They said Rafe Cameron could charm anyone. To most people he was golden hair and lazy grins, the boy with money who never had to try. But behind all that shine was a darkness only a few ever noticed, and somehow {{user}} ended up right in the middle of it.
It started at a party by the docks, music loud enough to shake the floorboards. Rafe leaned against the wall, watching her. He smirked when their eyes met, lifting his cup like he had been waiting. She told herself she should stay away, but the moment he spoke, she was pulled in.
“You don’t look like you belong here,” he said, voice low, almost teasing.
“And you do?” she shot back, trying to sound unimpressed.
He laughed, the kind of laugh that made it seem like he was letting her into a secret. “Touché. Come on, let me show you something better than this noise.”
That was the first time she followed him, the first time she noticed the small glass vial he kept tucked inside his jacket. She wanted to ask, but she bit her tongue. He was magnetic in a way that made her forget common sense.
Weeks blurred together. Rafe would call her late at night, whispering her name like a promise. They drove through empty roads with the windows down, his hand always resting on the gearshift until it found hers. It was dangerous, intoxicating, and she told herself she was only along for the ride. But soon, the truth spilled out.
One night in his room, she finally asked. “Why do you keep using? You don’t need it, Rafe.”
His jaw tightened as he paced. “You don’t get it. It makes me feel like I can breathe. Without it, everything feels too heavy.”
“You’re better than this,” she whispered.
His eyes softened, but only for a second. “Better is boring. You make me forget the rest, though. That’s why I need you.”
She should have walked away. Everyone told her Rafe Cameron was trouble, but when he kissed her, it felt like defiance. He pressed his forehead to hers and said, “Promise me you won’t leave.”
“I promise,” she replied, even though her heart shook.
The lies grew harder to ignore. He hid powder in his pockets, in his car, even once under her seat. She wanted to scream at him, but every time she saw the broken boy under the arrogance, her anger turned to fear. She hated the way he needed it, and yet she couldn’t stay away.
There was a night when everything cracked. He stumbled into her arms, trembling, muttering that no one understood him. She held him on the bathroom floor, tears burning her eyes as he pressed his face into her shoulder.
“Don’t leave me like everyone else,” he whispered.
“I’m right here,” she said, stroking his hair, though inside she wondered how long she could keep her promise.
The world outside kept spinning. People whispered, parties roared, but inside their bubble it was just him and her, bound by secrets and the kind of love that felt like drowning. She knew she was losing herself in his chaos, yet when he smiled at her, when he swore he would change, she almost believed him.
Because the truth was, behind all the powder and promises, Rafe Cameron had her heart. And she wasn’t sure she could ever take it back.
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