"So what was Charlotte talking about last night?" Rafe asks Topper the next afternoon as they are playing the back nine at the country club. While his kiss with you had consumed most of his thoughts, there was still a sliver dedicated to that comment his ex had made that he was dying to know more about.
"Sorry, man, I don't really know what she was talking about," Topper says unconvincingly.
"Oh, bullshit, you're a terrible liar," Rafe scoffs. "What did you and her talk about that had to do with me?"
Topper puts his driver back in his golf bag and climbs into the golf cart. "Let's just say, when Charlotte found out you were with y/n, she wasn't super surprised."
Confusion takes over Rafe's features. "I don't get it."
"Look, just don't worry about it," Topper says with a shrug.
"No, explain it to me," Rafe insists.
Topper sighs. "Charlotte just always got this vibe that you had some kind of weird thing for her, that's all."
"And what did you say when she told you that?" Rafe asks.
"I... kind of agreed with her," Topper responds, eyeing his friend carefully.
"You what?"
"Dude, listen, it makes sense," he says. "Like I know you always argued with her or whatever, but for what? Because she called you out on your shit? Things you purposely did because you knew it would get her attention?"
"You make it sound like I'm some little boy on the playground that's mean to the little girl he likes because he doesn't know how to show he likes her," Rafe says.
Topper shrugs again. "If you would've been nice to her, especially when you were with Charlotte, you would've given yourself away."
"I don't like y/n," he says defensively.
"Now who's bullshitting?" Topper retorts. "Just admit it. I've seen it for years. You don't have to pretend anymore." Rafe folds his arms across his chest. "Don't give me this spoiled child act. You know I'm right. Why else would you pick her of all people to keep Charlotte away? You have plenty of other girls to choose from."
"We're friends, now, yeah, but it's not like that," Rafe continues to lie.
He wasn't even sure why he was denying it now. What difference did it make? If his best friend and his ex could see it, then he was sure other people might be on to him, too.
"Yeah? You could've fooled me," Topper says. Rafe joins him in the cart to drive down the path by the fairway. "You were all over her last night."
"We were at a party with everyone we've ever known," he defends. "They all think we're dating. We were just playing the part."
"It seemed a little too convincing to me," Topper says. The two of them stop and get out of the cart, having reached the balls they'd hit off the tee.
"Maybe we're just good actors," Rafe says.
"One of you is, and it isn't you," Topper says. "You're farther away from the pin, go ahead and take your shot."
+++
The hangover you have when you wake up isn't nearly as bad as you thought it's be. You assumed it was because you had ended up staying awake much longer than the other girls, replaying that kiss over and over in your head. As drunk as you were when it happened, you could remember it clearly.
You hadn't told Allie yet. You weren't sure you would at all. You had to figure out what it meant first.
You and Rafe were both pretty drunk last night. He had dutifully played the part of your boyfriend, and you had reciprocated with typical girlfriend behavior. At some point, though, you had stopped acting, and had just gone on instinct. You were a little embarrassed about it all now, thinking back on it. You had accused him of being all over you, but you were giving it back just as bad. Sitting on his lap, leaning against him, dancing with him. You had technically initiated the kiss, although he'd been so damn close to you that a passerby watching the situation unfold probably couldn't have pinpointed who actually kissed who first.
You wonder if you should text Rafe about it as you walk home from Allie's a little later that morning. You weren't sure how to initiate that conversation though, because 'So, we kissed? What did that mean?' seemed dumb. Plus, with him being so drunk, would he even remember?
You don't talk to Rafe at all that day, not until late that evening when he texts you to ask if you're free tomorrow to do a boat day with a few other people. You are, so you make plans for him to pick you up the next afternoon.
+++
The nerves were rolling off of Rafe in waves as he drove the short distance to your house the next day. He had spent most of the morning contemplating exactly how he was going to bring up the kiss. By the time he leaves his house, he still doesn't have a solid plan.
His anxiety heightens as you exit your house in a cute little sundress, with the strings of your bikini top poking out the neckline. You're carrying a bag almost as big as you are, stuffed to the brim with god knows what. He takes the bag from you when you open the passenger door, placing it in the back seat for you.
"Hey," you say enthusiastically as you climb in. "Couldn't have picked a better day to go out on the water."
"Yeah," he says, backing out of your driveway. He only has a few minutes alone with you before you get to Topper's. "So, how bad was your hangover yesterday?" he asks, hoping the casual question will open up the more serious topic at hand.
