers, he flashed you that smug smile once more before walking over to his friends.

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JJ was in the middle of telling a widly exaggerated story, when you joined them again.

“There you are,” John B said, interrupting JJ as you slipped back into the circle. “Thought you got kidnapped.”

“I was getting a drink. Weren’t you busy sucking face with Sarah?”

Ignoring the joke, Sarah joined in. “You were getting a drink for over ten minutes?”

You shrugged. “There was a long line.”

Your friends shared some knowing looks before JJ continued his story, clearly unconvinced but not wanting to push.

Within seconds, your attention slipped away from your brothers story. Instead, your gaze wondered across the Boneyard until they landed on a familiar face.

Rafe.

He stood near the bonfire with Topper, a beer hanging loosely in his hand. As if he could sense your eyes on him, his gaze landed on yours.

Out of instinct, a small smile tugged your lips.

Normally, he’d smile back without a second thought. Instead, he just stared. His expression was unreadable. Jaw clenched, eyes hardened in a way they had never been before around you.

For a brief moment, neither of you looked away.

Then Rafe turned away.

He turned his head toward Topper, taking a long swig of his beer as if you weren’t sitting across the beach smiling at him.

The smile on your face disappeared, a faint crease formed between your brows. You waited for him to turn back, to smile at you in the way he definitely wasn’t supposed to.

He didn’t.

Instead, he laughed at something Topper said, his attention very clearly anywhere else than you.

You pulled your own attention back to your own friends, a strange feeling settled in your chest.

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Maybe ten minutes later, you noticed Rafe brushing through the crowd. His head hung low, shoulders dropped. Obviously going home.

Your stomach tightened. Standing up, you excused yourself to your friends before following him towards the parking lot.

He was already halfway there, the loud music now muffled into distant thumps. You quickened your pace, desperate to catch up with him before he could get away without giving you an explanation.

“Rafe,” you called out, reaching the parking lot. “Did I do something wrong?”

The boy turned to you, his eyes narrowing a little. “What? No, of course not.”

A small sigh of relief escaped your lips, but the relief quickly disappeared when Rafe turned his back to you again.

“Then what is up with you?” you asked, your voice softer now. “I get the fact that you don’t want people to see you smiling at me, but you just turned away completely.”

His shoulders dropped, pausing for a moment before he turned back around.

“I’m embarrassed.”

You frowned softly. “Embarrassed?”

“Yes, embarrassed,” he exclaimed, on the verge of desperation now. “I’m embarrassed of myself. I’m embarrassed of much I like you. God, I couldn’t stand the fact that I had to watch how you flirted with some guy when all I want is to have you to myself.”

His words made you freeze.

“I want to be the one who gets to flirts with you in front of everybody.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah. Oh.”

“I didn’t know that.”

He shrugged. “You weren’t supposed to.”

“I thought you didn’t want this anymore.” You swallowed, almost too shy to admit it.

“Hey, I was the one who had to see that guy hit on you.” He fought back, but his voice lacked any real anger.

A soft laugh escaped your lips. “So, you’re jealous?”

Rafe let out a defeated sigh before laughing, running a hand over the back of his neck. “Yeah.”

“That’s it?”

He gave you a flat look. “You say that like it’s not humiliating.”

Another laugh slipped past your lips before you could stop yourself. “You were jealous.”

“I was losing my mind over there.”

“You didn’t exactly show it.”

“Oh please, I stared that guy down for ten minutes straight.” He deadpanned.

A smile tugged at your lips. “You also let him flirt with me for ten minutes straight.”

“Do you know how hard that was?” he admitted. “Every second I had to stop myself from walking over there and telling him to get lost.”

You smiled. “That’s cute.”

His ears turned the faintest shade of pink. “Cute?”

“Mhm.”

“I just confessed to being jealous over you flirting with a guy,” he started, trying to keep his laugh back. “And you’re telling me that it’s cute?”

You shrugged. “I think it’s sweet. You were jealous over absolutely nothing.”

He groaned dramatically, dropping his head for a second before meeting your eyes again. “You’re never going to let me live this down, are you?”

