JJ's biggest flaw was his recklessness, and his bad ideas. Honestly, that didn't seem that bad to Bexley.
Rafe's biggest flaw? Jealousy. Pure, uncontrolled jealousy.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
tw: underage drinking
Bexley saw Topper and Rafe at the golf course the next morning. She was almost embarrassed by how fast she went over to them. But then she realized she didn't care if they knew she was excited to see them.
"Hey." She greeted them both with a warm smile.
Rafe was wearing a white polo. His hair was slicked back, and he looked well rested. He smiled back at her, a smile that made her heart flutter. "Hey, Bex." She loved the way he said her name sometimes.
"You work everyday?" Topper asked her. He had just taken his turn, and walked up to the cart.
The adoption party was only a few days prior. She'd seen Rafe and Topper at the course every day since. If she was being honest, she'd admit that seeing them was the best part of her day recently. Because whenever she saw Rafe, she would notice how much better he looked.
He'd been sober nearly two weeks.
Now, if Rafe was the one being honest, he'd admit that staying clean was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. But it was always worth it. Because each day Bexley would smile at him just a bit brighter, and his heart would beat just a bit faster.
"Just about every day," she mumbled. She didn't mind. She loved packing in the money. She wanted to make enough to start paying Susan rent.
"You should take a day off," Topper suggested. "Come golf with us."
Rafe didn't say anything. He was lost in thought, staring at the outfit Bexley wore. She had new clothes he hadn't seen before. And she looked nice in them. Really nice. He wondered how many other men had noticed that morning.
"Maybe on a less busy day." Bexley hopped out of the cart. "You want your usual?"
"Yeah, sure," Topper grinned.
For a moment, Rafe eyed his friend, because Topper and Bexley held a smile longer than Rafe thought was necessary. Mentally, Rafe cursed himself. He ran a hand through his hair, taking a deep breath. He still got jealous when boys were obviously interested in Bexley, but he felt like he finally had control over how he responded to that jealousy. Right now, he tried to ignore it.
"Want anything, Rafe?" Bexley asked him sweetly.
He hesitated. He hadn't been drinking much alcohol. Just a shot or two before going to bed. "I don't...no. I'm okay." If he started drinking, what if his mind made his jealousy more of a problem? For the first time in a while, Rafe wasn't completely focused on how other people looked at her. He doubted he could keep it up for long.
"You sure?" she asked. "You look hot."
"Yeah?" He smirked a bit. He was wearing a baseball hat. He took it off, running a hand through his hair, putting it on backwards. "Thanks."