"Oh, god, it was awful," you say. "I drank way too much. I barely remember anything after Charlotte showed up." You don't know why you lie, but now you've done it, and you're going to have to commit.
"Really?" Rafe asks. He gets a sinking feeling in his stomach. Your all's run in with Charlotte was long before the kiss on the patio.
"Yeah, like I remember her coming over and saying something about her sloppy seconds, and after that just—" You wave your hand, indicating you remember nothing. "Did I do anything crazy or embarrassing?"
"I don't think so," he answers, hoping you can't hear the disappointment in his voice.
You do, though. You hear how crestfallen he is at the idea of you not remembering that you'd kissed, but you were too chicken shit to talk about what it could've meant. You pretend to be oblivious and start asking questions about the plans for today, and Rafe moves on, answering your questions and providing you with information.
At Topper's you park on the driveway and get out. "We just have to walk around back to the dock," Rafe says, grabbing your bag for you.
"You don't have to carry my bag," you say, but he waves you off.
"It's fine. I don't mind," he says. He hikes it up on his shoulder and holds his free hand out to you. You eye it for a minute before taking it.
You walk around the side of the house hand in hand. When you pass the column you and Rafe had leaned against when you kissed, you see his gaze flicker to the column, then you, then back to the path in front of him. You hold in a sigh. Why did you have to lie earlier?
Topper, Kelce, and two girls you've never met before are standing on the dock waiting for you. Rafe puts on his best fake smile as you approach them.
"Hey," Kelce says, greeting you with a smile. "This is Natalie," he points to the girl with Topper, "and Madelyn," he gestures to the girl beside him,
"Hey, y/n," you say, shaking both of their hands. "Nice to meet you."
"Same," Natalie says. Madelyn nods.
After the introductions are over, Topper leads the way down the dock to his boat. The boys all climb in first, then help their female counterparts in.
"Beer?" Topper offers, opening a cooler and gesturing inside.
You all take one, and Rafe takes your from you to open it for you. "I could've opened it," you say after he hands you the open can.
"You just painted your nails. I didn't want you to have to chip one," he says.
You didn't even know he noticed such things. It makes you smile. You sip at your beer as you tune into the conversation in progress.
"I wish you guys weren't leaving so soon," Kelce says as he pulls Madelyn into his lap.
"We still have a few days left," she reminds him. "We don't leave until Sunday."
"We should do something as a group," Topper says, motioning between everyone. "One last little get together before you go."
You didn't know these girls from a hole in the wall, but when Rafe looks at you to see if you're interested in hanging out with them, you shrug and go along with it. They seemed nice enough, and if they weren't, they were going back to wherever they came from here in a few days when their vacation ended.
"You guys can come over to my place," Rafe suggests. "A little hot tub action."
"Maybe some Kildare Kush?" Kelce suggests.
"I'm down," Topper says, looking over at Natalie.
"We're in," she says.
The rest of the group spends the next little while planning their last few days together before the girls go back to the mainland. Rafe kind of stares off into space, remaining quiet.
"Hey," you say, tapping his knee to get his attention.
"Hmm?" he looks over at you, his expression still distracted.
"What's wrong? You're uncharacteristically quiet," you say. You take his hand between yours and fiddle with his ring. It's cold under your fingertips; just like it was cold against your neck the other night when he poured his drink in your mouth. You immediately stop fidgeting with it and mentally shake the thought away.
"Nothing. Just tired I guess," he says, giving you a smile that doesn't reach his eyes.
He was thinking about you, and your apparent blackout the other night that led to you not remembering the fact that you'd kissed. If it had been a quick peck or something, he didn't think it would bother him as much. That kiss was perfection, though. That kiss was years in the making. That kiss was...
"Rafe?"
"Huh? Sorry. What did you say again?" He gives you a sheepish smile.
"The girls have to get back, some kind of family thing they have to do, but I'm not really in the mood to go back home. Do you... want to do something? Just us?"
"Really?" he asks. He's surprised you've suggested this. He'd been the one to plan things for the two of you so far, and here you were taking the lead for once.
"Yeah. I dunno what we'll do, but we can figure it out."
You make it back to Topper's dock and off the boat. Topper takes the girls and Kelce to his Jeep, and you and Rafe get in his car.
"So, what are we doing?" he asks after the doors close and he starts the engine.
You shrug. "Whatever. Just drive?"
"You want to just drive?" he asks.
"What? Worried about your carbon emissions?" you joke.
"No, I just—" He pauses, thinking how he wants to word it. "I didn't think you'd want to hang out with me and do nothing."
