New Light | Rafe Cameron

new light

You wake up the next morning confused; your surroundings are unfamiliar, and it takes you a moment to remember where you are.

The suite seems bright despite the fact that the curtains are closed. Rafe is still asleep beside you, breathing deeply. His hair is splayed across his forehead messily, and you resist the urge to brush it back.

You think back to last night, or earlier this morning, depending on how you wanted to look at it. A quick glance at the alarm clock on the nightstand tells you it's been about seven hours since you'd fallen asleep, hand in hand with the boy next to you.

As you study his sleeping form, you realize how different things were now compared to the beginning of summer when this all started. You never thought you'd reach the point in your fake relationship when you realized the person you were lying to the most was yourself.

At this point, you knew you'd be kidding yourself if you said you hadn't fallen for Rafe completely. Your confusing crush from high school had turned into full blown feelings, and there was no denying that anymore. You just hoped that Topper and Kelce weren't lying when they told you Rafe had feelings for you, too.

As if he could hear your thoughts, Rafe stirs next to you, shuffling around under the covers to turn over and face you. "You're awake," he mumbles, his voice deep and scratchy from sleep.

"Yeah, only for a few minutes though," you tell him.

"Are you hungover?" he asks.

"No. I didn't get that drunk," you reply. "Are you?"

"No. Only drank enough to have a buzz," he says.

You nod, meeting his eyes for a moment, then looking away. There's so much emotion in his eyes, it's hard to hold his gaze.

"You're not going to back out of your promise, are you?" he asks softly.

"No, of course not," you assure him, and he relaxes slightly.

"Okay. Another question, then," he says, and you look at him again. "And please answer it honestly."

"Okay," you say, looking at him expectantly.

"What the hell are we doing?" he asks. "Like... am I crazy in saying this feels different than it did when we first started?"

"No, not crazy," you confirm. "It feels... real."

"Yeah," he says. He's quiet for a moment. "That's why I don't think we should fake date anymore."

"Oh," you say, managing to keep your voice even as your eyes start to sting with tears. You shrink back from him, pulling the covers up to your chin.

"Shit," he says, reaching forward to grab you. "You're misunderstanding what I mean. I want this for real. No more faking it."

"Oh," you say again, although your tone is different this time. "You really want that?"

"Well yeah," he answers. "I really like you, y/n. I have for a while, I thought it was pretty obvious."

You narrow your eyes at him. "How long is 'a while'?"

He shakes his head. "Just... a while, okay?"

"How do I know you're not fucking with me?"

He chuckles. "Why would I do that?"

"I don't know. I just didn't think you liked me like that."

He sighs. "I do. I didn't think you liked me that way."

"What makes you think I do now?" you ask teasingly.

He rolls his eyes. "Oh, I dunno," he says sarcastically, reaching out to pull you closer. "Couldn't be the way you've woken up beside me or anything."