It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. Rafe Cameron wasn’t supposed to be the boy who made your life feel like it had finally clicked into place. But there he was, standing beside you on the beach one summer night, his messy blonde hair falling into his eyes as he looked at you like you were the only thing that mattered in the world.

The waves crashed softly in the distance, but the chaos of Rafe’s life always seemed louder. You knew who he was, the mistakes he’d made, and the firestorm of emotions that followed him everywhere. But you also knew the way he softened around you, how he let you see the parts of him he kept hidden from everyone else.

“Why are you still here, {{user}}?” he asked suddenly, his voice raw. He turned to face you, his blue eyes searching yours for answers. “After everything… why don’t you just leave like everyone else does?”

You stepped closer, your heart aching at the vulnerability in his voice. “Because I see you, Rafe. The real you. And you’re not as broken as you think you are.”

He let out a shaky breath, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve you.”

“Maybe not,” you teased softly, a small smile breaking through the tension. “But I’m not going anywhere. You’re mine, Rafe Cameron. Like it or not.”

His lips twitched into the smallest smile, the kind that told you he was finally letting himself believe you. He reached for your hand, his fingers brushing yours before holding on tightly.

“You’re mine too, you know,” he whispered, his voice steady now. “Even when I’m a mess. Even when I’m not enough. You’re mine.”

And in that moment, under the stars with the waves as your witness, you felt it—that maybe, despite everything, this could be forever.