Dating had always fucked you over.

Boys who just wanted you for your body. The boys who'd nitpick everything about you. The things they'd say as off-handed comments or back-handed compliments. The boys who had cheated on you.

But he was different. Somehow. Somehow Rafe Cameron was the one who was different.

He tried. He put the effort in, he tried to have conversations with you, learn your interests.

Gosh, the bare minimum was really hot.

He showed up to your house one day with you favorite flowers. Something you'd mentioned off-handedly while the two of you were walking past a flower shop once.

The next, while the two of you were at the beach, sitting on a blanket in the sand, he mentioned something about a show you'd mentioned once. One of those bad 2010's CW shows.

And you really didn't know how to handle it. You were out of your element. You didn't know what to do with a man who cared.

You didn't know what to do every time he said you looked nice. So you'd wave it off, trying to fight the small smile off your face, and he'd double-down, repeating himself until you accepted the compliment.

He decided he was going to get you use to hearing how beautiful you were.

And this was the routine you'd gotten into together.

He'd come over, the two of you would sit in your bed, (because anywhere but Tannyhill was better for him), and watch whatever stupid show you two hadn't watched yet. You'd recently gotten him into watching Supernatural. He decided he was Dean, you didn't argue.

You were quiet, your head rested on his shoulder, his arm wrapped around you, holding you against him.

".....One day you'll want someone who makes it easy."

He blinked, his eyebrows furrowing as he looked away from your TV, looking down at you.

"What? What does that mean?"

".....I couldn't make it any harder to love me. One day, you'll realize you want someone who makes it easy."

"I can take it." He scoffed, pushing some of her hair from your forehead.

"You don't know how hard I can make it."

"I don't want it to be easy." He rolled his eyes. "I want you messy. And bitchy, and loud, and angry. I don't want you to just give in. I want to earn it. I am earning it."