'Safe with Rafe' Y/N x Rafe Cameron

Chapter LXXII

After you have had your shower, you slip on a pair of frayed denim shorts paired with a white knitted crop top that ties around the back of your neck, like a halter top.

As you walk side by side with Sarah down stairs, you see your mother and father sitting at the dining room table in their usual seats. Your father sits pompously with a newspaper in hand as he indulges in the morning news and your mother sips on her tea pettily, seemingly oblivious of what had played out only last night. To your relief, they greeted you peacefully just like any other day.
"Good morning dear." Your father says, still nose deep into his morning paper.
"Mornin' dad."
"You off to somewhere?" Your mother asks.
"Uhh...good question." You say, stumped as you glance over to Sarah.
Sarah returns your glance before quickly back to your parents, "Oh! Yes, actually...just going into town, do a little shopping. You know, girl stuff."
Your mother's eyes furrow oddly at Sarah's words as she never took you as the type of girl who was really into girly things like that, especially shopping.
"Yeah, well, anyways." You speak up abruptly and disrupting your mothers piece of mind as you slip your white converses on, "we oughta get going."
"You're not gonna eat?"
"We'll get something while we're out! Cya!" You shout as you push Sarah towards the door, shutting it hurriedly with a loud thud.

Sarah stands befuddled on your front porch as you close the door behind you and finally turning your body to face her.
"You're acting weird today." Sarah says with a questioning tone, thirsting for an explanation.
"Hm?" You hum.
"Rafe spending 'father and son' time with dad was weird enough, but you..."
"What? I'm just- you know- it's such a nice day, I don't wanna miss a second of it!" You answer joyously with your arms towards the sky as if to bask in its sunlight, but Sarah's intrusiveness wasn't swayed. She still felt every bit weirded out, probably even more so at your efforts to conceal the truth.
"Riiight..."
"Right so, let's go find the others!"
"Pfttt-" Sarah begins to giggle, "you've got a phone now, just call them."

You open your phone to call your friends and out of plain habit, expecting to have their contacts still, forgetting that it was your old phone with all their numbers and not this one.
Still, you smile. As you had opened your contacts, you were met with a very short list of numbers.
Only Rafes.
Rafe had made sure to put his number in your phone ahead of time which made you feel bright inside,
like he was right there with you again.

"I forgot I lost all my contacts..." You murmur with a soft but persistent smile.
"What? You don't know your own friends numbers off by heart?" Sarah says as she jokingly clutches at her chest, "that's cold."
"Oh shut it," you laugh, "I don't even know my own number."
"That's insane, Y/N."
"Yeah, yeah...can I go through your contacts? Might as well while we're stranded on the street."
"Yeah, sure, help yourself." Sarah says as she offers you her phone from her back pocket, "so... I was thinking..."
"Oh, yeah? About what?" You ask, fixated on both her phone and your own.
Sarah stops in her tracks a few steps behind you, fiddling with her fingers as she rubs her knuckles together in nervousness, her words caught in her throat before you turn your attention towards her at last.
"I was thinking of maybe a double date? Group date? An outing? Between friends? Plus Rafe?"
She rambles with uncertainty.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, since you're with my brother now and that whole thing with Jj, I was hoping we could all just- I don't know, get along. Go out somewhere. I know this real nice fancy place that I stumbled into with John B once-"
"As in dinner?"
"Well, yea, but also a few drinks?"
"Good call," you chuckle, "I don't think Jj would agree being anywhere near Rafe if drinks aren't included."
"Yes! And plus, drinks always loosen people up so I think it's a genius idea, really." Sarah says delightfully.
"It does sound fun, but is it really a good idea?"
You ask, anxiety creeping up your throat with Jj and Rafe in mind. The two of them together just seemed like a recipe for disaster and alcohol being present on the scene could only make it worse, or, there's that small chance that it'll just be a good time between friends, a chance to bond.
Sarah places a consoling hand on your back as a smile presses up upon her face. She begins to walk again with her hand upheld on you as if she was about to give you life advice, but rather settling for something a little less helpful.
"Hash it out with Jj and we'll be good to go."
"Hashing it out with Jj won't erase his feelings, Sarah. That's just not how it works."
"Well, maybe not but if Kie could do it to some degree, you can too." Sarah says, referring to the time that Kie had gone and gotten involved with both John B and Pope a while back, when things got messy but Kie was able to patch it back up again and savouring their friendship as a whole.
"Besides, You mean the world to Jj, he'll understand."

You can't help the sad expression on your face when Sarah said those words. The fact that it was true made you feel a whole lot worse about the situation. It was expected of you to just break his heart, let him down and you were made to feel okay with that,
but you weren't.

Beep, beep!

You look up from the pavement, awoken out of your melancholic daze when a familiar beeping caused your heart to almost literally jump out of your chest.
"I don't suppose you two pretty ladies need a ride?"
You look up towards the voice for your eyes to land on a pair of brown ones and a sunny face.
"John B! You scared the shit out of me!" Sarah shouts as she approaches the van with you tagging along behind her, following her as she slides the van door open and hopping into the back seat.
"Evenin' Miss.Y/N." John B says playfully as he tips an imaginary hat towards you.
You smile brightly at his sunlit face, soaking up all the pure happiness and joy that radiated off of him. He had always reminded you of a sunflower the way he brightens the day with a simple smile and his eyes that shone brightly like the sun.
"Can't believe I'm saying this but John B, god how I've missed your face." You say with cheerful eyes.
"What about us?!" Kie exclaims from the back seat beside Pope, her hands outstretched in the air.
"Yeah, Y/N, what about us?!" Pope adds on, his smile shone just as John B's did.