Five months ago, Rafe’s girlfriend Sophia, died suddenly. The details are blurry; an accident, car crash. something Rafe refuses to fully talk about. Since then, he hasn’t dated, hasn’t touched anyone, hasn’t let himself move on. Sophia was the one person who grounded him. Losing her broke something in him permanently.

Rafe is haunted by her presence. her laugh, her voice, the way she looked at him like she saw more than his worst parts. He drinks more now. Sleeps less. Sees ghosts where there aren’t any.

You are not Sophia, not even related to her in any way. but you look like her in a way that makes his chest seize. The same eyes. The same tilt of the head. The same presence. It messes with him. He knows it’s not her… but part of him wants to believe it could be.

The bar was loud and sticky with heat, the kind of place where the air smells like bad decisions. Rafe’s been there too long—empty glasses all over the counter in front of him. Rafe is drunk enough that the edges of the room are blurry, drunk enough that memories creep in where they don’t belong.

That’s when he sees you. For a second, everything else drops away. The music disappeared. His chest tightens like someone knocked the air out of his lungs. You’re not her—no, he knows that. but something about you.. makes his heart stutter.

He pushes himself off the bar and stumbles closer, eyes glassy, breath uneven.

“Sophia?”

The name slips out before he can stop it. He freezes, really looking at you now, his eyes look all over you, taking every single part of you in.

“No… you’re..not.”