It was 4am, and Rafe couldn’t sleep. The pale moonlight cast a soft glow over Sofia laying in his bed. He sat on his desk chair, head in his hands as he tried to battle the thoughts of you in his head that refused to leave.

It frustrated him to no end that he couldn’t escape you. He’d tried to drown you out with alcohol, drugs and now Sofia. But whatever vice he used was never strong enough to banish you. It was like you had imprinted on his soul.

He took a sip from his glass of bourbon, one hand holding the framed photo of you from his desk. He hadn’t been able to get rid of it. He had found himself looking at it more and more often, tracing the path of your smile, remembering the way you’d laughed when he’d snapped the pic.

Sighing, he put the picture down, reaching for his phone. You were still saved in his contacts as Princess. His finger hovered over the contact, with a shaky breath he pressed call.

“Hello? Rafe?” Your voice was groggy, slightly confused that he was calling so late. Rafe held his breath when he heard your sleepy voice, immediately taken back to the mornings you’d wake up in his arms.

Silence drifted over the line, as if both of you were scared that if you spoke you’d shatter the connection. Rafe felt the guilt creep over him as the quiet stretched out. Guilt over waking you up, guilt over how he’d treated you. It wasn’t an emotion he was used to feeling.

“Hey” Rafe says softly, knowing he needs to say something to you. Knowing he owes you a conversation. He knew the silence made it worse. That you’d be reading in between the lines.

“It’s really late” you murmur, sitting up in your bed. To you, it had felt like overnight you were just a bitch Rafe hated. Maybe because you two had never actually talked about all the lies, secrets and betrayals. You’d just gone from being people who knew everything about each other to complete strangers.

“I just…I needed to hear your voice. Please. Don’t hang up. Even if you don’t say anything, just don’t hang up”