When you and Allie are discussing outfits for Topper's party later that day, she gives you shit for telling her you aren't going with her and the girls.
"Since when do we arrive separately to a party?" Allie asks, holding up a white skirt. The two of you are on FaceTime helping each other decide what to wear.
You shake your head at the skirt. "Since Rafe became my fake boyfriend and we have to be seen together. Topper invited literally everyone. James and Charlotte are both going to be there, I know it."
"Can you two handle that? This is different than going to dinner or the beach together. You're going to be drinking, everyone is around, and parties are just a different vibe than a date. Are you prepared to hang all over him all night?" she asks. She's tossed the white skirt on her bed and is now holding up a jean skirt and a black crop top.
"Maybe on that outfit," you say. "And why do I have to hang all over him? Can't I just be in his general vicinity?"
She laughs. "Not when you spent every party in high school practically wrapped around James. Everyone knows you're an affectionate drunk."
"Really? That's like a known thing about me?" you ask, and Allie nods. "Well, shit. Guess I'll have to warn Rafe when he comes to get me later."
Her focus had been on the contents of her closet, but she looks back at her phone when you make the comment about Rafe. "Coming to get you? You can't walk a few blocks to Topper's? Lazy ass."
"No, he's walking here to pick me up so I don't have to walk by myself to Tannyhill," you explain. "Um, what about this?" you ask, showing her a bodycon dress.
"No, too fancy for a house party. Where are those jean shorts you have that are all shredded?"
"My whole ass shows in those," you remind her.
"Exactly. Don't you want to look hot for your boyfriend?"
"Fake boyfriend," you reiterate. "Oh, here they are," you say, locating the shorts in your drawer. "You're sure I should wear these?"
"Yes. Those shorts, and that green crop top you have," she says.
"So you want my tits and my ass out," you say sarcastically, digging through your drawer again.
"Listen, the point here is to look hot as fuck and flaunt it in front of your ex while you're on another guy's arm. Also, doesn't hurt to impress the guy you're actually going with."
"For someone who thinks having a fake boyfriend is a bad idea, you sure are supportive of me looking hot for him," you reply.
She laughs. "Rafe is hot. I don't get why you can't admit that. There's nothing wrong with trying to get him to notice that you're hot, too."
"I hate you sometimes," you say, and she laughs again. "Anyway, I'm about to eat dinner, then I have to shower and get ready, so I'll see you at Topper's later?"
"Yep. Wear the shorts!" she says. "See you later."
"Bye, Al."
+++
If there was one thing you could say about Rafe, it was that he was punctual to a fault. Each time he said he would come to get you at a certain time, he was there. Tonight was no different.
After he texts you that he's waiting outside, you say a quick goodbye to your parents and head out the front door. You spot him in your driveway, hands in his pockets and kicking a pebble around with the toe of his shoe. He looks up as he hears your footsteps on the sidewalk.
His eyes widen for a moment, then he clears his throat. "Hey," he says casually, removing his hands from his pockets.
"Hey," you reply. You feel a surge of confidence when you notice the subtle way he checks you out.
"Uh, where's the rest of your shorts? These don't leave much to the imagination," he says, tugging on your belt loop when you get close enough to him.
"Maybe I don't want you to have to imagine," you say, breezing past him into the street. He hurries to catch up.
He doesn't really know how to respond to that comment, so he doesn't. "So, um, James and Charlotte were both invited. I know Charlotte will come. Do you think James will?" he asks.
"Oh yeah, he's definitely going. I shared Topper's post about his party on my story and he DMed me to ask what time I'd be there," you tell him.
"And what did you say?"
"I said 'Rafe and I will be there around 10:00'. Then he said 'oh, that's still a thing?' And I said 'yeah, why?' And then he didn't respond."
Rafe chuckles. "Nice."
"Speaking of being at the party together... Allie said I'm apparently known as an affectionate drunk. I guess I'm going to have to be all over you tonight."
He had noticed you with James at parties in the past. Lots of hand holding, cuddling, stolen kisses, and the like. He was more than ready to be a part of that with you, even if it was just for show.
"That's fine. I can go along with it," he says in as casual a tone as he can muster. "Charlotte always used to be really into cuddling up to me at parties, so I'm used to it."
You two keep chatting as you make your way through the neighborhood to Topper's. You can sense the energy from the party as you turn onto his street. As his house comes into view, you can see his circular driveway lined with cars.
