Outerbanks Imagine

Heartbroken - Rafe Cameron

This one is for everyone how might need it today, or whenever.

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It's a quiet evening when the news hits you. Your phone buzzes with a notification, and before you can even process the headline, you're hit with the weight of it—they had died. Someone you'd admired, someone you had followed through every stage of their career. Your chest tightens, and before you even know what you're doing, tears start streaming down your face.

You sit there, staring at the screen, heartbroken over someone you had never met but had always felt like you knew. Your hands are shaking, and for a moment, the world feels still, as if it's holding its breath with you.

Rafe, sitting across the room, glances over and chuckles. "What's got you all worked up?" he asks, thinking it's just some overdramatic celebrity gossip or another internet hoax.

But when he sees your face—genuine grief written all over it—his expression shifts. The teasing smile falters, and he walks over, dropping down next to you on the couch. "Hey... what's wrong?"

You look at him, barely able to get the words out. "They're gone. They died, Rafe. I—I just can't believe it."

He pauses, a flicker of confusion in his eyes. He doesn't quite get why it hurts so much, but seeing the tears on your face, the way you're clutching your phone like it might break, makes something in him soften.

He doesn't say anything for a moment, just moves closer to you, his arm coming around your shoulders as he pulls you into him. You bury your face in his chest, letting the tears flow freely. Rafe isn't the type to get emotional, but seeing you like this, it tugs at something in him he doesn't always know how to deal with.

"Hey, it's okay," he says softly, his voice quieter now. "I know they meant a lot to you. It's okay to be sad."

You nod against him, feeling the weight of the loss pressing down on you harder now that it's real. Rafe's hand rubs up and down your back, offering comfort in the only way he knows how—through his presence. He might not fully understand the depth of your connection to them, but he understands you.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks, pulling back just enough to meet your eyes, his gaze soft but unwavering.

You shake your head. You don't need to talk, not yet. You just need to feel like it's okay to grieve. And in that moment, with Rafe holding you, the world doesn't feel quite as heavy.

He doesn't make fun of you, doesn't brush it off. Instead, he just stays close, a steady, grounding presence as the storm of your emotions slowly settles.

"You're not alone," he murmurs, his thumb brushing over your cheek, gently wiping away a tear.

And for the first time since the news broke, you breathe a little easier.