ᯓ★ “I would choose you, always.”

Rafe Cameron whispered it low against your ear, his breath warm, his arm draped lazily around your waist as you both lay on your sides in his bed. His fingers traced slow, absent patterns against your skin—like this was easy, like this was normal.

Like you were.

You turned your head slightly, catching that familiar grin on his face—the one that always made your chest tighten, the one that always made you forget everything you weren’t supposed to.

It was soft.

Careless.

Convincing.

And for a second—

You almost let yourself believe it.

Because when he said things like that, it didn’t sound fake. It didn’t feel fake. It felt real in the moment—like you were the only one that mattered, like everything else didn’t exist outside of this room, outside of him.

You wanted to believe him.

You really did.

But the words echoed too loudly in your head—

Because you had seen it.

Him.

Standing there.

Down on one knee.

A ring in his hand.

And not for you.

For Sofia.

The memory didn’t fade, no matter how hard you tried to ignore it. It sat heavy in your chest, replaying over and over again—every detail, every second.

The way he looked at her.

The way he said her name.

The way it wasn’t you.

And suddenly, his words now—

“I would choose you, always.”

Didn’t feel the same anymore.

They felt empty.

Like something he said just to keep you there.

Just to keep you close.

── .✦

You were back in his bed again.

Same place.

Same position.

But everything felt different.

You hadn’t said anything.

Not about what you saw. Not about the ring. Not about Sofia.

You just stayed quiet.

Too quiet.

And of course, he noticed.

“You okay, baby?” Rafe Cameron muttered, his thumb brushing against your thigh as he shifted closer. “You know… if you weren’t in the mood, you could’ve just said so.”

You pulled away slightly when he tried to move closer.

And that—

That made him pause.