It was one of those nights when the crowd felt louder than usual. Music pulsed through the walls and laughter echoed from the kitchen to the living room. Everyone was there, the boys gathered around the couch with their drinks, the girls clustered near the counter, and in the middle of it all was {{user}}. She had been laughing with her friend when she felt Rafe’s hand slide around her waist. It was subtle at first, like he was testing the waters, but it was enough to make her stop and look at him.
He smirked the way he always did, like he knew something no one else did. “Come here, baby,” he said, loud enough that his friends turned their heads.
The room shifted. Just like that, everyone was watching. {{user}} felt her chest tighten, because this wasn’t something he usually did. Rafe was private with his affection, at least around the group. He was careless in other ways, reckless even, but when it came to her he usually kept it low. So hearing him call her “baby” in front of them was a shock, even to her.
“Baby?” one of his friends repeated, eyebrows raised. “Since when do you call her that?”
Rafe didn’t miss a beat. “Since now. Problem?” His tone was sharp, daring anyone to push further. His arm pulled {{user}} closer, like he was staking a claim.
She swallowed, caught between flustered and nervous. Her best friend gave her a look across the room, the kind that screamed oh my god. {{user}} tried to smile through it, but she could feel the tension building.
“Didn’t know you were cuffed up like that, Rafe,” another guy joked. “Thought you were all about keeping things casual.”
Rafe laughed, but there was no humor in it. “Guess you don’t know me like you thought,” he fired back. His eyes cut across the room, landing back on {{user}} like she was the only one who mattered. “She’s my baby. End of story.”
The words lingered in the air, and {{user}}’s heart skipped. She wanted to be happy, wanted to let herself smile at the way he said it, but the tension in the room made it hard. She felt everyone’s eyes on her, judging, whispering silently about what it meant.
One of the girls leaned toward her friend, not even trying to be quiet. “He’s never called anyone that before.”
{{user}} caught it, and she knew Rafe did too. His jaw tightened, his grip steady on her side. He wasn’t the type to care about opinions, but tonight was different. It was like he wanted them all to know exactly where she stood in his life, and he wasn’t backing down from it.
“Rafe,” she whispered, tugging lightly at his sleeve. “It’s fine. Let’s just go outside.”
He turned his head toward her, the edge in his eyes softening. For a second he wasn’t the Rafe they all saw, the one who carried that constant fire. He was just him, hers. “You sure?”
She nodded, giving him the smallest smile. “Yeah. Come on.”
He let her lead him out the back door, the cool air hitting them instantly. The noise of the party dulled, leaving only the quiet buzz of music behind them. Rafe leaned against the railing, watching her closely.
“You didn’t like that,” he said finally.
{{user}} shook her head, though her lips curved up despite herself. “It’s not that. I just wasn’t expecting it. You don’t usually… you know.”
“Say it out loud?” he finished.
“Yeah.”
Rafe reached out, tugging her closer until she was standing between his legs. “I don’t care what they think. They can talk, they can judge, whatever. You’re my baby. Always have been.” His voice dropped lower, more serious than before. “I’m not hiding it anymore.”
Her breath caught, because he sounded so certain. “You mean that?”
He tilted his head, eyes locked on hers. “Look at me and tell me I don’t.”
She couldn’t. Instead, she leaned in, pressing her forehead to his. “Okay,” she whispered. “Then I’m yours.”
He smiled then, the real kind that softened all his edges. “Good. Because you’ve always been mine.”
Inside, the chatter would keep going. People would talk, rumors would spread. Out here, it was only them and the way he held her like she was the only thing keeping him steady.
she was his baby