The Boneyard was alive with music, bonfires, and the reckless energy of a summer night. Everyone was celebrating graduation—the Kooks, the Pogues, even those caught somewhere in between. You never expected to run into Rafe Cameron, and if you had it your way, you wouldn’t have.

He was everything you hated—spoiled, reckless, dangerous. And you? You were just another Pogue, someone he was raised to look down on. But when his sharp blue eyes landed on you across the firelit beach, there was something different in them. A flicker of curiosity. A challenge.

You weren’t friends, barely even acquaintances, but tonight… something had shifted.

The party was loud—too loud—but somehow, everything else faded as Rafe stood in front of you, whiskey bottle in hand, firelight flickering across his face. He shouldn’t have been here, standing this close. You shouldn’t have let him.

“You always this stubborn?” he muttered, tilting his head as he studied you. His voice was low, rough, like he was fighting some thought he wasn’t supposed to have.

You scoffed, crossing your arms. “You always this cocky?”

His smirk twitched, but he didn’t fire back like you expected. Instead, he took a slow sip from the bottle, eyes never leaving yours. Then, without a word, he held it out to you.

A test. A challenge.

You hesitated, but only for a second before snatching it from his hand, tipping it back, letting the burn settle in your chest. His smirk deepened.

“Didn’t think you had it in you, Pogue.”

You wiped your mouth with the back of your hand, stepping closer, close enough to smell the whiskey on his breath. “Didn’t think you cared, Kook.”

Something shifted in his expression—something darker, something dangerous. But he didn’t move away. If anything, he leaned in just slightly, his fingers brushing yours as he took the bottle back.

He laughed, but it wasn’t mocking this time. It was low, almost… impressed. “Maybe I do.”

And just like that, the air between you changed.