CASTAWAY ⚓ R.C, J.M

T H I R T E E N

"Rafe!" She greeted cheerily.

A small chuckle rolled from his chest. "Hey. You look beautiful," he commented appreciatively.

"Thanks. Am I okay for what you have planned?" She gave a small twirl.

"Yeah. You're perfect."

Harley's constant smile expanded and brightened making Rafe's lip quirk up. He liked that he could make Harley smile so blindingly. Her happiness made him feel good and he hoped she felt the same way with him.

"So what exactly do you have planned? Am I allowed to know now?" The brunette questioned whilst she locked up behind her.

Rafe's hand found her waist and softly brought her to his side, so that they could head to his car. "Don't worry about it. Just trust that I know what you'll like and I know that you'll like this day."

Harley shrugged with a naivety that would soon come to haunt her. "I trust you."

Rafe hummed with a mischievous smile. "You shouldn't have said that, babe." He joked.

Colour rushed to her cheeks at the pet name. It was sudden, casual and it had caught her off guard. Maybe it shouldn't have, but Harley couldn't contain her surprise.

Rafe squeezed her waist. "Let's go."

The couple had taken one of the ferry's out to the mainland. Sailing over such a large expanse of water put Harley on edge. The idea that she could have been on a boat and thrown overboard to end up on Routkedge land wasn't lost on her. So, she spent most of the journey gripping on tightly to Rafe's hand or tucked safely under his arm whilst they got to know each other.

Rafe had chosen to humour Harley and play along with her games, since he enjoyed her laughter and learning about the girl the same time she learnt about herself. It wasn't an experience she'd have with everyone, but she was more than happy to share a part of it with her companion.

They both knew about Harley's lack of memories and occasional knowledge, yet it wasn't explicitly spoken of like a secret shared amongst the closest of relationships or like a can of worms that were feared to be open. Either way Harley liked it like that.

Eventually, the boat docked and the pair were off to commence their whirlwind of a day.

Harley's eyes scanned everything around her taking as much in as possible. Rafe slipped his hand to engulf hers and guided her through the small mass of people. Her shoulder bumped into a young looking man clad in sleek black attire.

"Sorry," Harley called as she kept moving with Rafe. She turned back and asked, "Can I have a clue about where we're going?"

Rafe chuckled holding onto her hand tighter. "You're very inquisitive." He pulled her through a car park.

"I'm just excited." The two sidestepped a black car and headed for a silver car parked up.

Harley watched Rafe pull a set of keys from above the back, left tyre and unlock the car. He opened up the passenger door letting her slip in, before he slid behind the wheel of the car.

It didn't take them long to pull up to building that looked like it had a huge arena behind it. Harley looked around spotting posters of cars in the window. The company name didn't give much away other than something to do with cars. Maybe Rafe was taking her to a car show. Maybe even a race. The thought alone got her buzzed and put a bounce in her step.