The wind swept across the Carolina coast, brushing through the dunes like a whispered memory. You sat on the hood of Rafe’s old Jeep, watching the tide pull in and out like your thoughts.

He stood beside you, arms crossed, a nervous look in his eye. The Rafe Cameron everyone feared was quiet now, unsure.

"I thought you'd be gone by now," he said.

You looked at him, the ocean reflecting in your eyes. "I thought you'd stop me."

He gave a half-laugh, almost bitter. "You always wanted something more than this island. Something more than... me."

You stood, brushing sand from your jeans. "That’s not true."

Rafe walked closer, the moonlight catching the edge of his face. His jaw clenched, eyes dark with something deeper than anger—regret, maybe. "You could be my silver spring... my blue-green colors flashing," he whispered, like he’d memorized the lyrics just for this moment.

You felt your heart twist. The song had played the night you danced on the porch of Tannyhill, barefoot, drunk on laughter and cheap wine. It had felt like magic.

“You’ll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you.”

Rafe stepped even closer. "I still hear you, even when you're not around. It's like... you're everywhere."

You didn’t speak. The waves answered for you.

“Time casts a spell on you, but you won’t forget me.”

He reached for your hand, hesitant. "I know I messed up. I know I’ve hurt people. But when I look at you, it’s like I get to believe I’m something better. Just for a minute."

Your fingers brushed his, and the air felt thick with all the words you both had never said. Love wasn’t always soft. Sometimes it was saltwater in your lungs. Sometimes it was a song that never stopped echoing.

"I’m leaving tomorrow," you whispered.

Rafe nodded slowly, then leaned in, his forehead resting against yours. "If you go, will you remember me like this?"

You closed your eyes. "Always."

“I’ll follow you down 'til the sound of my voice will haunt you…”

As you drove away the next morning, the Jeep got smaller in your rearview mirror, but the echo of him stayed. The boy with fire in his heart and salt in his soul. The boy who would always be your silver spring.