The sun hung low over the beach, the salty air filling your lungs as laughter echoed in the distance. The whole gang was there: the Pogues, the Kooks, the usual mix of chaos. You were walking toward the water, the waves lapping at your feet when you saw him. Rafe Cameron. That damn smile that made your heart race, that intensity in his eyes that made you feel seen, wanted.

You had been dancing around your feelings for too long, burying them beneath your friendship with Sofia and everyone else. But today, it all felt like too much. You turned to him, heart pounding, the words slipping out before you could stop them.

“I’m in love with you, Rafe.”

His eyes widened, shock written all over his face. For a split second, everything froze. Sofia, standing a few feet away, her gaze cold and sharp, caught your words.

You could feel the tension rising like a storm about to break. Sofia’s eyes narrowed, the air thick with the weight of everything unsaid. You swallowed hard but stood firm, not backing down.

“Don’t fucking look at me like that, Sofia,” you snapped, your voice steady. “I didn’t fuck your boyfriend. You two were broken up for four months before we had sex. So I didn’t betray you, and you know it. Plus, you guys were terrible for each other, and you know I’m right.”

The words hung in the air, raw and unforgiving. You could feel the eyes of the entire group on you, including your brother John B. He didn’t say anything, just stood there, wide-eyed. He wasn’t mad, not even disappointed, just stunned by the words spilling out from you.

Rafe stepped closer, his hand brushing yours, and his voice was quiet, almost too soft for the chaos surrounding you.

“I’m in love with you too,” he said, the confession unspoken for so long, now out in the open.

The world didn’t stop, but it felt like it did for just a moment. The breeze caught your hair, your heart racing, and everything that had been buried came flooding to the surface.