July 6th, 2021.
OuterBanks, North Carolina.
𓇼 𓇼 𓇼 𓇼 𓇼
The scent of a coconut candle had circulated in the air. My fingers ran through the curls that had been sitting after the iron formed them. Using the palms of my hands, I scrunched the curls to give them an extra boost before I started in on the last step of my makeup. The eyelash curler had clamped down on my eyelashes, curling them in an upward direction. Taking turns on both sides before setting the eyelash curler onto the white marbled counter and picking up the brown mascara that sat beside it. My hand drug out the wand before pushing the small bristles against my eyelashes to make them lengthy. I had brushed the lightweight mascara onto the lashes to look natural but lengthy, almost flirty. I had smiled at myself in the mirror as I sat the tube of mascara back onto the counter and messed with the rings that sat against my fingers. Flicking the light switch off in the bathroom, I headed back into my bedroom to see the small pile of presents that had been unpacked and looking for a place to stay inside my room. Beside the stack of the presents, the unopened present from Rafe had sat on the small woven bench. I smiled to myself as I had worn the small locket that JJ had gotten me in reminder of my friends even though Kiara and I had not been on speaking terms for now.
I walked over to the unopened present bag and had pushed my hands into the bag. The bag was purple with pink tissue paper that sat around a small box inside of it. I unwrapped the box and had opened it to see the sight of a small gold bracelet that would fit against my petite wrists. I smiled and shook my head while I had placed the small bracelet against my wrist. Stepping away from the woven bench, I walked in front of the large mirror while the sunset started to form onto my skin. My body held against a small mini dress that was a pastel yellow. The curves against my body held the dress into a shape that it was made for meanwhile my shoulders held onto the small spaghetti strapped straps. I had worn platform white sandals on my feet that had made my legs look longer in the mirror due to the height of it, making me 5'5 in height. I did a small turn in the mirror and had smiled at myself again to avoid the overthinking moments that would come if I didn't keep myself busy in that moment. I walked over to my phone and picked it up, seeing that I had missed messages from JJ. He had stated,"are you at home? Your dad wanted me to come help him move some boxes." I had narrowed my eyebrows in hopes that he wasn't here because it would be more than embarrassing and nervous for me if Rafe had shown up while JJ was here at the same time. I had panicked and texted him back with nervousness filing through my own bloodstream. "I'm home but I'm about to leave." I texted him back and brushed the mini dress down as I had turned my phone off. I headed out of my bedroom, closing the white door behind me and walking towards the kitchen where my mother had been cooking dinner for Kaia, my father, and her own self. I had caught the eyes of my mother as she had smiled to see me dressed up and in a good mood for the moment. "Well don't you just look stunning!" She commented as she had stirred a shrimp gumbo that she made from scratch. She had learned the recipe from my grandmother that had made it while she was growing up. I smiled at the comment as the dish seasonings had filled my nostrils. "Thank you." I told my mom as I smiled at her again. "Where are you going?" She asked as I sat down on the small wooden bar stool that sat behind the bar in the kitchen. Kaia had sat beside Jack on the couch, brushing his fur coat while she had been watching a show on her children's channel. "Rafe asked me out on a date." I told her and pushed my hair behind my ears, showing the four piercings that I had on both ears. She narrowed her eyebrows as the garage door had opened, my father and JJ walking into the house to scent of the delicious dinner my mother had made. JJ's eyes dazzled upon me as he had looked me up and down from where I was seated with his eyes almost forming hearts in them. I smiled at him as the side door had formed a knock on the outside of it. I closed my eyes in a panic as my mother had shot her eyes to her husband and JJ. I stood up from the bar with my phone in my hand, my hands pushing down the dress meanwhile I had walked towards the side door to open it. My hand grasped against the brass doorknob, pulling the door open to see Rafe standing there with a large smile on his face. He glanced around the kitchen until JJ had stood against the wall with his arms crossed, watching my movements. "Hey!" Rafe said as he had kept the smile against his face. I had smiled at him and looked up towards his eyes that had glanced to see JJ standing there. "Hey Rafe!" JJ said as he had thrown his hand up to interrupt mine and his interaction. I turned to look at JJ with an annoyance look forming on my face as my mother and father had stood with a pure shock at the interaction. "Hey man." Rafe had spoken back to JJ as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his black slacks that fit his muscular legs perfectly. I narrowed my eyebrows at JJ and shrugged my shoulders at him. "Mr and Mrs. Madison, I promise to have her back before nine." Rafe smiled at them as my father had nodded his head. My father hadn't been rooting for Rafe, instead he was rooting for JJ to be my future. My father believed that both men were hard working but my father had thought that all rich kids were stuck up and weren't humbled enough to be a good person. "Let me walk you out, Izzy." JJ smiled as he rested his hand onto my waist. Rafe had walked in front of me while JJ had held onto my waist still, his finger tips gripping against my hip almost like he had been digging it into the side of them. Rafe had parked his black car in front of the garage beside my Ford Branco. JJ's bike had sat beside the Branco meanwhile his helmet sat near the bike's wheel.