"Okay, you ready for this?" Rafe asks as you walk up the driveway to the front door.
"As ready as I'll ever be," you reply.
"You sure?" he asks as he grabs the door handle.
"Yes, Rafe," you huff.
He nods. "Okay..." he presses down on the handle and starts to push the door open. "3,2,1..." The door swings open and he grabs your hand, lacing his fingers through yours. "And we're live."
+++
The idea of walking into a party full of your peers when they are all under the assumption that you are in a relationship with someone you're not has your nerves on edge. So, as any normal person would do, you head straight to the kitchen and jack a random liquor bottle from the counter, pouring the burning liquid straight into your mouth.
"Fuck," you let out a cough after you swallow. You hold it out to Rafe, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand.
He grabs the bottle and takes a liberal swig, grimacing as it burns his throat. He sits the bottle on the counter. "Rum isn't my liquor of choice," he says, eyeballing the other selections. He selects an unlabeled bottle of clear liquor and twists off the cap, giving it a sniff. He wrinkles his nose and takes a drink. "Ah. Found Kelce's moonshine."
"Moonshine? What is this, Appalachia?" you scoff. You swipe the bottle from him and take an experimental drink. It burns a little, but it isn't half bad.
"See? It's good," he says, taking the bottle back and capping it. "So what's your drink?" he asks, scanning the liquor selection again. "You don't really strike me as a beer girl."
"I'll drink beer if it's the only thing available," you reply.
"That's what I figured. So?" he gestures to the counter.
You sigh. "I'll take a gin and tonic, Mr. Bartender."
"Hmm. Classy," he says, grabbing the half full bottle of gin and an unopened bottle of tonic water. He gets into the freezer and grabs a couple ice cubes for the red plastic cup he's grabbed. He quickly mixes up your drink and hands it to you.
"Thanks," you say, taking a sip. "Can I do a lap and find my friends?"
"Meet me at the pong table in fifteen?"
"Yeah, I'll see you there."
You wander around the party alone for the next few minutes until you bump into Allie and the girls. You chat them up until it's time to meet Rafe. They follow you to the center of the living room where the game table is set up, and two pairs of your old classmates are playing each other in an intense game of beer pong.
"There's my favorite girl," Rafe says as you approach. He throws his arm around you and pulls you into his side. You feel eyes on you, so you play your part, wrapping your arms loosely around his waist and leaning your head against him. You meet Allie's gaze briefly, and she gives you an amused look.
"Alright, so we're ready?" Topper asks you and Rafe. "Kelce! We're up!" he yells over the crowd.
Someone comes to the table with a pitcher of beer to fill the cups and arrange them into triangles. You and Rafe take your position across from Topper and Kelce.
The game starts normally enough. You had really brushed up on your pong skills while you'd been away at college, and you could tell the boys were impressed. You don't make every shot (you had had two liquor drinks at this point, plus the shots before that) but you're doing well enough to hold your own. Rafe looks on proudly each time you sink a cup.
You end up winning the first game, and Rafe picks you up in a victory hug, spinning you around as you squeal. "The person to beat tonight is this girl right here!" he announces to everyone as he continues to celebrate.
It's the second game where things start to head south.
You get Allie to be your partner the second time, and you play Kelce and your friend Liz. Despite not being a player in the game, Rafe is still by your side. He's starting to drink faster, and the alcohol is starting to affect him. He disappears for a moment to get you another gin and tonic, and when he returns, he basically attaches himself to you whenever you aren't taking a shot at Kelce and Liz's cups.
He plays with your hair, presses kisses into your temple, trails his fingertips along the exposed parts of your back. When you make a particularly difficult shot, he pulls you by your belt loops, making you crash into him as he wraps you in a hug from behind. The kiss he plants on your jaw as he hugs you makes you feel flustered.
You win again, but a lot of people are waiting to play so you give up your spot at the table. Rafe drags you over to the couch to sit with Topper and an underclassmen you recognize from one of your electives your senior year. That's when you see her.
Rafe has just sat down on the couch with Topper and the girl, and you're still standing when you lock eyes with Charlotte. She looks sober, and you think she's just arrived because you couldn't recall seeing her before now. She starts to approach you all, so you do the smart thing and plop down on Rafe's lap.
You lean in and whisper in his ear. "Charlotte, two o'clock." Rafe just smiles and wraps his arms around you, positioning one hand on your hip while the other balances his cup on your knee.
