𝐧𝐨 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲, 𝐧𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞- 𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧

19

    I slipped on my lazy shorts, scrunching my wet hair into a towel. The bathroom was surrounded by fog, suffocating me inside. I threw on my oversized shirt and scurried out the door, closing it behind me. A fresh shower always felt good.

Rafe was sitting on the bed, his arms resting behind him against his head. His shoes were by the door, surprising me that he at least had enough manners to take them off instead of keeping them on. His eyes followed me around the small hotel room, packing away my dirty clothes into the duffel bag I took from my house.

Disappearing from my parents wasn't the best thing to do, but I couldn't face them right now. I told them I was staying at my friends house for a few days, and since they can't technically stop me, they said goodbye and wished me fun.

I was more than tired. All I wanted to do was plop down and go to sleep. But Rafe was on the bed and the hotel only had available rooms with one bed. Rafe said he'd sleep on the floor, ordering extra blankets and pillows from the room service workers. I was going to argue, but he told me I looked like a disaster and was in more need of the bed than he was.

He took the Walgreens bag beside him, following me to the table. I sat down, letting him press ointment against my bruises. The shower washed away the dried blood from the cuts, but the warm water made them burn. They weren't deep enough to require stitches, but I was always told the tiny ones hurt the most.

I winced from the pressure he applied to the bruise Ward caused. His fingers stopped working, hovering themselves above my arm. "Are you okay?" He whispered, the sound of his voice breaking the silence.

"Yeah." I answered, allowing him to continue.

He was mad at me for visiting Dustin's house and even angrier at me for purchasing cocaine off of Michael. He told me the list of people were now useless, continuing to shred the sheet and throw it into the trash.

We were now two murderers on the lose, hiding from the cops who still didn't know it was us. I told him we had barely any time and couldn't waste a second, but he insisted we wait another day instead of rushing. We had to act natural, staying low. He knew Ward wouldn't give me away now that the Pogues possibly have a way to expose him. He needed that recording too and was too busy focusing on that.

Rafe stood up, finished applying the ointment and bandages. "I'm taking a shower."

I didn't say anything as he found a pair of clothes in his bag and closed the bathroom door behind him. I sat there for a second, listening to the force of the water hitting the floor. I was glad that not every little thing reminded me of Trevor, but I was also scared that I was warming up to it.

I left a note on the bed and slipped out of the room. My phone was in my hand, ready for use. I used the elevator to the first floor where they would have some food. That was the nice thing about this hotel, they had food items. The shop wasn't too big, mainly serving small sandwiches and fruit cups.

I grabbed two ham sandwiches from the fridge, two fruit cups, 2 bottles of water, and some apples. Tomorrow they would be serving breakfast, but who knew what we'd be doing tomorrow morning. I wanted to figure this all out as soon as possible.

I paid for the food, took the bag, and quickly went back to the room where Rafe was out of the shower. He was in grey sweatpants, drying his hair with a towel. He was still shirtless, startling me just a bit though he didn't seem to care.

"I got food." I held up the bag.

Rafe sat down on the bed, taking his food from the bag. He turned on the tv, making himself comfortable. His mood switched so quickly it was giving me whip lash.

"Don't be shy." He patted the extra space beside him. I was hesitant, wondering if I should sit on the couch instead. "Do you want me to sit on the floor?"

"No." I decided, sitting beside him.

The bed wasn't too big because it was mainly made for one person or a couple who they assumed would be together. Our shoulders were nearly touching, sending shivers down my spine.

By the end of the night, Rafe had made himself comfortable on the floor. He didn't seem to mind, respectfully letting me take the bed. I wanted to call him up here and comfort me.

"Can you turn the lights off?" He mumbled.

I did as asked, making sure my gaze didn't linger on him for too long. He was sleeping on his stomach, his bare arms wrapped around the pillow, his muscles very much obvious. Why did he just so happen to be a boy who slept shirtless?

"Goodnight." He sighed, closing his eyes.

"Goodnight." I whispered, pulling the blankets up to my chin.

I was cold. I wasn't sure if it was because of the air conditioning in the room or if my shorts didn't fit the weather. I always slept with shorts on because it was always hot here. The bed felt too large as well unlike when Rafe was sitting beside me. I tossed, and turned for what felt like forever. But when I checked the clock, it was only 5 minutes.

My mind went wild, turning on my side to check on Rafe. His breathing told me he wasn't asleep yet, but his eyes were closed and he hasn't moved from his spot. I rolled my eyes, my mouth opening to call for him.

"Rafe?" I whispered.

"Hm?" He hummed.

I paused, my thoughts running in circles. I opened my mouth, then closed it again, reopening it before I could take it back. "Can you sleep up here? With me?"

Rafe didn't move for a second. For a moment I thought that he fell asleep in the one second I hesitated. But then he stirred, sitting up. "Are you sure?" His voice was sleepy, his eyes begging for him to close them again.

I nodded, scooting over for him. I watched him stand up, crawling into bed beside me. He took the extra pillow from the floor, burying it beneath his head. I turned over on my left side, still not understanding the space and whether he wanted me to face his bare chest.

"Do you want me to put a shirt on?" He asked.

"Whatever you're comfortable with." I answered.

I expected him to get up and put one on, but instead he fixed himself and got comfortable. My body tensed, feeling his arm snake around my waist and pull me close to him, my back pressed against his chest. His body was tense too, probably waiting for me to yell at him. When he knew I wasn't going to, he relaxed.

His body radiated heat against my back, immediately warming me up. Eventually my body relaxed too, getting used to his arm still hanging around my waist. And for the first time in forever, I was comfortable enough to fall asleep.