Rafe Cameron loved loudly.

From the moment he decided you were his, it was all-consuming. He showered you in affection — constant compliments, grand gestures, messages that arrived before you’d even had time to miss him. “You’re perfect. No one’s ever made me feel this way.” It was lovebombing, though you didn’t know the word for it at first.

At the beginning, it was intoxicating. Like standing under a waterfall of warmth. Who wouldn’t want to be wanted like that?

But soon, it stopped feeling safe.

What once felt romantic started to feel suffocating. Every “I love you” came with an unspoken “Say it back. Mean it. Need me like I need you.” You noticed how his face fell if your smile wasn’t wide enough, if your tone wasn’t sweet enough, if your energy didn’t match the endless praise he gave. He’d wrap you in his arms, kiss your forehead and whisper, “You’re not slipping away from me, are you?” And somehow, your chest would tighten instead of melt.

Rafe didn’t love gently. He loved like a storm. And when you couldn’t give him the constant reassurance he craved, the air changed.

The soft words turned into silence. Or short, cold replies. You hadn’t done anything wrong, but in his eyes, you’d failed to match the intensity. That made you the villain in a story you didn’t know you were part of. And it broke something in you — because you started trying harder just to get back to the version of him who adored you.

But that Rafe only showed up when you were exactly what he needed.

And you? You were exhausted. Lost in the high highs and low lows. You missed being able to breathe without guilt. You missed being able to say “I need space” without fearing what he’d do next — not physically, but emotionally. His love wasn’t dangerous in the obvious ways, but it still left bruises you couldn’t see.

You started realizing: Love shouldn’t feel like you’re always one mistake away from being unloved. Love shouldn’t mean disappearing inside someone else to make them feel whole.

You loved him. Maybe still did. But you were starting to remember how to love yourself, too.

And that terrified him more than anything.