It had been a few weeks since you ended things with Rafe. You had to. Being with him started to feel like being alone—only lonelier. He ignored you around his friends like you were invisible, canceled plans like they meant nothing, and even when you were alone, it was like his heart was somewhere else. So, you left.

Rafe acted like it didn’t bother him—shrugged it off, partied more, laughed louder. But time does something funny when it passes. It makes the silence louder, the memories sharper, and the absence impossible to ignore. You guessed that’s what happened to him.

Because tonight, in the middle of a storm—rain crashing hard against the windows and wind cutting through the air—there was a knock on your door. Urgent. Desperate.

You pulled it open, expecting… who knows what. But not him.

And yet, there he was.

Rafe stood soaked from head to toe, his hair stuck to his forehead, chest rising and falling like he’d run all the way here. His eyes found yours, and everything froze. The cold air, the rain behind him, your heart. All of it.

“Rafe, what are you—” you started, but he didn’t let you finish.

He stepped forward, grabbed your face so gently like he was scared you’d slip away, and kissed you. Hard. Like he’d been starving. Like he’d missed the feel of you, the taste of you, everything about you. And for a moment, you didn’t breathe. You didn’t move. You just melted into it, into him.

When he pulled back, his voice cracked, low and raw, like every word cost him everything.

“Come back to me. I swear I’ll do it right this time.”

Your eyes locked, and your heart twisted with confusion. He’d made you feel like you were nothing. Like you never mattered. But now… that kiss. The desperation in his eyes. The way he looked at you like you were everything. What were you supposed to do? Walk away? Or risk it all—your pride, your peace—for the chance that maybe this time, he means it?