Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER THIRTY EIGHT communication is key
❊❊❊
RAFE HADN'T BEEN able to tear his lips off me since the moment I fell back into his arms.
For as long as I continued crying, he kissed away every tear that marked it's path on my cheek, making up for where he couldn't reach with the pad of his thumb. The combined exhaustion caught up to both of us eventually, leaving me to rest my head on the skin of his rising chest.
I counted each completed breath, subconsciously syncing mine with his. Every part of me was linked to him in some way, be it by plan or not. There was something so odd about how alike we were, despite the surface level differences.
We both needed someone to be there for us through thick and thin, and later grew to realise that it was no coincidence that we'd found each other when we did.
Rafe's hand rested on the side of my face, toying with several strands of my hair and tucking it back into place. The other ran down my exposed thighs, reaching the curve of my waist and retracing it's previous steps. His touch was the opposite of sexual, the intimacy between our bodies being simply out of longing.
"I missed you so fucking much." I muttered against his torso. "I shouldn't have left you, I was stupid."
"You've told me that like 20 times tonight. You're not stupid, I'm the one who went over to Amelia in the first place." his fingers followed the line of my jaw, tangling back into my hair shortly after. "I'm here now, with you, that's all that matters to me."
"Are we ever gonna talk about that?" my eyes attempted to meet his. "About her?"
His chest rose once more, sinking once he exhaled his deep breath. I struggled to recall a single time where Rafe and I had a conversation about our feelings- one that didn't end in either one of us shouting. My request made it clear that neither me or him were used to opening up, particularly using spoken words.
"We can talk about it in the morning if you'd rather sleep. I don't wanna keep you up if you're tired."
"I wanna get it out of the way." I sat up against the other side of the couch, taking his hands into mine. "It's taken us this long."
"Ask any question and I'll answer." his thumb circled the ring on my finger, the band twisting slightly with each delicate movement made.
"Why did you do it?" I spoke simply.
"Firstly, I'm gonna be completely honest with you, I promise." he sighed in reassurance. "It might not sound like the truth, but I swear I'm not lying."
"Just answer, please."
"Basically, Amelia's a college dropout, like me. Our parents were both embarrassed of us, and thought that playing Cupid for their kids was somehow supposed to solve that. I guess being the 'new couple' or whatever was meant to take the heat off her for dropping out. She didn't know anything about it being fake, which made the whole situation harder with her obsession on top of everything."