"I kind of like hanging out with you now that you aren't an asshole anymore," you tease, and he can't help but laugh at the backhanded compliment.
"I'm trying," he says, pulling out into the road that leads through the neighborhood.
The two of you drive in silence for awhile; the comfortable kind, where you don't need words. After some time passes, Rafe tentatively reaches across the center console, giving you a sideways glance as his hand gets closer to your thigh. He thought you might think it was too intimate.
You just nod at him in approval, knowing what he's going for. Out of the corner of your eye, you see a triumphant smile take over his face. The action itself was pretty innocuous, but the implication behind it said everything. He was getting somewhere with you.
You drive a little longer, making your way to one of the look out points on the island. When you pass the sign, you can't help but notice he's driven you to the one most popular amongst locals for being a make out spot. Your torn between laughing and making a snarky comment about it, and turning into a ball of nerves and shrinking down into your seat.
The place is deserted; it's still kind of early for the high schoolers to be pulling up since the sun won't start to go down for a few more hours, but the view is nice and the breeze is cool. Rafe shuts off the engine and makes a move to get out. Your leg feels cold when he moves his hand.
You copy him, getting out of the vehicle and following him to the edge of the cliff. The wind whips around you vigorously, and the waves crash loudly against the rocks below.
"You know, I've come here alone way more times than I've ever come here with a girl," he says with a chuckle.
"Yeah?" you ask. "You didn't ever come up here to mack on Charlotte?"
He makes a face. "She didn't like the wind messing her hair up."
You roll your eyes. "Of course she didn't."
He chuckles again. "She was a piece of work."
"Why'd you keep going back to her?"
He frowns, as if remembering something. "That's what was expected of me," he says. "Our dad's worked together for a long time. Still do, in fact. They wanted the empires to merge one day."
"They expected you to get married?" you gasp in surprise.
"It was never explicitly stated, but it was heavily implied. My dad was kind of pissed when I told him we'd broken up for good."
"Wow," you say, at a loss for words. You hadn't realized it was like that.
"Yeah. I think he forgets sometimes that I'm his son and not someone he can use as a business connection."
That saddens you a little. You didn't know Ward Cameron well, about as well as you knew any of the adults on the island besides your parents. "So what you're saying is that this," you gesture between you two, "isn't beneficial for business."
He laughs. "Yeah, I guess. Good thing it's fake."
That stings a lot more than you thought it would, which surprises you. You and Rafe were friends now, you could safely say that. But sometimes you thought...
"Yeah, dodged a bullet there," you reply, pushing the weird feeling down. "My parents don't even own their own business that they could merge with Cameron Properties."
"It's kind of hard to be a private surgeon. Seems sketchy," Rafe reasons.
"Black market surgeries are a thing. I heard you can get like 50K for selling a liver or something. If the organs are that expensive, imagine how much you'd have to pay for a transplant on the down low."
"True," Rafe says thoughtfully. "My dad could sell your dad an underground property for organ storage and private transplant surgeries."
"So glad we can plan a fake future together," you joke.
He laughs, but it's cut short by the sound of his phone dinging in his pocket. He pulls it out to glance at the notification and sighs.
"I have to get back. I'm apparently attending a client dinner with my dad this evening," he says, sliding his phone back in his pocket.
"Okay," you say simply.
The two of you make your way back to his SUV, and he takes you back across the island to your house. He puts the car in park when he pulls into your driveway. There's an awkward pause.
"Um, so once I figure out what the guys want to do, I'll let you know the plan for the weekend?" he says.
"Yeah, sounds good," you reply. Another awkward pause. "Okay, so. See you later?"
"Yeah."
You unbuckle your seatbelt as Rafe reaches behind your seat to grab your bag for you. He places it in your lap and you grab the handles to take it from him, but he doesn't let go. You look up at him curiously.
"One more thing, before you go," he says. He reaches towards you with his free hand and cups your jaw, then leans across the center console to close the gap between you. His lips are soft and warm against yours, and he pulls away too quickly for your liking. "Let me know if that jogs your memory," he says, dropping his hand from your face and releasing his grip on your bag handles.
You feel the blush creeping up your neck as you busy yourself with opening the car door and getting your bag up on your shoulder. Flustered, you slide out of the seat onto the ground and shut the door behind you. He puts the window down immediately. "Bye y/n."
"Bye Rafe."
authors note:
Lmao @ me making up Kildare Kush — in my head it's on par with JJ's cousins cripple