Rafe had opened the car door for me like a pure gentleman. I smiled at him as the grip from JJ had broken loose. He had seemed unhappy with the expressions he had made through his eyes as he looked at me. Rafe shut the door as I had sat down into the leather seat that felt luxurious compared to my Branco. Rafe had stood in front of JJ, peering down at the shorter muscular boy. My body rushed with adrenaline as I had looked at their interactions, hoping that JJ would contain himself in the moment because he was known to be a fighter. "Listen man, I'll allow you to take her but if you try anything I will come after you." JJ spoke in toughness almost like he was trying to threaten Rafe in a nicer mannerism. Rafe had nodded his head at JJ. "Do you like her or something?" Rafe questioned him and narrowed his eyebrows as he was ready to step in the car in order to take us on the date. "She's my best friend and if anything happens to her, I will come after you. I'm only accepting this because she wants to help you out so don't take advantage of her." JJ spoke to him and held his hand out to him, motioning for an alliance hand shake. Rafe had stuck his hand out into JJ's and shook their hands with intertwinement. I smiled at the small maturity that had taken over them. I was more than assuming for JJ to start a fight with his short temperament but he kept his promise to be there to support me. I smiled at JJ and laid my hand on the locket that he had given me. He gave me a thumbs up while Rafe walked onto the other side of the car to get in. I nodded at him as he had walked back towards the house, going to stay for dinner and because he knew I was going on a date — that meant he would wait until I got home to make sure I was safe.
Staring out of the window meanwhile Rafe had turned the key into the ignition. His hands rested on the steering wheel as he pressed on the break with his right foot, backing out of the driveway. I had felt embarrassed at the thought that JJ had been over protective of me — nonetheless kissed me the other day, it made me form a guilt that I hadn't wrapped my head around the ideas of what he had given me. It had brought me into a nervousness that streamed throughout my bloodstream meanwhile Rafe had drove with his fingers tapping against the steering wheel. "I'm sorry about him." I told Rafe as I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and leaned my arm onto the inside of the car door. He shook his head and formed a grin against his face. "Does he have a crush on you or something?" He asked with his eyebrows narrowing while he tapped his pointer fingers against the steering wheel. Awkwardness rushed throughout my veins — wanting to avoid the questions that had made me think about all the times I had gone home, thinking about JJ in hopes that one day I could make a move until I had came to the conclusion that I couldn't do that to him or our friend group. "A crush? Are we in middle school again?" I laughed at him while I had glanced towards his muscular body that was covered in luxurious clothing. He sat with slight comfort meanwhile he had turned his head to the side while staring at the greenery that hid our homes behind us. "He's just protective over me. I have known him since first grade, he just doesn't want to see anything happen to me." I explained to him and crossed my legs over another to sit with elegance. He glanced back at me with a grin and rolled his eyes. "I don't blame him." Rafe said in response as he had pulled his car out of the gated community that kept our homes safe.
