'Safe with Rafe' Y/N x Rafe Cameron

Chapter LIII

Rafe had set off towards Barrys trailer, desperate for something to ease himself. As disoriented as he already felt, he could feel himself slip further and further into a void of hopelessness. He needed a distraction. Though on his way to Barry's, his mind flashes images of you.
Your smile, your joyous aura, the pure energy that emitted off of you that always struck him like a bolt of happiness so alas,
he pulls over.
His trucks rims scrape messily against the curb as he grips his steering wheel tight, trying to compose himself.
"Fuck!" He shouts to himself.

He leans his head back against the head rest, hyperventilating as he tries to find the strength to turn around. Rafe looks to his side where his jacket lays on the empty passengers side where he wasn't quite used to seeing you missing from, his jacket still crumpled up in place where you had left it after using it for warmth the couple of nights before.
"Shit, shit, shit." He mumbles to himself as he puts his truck back into gear, choosing to make his way to Toppers instead.

"I don't know what to tell you man. If she's anything like Sarah...well, you know what I'm about to say." Topper sighs.
"Yeah I do, and just don't." Rafe replies, feeling himself get increasingly nauseous at the idea of you leaving him for Jj. Topper notices his friends body becoming impatient with jitters as Rafe hopes with all his might that you would just stay.
"Look, I know you like her but nothing good ever comes out of dating the kook princess. Trust me." Topper adds, earning a cautionary glance from Rafe.
"You're not a very good friend."
"Compared to Kelce, I'm the greatest friend you've ever had." Topper says with a proud smile as he raises his arms towards the sky for praise.
"Speaking of Kelce, what the hell where you thinking bringing him around to Y/N's place." Rafe blurts with a short temper as he directs his full attention to Topper.
"Hey man, I didn't know what he was up to, partly because you don't ever tell me shit!"
"It doesn't take a genius to know he's not welcome there after being uninvited, Top. Especially by
Mr. Y/L/N." Rafe exclaims, pressing a finger onto Toppers hard chest.
"Pfft. See how many friends you're left with if you don't get that temper under control." He responds as he swats Rafes hand away from his chest.
"Look, I need- I just need her to be safe and I need her to understand that-that- I need her and-" Rafe begins to ramble frustratedly at his own words as they barely string a rational sentence together.
"Woah, woah, woah, chill." Topper says, placing a hand on Rafes shoulder as it rises heavily with every distressed breath.
Rafe only stands back against the brick wall, sliding down the rough concrete as Toppers hand loses contact.

Topper looks down at Rafe pitifully, as rare as it was to himself to feel remorseful towards somebody other than Sarah, It was an even rarer sight to see his best friend, Rafe, in such a state. Not even during one of Rafes coke withdrawals was he ever so miserable.

Topper sighs before kneeling down to Rafes level, placing a brotherly hand on the side of Rafes head as it hung low.
"Hey."
Rafe lifts his head to meet Toppers eyes, still mildly unhinged until he catches a comforting look he hadn't expected from any friend of his.
"We'll sort it out." Topper assures with a weak smile, "She loves you a lot bro. Trust me. I get jealous at the way she looks at you sometimes. Sarah never looked at me that way."
Rafe holds his stare into Toppers predominantly as he thinks back to your face and all its beauty before turning away with a sigh and shaking his head in triumph, standing up as Toppers hand slides off of his shoulder once again.
"We good?" Topper asks as he gestures towards Rafes chest, his breathing finally comes to a slow, regulating its pace.
Rafe nods his head in agreement, his ability to form words and sentences still yet to return to him.
"Good. Lets go treat ourselves to some beers, yeah?
"Yeah."

As Rafe and Topper walk through town, the hoards of people begin to decrease at the coming of the days end. The sky slowly turns from a pink shade to a light purple as the clouds resemble a bluish/greenish tone, still looking as muggy as they did this morning.
He walks seemingly confident beside Topper but his finger nails dig into his palm nervously, worried of what might come over him if he were to run into you. He couldn't guarantee he'll be able to grant you the space you needed after his melt down back in the car, the addiction of you easily overcoming that of a substance. Rafe breathes heavily but slowly to keep his sane composure secure, his mouth slightly agape as he huffs deep breaths until a particular sight catches his eye on the far side of town.
His jaw clenches tightly as jealousy courses through his veins, his blood feeling hot as if he was about to erupt.

"This shop should have sponge cake, right?" Zane asks as he looks down at your short figure beside him.
You shrug your shoulders lazily as you walk in front of him to the front entrance of the shop and pushing past the swinging doors.
"Look, I know I made a name for myself at the party but I truly didn't mean for that to happen. If you could just- just agree to start over, we could be good friends." Zane says with a sigh, unimpressed at your attitude.
"You're my dads underling, Zane," you say sternly as you turn back towards him, "not my friend."
"Yeah but-" he begins before a strong hand lands swiftly on his shoulder, turning his entire body effortlessly.
"Not even one day, Y/N?" Rafe spits with venom laced into his words. "This is your idea of air?"
"What?-" Zane stands confused before being pushed back staunchly by Rafes muscular arms, causing Topper to run up on the two and prying Rafe away.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Topper says, trying to bring Rafe back to reality with no luck before Zane intercepts the two, matching Rafes staunch.

You watch in pure terror, unsure of what to do as if there was anything that you could even do to help the situation right now. Your small, fragile figure could never, in a life time, measure up to three, large, brawny men who were at the same time, fuelled with anger.

Topper struggles to hold back the two, finally deciding to let go of Rafe as he pushes him towards you in hopes that you would be able to settle the boy instead. You stumble a little bit at the force of his body clashing into yours until Rafe catches your body with an arm around your waist, finally catching his attention as you look up to him with sorry eyes.
"You-...you said-"
"Rafe, I'm here on my fathers orders. For sponge cake, I mean." You explain with a small, awkward laugh, earning confused eyes from him as his eyebrows turn inwards.
"With him?! God, Y/N, anybody but him." He asks with an angry tone of voice at first until it cracks sadly into a heartbroken one as he gestures towards Zane.
You place your hands on either side of his face, fighting the urge to kiss him after the audible lump in his throat takes a shot at your own heart.
"Rafe..." you begin softly, "he's my dads business partner. He was already at the house when I got there."
He shakes his head in confusion with your hands still positioned on his face, still ridden with a sad expression after your explanation does nothing to help his concerns in the slightest.
"At your house? Is that supposed to make me feel better?" He asks before Zane interrupts once again.
"Y/N, please can we just talk about last night?"
"As if she'll waste her time with you. We're leaving." Rafe says determinedly as he turns you away with him.
Zane is heard huffing a devilish laugh from behind the two of you, which Rafe chooses to ignore until Zane speaks again,
"She wastes her time with you daily."

Zanes smug voice rings in Rafes head, his words cut deep into and under his skin. Rafe had tried to ignore the banter for as long as he could stand, for you, but these words, they were different.
These words were the same ones robbing Rafe of all his life after today's incident with Jj, causing him to second guess his worth to you over and over again. It was driving him literally insane, like he was some sort of ticking time bomb.
You wasting your time on him was something that had been haunting him, so when he heard those words come out of the mouth of his arch enemy,
he lost it.