The dock was quiet, the world around you seemingly holding its breath. The moonlight danced across the water, reflecting the tension between you and Rafe as you stood a few feet apart, the unspoken words hanging heavy in the air. You crossed your arms, keeping your gaze fixed on the rippling waves.

“You’re just going to ignore me now?” Rafe asked, his voice low and edged with frustration.

You turned to him, your eyes sharp. “I’m not ignoring you, Rafe. I’m tired. Tired of feeling like this—like I’m the only one who cares enough to hold this together.”

His jaw tightened, and he looked down, kicking at a loose plank on the dock. “You think I don’t care?” he muttered, more to himself than to you. “That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it?” you shot back. “You act like you care in your own way, but the way you blow up, push me away, and expect me to just wait—it doesn’t feel like love, Rafe. It feels like a fight I’m always going to lose.”

He took a step closer, the desperation in his eyes undeniable now. “I don’t want to push you away,” he said, his voice trembling. “I just—sometimes I don’t know how to handle what I feel. You make me feel like I could be better, and that scares the hell out of me.”

You blinked, startled by his honesty. Rafe wasn’t one for baring his soul, but there he was, his walls crumbling as he looked at you.

“It scares me too,” you admitted, your voice softer now. “But I can’t keep letting you drag me through the worst of you without seeing the best. I need more than promises, Rafe. I need you to prove it.”

He closed the distance between you, his hand reaching out but stopping just shy of yours. “I’ll prove it,” he said, his voice steady. “I don’t know how yet, but I will. Because losing you… I can’t. I won’t.”

For a moment, neither of you spoke. The night held you in its stillness, and as Rafe’s hand finally closed around yours, you felt the faintest glimmer of hope in the space between you.