New Light | Rafe Cameron

the hot tub

You don't see Rafe for a couple days. You talk via text a few times, mostly for him to give you details on what you're doing with Topper, Kelce, and the tourist girls they had picked up.

You had two kisses now that you were skirting around — and one of them you were stone cold sober for, so it's not like you could pretend you didn't remember that one. You wished you had thought this out a little more before you agreed to pretend to date Rafe a few weeks ago. You never thought you'd end up getting along well enough to actually fool people, much less end up kissing him. Now you were wondering who the fools truly were.

Of course, Allie is too perceptive for her own good. She knew more was going on than you were telling her, but she also knew better than to bring it up with you outright.

"So, you and fake boyfriend still doing okay?" she asks casually as you lounge by her pool.

"Yeah," you answer, shielding your eyes to look over at her.

"That's all you've got? 'Yeah'?"

"What does that mean?" you ask.

"It means that you used to tell me every detail of your little public outings, but since the party you've barely said anything, and I know you've been texting him. So...?"

"So, things are going the same as they always have been, and he's been making some plans for us and telling me the details. Tomorrow night I'm going to his house to hang out with him, Topper, Kelce, and some random tourists from the mainland."

"And you're doing what?"

"Getting high in his hot tub," you say with a shrug.

"Okay," she says, unconvinced that she has all the details she wants. "You let me know how that one goes."

"Will do, Al."

+++

At promptly 9:00 pm, you arrive at Tannyhill on foot as Topper, Kelce, and the two girls from your boat day pull up in Kelce's Range Rover.

"Hey, y/n," Kelce says as he climbs out of the car. He hits the lock button once everyone is out.

"Hey, Kelce," you reply. You greet the rest of them as the five of you walk up to the door. It opens just as you reach the front porch.

Rafe's eyes meet yours for a moment before he says anything. "Hey, come on in," he says, opening the door wider so everyone can pass through. He motions for Topper to lead everyone through the house, with you and Rafe bringing up the rear.

"So, what have you been doing? Haven't seen or heard much from you the past couple days," Rafe says to you as you follow the others through the house.

"Um, just hung out with Allie some, did my own thing," you reply. "You?"

"Same. Golfed with the guys, worked with my dad some."

You nod. "Speaking of, is he home? Does he know you've invited people over to get high in his hot tub?"

He laughs. "He knows I'm having people over. He's out right now, but he'll be home later. We'll know when he's home because he'll shut off all the outside lights," he says. "He hates when they're on when he tries to sleep since his bedroom windows face the back yard."

"Oh," you say. "So lights out mean the party's over?"

He shrugs. "More or less."

You've made it to the back yard. It's still semi-light out for now, the sun having not set completely yet. The patio lights and the hot tub lights are on, and you can hear the water bubbling. Kelce and Madelyn are already stripping down to their bathing suits, and Topper and Natalie are claiming lounge chairs nearby to set their stuff on. You see Kelce tuck a thick blunt behind his ear before gingerly climbing into the hot tub.