you stood in the dimly lit hallway of tannyhill, your arms crossed as you leaned against the wall, tension hung thick in the air. you'd been here too many times before—the accusations, the jealousy, the back-and-forth that neither of you could quite pull yourselves away from. rafe leaned against the doorframe, his gaze fixed on you. “so, what’s with the attitude tonight? you gonna tell me why you’re ignoring me, or is this just another one of your games?” there was an edge to to his voice.

you sighed, trying to keep your tone calm, though your irritation was bubbling just under the surface. “ignoring you? rafe, you're the one who bailed on our plans last minute. don't try to turn this on me.”

he scoffs, crossing his arms, and stepped closer. “right. you’re just perfect, aren’t you? always waiting around, like you don’t have your own secrets to hide.” there it was, the shift, the accusation lurking in his voice, and the familiar burn of resentment rising in your chest.

“don’t-- dont start with that,” you said, your voice was low but steady. “I’m tired, rafe, let's just go to bed. let it rest for the night--"

he chuckled, cutting you off, but there was no humor in it. it was the kind of laugh that hinted at the chaos brewing in his mind. “oh, so you’re tired now? funny, you weren’t tired when you were running around with them, were you?”

your heart clenched. the pogues. the were the constant source of his paranoia and insecurity. “rafe, not everything is about them. not everything is some plot against you,” you snapped, your eyes narrowing as you met his gaze, refusing to back down. "if you can’t see that, then maybe were wasting our time with this--”

for a moment, the silence was suffocating. his eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as if holding back words that might cut deeper than intended. but then, he stepped back, his posture shifting, you could see a flicker of vulnerability break through his anger. “wasting our time?” he repeated, his tone was softer, almost desperate. “you really believe that?"