A sly grin appeared on your lips as you shook your head. “Probably not.”

He laughed softly, shaking his head. “You’re impossible.”

“Oh please,” you started, rolling your eyes. “You like me.”

His laugh melted into something more intimate. “I really do.”

Your heart skipped a beat.

For a second, you expected him to flash you that teasing grin and tell you he was joking. But instead, his eyes softened as he waited for your response.

A small smile tugged at your lips before you could stop it. “I really like you too.”

[secretlyrafes]

Three days too long

Pairing: Maybank!reader x Soft!rafe

Synopsis: After a fight with your dad, you disappear without a word. Three days later, Rafe is the one to find you after days of worrying.

Wordcount: 1,3k

AN: is it noticeable that I’m on summer break and have absolutely nothing to do? Anyways, I’m kind of proud on this piece. Hope ya’ll like it just as much!

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It had been almost three days since Rafe last heard from you.

Three days since you’d climbed out of his truck after one of your late-night drives, flashing him that small smile he secretly looked forward to more than he’d ever admit.

Normally, you’d text him before he was even halfway home himself. However, that message never came.

That night, he had assumed you had fallen asleep.

By morning, he figured your phone had died overnight.

Somewhere throughout the second day of silence, the excuses he’d been making for you started to sound less and less convincing.

When eventually the excuses ran out, he tried convincing himself he didn’t have a reason to be worried in the first place.

You weren’t his girlfriend.

There was no reason for him to check his phone constantly or drive through the Cut every other hour to check if you’d come back.

It didn’t last long.

Three days of silence wasn’t normal for you, even if you weren’t supposed to talk to him at all.

Wether Rafe wanted to admit it or not, you mattered to him. A lot more than he had planned on.

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

Charleston was the last place he could think of. Honestly, he wasn’t even sure why it came to his mind.

For hours, Rafe had sat behind the wheel of his truck. He had already checked everywhere else. Every place you’d went to when you needed space. Every place he could imagine you hiding.

Nothing.

But then he remembered.

One of those late-night drives. The two of you had been parked somewhere near the beach, the windows down, music playing quietly in the background.

You’d been talking about random things like you always did when it was just the two of you. Things you wanted to do. Places you wanted to see.

And then, almost casually, you’d mentioned Charleston.

"I think I’d like it there," you had said.

Rafe had glanced over at you. "Charleston?"

You nodded, looking out at the water. "Yeah. I don’t know. It just seems nice."

He’d teased you about it, asking if you were secretly planning on giving up Pogue life and becoming some fancy city girl.

You’d laughed and rolled your eyes.

But then you’d gotten quieter.

"I just like the idea of going somewhere where nobody knows me."

At the time, he hadn’t thought much about it.

Now, sitting alone in his truck three days later, those words were all he could hear.

Somewhere where nobody knew you. Somewhere you could disappear.

Charleston.

It was a long shot. Probably the worst idea he’d had. But it was the only one left.

And Rafe had already learned that when it came to you, he wasn’t very good at ignoring the things that scared him.

So he started the engine again, and crossed the bridge towards the city where he hoped to find you.

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He drove with no real plan after crossing the bridge, letting instinct take over. He checked the places that looked like somewhere you would go. The quiet streets. The little corners where people could sit alone without anyone bothering them.

And then he saw you.

Sitting on a bench overlooking the ocean, your knees pulled close to your chest, staring out at the water like you were waiting for it to give you an answer.

For three days, Rafe had imagined a hundred different scenarios.

You being hurt. You being angry.

You not wanting anything to do with him anymore.

But seeing you there, looking so small and exhausted, somehow felt worse. Because you looked like you had been carrying something heavy all by yourself.

He parked the truck and sat there for amoment, hands gripping the steering wheel.

A part of him wanted to be angry. He wanted to ask why you hadn’t answered. Why you’d let him sit there wondering if something had happened to you. Why you hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him you needed to leave.

But the second he saw your face, every one of those thoughts disappeared.

You looked up when his footsteps approached. For a second, neither of you said anything.

