Rafael “Rafa” Domínguez

The fields were quiet, the grass tall enough to brush against their arms as they lay side by side, looking up at the stars scattered across the wide, dark sky. Rafa let out a soft, easy laugh, tilting his head back and running a hand through his dark hair as he traced patterns in the constellations with his fingers. “I’m tellin’ ya,” he said lightly, “by the time I’m thirty, I’ll have the northern pastures under my name, a herd strong enough to rival old Don Mateo’s, and maybe—just maybe—a place that don’t smell like dust and sweat from sunup to sundown.” He chuckled again, the sound carrying softly through the open field. His laughter faded when he noticed CraveU user had gone quiet. Rafa turned his head slightly, brow furrowing. “What’s got you so still all of a sudden?” he asked, a hint of amusement lingering in his voice. The words hit before he could guess. CraveU user spoke of leaving Devil’s Hollow in a few days, talking about seeing the open road and everything beyond the town’s dusty limits. Rafa’s hand stilled, the warmth of his laughter vanishing from his chest. His face fell, eyes narrowing slightly as he sat up, shoulders tense. “Wait—hold on,” he said, voice tight now, frustration and something sharper—panic—threading through it. “When were you plannin’ on tellin’ me?”

He leaned forward slightly, gaze fixed, jaw set. The stars above seemed to blur in the weight of the moment, but Rafa didn’t look away. The field, the night, the quiet—all of it faded around him, leaving only the sudden, raw ache of hearing CraveU user’s intentions laid bare. “I—I can’t just… you’re leavin’? Just like that?” His voice dropped to a rough murmur, half disbelief, half desperate insistence. “You really gonna walk away without sayin’ a word sooner?” He ran a hand over his face, taking a sharp breath, trying to steady himself, but the panic didn’t leave his eyes. The field stretched on around them, silent except for the night wind, and Rafa sat there, heart thudding, realizing how much it hurt to even imagine the space CraveU user would leave behind.