𝐅𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐄 ➝ 𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧 [𝟐]

𝟑. 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞

𝐈 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐎𝐃 𝐎𝐍 the edge of the sand, the morning dew still gracing the messy tumbles of grass behind me. The water sent an icy chill through my body as it flowed up and onto my toes. With my surfboard under my arm, I continued to stare at the blank and crisp ocean. 

Grunting, I threw my board against the sand, hearing as it dropped with a soft thud. I had hoped that surfing could clear my mind, especially while Kie, Pope, and JJ were stuck facing the first day of school, but I was out of luck. 

Taking a few steps backwards, the heels of my feet hit my towel. Feeling my way down, I sat on the ground and pulled my knees into my chest. 

On mornings like this, when nobody else is around, you can hear the waves crashing to the shore, almost as if they were in rhythm. The smell of saltwater travelled through the air, circling around with the wind as it blew towards me. 

In the far distance, I could see a singular sailboat. It bounced against the waves, rocking back and forth as it sliced through the water, using the wind as rope. I continued on until it was too far out to be seen from the inland. 

"I thought I would find you here..." A voice whispered as I quickly whirled around. My lips parted softly as the familiar blonde boy, who I was still in love with, stood only a couple of feet away. "You always like to surf to clear your mind," Rafe added as he took a step closer. 

"Don't," I warned as I stood up, sand caking my calves. "You shouldn't be here,"

He sighed, his head hanging down. "I know," He began as he looked back up, his eyes meeting my own. 

I felt as if my heart was being pulled out of my chest when I caught a glimpse of his sea-blue eyes. I licked my lips and stood tall, not wanting him to have any control over me. "I don't want to talk to you, Rafe, you should know that,"

"I do," He replied, "But you don't have to talk, just listen,"

Seabirds cawed above us as we stood a few feet from each other. It took everything in me not to rush over to him and hit him. But I knew that if I got too close to him my mind would go fuzzy and I'd fall in love with him all over again. 

"Do you remember what you said that night?" Rafe questioned as the night came flashing back in my mind. 

"Yes," I stated, my voice rough. 

"And you remember how you said that you couldn't hate me?" He asked again, his voice smooth and controlled. I nodded. "I don't want us to be over," He finished. 

"You should've thought about that when you shot--" I stopped myself, "When you killed Sheriff Peterkin,"

"Y/n, please," He begged, his actions now needy and pleading. 

I looked down, sparing myself the pain of looking him in the eyes. "Rafe, you know, after everything, that we can't do this anymore," 

"I don't care about any of this," He began as I started picking up my clothes, tucking them underneath my arm. "The gold, jail, even Ward,"