After Ward found out that Barry was blackmailing Rafe for not paying his drug debt, he was pissed and decided to settle it himself, tugging Rafe along. Ward gave Barry the money that Rafe owed him, telling him to leave Rafe alone.

When it was over, he called Rafe a liar for not telling him the truth about the drugs, and told him to stay away from the house, not wanting him there anymore.

He had no choice but to stay away from the house; Ward had made it pretty clear that he wasn’t welcome there anymore. So he decided to crash at his family friends’ beach house. The Glistens, like every year, had left for the whole summer, spending it in Sun Valley.

Rafe lounged on the couch of the Glistens’ balcony, the sun pressing down on him, heat sticking to his skin. Music played from the speaker, mixing with the steady rhythm of the ocean waves below.

The coffee table was a small chaos of its own—scattered pills, half-empty beers, and a well-thumbed Playboy magazine. Rafe brought the joint to his lips, inhaling slowly, letting the smoke curl around him.

A soft creak from the balcony door made him snap his head up. “Shit,” he muttered under his breath, quickly setting the joint down and flipping the magazine closed. He hadn’t expected company.

“Rafe?” you called softly, stepping onto the balcony, your voice cutting through the music.

Rafe’s eyes flicked up, taking you in for a moment, noticing the way you moved closer and the way your gaze fell on the mess on the coffee table. He reached out and turned off the speaker, “{{user}}, uh, hey.” he said, running his hand through his hair.

There was a brief pause as you looked around, Rafe studied you for a moment.

"What are you doing here?" he finally asked, unable to bear the silence.

Your attention shifted back to him, your eyes meeting his. "Wheezie told me that I'd find you here."

Rafe's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he leaned back on the couch. "Wheezie?" he repeated, processing your words."What does she want?"

"She asked me to check on you," you said, settling into the armchair across from him. "She told me that Ward kicked you out of the house and you're crashing at Glistens' place."

Rafe's eyebrows lifted slightly, a faint, almost hesitant smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "And she sent you?" He let out a low whistle at your nod, looking away. "Guess that makes sense."

You raised your eyebrow, tilting your head to the side, "how come?" You asked.

Rafe shrugged, leaning slightly towards you. "Beats me. You seem to be the most responsible of Sarah's friends, especially since she’s been hanging out with the Pogues lately, dunno… glad at least she cares about my shit."

Rafe’s smirk grew into a broad smile, his expression softening in a way that made his usual edge feel a little less sharp. His eyes lingered on you, a playful glint hidden behind the calm.