I shook my head and moved the small rings on my fingers around in discomfort from the anxiety that formed throughout my body. "How come?" I asked him and narrowed my eyebrows. "Because I wouldn't want you to get hurt." He laughed as he kept his eyes on the road while he started driving on the main road that led to the rest of the large OuterBanks area. I shook my head once again and looked out the window in silence. The plants had bloomed alongside the road, sprouting up with pure sunshine that could make the soul smile. OuterBanks had its quirks but it had been amazing place to live in. In the future, I had dreamt of moving to California and living my life out on the yellow sandy beaches on a small home near the ocean. That was all that I had needed in life — the sand, a board, and the ocean. I had dreamt of being married and starting a family while I worked as a marine biologist at a local high school. I never knew if I would find the one but at the back of my head, I wondered what life would be if I ended up with Rafe or JJ.
Would either of them be worth it?
"Since this is your first date," Rafe spoke and had glanced over towards me to break the silence that sat in the luxurious car. "Hmm?" I mumbled as I looked towards the muscular boy that had been tapping on the steering wheel, following the traffic. "Have you ever been kissed?" He asked and raised his eyebrows in a curious mannerism. I rolled my eyes at his in-depth question that had seemed too personal, but I assumed that dates had been about deeper talks. "I have actually." I told him and laughed at his question as he had seemed shocked. "After all I am only eighteen so I hope you don't think I've done anything else bad." I told him and placed my hand against my chest, over the gold heart locket. He shook his head with laughter forming out of his mouth. "Oh too bad I wasn't your first kiss." He laughed in a jokingly manner to brighten the anxiety that he had beside mine. "Aren't you like a grown man?" I laughed at him and pushed his arm gently in a playful manner to make him smile larger than he had been before. I had never seen someone this giddy before — and I didn't expect it from him out of all people. Especially from what his sister had described him as, he had seemed uptight and more serious but this side of him was a special side to see through the issues he suffered from.
He had made a left onto a small road that had been familiar to me. The beach road that led down to the tide pools. "So are you saying that you're into older men?" He asked as he had parked the luxurious car on the side of the road that was free parking within the city. I smiled at him and felt at complete peace around him in the moment. I was happy that I made the chose to give him the chance that he rightfully deserved. I was glad that I didn't listen to everyone about him and who he is as a person — he just seemed misunderstood. Through his issues of alcohol and drug issues, deep down was a charming boy that was looking to be set free from the chains that held him down. "I do like older men if I'm being honest. Have you seen Paul Walker?" I asked him and laughed at him as he turned the key out of the ignition. He shook his head instantly with innocence forming in his eyes. He had opened his car door and shut it behind him, walking over to my door meanwhile I had pushed the buckle inwards and off of my chest. He had opened the door and held his hand out to help me get out of the car. "You know I never would have ever expected to be going on a date with Rafe Cameron." I mentioned to him as my hand had pressed into his own. His blue orbs looked at the petite hand that sat in his large muscular hand. He was infatuated with the rings that sat on my fingers. "Why is that?" He asked as I stepped out of the car and stood beside him while he shut the door to the large car. "I always thought that you wouldn't be interested in me." I told him and followed behind him as he led me down a small trail that would lead out into the white sandy beach. He stood in front of me with his back facing me, I watched his body move in sync with his legs as he walked slowly against the asphalt street that had small cracks inside of it.
"Not interested in a pretty Kook princess? That is bizarre." He spoke as he had turned back around to face my petite body. I shook my head and had a small grin form against my face at his cheesy and playful comments. "I hate being called that." I told him as we walked side by side, walking in sync with one another in the moment. His body had towered over mine which was around nine inches taller than what I stood at. "Let me guess, your pogue friends started calling you that?" He asked as he ran his hands throughout his hair and walked towards the beach still in sync with my movements. I nodded my head at him. "Don't you consider yourself to be one of the richest girls on the island?" He questioned and narrowed his eyebrows. "I may be but at the end of the day, money doesn't bring me happiness. It won't bring me a husband and a family that loves me. It won't give me a degree. It won't give me anything but sadness because it doesn't buy happiness." I told him and explained to him about the way that I had felt about money. "You have a point." He had nodded and pushed his hands into the insides of his nice pants that he had been wearing. His hands sat in his pockets while we walked beside one another, hearing the waves crash on another.
