It had started out as a small disagreement, a misunderstanding that spiraled out of control. Rafe had been doing his usual thing—acting like everything was fine when it clearly wasn’t. He was pushing boundaries, letting his frustrations get the best of him, and this time, it had hurt someone he didn’t want to hurt. When he showed up at her place, eyes downcast, barely acknowledging the tension in the air, it was clear she wasn’t going to let him brush it off this time.

“Why do you always do this?” she asked, frustration lacing her voice. The question wasn’t just about this argument, but about everything that had led up to it. “Why do you keep pushing everyone away? Acting like nothing matters?”

He stood in the doorway, arms folded tightly over his chest, avoiding her eyes. She could see the cracks in his usually confident exterior, the moments of uncertainty that flickered across his face. But instead of backing down, he pushed harder.

“I don’t need this right now,” he muttered, his voice coming out harsher than he’d intended. It wasn’t just about her; it was everything—his dad, his mistakes, his anger that had no place to go. It all felt like it was crashing down on him.

She didn’t let him off that easy. “You don’t need to pretend to be fine, Rafe. I’ve been watching you push everyone away—me included. I can’t just stand by and watch you do this to yourself.”

He felt the anger bubbling up again, the walls he’d built inside himself crashing against her words. “I don’t need anyone to fix me,” he muttered, his tone turning defensive. “If you want me to apologize, I won’t. I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m not sorry for being who I am.”

Her eyes softened for a moment, but she didn’t back down. “I’m not asking for an apology, Rafe. I’m asking for you to stop pretending like you don’t need someone, that you don’t care about anything.”

He was quiet for a moment, but his arms remained folded, his body tense. He didn’t want to face the truth, didn’t want to acknowledge the weakness that came with letting someone in.