"Hey Rafe, long time no see," Charlotte says, eyeing you up and down curiously, before landing her gaze back on him.
"Yeah, it has been a long time," he agrees. "I was hoping it could've been a bit longer."
She frowns. "So you and y/n, huh?"
"Yup," he says, bringing his cup to his lips to take a drink.
She turns to you. "Congrats, y/n. Just so you know, he was thinking about getting with me before getting with you," she says. "Probably still is."
You know people are watching the exchange, expecting something to go down. Now's your chance to prove yourself. You let out a laugh. "Funny, that's not the way I understood it, since I saw the texts he sent back rejecting you." You hadn't seen the texts, but a little white lie wouldn't hurt.
Charlotte's cheeks redden with embarrassment and anger. "Yeah? Well enjoy my sloppy seconds."
You laugh again, fueled by her misplaced rage. "You think he was so distraught over him breaking up with you that hasn't slept with anyone since you guys broke up all those months ago? That's cute. You sound about as delusional as my ex."
"Speaking of your ex, I saw him as I came in. Wonder how he feels about seeing his ex whoring around with Rafe Cameron?" she retorts.
"She's not whoring around, Charlotte, we're together," Rafe interjects.
"Yeah, until she cheats on you like she did James," she says.
"He cheated on me!" you tell her, anger bubbling up inside you. "I didn't do shit!" Rafe tightens his hold on you when he feels you start to get up.
"Whatever, you're both pathetic," she says, rolling her eyes. "You," she points to Rafe, "for tricking her into dating you, and you," she points at you now, "for falling for it. Back me up, Topper," she says, looking at him for support.
Topper looks like a deer in headlights. "Uh, what?"
Charlotte scoffs. "Don't play dumb, we've talked about this," she says, gesturing at you and Rafe.
"Hold on, what does that mean?" you ask, your curiosity over her comment overshadowing the anger you'd initially felt.
She ignores you. "Have fun together, both of you. And congrats on the budding relationship," she says, her tone overly sweet. She spins on her heel and walks off towards the kitchen.
"What the hell was she talking about, Top?" Rafe asks him.
"I don't—I don't have any idea, swear to god," Topper says, still looking stricken.
"Oh, great, fucking James is coming over now," you sigh, interrupting the boys when you see him.
Rafe sighs heavily and takes another sip from his cup. "I'm gonna need another drink, stat."
"Same," you say, groaning inwardly as he approaches.
"Y/n, Rafe, so good to see the happy couple together again," he says as he walks up.
"Go away, James," you say dismissively.
"What? I can't say hello to you?"
"I'd rather you not," you reply.
"Just keep moving, man," Rafe says. "Go get a drink, have a good time. Just leave her alone."
"You know, I almost wouldn't believe this was real if I hadn't seen you all over each other during beer pong earlier," he comments. "Honestly? It was a bit disgusting. You're in public."
"Avert your eyes, then," you tell him.
"It's hard, ya know? 'Cause that used to be me. Now you're fawning all over Cameron like every other girl from the academy. Just not sure when you changed."
You roll your eyes. "Go away, James." You turn to look at Rafe. "I'm getting another drink. Come with me?"
"Yeah, of course," he says, loosening his grip on you so you can get off his lap.
You stand and reach for his hand, brushing past James on your way towards the kitchen with Rafe in tow. After you both refill your drinks, you chug the first few swallows and make a face.
"Well that was interesting," Rafe says, running a hand through his hair.
"Yeah. Weird as fuck. Wonder what Charlotte was talking about, that thing with Topper?"
He shrugs. "No clue. I'll have to ask him about it."
"Yeah. In the meantime, let's not commit to one location. I feel like we're safer from our exes if we're up and on the move."
Rafe nods in agreement and takes your hand again, leading you back to the packed living room. You maneuver yourself to the large group of drunk people vibing to the loud music playing. Some are simply swaying back and forth to the beat, while others are actually dancing.
"Dance with me?" he requests.
"Dance with you?" you repeat, looking up at him. "You going to waltz me around the living room?"
He laughs. "No, like regular dance."
"Ohhhh," you say knowingly. "You want me to grind my ass on you." You grin as his cheeks redden.
He scratches the back of his neck awkwardly. "Uh, yeah, I guess."
You laugh. "I'll go easy on you," you say, downing a good portion of your new drink to prepare yourself mentally.
You weren't sure where the confidence to dance provocatively came from, but you find yourself throwing caution to the wind when he spins you around and pulls your backside into his hips.
