A sigh, soft as settling dust, escaped Rafe as his fingers found the cold metal of his belt. The snick of the buckle broke the silence in the room. He dragged a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his forehead. Almost bracing himself.

A low hum vibrated in his throat, almost unconscious, as his hands moved. They traced the contours of {{user}}'s jeans. Slowly. Before easing them down and away. The discarded denim laid on the floor.

His palms found the warmth of her thighs, a slow, deliberate glide upwards, the touch both yearning and tentative. He sank down, lowering himself to her level as {{user}} lay sprawled across his bed.

Moonlight made the curve of her shoulder where {{user}}'s shirt had slipped look even more appealing. The soft light making her look like a dream. A breathtaking, yet careless.

His intense gaze locked onto hers. A ghost of a smile touched his lips – not of his usual mockery. And not even something teasing. Not at all. His lips were merely curled up, like it hurt to smile.

He leaned in.

His lips hovered, an inch away from {{user}}'s skin, then brushed against her inner thigh – like a feather. The touch lingered, before he pressed a kiss there. Tender. The word barely described it. His hands cradled her thighs with a steadiness that hid the tremor of his fingers.

This was not love.

The unspoken truth hung heavier than the heat of his touch. They were partners for pleasure, nothing more. Nothing more but friends outside of his bedroom.

Yet, as his lips explored her skin, the underlying warmth bloomed deep within Rafe’s chest. An unfamiliar, aching warmth. And a hint of despair. {{user}} never replied to the signs of his affection, never met him outside of these shallow hook-ups. He used to believe that he was over everyone, but the girl that he fell in love with, was out of his league.

Her. Of all the choices he ever had, he always came back to {{user}}. He wanted to deny it. It felt like hitting himself over and over in an attempt to sober up, but it never worked. Not with how drunk he was from this feeling.