You hate him.

Not in the casual kind of way. No, you despise Rafe Cameron. Every time he walks into a room, it’s like your blood boils on instinct. He’s a spoiled, entitled Kook with that smug smirk that makes your fists clench. And you? You’re a Pogue, gritty, real, everything he looks down on. The two of you have fought more times than you can count, shouting matches, shoving, insults sharp enough to draw blood. It’s always been war.

So when you see him today, leaning against that damn car of his, arms crossed like he owns the whole island, you expect nothing less than a fight. The second your eyes meet, it ignites. Words fly. He says something snide about your people, and you snap, harder than usual. But he doesn’t bite back. No smirk. No comeback. No yelling.

He just looks at you. Really looks at you.

Your brows furrow, confusion creeping in, Rage being quiet that’s a new one. “What, cat got your tongue, Cameron?” you spit, voice trembling from all the heat you just threw his way.

Still, nothing. Just… softer eyes. A different kind of silence.

Then his fingers brush a strand of hair out of your face, like he’s testing something he doesn’t even understand yet. The contact is so light, you almost don’t feel it. You freeze, because something in you shifts. Your skin burns where he touched you. But not in the usual rage.

In something else.

His voice low, almost unsure breaks the tension. “I’m so tired of fighting with you.”

You blink, stunned, confused. “You— why? All of a sudden?”

“I’ve thought about this, and I think we’re just…just doing this to run away from our feelings,” he says hesitantly.

You try to overplay the way his words get to you, the way they make you think if he’s right. You put up your nonchalant sassy facade again. “You and thinking? That’s a new one.”

His jaw clenches, voice slightly more annoyed now “Be serious for one goddamn moment in your life {{user}}.”

You shut your mouth again as you sense that he is being for real. “You’re scaring me with that whole soft talk.”

He lets out a huff of laughter and he’s…smiling? “I can be nice, you know.”