It was strange being back in your house after so long. Rafe couldn’t shake the thought that showing up unannounced at your party was probably a really bad idea. It was rash and reckless, a decision based purely on need and desperation. He knew that you weren’t likely to welcome him back with open arms. You’d be far more likely to tell him to go fuck himself. If you even spoke to him. But it’s worth the risk. Even if he only gets a glimpse of you, even if you scream at him, it’ll be worth it to be in your presence again.

You turn the corner and your eyes land on the last person you expected to see tonight. Your mouth falls open in shock and you quickly have to tell yourself to be cool. Your emotions are at war with each other. Anger bubbles up first, replaced almost instantly with deep hurt and then that familiar desire that always pulls at you whenever he was around.

You turn around quickly, hoping he didn’t see you. Your feet move on their own accord, guiding you away from him. You think you managed to avoid him when a large hand grips your wrist and stops you in your tracks.

“So, you avoid me now?” He asks, spinning you around to face him. His voice is tinged with hurt, as his calloused fingers gently trace soothing circles on your wrist. Gods, the scent of you, the feel of your skin underneath his fingers almost overwhelms him.

“Trying to” you snap. You don’t yank your hand out of his grasp though, and you know he’ll regard that as a win, but there’s something almost hypnotizing about his soft touch.

“Don’t” Rafe replies, his voice firm and demanding. His eyes roam over your face, as if he’s committing every detail to his memory. He’s like a man who’s been starved finally having his hunger satiated. Every detail is a memory, and he tugs you closer to him as his eyes linger on your lips.

“You shouldn’t be here” your eyes blaze with unbridled fury. What was he doing there? Why now? He’d walked out of your life a year ago. He’d destroyed you and the relationship that had been your lifeline. You hadn’t known how to be without him, and learning how to had been a long, painful process that you never wanted to repeat again.

“I missed you”

“You destroyed me.” Three words that hit Rafe like a knife to the heart. He should have known to expect them. Should’ve remembered that you never held any punches, and that he didn’t deserve for you to start now. His heart twists at the confession. He hates the fact that he was the one to cause you so much pain, and the knowledge makes his voice hoarse again when he responds.

“Don’t you think it destroyed me too? God damn it, princess” He grips your chin with his hand, tilting it so you can’t look away from him. He’s at a loss here. He was never good with his words, never good with sharing his emotions, and he can’t seem to find the words that will convey how much leaving you, living without you, broke him too. It had taken losing you for him to finally admit to himself just how much he needed you.