Following Rafe, he had taken me down the road and onto the beach where he had a small blanket laying out beside a picnic basket. I smiled at him as he had sat up snacks and drinks that would keep us occupied while we were talking to one another. My heart pounded with pure bliss as we had started to walk into the sandy beach beneath us. "You did this?" I asked him and smiled as he had made it to the picnic blanket, sitting himself down on the creme colored blanket. He nodded and smiled back up towards me with proudness on his face. "As much as I can be an asshole, I can be a really good guy when I want to." He spoke in the air meanwhile the ocean crashed down onto the white sand. "You don't seem like an ass to me." I told him and sat down as he slipped his shoes off, leaning them against the the small picnic basket that had been unopened. He grinned as I slipped my shoes off and sat them behind me. My feet laid against the creme blanket while I had watched the ocean waves hit the beach and reverse itself back into the ocean.
We sat in silence as I crossed my legs over another in a comfortable position, my hands behind me for support. Our eyes watch the sunset against the horizon — listening to our surroundings that had made my heart happy in the moment. "What do you want in life?" I asked him and broke the silence as he had opened the picnic basket, pulling out two glasses beside the bottle of sparkling cider due to me being under the age limit and he couldn't drive buzzed. He had ripped the small layer of plastic off of the bottle with his teeth, putting the trash back into the picnic basket to avoid littering. "I don't know to be honest, I would want kids and a wife but I need to get my life together and fix the issues I have in order to do that." He spoke as he poured the cider into one of the cups and handed it to me. I grasped the cup in my hand, putting it up to my mouth and taking a sip of the drink that had covered my tongue in a flavorful liquid. "My dad has me searching for this stupid gold that was on the royal merchant." Rafe explained and sat the bottle down upright on the blanket while he had moved his hand to swirl the liquid around. "My friends are searching for the same thing." I told him and tucked my hair behind my ear. My eyes glanced around and then back up towards Rafe as he looked at me with confusion. "How?" He asked and narrowed his eyebrows.
"Not too sure. They found a bunch of stuff though and I don't know how much more they found." I told him and shrugged. I didn't believe in the gold of the Royal Merchant. As much as my friends wanted me to participate in the actions of finding the gold, I was unsure about what extent of it would be safe. He shook his head and brought the drink to his mouth, leaning his head back and sipping on it. "Don't get caught up in it, it's not safe." He responded and looked at me with sincerity forming in his eyes. I smiled at him and nodded my head. "You know what is safe and what isn't?" I asked him and narrowed my eyes in a playful mannerism as he had stared into my eyes. He nodded at me and smiled,"I know, I know." He had laid his legs outwards like I had been and rested his hand on my back with a gentle rubbing in circular motions. I leaned my head against his shoulder and watched the sunset that had formed against the horizon. His aura had seemed peaceful in the moment which made me comfortable. "Why are you labeled as an ass?" I asked him in pure honesty. I wasn't caught up in anything that my friends had done and they never told me if something happened between them and Rafe. "You have no clue how many times I have fought JJ and Pope with Topper." He spoke in a silent tone almost like he had been extremely ashamed of his behavior. "When you are on drugs, especially hard ones, you can't stop yourself. It almost feels like you can't control yourself." He spoke as he leaned his head against mine in the moment. "You're clean aren't you?" I asked him and narrowed my eyes brows as I had stared at the ocean crashing against the waves. Seagulls had flown around in the sunset that had formed in front of us. "I tried." He responded as he shook his head at himself. "It's hard to stop." He had spoken again and seemed ashamed in the actions as he had started speaking. "Don't be so hard on yourself." I told him and rested my hand against his back like he had done with his on mine. "People cope in different ways. I'm sorry I brought this up." I told him and took my head away from his shoulder to look at him in the eyes. I moved my body and sat on my knees in front of him, looking into his saddened eyes that he had forming. "No, you have a right to know if you want to pursue me." He spoke and glanced around the small beach before he looked back into my eyes with his hand holding onto the drink.
