tis the damn season

'I'm staying at my parents' house'

The first snow of the season dusted the quaint streets of Figure Eight, the upscale neighborhood on the Outer Banks. Rafe Cameron sat behind the wheel of his black truck, fingers drumming the steering wheel, the hum of the engine blending with the soft melody of a Christmas classic on the radio. But his mind was elsewhere—on her.

He wasn't even sure why he was driving past the edge of town at this hour. Maybe it was the loneliness that crept in after everyone went home for the holidays, or maybe it was because he knew she was back. She always came back.

Just like clockwork.

Two days earlier

I stepped off the ferry with a duffel bag slung over my shoulder and a soft sigh escaping my lips. I hadn't been back to Kildare Island since last Christmas, and even though my life in New York City was everything I'd dreamed of, there was something about this place that made my heart ache in a way she couldn't ignore. New York was where I lived but the Outer Banks, that was My home.

Driving to my childhood home was full of reminders, the sound of the waves hitting the shore, the seagulls screeching in the wind, the endless sunsets, and most of all, him. Rafe Cameron.

I could never quite forget those heated summer nights when our relationship felt like the only thing that mattered. Neither could i forget how it all fell apart—how Rafe's reckless choices and his ever-present darkness had driven a wedge between us.

Yet, every December, when the wind grew colder and the nights grew longer, I found myself back here. Back in my home town.

My mother hugged me tightly, ushering her into the house with promises of cocoa and holiday cookies, "you've changed so much since I last saw you"  I laughed, "Don't you think she's changed" my mother looked at my father, "she still looks like my precious daughter and that's all I care about" I smiled. It was moments like this I missed the most, not doing anything elaborate, just spending time with those who mattered most but quickly I found my mind wandered. I wondered if he still thought about me. I wondered if he'd changed. I wondered if we'd ever rekindle our broken flame. I wondered whether it was all worth it, being with him, though he caused such pain.

"Have you been to see Kiara yet?" Her mother broke the silence, "I know she was desperate to see you. She misses you dearly." I have to admit my mind was other places but I have truly missed Kie. She was the only person who stuck by me after news spread I was dating Sarah's brother.

Pulling into her drive, a wave of nostalgia passed through me. We had grown up together. The Outer Banks felt so weird to come back to but part of me knew this is where I belonged.

The door opened before I even reached the top step. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around me, tightly, never wanting to let go, "Oh how I've missed you Jules" Kiara said, still embracing me, "please never go back to New York, I can't bear it. But I have so much to tell you about"

Regret washed through me as Kiara told me all of the things her and the Pogues had been up to since I left. "So JJ really saved you from that wilderness camp? God he must really love you" she blushed, I could tell just from her demeanour that she was in love, "Yeah but it wasn't all pink skies, after finding the gold, Singhs men found us and to make a long story short, Ward is dead but it's okay Sarah got to say her goodbyes and-"
I couldn't focus on the rest of what she had to say,"Ward is dead" it ran through my head like a death march. There was only one possible thing I could think about. Rafe. Did he even get to say goodbye? Did turn back to the drugs?

Eventually I left, my mother wanted me back, she needed to find something for me to wear to the  the annual holiday party at The Island Club. Being back for only a month, I packed fairly lightly, black-tie dresses weren't a top priority so I had to borrow one of hers. A satin-silk red dress with a high slit. "You look beautiful my darling" my mother beamed up at me, "I hope you don't mind, we must talk to the Cameron's, I haven't had the chance to see them since Wards passing and I wish to tell them my condolences"
Absolutely great. The one person I would've wanted to avoid talking to, is the one we are talking to first.

The Island club, buzzed with energy, locals and vacationers alike gathered under twinkling lights and the scent of pine. I stood near the fireplace, clutching a glass of wine as familiar faces greeted me.

And then I saw him.

Rafe, leaning against the bar, his sharp blue eyes scanning the room. He looked older, with that same intensity in his gaze she once loved. Or feared. Maybe both. He hadn't noticed me yet, but I could feel heart was already racing.

Before I could turn away, his eyes locked onto hers. He hesitated for a beat, then started walking toward us.

"Juliette," he said, his voice low and steady, like he was testing the waters, "Mr Byrn, Mrs Byrn" he shook my parents' hand like a true gentleman.
Maybe he had changed after all. "Where is your beloved stepmother, Rose, I haven't a bunch of flowers and a bottle of wine I wish to give her"
Rafe pointed them in the right direction, "Oh and Rafe, dear, I'm so sorry" and with that they hurried their way over to Rose and Wheezie"

"Rafe," I replied, forcing a calmness I didn't feel.

"It's been a while," he said, his eyes searching mine for something—resentment? Longing? Forgiveness? I couldn't quite tell.

"It has," I agreed, My throat dry. "You look... different." Now up close, I could see every detail about him: His hair was buzzed, not the curtains she'd left him with. He'd clearly been working out a lot. His muscles were clearly defined through his suit. He'd never looked so good

He smirked. "So do you." His gaze softened. "You back for good?"

I shook my head. "Just for the holidays. You know how it is. 'Tis the damn season."

Rafe chuckled, the sound warmer than I remembered. "Yeah. 'Tis the damn season."

We stood in silence for a moment, the weight of our shared past hanging between them.

"You wanna get out of here?" he asked suddenly, his voice huskier than before.

I hesitated, but something about the way he looked at me made me want to say yes. Maybe it was nostalgia. Or maybe it was something I'd been trying to bury for months.

"I can't," she whispered. "I'm sorry". She couldn't let herself get entrapped with him again. He was toxic. But she craved it; she missed it; she had to have it.

His smirk dropped, "Oh?" Was all he said before he left, getting lost in the crowd.