The party was loud, chaotic, and everything you expected from a night out in the Outer Banks. You stuck close to Sarah, her presence a comforting constant in the crowd. The two of you had been inseparable since childhood, thick as thieves.

But there was one thing Sarah didn’t know—or at least, you thought she didn’t.

Her older brother, Rafe.

Your childhood crush had been the butt of Sarah’s teasing for years. She used to sing, “Rafe and {{user}} sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G,” whenever she caught you looking at him too long. You’d always laughed it off, brushing it away as a harmless childhood crush. But the truth was, the feelings never really went away. And little did you know he felt the same way.

Tonight, he was here. Standing across the room, effortlessly commanding attention in that maddeningly confident way he had. His eyes found yours, the room seeming to narrow as he smirked.

It was nothing new. He always did this—looked at you like you were the only person in the room, made your heart race with just one glance. But tonight, something felt different.

As Sarah got pulled into a conversation, you lingered near the edge of the party. Rafe made his way over, his towering presence unmistakable as he leaned against the wall next to you.

“You hiding from the party, sugar?” he drawled, his voice low enough to send a shiver down your spine.

You rolled your eyes, trying to act unbothered. “Just catching my breath.”

He smirked, his gaze lingering on you a little too long, making your stomach flip. Then, without warning, he leaned down and kissed you.

The world seemed to stop. His lips were soft, his hands grazing your waist like he was afraid you might pull away.

But before you could even process it, you heard Sarah’s voice cutting through the noise, loud and gleeful.

“Rafe and {{user}} sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

You both froze. Rafe pulled back, his face flushing red, the cocky smirk replaced with uncharacteristic embarrassment.

“Sarah,” he hissed, running a hand through his hair.