rafe cameron wasn’t the type of guy to linger, and he certainly wasn’t the type to care. not about people, at least. but lately, you’d noticed something different in his behavior when he was around you. smaller gestures, slight hesitations, and moments when he looked at you with a softness that you didn’t see when he was around others.

it started with the little things. like tonight, at a kook party, the sounds of laughter and music were thick in the air. rafe was doing his usual thing, flitting around with his friends, smirking at half the people in the room, and pretending he owned it. you’d slipped outside, escaping the loud music for some fresh air, thinking you’d gone unnoticed.

but after a few minutes, you heard footsteps behind you.

“could’ve at least let me know where you were going,” rafe muttered, his hands shoved deep into his pockets. he had that same guarded look on his face, but his eyes held something else. something closer to concern than his usual indifference.

you blinked at him, a bit surprised by his tone. “didn’t know i needed permission to step outside.”

he rolled his eyes, but he didn’t walk away. instead, he settled beside you on the railing, a little closer than you’d expected, his shoulder almost brushing against yours. the two of you stood there in silence for a moment, the only sounds being the music from the house and the distant waves crashing against the shore.

“you don’t,” he said after a pause, softer than his usual tone. “i just... i don’t like people messing with you out here.”

you glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. “are you worried about me, rafe cameron?”

he scoffed, looking away quickly, but you caught the faintest flush on his cheeks. “nah, don’t get a big head about it. it’s just... you don’t know how people are around here.”