I stared at the object in his hand, trying to register the fact that I was being 'proposed to' after only a few days of properly knowing him. My head was telling me it was wrong, but my heart was far from thinking logically.
"Yes we can. We can start fresh here, I can start fresh with you. Nobody back home needs to know, it'll just be our little secret."
Despite the cheesiness of his actions, my lips curled into a wide grin, a warm flush casting across my cheeks. I lifted my hand from under my chin, holding it out for Rafe to be able to put the ring on.
"Fine, if it makes you happy."
"Say it properly first, then I'll be happy." he pulled his hand away.
"I, Camille Fox, take you, Rafe Cameron, to be my unlawfully wedded husband for the night."
"For the night only?" he questioned.
"We'll see."
The boy's face lit up as he took my hand into his, placing the signet ring on my ring finger. He brought my fingers up to his lips, planting a soft kiss on the gold band.
"One whiskey, and one Catalina Margarita." the waitress smiled politely, placing the drinks on our table.
"Thank you." I turned to face the girl, tearing my hands away in order to grab my drink.
"I'd like to make a speech." Rafe raised his whiskey.
"What, is it gonna be about my boobs again?" I joked, referencing the night at The Wreck.
"Might as well be, 'cause we wouldn't be here without that toast."
Although he was kidding, he surprisingly had made an accurate judgment. That night changed my life, and tonight was making me think it was for the better. Never in a million years would I have thought I'd be sitting in a speakeasy on the mainland, drinking expensive cocktails with a Kook 'husband'- yet here I was.
"I'd like to dedicate this night, and this drink, to doing whatever the fuck we want. This whole Kooks versus Pogues thing, it doesn't exist here. Here, we can be whoever we want. I can be whoever I want to be with you, Mills. No reputation, no judgment, just us."
I sat in silence for a moment, truly taking in what he had said. The Rafe I knew back on the island wasn't the Rafe I knew today, and his speech made me think if I had ever really known who he was. I wondered if I ever truly knew him enough to hate him, or if I just hated what he perceived himself to be.
"To being the truest version of ourselves." my glass connected with his, the both of us taking a sip of our drinks in unison.
The flavours of tequila and peach filled my mouth, making me realise how I underestimated the intensity of the cocktail. I shook my head as I struggled to handle the bitter taste, my reaction causing Rafe to laugh.