You let yourself get lost in the beat, rolling your hips against his as his hands hold you in place. He moves with you, dipping his head to kiss your cheek, then trailing his lips along your jaw, then your neck. Your eyes close and you lean your head against his chest, enjoying the moment.
You go to take another drink and realize your cup is empty yet again. You actually need a drink to soothe your parched throat. You were flushed from the packed house, the alcohol, and Rafe's roaming hands. You halt your movements and start to turn around, but Rafe realizes your intentions, and he doesn't want to lose the closeness to you. His pants had tightened from the way you were moving against him, and he didn't want to be left in the middle of the makeshift dance floor with half an erection while you went to get a drink.
"I got you," he says in your ear, his lips brushing against the shell as he pulls you flush against him again. He moves his hand to your throat and tilts your chin up so that your head rests against his chest. He stares intently into your eyes as he carefully pours some of his drink into your mouth. You swallow and he lowers his cup, but his hand is still gently wrapped around your throat, forcing you to keep eye contact with him.
"I need some air," you tell him, quickly separating yourself from him and hurrying out the nearby patio door.
Outside, you make your way over to one of the columns and lean against the opposite side of it so you can't be seen from the door. The cool feeling of the marble against your back helps calm you slightly. You take in a deep breath. Your heart is racing; your senses were overwhelmed from the alcohol and Rafe's touch. You had long forgotten that your actions were supposed to be for show, and your skin tingles as you replay the last few hours in your mind.
You hear the patio door open, and the loud party music assaults your eardrums for a moment before it's muffled again. "Y/n?" you hear Rafe say. You hear his footsteps on the patio.
"Over here," you call back.
He finds you moments later, still leaning against the marble column. "Are you okay? What happened? Did I do something?"
"No," you say, shaking your head. "Well, yes," you answer again after a beat. "I'm just..." you sigh heavily. "You have me all flustered."
He gives you a curious look. "How do I have you all flustered?"
"Are you kidding? Your hands have been all over me all night, you're whispering in my ear, kissing my neck... fuck, Cameron."
He steps closer and places his hand above your head, leaning his weight against the marble column. He shoves the other in his pocket. "Yeah, everyone we know is here. That's what I'm supposed to be doing."
"Well, can you stop being so good at it?" you ask. He raises his eyebrows in surprise. "This isn't supposed to feel so real."
He leans in a little. "Y/n, I—"
You bring your hand up and press it against his chest in an attempt to keep some distance between you. "Rafe, look, I'm just drunk and you're..."
"I'm what?" he asks, leaning into your touch. Your hand is still on his chest, but you aren't pushing him away.
"You're... you, and all of this is a lot to process right now," you say.
"I don't know what you mean."
"I don't either," you say, running a hand through your hair in frustration
He pulls his hand from his pocket and places it on your waist as he leans closer, bending the arm above your head to rest his weight on his forearm. He's so close now that you can smell the whiskey on his breath. "What do you want me to do?" he asks.
Your fingers toy with the buttons on his polo for a moment, then you slide your hand up and wrap it around the back of his neck. "I don't know."
"You don't know?" he asks, leaning down even closer. His nose brushes against yours.
"Rafe," you whine, sounding desperate. Your fingers move to the hair at the nape of his neck.
"Just say what you want, y/n."
"But you know," you whisper, toying with his hair.
"Do I?" he asks, a smirk taking over his features.
"God damnit, Rafe," you huff, pulling his lips down to yours. He immediately kisses you back, his tongue swiping at your bottom lip. You let out a quiet whimper as you let him deepen the kiss.
You miss the sound of the patio door opening again, but a familiar voice shouting your name causes you to end the kiss and push Rafe away.
"Y/n! We gotta go! Are you out here?" Allie calls out onto the patio.
You gently push off the column and walk to the other side so Allie can see you. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"Liz puked in the bathroom and she wants to leave," she explains. She eyes Rafe as he steps out from behind the column.
"Okay, um, I'll be right there," you tell her. She nods and looks at Rafe once more before going back inside.
You turn to Rafe, whose eyes are hooded and glassy. His lips are swollen. "I have to go," you tell him, and he just nods. You quickly walk across the patio and head inside.
As he watches you leave, he can't help but let out a heavy sigh. He had finally gotten to kiss you, and you'd immediately run off. He sways on his feet and has to reach out to the column for balance. After realizing he's good, he makes his way back inside to spend the remainder of the party sobering up without you.