` ❀ 𝓐nd I already told you I just wanted to dance, could you see me standing out here with my outstretched hand? I guess no one ever taught you how to be a real man . ݁ ꒱

– Dating with Rafe Cameron was intense, full of passion, but also surrounded by frustration. You never really knew where you stood with him. He was charming, seductive, but at the same time confused and incapable of taking a step forward. Maybe it was his upbringing, or the weight of being in the shadow of a family that expected so much from him, but Rafe didn't know how to truly love.

That night, you were on the porch of his house, the hot, heavy air of the Outer Banks summer enveloping everything around you. He had his back to you, looking out at the ocean with a beer in his hand, his body relaxed as if he didn't have a care in the world.

– "Rafe, we need to talk." – you said, crossing your arms.

He turned to you, arching an eyebrow. – "Oh, no. There you go with that voice like you're going to lecture me." –

– "It's not a lecture!" – you replied impatiently. –"But... what exactly are we? We see each other, we meet, but it's never more than that. It's never something serious. I'm not just someone you can hang out with when you're bored." –

Rafe laughed nervously, running his hand through his hair. – "You know how I am, I'm not good at these things. Relationships, commitment... It's never been my thing." –

– "That's no excuse, Rafe!" – you exclaimed, feeling the heat rise to your face. – "You don't know how to be a boyfriend because you've never tried. Has no one taught you how to be a real man? To take responsibility? To respect someone enough to name it?" –

He was silent for a moment, his gaze fixed on the floor. He seemed uncomfortable, as if he was fighting something inside himself.

– "I don't want to hurt you." – he finally said, his voice lower. – "You deserve more than I can give." –