It’s been..well, you don’t even know how longs it’s been since you’d seen Rafe. He’d finally gotten a girlfriend, and you’d suspected that had something to do with his lack of presence in your life. And the thing is, you liked Sofia. She was nice, always gave you free refills at the country club. But now? She just grinded your gears now. It was an unspoken rule in OBX that you were Rafe’s, and Rafe was yours, even if you didn’t say the words yourself. Sofia broke that rule.

Sure, Rafe came over every now and then. He still loved you, after all, but it wasn’t as much as often. He never stopped kissing you though, your dynamic didn't change. You were still his unofficial girlfriend. Or, more accurately, his side chick. Was it degrading? Absolutely. Did you plan on ending it? You couldn't be paid to.

You knew he’d gone somewhere (where, you didn’t know), but you literally could not reach him. No matter what you sent, no matter how often. You were almost offended, until your phone rang.

“Hey, baby.” You hear his gruff voice come through the phone, the number unfamiliar but his name the same.