After Dark ✧ Rafe Cameron

ONE - the beach & the gun

It was the middle of July. The thick summer heat was dampened by the cool blue of the moon lit sky. Gray Alexander stumbled through the dancing bodies of teens scattered across the sandy beach, everything around him smelling of a mixture of beer, campfire, and weed. The boy ran his fingers through his hair, a thin layer of sweat already present on his tanned skin, most likely the effect of the combination of drugs coursing through his veins. His choice of clothing seemed to be too much for his body to handle in the heat, despite the thin nature of his shorts and half unbuttoned, nearly hanging off, shirt.

In a desperate attempt to find better footing, the brunet made his way away from the swarming teens and towards the grassy field farther from the beach. The grass there tickled Gray's ankles, something he would rather enjoy sober, but in this moment only set his teeth on edge. He found a spot where the grass was short and bearable, the loud music and chatter becoming more bearable as well. Gray looked up toward the moon as he laid on his backside, hoping somehow the solitude of it all would ground him in some way or another.

Gray's ears were ringing and there was nothing the moon could do to stop it. His head spun circles every time he blinked like he was stuck in a rouge wave.

Gray had come to the party per request of his little sister Lucy and her gang of friends. Gray was quick to say no, until his sister batted her pretty little eyelashes in pout to her brother, and who could say no to that? Not Gray Alexander.

The harder Gray squinted at the moon, the harder it was to make out. When he nearly caught a grasp on it, his vision was sent spinning again, but for a different reason. A boy, Gray had seem him earlier at the party, stuck his long locks in the brunet's face. Gray thought the boy was close enough that his hair would tickle his eyelashes, but the sensation never came. Maybe it was the boy's mind playing tricks on him. Before he had time to move, a red plastic cup was being shoved in his face in replacement of the boy's.

"Drink this." Was all he said. The boy's voice was deep and sounded like honey. Gray only blinked slowly in response, shoving himself up on his elbows, his world spinning but trying his best not to show it.

"You aren't tryna poison me, are you?" His throat felt raw as he spoke and his voice came out deeper than intended. How long had he been away from everyone to get this scratchy?

The boy scoffed in response, only pushing the cup closer to Gray's lips

"It's just water. Drink."

Gray shrugged his shoulders as best he could, lifting one arm to take the cup from the boy's hand. The cup spun as he reached for it. The blond must have noticed because he inched the cup in Gray's direction.

The water felt foreign as it went down his throat. It was cool, contradicting his intense body heat and the high temperature of the summer night. His body's first instinct was to spit the liquid back up, but he forced it down all the same. When he took the last sip from the cup, Gray finally looked up to catch a glimpse of the man in front of him. He had blond locks, lightened significantly by the heat of the sun that still shined in the moonlight if Gray looked close enough. He was dressed similarly to Gray in shorts and a button up, but his remained completely buttoned still. If Gray was capable enough in that moment, he would rip the buttons clean off the crisp fabric. The boy's face was soft but dark, unhappy expression etched on his face.