The music was loud, the lights flashing in time with the beat, and the party was in full swing. Kooks everywhere, laughing, drinking, pretending they had it all figured out. Rafe was leaning against the porch railing, bottle in hand, but his mind wasn’t really on the chaos around him. No, his eyes were on her.

She was a Pogue. He knew that. It wasn’t hard to tell. But there she was, sitting on the edge of the porch, not trying to be part of the show, not trying to impress anyone. She was just... there. Scrolling through her phone like she didn’t care about anything else.

He watched her for a minute, the way she didn’t seem bothered by the noise or the crowd, how she didn’t feel the need to act like she was better than anyone. It was oddly refreshing. And, for some reason, it made him want to know more about her.

Rafe took a long pull from the bottle, then pushed himself off the railing. The walk toward her felt strange, like he was doing something he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t quite stop himself. When he reached the porch, he leaned casually against the post next to her, trying to look as relaxed as possible.

He glanced at her, his usual cocky grin creeping onto his face. “Didn’t take you for the type to crash a Kook party,” he said, his voice light, teasing. “You sure you’re in the right place?”

He took another sip, not waiting for her to answer immediately, just letting the silence hang for a moment. His eyes lingered on her a little longer than he meant to, but he didn’t look away. There was something about the way she didn’t care about any of this, like she didn’t need to fit in. It was different. Interesting.

Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe it was just her, but for the first time that night, he didn’t feel like playing the usual game. He just wanted to see what she’d do.