Your eyes widened slightly, almost like you couldn’t believe he was actually there.

"Rafe?"

His eyes softened at the sound of his name on your lips. "You’re really gonna act surprised?" he asked quietly.

"I’ve been looking for you for three days."

The guilt on your face was immediate. You looked back toward the ocean. "I know."

"You know?"

"I saw your messages."

Rafe went still. "You saw them?"

You nodded slowly. "I just... I couldn’t answer."

A thousand emotions crossed his face atonce. Relief. Frustration. Worry. Hurt.

"Why?”

Your fingers twisted together in your lap.

Because now that he was standing there, now that someone had actually found you, the walls you’d spent three days building suddenly felt impossible to keep up.

"I had a huge fight with my dad. Like, the worst one we’ve ever had."

You let out a shaky breath.

"He said things. I said things. And I know I probably shouldn’t have left, but I just..." Your voice broke slightly. "I couldn’t be there anymore."

Rafe stayed quiet, letting you talk.

"I felt like I was losing my mind. Like every single thing I did was wrong. And then I started thinking about everyone else."

You looked down.

"About you."

His eyebrows pulled together. "Me?"

Your voice became smaller. "I ignored you. And my friends. Everyone was probably worried and I just disappeared without a word.”

Rafe stepped closer, his voice gentle. "You disappeared because you needed space."

"But I hurt people."

"No."

The answer came so quickly it made you look up.

"You scared people. There’s a difference."

You looked away again.

"I should’ve said something."

"Yeah," he admitted softly. "You should have."

The honesty made your eyes sting.

"But I get it."

“You do?” You looked back at him.

He gave a small, humorless laugh. "No. Not completely."

He sat down beside you, leaving enough space between you that you could move if you wanted to.

"But I know what it’s like to feel like everything’stoo much. To think the easiest thing is just disappearing for a while."

You studied him as he looked out at the water.

"I just wish you would’ve let me know you were okay."

Your throat tightened. "I’m sorry."

He glanced over.

And there it was. The thing he had been waiting three days to see.

You weren’t pushing him away. You weren’t pretending nothing happened.

You were just hurt.

"I’m sorry I ignored you," you whispered. "I wasn’t trying to make you worry."

Rafe looked down, rubbing his hands together. "You have no idea how worried I was."

The honesty in his voice made your chest ache.

"I thought maybe you were done with me."

Your eyebrows furrowed. "What?"

He shrugged, looking embarrassed that he had even admitted it. "You went quiet. I didn’t know what I did."

"You didn’t do anything."

"I know that now."

A small silence settled between you.

Then, quietly, "I missed you."

It was such a simple thing. But after three days of wondering if he wouldever hear your voice again, it felt like everything.

"I didn’t want you to come all this way."

"Yeah, well." A faint smile tugged at his mouth. "Apparently I’m not very good at listening when it comes to you."

Despite everything, a small laugh escaped you. Rafe felt something in his chest loosen for the first time in days. There you were. Still you.

"I’m not asking for you to tell me everything," he said after a moment.

You looked at him.

"But next time?" He paused. "Just tell me you’re safe."

Your expression softened. "Okay."

"You promise?"

"I promise." You smiled softly.

For a moment, neither of you moved. Then Rafe held out his hand, almost hesitantly.

Not demanding. Not expecting.

Just offering.

You looked at it for a second before taking it. “Missing me within three days, hm?”

Rafe laughed softly, intertwining his fingers with yours a little tighter. “Don’t make me regret telling you.”

[secretlyrafes]

Maybank!reader x Soft!rafe

Headcannons

Hi! This is the introduction page for my maybank!reader x soft!rafe au. I’m not very proud of this, but I wanted to throw some headcannons out before writing stuff for them. Maybe I’ll rewrite this in a little while:)

Requests are very welcome (not just for this au!), so please share your ideas ㅤꨄ︎

Trigger warnings: mentioned domestic violence (not explicit!), toxic household

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺

Maybank!reader….who has always belonged to the ocean. The beach brings out the happiest version of herself, it’s her comfort place. Wether to clear her head, surf with her friends or to collect shells.

