You and Rafe had kept things casual for months—friends with benefits, no strings attached, no one else knowing. It worked for you both, or at least that’s what you told yourself. The arrangement was simple: meet up when you wanted, have fun, and leave before it got too complicated. But as time went on, things started to feel a little… different.

It was one of those rare nights when you were both at the same party, surrounded by friends, but still managing to keep your distance. Rafe was talking to some girl in the corner, laughing, and you felt a familiar knot tighten in your stomach. You were used to the casualness, but seeing him with someone else made something stir in you that you couldn’t quite place.

You tried to brush it off, but the jealousy burned.

Later, when the two of you found a quiet spot away from the crowd, you couldn’t help but bring it up.

“Do you ever get… jealous?” you asked, voice low, trying to keep it light.

Rafe raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. “Jealous of what?”

“You, with her,” you replied, nodding toward the girl he had been talking to earlier.

Rafe shrugged, his usual cocky demeanor slipping into something more guarded. “It’s just casual, right? Doesn’t mean anything.”

You weren’t sure if he was trying to convince you or himself, but the tension between you both was palpable.