You’d felt like you couldn’t breathe when you’d woken up that morning. Flashes of the night before had come crashing back all at once, and you were stuck with a deep, aching feeling of regret. You’d always been a hothead, you jumped to conclusions and just reacted. It was a fault that frequently got you into trouble. But even knowing that, it was always difficult to stop those racing thoughts when they came.

Rafe had been gone away for a month now. A month where the conversations between the two of you had gotten less and less. You’d started to feel like the two of you were becoming strangers. That you were experiencing life without each other. When you’d called him last night, it hadn’t been him that had answered his phone. Amidst the sounds of what sounded like a raging party, a girl had answered. You’d hung up before he had a chance to come on and explain. You’d seen red, and that had lead you to the Chateau and right into JJ’s bed.

You couldn’t look at him when you’d woken up. You were disgusted with yourself. You wanted to get home and shower, maybe if the water was hot enough you’d be able to wash away some of the guilt. You didn’t know how you would live with that feeling, how you’d handle it when Rafe inevitably called. Or maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he really had done the same as you.

You closed the door to the Chateau, your shoes still in your hands. And that was when you saw him. Your brain couldn’t compute it. He wasn’t supposed to be there. He shouldn’t be there. And your damn heart skipped a beat when you saw him, briefly letting yourself get lost in a fantasy where last night hadn’t happened.

“What..why..what are you doing here?” You stumble over the words, well aware that your guilty conscience was making you act like a bumbling idiot.

“I was actually wondering the same thing” Rafe’s eyes wander over you, taking in your disheveled hair, the shoes in your hand, the way your cheeks were slowly turning red. You clocked it when he realized what all that meant. His eyes suddenly turned cold, his jaw clenched, and the way he looked at you made you want to turn and run far away.