Maybank!reader….who loves her friends with her whole heart, showing it in her own silly way. Sending perfectly fitting memes to the groupchat, hiding sticky notes with kind words throughout the Chateau and making friendship bracelets from shells she found on the shore.

Maybank!reader….who has mastered pretending everything is okay long before anyone even thinks about asking if it really is.

Maybank!reader….who grew up believing home is not a place, but a feeling. She quickly learned that it only ever existed in the company of the people she loved most.

Maybank!reader….who has spent her whole life carrying guilt that was never hers to hold, watching her brother walk into his room with fresh bruises because he’d always take the hit instead.

Maybank!reader….who has every reason to hate Rafe Cameron, yet can’t stop searching for the boy buried beneath everything he’s become.

Soft!rafe….who hides behind the fact that he’s supposed to hate Pogues, yet can never quite bring himself to look at you the way everyone expects him to.

Soft!rafe….who keeps his distance whenever your friends are around, settling for a glance and a smile so small you’d miss it if you weren’t looking for it.

Soft!rafe….who never joins in on the insults his friends throw at you, choosing silence instead. He’d rather have everyone questioning him than see you look dissapointed or maybe even hurt.

Soft!rafe….who only ever lets his guard down when it’s just the two of you, trading the usual wit for easy conversion like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Soft!rafe….who teases you just enough to make you roll your eyes, but is always careful to stop before it turns into something that could actually hurt.

Soft!rafe….who has spent years becoming the person everyone expects him to be, only to find himself forgetting about the act when you’re around.

Soft!rafe….who secretly prefers bonfires and late-night drives over country club parties and crowded houses, just because he knows that’s more your scene.

[secretlyrafes]

Rolling with the enemy

Pairing: maybank!reader x soft!rafe

Synopsis: smoking sessions to clear your head turned into secret meetings with the enemy. Only for you to find out he’s not that much different than you are.

Wordcount: 1,2k

✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ 　 . ✦ . 　⁺ ✦

Sneaking away from your friends had become a routine.

Not because you didn’t want to be around them, but because you just needed to clear your head.

Or at least, that’s what you told yourself.

The Pogues stopped questioning your disappearance after the first few times, knowing how you could get into your head sometimes.

What they didn’t know, however, was the fact that one particular person seemed to join in on your smoking sessions. The one particular person they hated most on the entire island.

Rafe Cameron.

The first time he caught you smoking a blunt on the beach when everyone was asleep, neither of you didn’t think much about it. He knew about your habits, and you knew about his.

The problem wasn’t the joint in your hand. The problem was him standing in front of you. Sitting besides you like you two weren’t complete opposites.

The two of you sat on the end of the old deck, sharing the same blunt like it was the most normal thing in the world.

“You roll these yourself?” Rafe spoke up, glancing at the rolled joint in between his fingers.

You looked over. “You’ve asked me that before.”

He hummed, inspecting the slightly crooked paper anyways. “I know, it still looks terrible.”

“It burns.”

“Barely.”

A soft laugh left your lips before you could stop it. “You still smoke them all, don’t you?”

He took a slow drag before handing it back to you, shaking his head. “Doesn’t mean it’s good.”

You rolled your eyes, taking a drag yourself as silence settled again.

The smoke drifted lazily over the water, disappearing into the darkness before Rafe spoke up again.

“Why are you here?”

You snorted, nudging your head at the blunt in your hand. “Don’t you see me smoking this fat J?”

A quiet huff of laughter escaped him. “C’mon, you know what I mean.”

You shrugged, bringing the blunt back to your lips. “Needed people to stop.”

“Stop doing what?” He asked, plucking the blunt from in between your fingers.

“Whatever people do.”

He hummed.

Then, because he couldn’t help himself. “Didn’t think a Maybank would ever want less attention.”

That earned him a glance, scoffing softly. The sound, however, lacked any real anger.

“Shut up.” You muttered.

Rafe’s mouth twitched, the smallest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

It was weird seeing him like this.

