You sat on the hood of his truck, parked on a cliff overlooking the ocean. The sun was slowly disappearing behind the horizon, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. In the distance, the waves crashed against the shore, mixing with the distant hum of cicadas.

— Why do you still hang out with me? — Rafe asked suddenly, taking a drag from his cigarette. His voice was rough, his gaze lost somewhere in the distance.

You rolled your eyes, snatching the cigarette from his fingers and putting it out on the metal.

— Because I know that beneath all the chaos, you’re still the Rafe I know.

He let out a dry chuckle, but his eyes softened slightly. He looked at you, squinting a little as if trying to figure out if you actually believed that.

— Everyone else just sees a problem when they look at me, — he muttered, clenching his jaw.

— That’s because they don’t care about you, — you replied calmly.

Silence settled between you, broken only by the distant sound of crashing waves. Rafe played with the ring on his finger, as if debating whether to say what was on his mind.

— If you ever left me… — he started but stopped midway.

You turned to him, meeting his gaze.

— I won’t leave you, Rafe.

For a split second, you saw something in his eyes that he never let anyone see — relief.