The fairy lights strung up behind you cast a soft glow over the deck. You had stepped out from the wedding reception to get a breath of fresh air. It was surreal being back in The Outer Banks. In a way it felt like nothing had changed, while at the same time everything had.

You hadn’t been back in four years. You’d been 18 when you left, brokenhearted but filled with determination to make something of your life. You probably wouldn’t have come back if it hadn’t been for Sarah’s wedding. Would’ve gladly kept running from the past. There were too many ghosts here, too many memories that still haunted you years later.

“Aoife” the voice from behind you still has the ability to cause butterflies to form in your stomach. You thought it always would.

and all I can taste is this moment

“Rafe” you give him a small smile as he comes to stand beside you on the deck, leaning against the railing. The heat from his body washes over you, briefly unsettling you.

His eyes linger on you, watching the way your face is washed in the dim glow of the fairy lights. He’s so desperate to touch you, to reach over and hold your hand, or push your hair out of your face. The little touches he’d taken for granted when you’d been his. But he doesn’t. He can’t make this moment any harder than it already is.

I just don’t want to miss you tonight

“How long did it take for you to forget me?” His voice is gruff, hinting at the anger he’s been carrying inside of him for years since you’d left. Since you’d left him.

The question stings. It’s blunt and harsh, and it feels like a physical blow to your soul. If he only knew how hard it had been for you to leave. How despite all the hurt the two of you had inflicted on each other, you’d clung to every memory of him. Forgetting him? That had never been something you were capable of.

when everything’s made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am