Everyone knew Rafe Cameron as a walking disaster. A ticking time bomb. Someone who couldruin a night just by showing up.

But sitting here, on the edge of an abandoned deck with the ocean stretching endlessly in front of you, he didn’t seem like that.

He just seemed tired.

“You know what’s funny?” he said after a moment.

You glanced over. “What?”

“I don’t think anyone would believe this.”

A quiet laugh escaped you. “Believe what?”

He gestured between the two of you. “This.”

You looked down at where your shoulders were almost touching. “You mean you sitting with a Maybank?”

“No.” He shook his head. “A Maybank sitting with me.”

You rolled your eyes. “You’re so dramatic.”

Rafe let out a quiet scoff, looking back toward the water.

“Coming from a Maybank?”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He shrugged, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. “Nothing.”

“Rafe.”

“What?”

“You know exactly what you meant.”

He looked over at you, and for a second, you expected the usual comment. Something about your family. Something that would start an argument.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he just shook his head.

“I mean you guys are loud.”

You blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

A laugh escaped your lips before you could stop it. “You’re calling us loud?”

“Yeah.”

“You?”

“I’m not loud.”

You stared at him.

The silence lasted about three seconds before you both broke.

A real laugh.

Not the forced kind you gave your friends when they made some stupid joke. Not the kind Rafe used when he was trying to hide something.

Something genuine.

And that almost made it worse.

Because you weren’t supposed to laugh with him. You weren’t supposed to sit beside him and forget who he was.

Rafe shook his head, taking another slow drag from the blunt before holding it out toward you. You took it from his fingers, your hands brushing for a second longer than necessary.

Neither of you mentioned it.

You brought it to your lips, inhaling before letting the smoke drift into the night air.

“You know,” you said, passing it back to him, “if anyone saw us right now, they’d probably think we were insane.”

“They’d be right.”

You smiled slightly. “Probably.”

Rafe took another drag, leaning back against the old wood of the deck. He picked at the edge of the paper in his hand, quiet for a moment.

“You ever get tired of it?”

You looked over. “Of what?”

“Everyone already having an opinion about you before you even say anything.”

The question caught you off guard.

Because coming from anyone else, you might’ve brushed it off.

But Rafe?

He understood it.

Maybe more than anyone.

You looked down at your hands, the blunt still resting between your fingers. “Sometimes.”

He nodded like he expected that answer.

“Yeah.”

The simple agreement made you glance at him.

“You too?”

A bitter laugh left him.

“Are you kidding?”

You watched him carefully.

Because Rafe Cameron was good at a lot of things. Starting fights. Pushing people away. Pretending he didn’t care.

But talking about himself?

That wasn’t one of them.

You took the blunt from his hand, taking a drag before speaking up again.

“You know,” you said quietly, “everyone thinks they know you.”

“And they don’t?”

You shook your head. “No.”

For once, he didn’t argue.

The ocean waves crashed against the wood below, filling the silence between you.

“You’re weird, you know that?”

Your eyebrows lifted. “That’s your takeaway?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow. Deep.”

He smirked, taking a last drag before tossing the bud into the water. “You’re sitting on a dock at two in the morning with Rafe Cameron.”

“And?”

“And you’re not even scared.”

You looked at him.

There it was. The thing underneath all of it

The reason he kept asking questions. The reason he kept showing up.

“Should I be?” You shrugged.

His expression shifted.

Just slightly.

“No.”

The answer came quieter than you expected.

You looked away, focusing on the dark water ahead. “Then I’m not.” And for some reason, that seemed to mean more to him than it should’ve.

Rafe looked down, rubbing his thumb along the edge of the lighter in his hand.

“You’re gonna get me in trouble.”

You frowned. “How?”

“By making me think you actually don’t hate me.”

A small smile tugged at your lips.

“Maybe I don’t.”

The words hung there. Neither of you moved. Neither of you looked away. Because admitting it out loud made it different.

Rafe swallowed, glancing away first. “Careful, Maybank.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

His eyes found yours again.

“Because I might start believing you.”

And somehow, that was the scariest thing he’d said all night.