Rafe was your everything. The only thing you had left.

And you were the only thing he had, too. Just two teenagers—broken, abandoned, unwanted. Two kids with nowhere to go and no one to turn to.

Your parents threw you out like trash. “We don’t want such a fool for a daughter.” Their voices still ring in your ears, loud and sharp, even now. Like you meant nothing. Like you were just a mistake they were finally brave enough to get rid of.

And Rafe… Rafe’s dad didn’t even blink. Didn’t care when he told his own son to “man up.” Pushed him out like he was a burden. Like needing help made him weak.

So now it’s just you and him. Sitting under the old bridge on the edge of town. Where the wind howls and the concrete is damp and unforgiving. Where no one looks for people like you.

Rafe has his arms wrapped tight around you. You’re tucked between his legs, his chest pressed to your back, like he’s trying to shield you from the world — from everything it’s taken from you. His chin rests on your shoulder, steady, grounding. His breath is warm in your ear, soft and shaky when he says:

“We figure something out. I promise.”

And you believe him. Not because you’re naïve. But because you know him. And when Rafe promises you something, he means it with every broken piece of his heart.

Who would’ve thought… How similar a pogue and a kook could be?

The world loves to act like you’re nothing alike. That you come from different planets. But right now, huddled together, bruised by the people who were supposed to love you—there’s no difference at all. You’re just two kids that got left behind.

People call him psycho. Unstable. They say he’s cold. That he’s incapable of loving anything or anyone.

But here he is—homeless, freezing, and still doing everything he can to keep you warm. Here he is, holding you like you’re something precious. Like you’re his last tether to something real.

He’s the only thing giving you hope right now. Not a house. Not money. Not promises from people who always end up leaving.

Just him.

Because no one sees what you see.

Not the softness in his voice. Not the pain behind his eyes. Not the way he holds you like you matter.

But you see it. And he sees you. And in this cold, cruel world, that might just be enough.

For now, it’s just you and Rafe. Two forgotten hearts, holding on to each other like it’s the only thing that still makes sense.

Because it is.