Paris, and Other European Destinations (JJ x Rafe x Reader) OBX

To Choose or Not to Choose

You wake up in a haze, blinking a few times before it hits you—how Rafe Cameron had tasted when you had kissed him back.

Okay, so it might've just been like mint or some shit, but you were convinced that you'd be able to tell the difference now. If you were blindfolded with a lineup of men ready to kiss you, you'd be able to tell which one Rafe Cameron was. You think about it as you get ready, grinning at your reflection as you catch it in the bathroom mirror, wishing you didn't have to rush to work.

But you did, and you had to move pretty fast because of the time you had spent daydreaming in bed.

You don't even notice Rafe in the kitchen until you're doing a double take.

"Work," you explain breathlessly before he even asks.

"Here," he tells you, "let me drive."

You begin to protest, but something about how he approaches you has you change your mind, mostly because he's leading you out to the car with his hand firmly on your shoulder before you can come up with a good excuse. You sit down in the passenger seat, though your pulse doesn't slow once you're seated. If anything, it goes faster, watching Rafe as he reverses out of the driveway, his arm coming up to rest on the back of your seat as he turns his head to look in the direction the car was moving.

There's music on the radio, but you can barely pay attention to it, keeping your eyes on the road ahead as you know anything else is more than you can handle right now.

"I wanted to thank you," you say, breaking the silence after driving about half the way to your work. "For listening to me yesterday. I've never really talked to anyone about what happened, and it felt good to say it out loud for once."

"I'm glad you chose me," Rafe simply tells you.

You think on his words for a moment, trying to figure out why your heart was breaking like it had just made a sudden discovery about its own nature. Because you would have chosen him to be the one to tell, even if all that stuff hadn't happened with JJ yesterday, you needed someone who understood that feeling.

But you couldn't chose him, you couldn't choose; even if you wouldn't have told JJ.

JJ's probably leaving with Kie, you tell yourself, not quite understanding why it still hurts after Rafe has opened up to you. That's what you wanted, no? You wanted to break those walls down, you wanted to know what he tasted like. You liked Rafe, and now you knew he liked you too.

But up until the keggar, you hadn't thought JJ would return the feelings you had for him either, meaning you still cared for them both—neither was one sided.

You decide on just avoiding JJ till he gets bored, doubting he had really planned on anything serious between you two anyways. "Hey," Rafe says as you go to leave, "I meant everything I said yesterday."

You swallow hard, smiling despite how confused you feel right now. "I'm glad," you tell him.

"Are you good to get a ride home?"

"Yea, Bruiser can drive me home or something," you say, even though you know he goes home early.

"I might get back late, but when I do... we should talk."

You nod, watching as he drives away, wondering how you're going to manage today after everything thats happened.

At least Cal keeps you busy for the first part of the day, rushing off every time JJ goes to talk to you, ignoring that look in his eyes that reminds you of a kicked puppy.

But at lunch, you cave.

"Hey Bambi, stop acting so skiddish."

"I'm not acting skiddish," you defend weakly, but still start to eat your lunch a bit quicker.