MECHANIC | Rafe Cameron - JJ Maybank - Outerbanks

14 - midnight rain

Once they arrived upstairs, Rafe quickly grabbed some towels and one of his clean dress shirts. Inside his bedroom, Anastasia immediately took a towel from his hands and threw it over his head. Her giggles filled the room while she was aggressively drying his hair.

Once she stopped, Rafe spoke up:"Am I allowed to take this off my head?".

"Nope", she chuckled along with him,"Not until I say so".

"Alright", Rafe smiled to himself. He couldn't see a thing in front of him, but once he felt Anastasia's small hands lead his their way to the back of her dress, he knew what he was supposed to do. Without another word, Rafe untied her golden dress blindly.

Anastasia slipped the dress off of her body and pulled his clean shirt over her head. She then took the towel Rafe was still wearing on top of his head and used it to dry her hair.

Once Rafe wasn't blindfolded anymore, he just admired the woman in front of him. The person he knew by heart but then also not at all. She was sitting on the edge of his bed like an angel dressed in his shirt, that easily covered her behind. Her hands were completely swallowed by its sleeves. He loved everything about this.

Eventually he kneeled down in front of Anastasia and unlaced her heels. His touch was gentle and soft as if he knew exactly what he was doing.
"Thanks". Anastasia smiled softly.

"Don't thank me too soon", Rafe just replied and a deep laugh echoed from his throat once he took off his wet shirt and quickly threw it over Anastasia's head. Just like she did with him earlier.

"Noo", Anastasia groaned but ended up laughing shortly after she heard Rafe unbuckle his belt. "It's not like I haven't seen all of this before".

"I couldn't watch you change", Rafe answered with a smile on his lips,"Same applies to you".

Anastasia just laughed out loud and threw the wet dress shirt back at him, but she immediately buried her face in his sheets. She inhaled his scent that smelled much like home. Something about this entire situation wasn't quite making sense to her as to why it was happening, but it didn't have to make sense. Because everything about this felt like a dream, a good one.

Rafe plopped down on the floor without another word, making Anastasia sit up straight in his bed. She looked down at him and chuckled. "Are you really going to sleep on the floor?".

"You know me, love", Rafe answered his voice husky,"I'm a gentleman".

Anastasia didn't answer. She knew in fact he wasn't necessarily a gentleman. And Rafe knew she knew and that she was therefore waiting for the truth.
So Rafe answered:"I don't sleep. My mind has the scary capability of being dark and demented".

"Are you afraid of nightmares?".

"Yes".

Silence.
Rafe was almost sure Anastasia fell asleep, until she spoke up with the softest voice:"Rafe, either you come up or I'm gonna sleep on the floor next to you".

"What?", Rafe asked confused, but understood once his pillow dropped right in his face. He got up and placed the pillow back on the mattress. But once his ocean eyes met her hazel ones and he saw the way Anastasia smiled at him, Rafe knew she wasn't kidding.
He laid down next to her in his bed.

When Rafe felt her fingers on his skin, he flinched. He had not been touched with such gentleness since his childhood. He was no stranger to women and had felt their hands on all parts of his body, but the way she wrapped her arms around him - her touch made her feel like he belonged some place. He belonged to her.

"Good night", Anastasia whispered into the darkness and Rafe smiled when he buried himself deeper in her arms.

"Good night, my love", he answered, knowing tonight he was going to sleep peacefully for the first time in a very long time.
The two both feel asleep, peacefully, their lips curled up into smiles. Neither of them cared about what tomorrow would bring.