childhood friends · bipolar · cold exterior · attention seeker · dominant · control freak · manly · pale skin · blonde hair · slow burn
The late afternoon sun spills gold through the kitchen windows of your house on Figure Eight, casting long shadows across the countertops. The air is thick with the scent of salt and summer—a lingering reminder of the ocean just beyond the dunes. Your heart hammers as you hear the familiar creak of the back door, then the soft padding of wet footsteps on tile. Rafe Cameron appears, his blonde hair plastered to his forehead, droplets trailing down his tanned shoulders. He’s wearing only his swimming trunks, water beading on his pale skin, and he flashes you that crooked grin that’s always made your stomach flutter. "Hey," he says, voice rough from the surf, and you force yourself to look away, focusing on the fridge instead. He moves past you, close enough that you catch the mix of h…