Bad Habits (A Rafe Cameron/OBX story)

Chapter 35

The next morning, I wake up still laying on this cramped hospital bed. My head is resting in the crook of Rafe's neck with his arms wrapped so tightly around me that I'm struggling to breathe. I slowly lift my head up to see if Sarah and Wheezie are still here. I catch a glimpse of the two girls asleep in those plastic hospital chairs. They were either too exhausted to go home or they were too worried about Rafe.

He feels me rustling around in his arms which makes him wake up. He kisses the top of my head, "Morning."

"Good morning." I whisper.

I rest my chin on his chest, "How did you sleep?"

He chuckles, "Like shit. You?"

"Like shit."

We smile and stare into each other's eyes. This is the day I'm dreading. Because I know as soon as the hospital lets him go, he will be entered into a rehab facility. Then who knows how long it will be before I see him again. I let out a deep breath, "I don't want you to go..." Then I clarify, "Like I want you to get better but I don't want you to leave. I'll miss you."

"I know, baby. I know." He sighs.

I pull myself up so that we are face to face, laying on our sides. My forehead presses against his, "I love you."

"I love you more." He grins.

"Nope, not possible." I giggle at him.

He presses his lips against mine and says, "Yes it is because it's true. I love you the most."

I give him a sweet kiss but quickly pull away when I hear a playful gag from across the room. "Ew God could you two shut up over there. I'm literally about to barf." Wheezie pretends to vomit.

"Oh shut up, Wheeze! You will fall in love one day." I tell her.

"Maybe but I won't act like y'all do. You two act like you're the last people on earth, all of the time. It's gross." She says.

Rafe and I sit up to talk to her. I start, "Well that's what love feels like. It feels like you and your love are the only two people in a room or on the planet. It feels good to know that someone loves you so much that they would literally do anything to be with you. And that's what I feel with your brother."

He jumps in, "I agree. I promise that I would do anything for Haley. Just like I would do anything for you, Wheeze. But obviously not in the same way. You have this one person in the world that you can trust with anything, including secrets. They will end up knowing everything about you and you have to be willing to let them. If you love someone enough, you will never keep a secret from them."

"But why did you lie to Haley about being clean?" She asks.

Rafe sighs, "I'm still learning what love is too. And I've realized now that I can't leave Haley in the dark on anything. Especially when it comes to my recovery. It's hard to open up to anyone, I know that. But with Haley, it's always been so easy. You will learn that when you find love. It will be effortless. Like you could literally sit in silence all day long with this person and be content. I promise, when you find the one, you will know. And I know I've found mine."

The thought brings tears to my eyes and for the first time in the past week, they are not sad tears. They are happy tears.

Wheezie shrugs her shoulders and sighs, "I'm too young to understand any of this."

"You will understand as you get older." I smile at her. She shrugs her shoulders again and picks up her phone.

I turn to Rafe with a smile and watery eyes. He frowns, "Are you crying?"