He formed a smile to comfort me after I had been wondering if I ruined the moment between us. I had rested my hands in my lap while my drink sat buried in the sand, just enough to hold it in an up right position. He looked towards my lips as he had seemed to be thinking about kissing me in the peaceful moment. He looked back up into my eyes as I laid a hand against his knee that was closest to me. "You're so beautiful." He spoke to me in the moment. My heart had pounded. It felt like everything had gone numb and my soul had left my body in the process of him complimenting me. "You probably get that from a lot of guys." He smiled as he laid a hand against my cheek, his thumb covering some of the small freckles that had laid into my skin. Shaking my head at him as I had let him lay his hand against my face in an endearing gesture. "I don't actually." I told him as a small grin formed on my face, my cheeks had heated up with a pink color. He took his hand away from my cheek and back into his lap. "You have to be lying. JJ doesn't tell you that you're beautiful?" He asked. I smiled and shook my head, not wanting to tell him about the situation that happened the other day with JJ and I kissing multiple times. "He has." I told him and stared into his eyes as he had been almost ecstatic to be talking with me. His mood had changed drastically in the moment. "I can see that he has a crush on you." He laughed and tilted his head off to the side. I blinked for a second in a slight annoyance that he kept talking about JJ. It wasn't his business about how another male had felt about me, and JJ and I wouldn't be going any where for a while until we were both capable and ready — unless he finds someone and I'm with Rafe, then the dream wouldn't be fulfilled. I had leaned in towards Rafe in that moment he had made the comment about JJ. I rested my hands against his face as I matched my lips in his, the sounds of the waves crashing played behind us as almost all emotions slipped away from how we had felt in that moment. Rafe laid his hands onto my hips, kissing me back in the moment. He had moved his lips in sync with mine. Warm colors formed on the open back of my dress, shining down on our skin while our mouths had been connected with another. It felt almost like an eternity to be kissing him. It felt overwhelming but I didn't want it to stop in that moment.
He had kept his hands against my waist, taking the moment slow and wanted to respect my own boundaries that I had set the other day. I started to think that Rafe wasn't just wanting me as one to mess around with and then leave on. I think he was meaningful when he admitted he wanted to pursue me in the long run. I smiled out of the kiss that had felt like eternity. His eyelashes had fluttered mine as I had l started to pull away from his face to look at him in the eyes. "I really like you, Isla." He spoke almost like he had been out of breath in the moment. His heart had been pounding as mine had been. I smiled and pulled away from his face, staring him into his blue eyes that were so beautiful with the sun shining down on them. "Oh you do?" I laughed softly and sat my hand against his knee again. He nodded and laughed at the question I commented. I stood up from the blanket and started walking towards the ocean that was a dark blue color.
In my eighteen years of being alive, I was never afraid of the ocean. I was never afraid to surf or go paddle boarding out in the early morning. My heart felt free when I was in the ocean or on the beach. I would study the creatures and watch them as they passed by with peacefulness. Rafe had watched me walk towards the waterline that the ocean had created against the sand. The waves crashed against another while gray colored fins had soared into the horizon from where I had been standing. A dolphin pod had swam in a playful manner while the sun had set on the horizon. Yellow, Orange, and Pink colors mixed in the sky light while white clouds hovered over. My feet brushed against the soft sand while small seashells laid around the floor. I walked closer to the shoreline, letting the water rush against my feet. Turning around to see Rafe with his phone out, taking a photo of where I had been. I smiled at him — hoping that he would come over to feel the ocean against his bare feet. He stood up and dropped his phone against the blanket, running towards me which had made me run away from him in a playful mannerism. My feet left imprints onto the sand while he had ran after me. My dress had flown against the wind as I ran with a gentle force in my legs, slowing down to allow Rafe to catch up to me. He had finally caught up to me. He grabbed me by my waist and lifted me up in the arm with playfulness. I laughed at the playing that had been going on.
I felt so free in the moment. All my worries and thoughts had fallen away when I started to be around Rafe. "I got you." He spoke in my ear with gentleness and twirled me back towards him. He had the most genuine smile against his face, his eyes matching into mine as he had to look down on me. Our height difference was a complete nine inches from another which made me look small compared to him. I smiled at him while looking up into his eyes. My heart pounded and I had felt a spark form between us, not in the cliche way that movies had portrayed — but when you really enjoy someone and their company. Rafe laid his hand against my cheek once again and pulled me in for a kiss while the sunset poured down onto us. Waves rushed against our feet as he held onto my hip with one hand and the other on my cheek. Our lips moved in sync with another for the second time tonight. It had made me feel over the moon. The kiss was passionate and felt real. It had felt like something I never felt before. A rush of adrenaline pushed throughout my veins while I had pulled away from the long kiss with a large smile forming on my face — large enough to show the dimples that were indented into my cheeks.
"I felt like I've known you forever." I told him as I rested my hands against his chest, looking up into his eyes while he had peered down on me with a grin on his face. His hand still laid on my cheek, his thumb in the middle of my chin. "That means we have something special doesn't it?" He asked as he kept the grin against his face. The genuine expression on his face had made me feel weak in the knees. His hair laid against his forehead while his eyebrows had narrowed with a slight motion. "I think so." I told him and smiled once again, showing him the dimples that I had on my cheeks. "I know that we met more than a couple days ago but I want to be with you." He spoke. "It's insane but I have never felt so free with someone before. Your presence is comforting and-" He explained himself while he had been glancing around my face, analyzing the freckles that formed on the bridge of my nose. "If you're asking to be more than friends, yeah." I had smiled and hit his chest in a playful manner.
Rafe smiled as he had still held onto me by my waist. The breeze had blown throughout our hair as we stood there with the ocean crashing against our feet. His pants started to get wet with the salt water but he didn't seem to mind much. "On one condition." I told him and looked at him, thinking of how I could word the condition that could change the Pogue and Kook relationship. "I want you to make all of your kook friends leave mine alone. No more going on our territory unless they're invited." I tucked a strand of hair behind my ears and looked up towards him again as his smile had faded from his face. "If anything happens to my friends and I find out that it was you or your friends, I will drop you without any hesitation wether I love you or not. My friends are my world and if anything ever happens to them, something will happen to me." I explained to him and moved my eyes against his own, looking at his sincere eyes that formed while I had claimed my own fate. He nodded his head in a hesitant mannerism. "I-I promise. I won't let anything happen to them." He spoke as he had nodded his head again and stared at me in the eyes. His pupils growing more while he had been analyzing my face. "I just want you." He spoke in a soft tone and still looked into my eyes. I could feel his sincerity while he had spoken to me.
I nodded at him and rubbed my hands against his shoulders. Giddy about finally having my first ever boyfriend — sort of. "So are you asking me to be your girlfriend?" I asked him and laughed as I glanced around while feeling the ocean move underneath my feet. "I think so, yeah." He spoke and laughed a little while his hands gripped onto my waits. "Will you be my girlfriend? God that sounds so cheesy as an adult." He asked as he had made eye contact with me again. I smiled at him in pure bliss that had taken over my mind and heart in the moment. I never have felt more happy than in this moment, being with him as my worries of my friends washed away from me. "I would love to be your girlfriend." I told him as the salty breeze surrounded us as we stood in the sand. Our feet covered with wet sand. He smiled with joy forming against his face, a smile I hadn't seen him do before.
In that moment in time, I didn't think about how others would feel about it.
I expected my friends to be supportive of my own decision but nonetheless take him in as their own.
The whole night had consisted of us talking about how we would make the relationship work — which included hiding it from people until we were ready to be exclusive in public. We talked about how to fix his issues of drugs and alcohol, because I expressed that I wouldn't deal with the problems — or watch him abuse it. I offered to help him which he had accepted.
He wanted the best for both of us. He understood the trouble that it would cause between both of our friend groups if we expressed that we were dating in that exact moment — however, once the time was right we would share it with them and form ways to communicate when times become rough.
As a first boyfriend, I had a high expectation of who he should be and how he should treat me. I didn't want someone who couldn't believe in me or support me — which is not what Rafe was. He showed his loving, caring, and gentle side when he was around me which included his sincere smiles.
I was more than ready to be committed to him but the thought of JJ had formed in the back of my mind, creating an anxiety that I didn't need.