Inconvenient Attachment

Chapter 16

"Leaving already?" Rafe appears behind me causing me to jump.

"Yeah I've had a wild night. Not really feeling it now." I give him a soft smile.

"Want me to walk you home?" He offers, his gorgeous face lit up under the street light.

"You don't have to." I state politely, giving him the option. Even though deep down I do want him to walk me home.

"I want to." He insists.

I turn to start walking hoping he didn't catch the view of the grin on my face stretching from ear to ear.

It doesn't take him long before he's walking beside me and we head to figure eight.

The silence is deafening between us. Our in sync footsteps sound like heavy thudding.

I let out a frustrated sigh. Why hasn't he spoke yet? He was the one that offered to walk me home.

"What are you doing here, Rafe?"

I can feel him looking down at me as we walk. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you offer to walk me home?"

He shrugs. "Because I don't want anything to happen to you?"

"I live on figure eight, Rafe, nothing is going to happen to me."

"You'd be surprised. Besides you had to walk through the cut too."

I scoff. "I'm probably more safe walking through the cut."

He shakes his head chuckling lightly.

"Why are you bothered if anything happens to me, anyways?" I can't help but dig.

"Because I care about you." He huffs as though admitting he cared about me was a lot of work but he knew I wouldn't stop without a good enough answer.

'Because I care about you' the words circle through my mind. A smile begins to grow on my face but then I remember his comment from earlier.

"Right, cause I'm like your little sister." The smile fades and my entire body just deflates.

It's stupid I feel like this. Obviously Rafe would never see me like that. I don't see him like that, do I? Why do I feel like this around him constantly?

"I've known you our entire lives, Ness, I'll always care about you. Even though I might not show it." I return his kind words with a soft smile. I appreciate him opening up to me, I know that's a difficult thing for Rafe to do.

"I'll always care about you too, Rafe." I admit truthfully. I just wish he knew how much I meant it.

"You will?" He asks with a surprised expression like he had no clue I felt like this.

"Of course I will, do I not make it obvious?"

"Not really. You're a hard person to read."

"You're one to talk." I lightly playfully shove him and he grabs my hand chuckling that I couldn't even move him.

"I admit I should show I care abit more."

"A bit?" I scoff sarcastically. "I feel like you hate me 99% of the time Rafe." I laugh so he doesn't think I'm trying to argue.

"I'm sorry you feel like that. I'll do better." He has a serious expression on his face.

"Does that mean I've got two brothers trying to make it up to me?" I look up at him with a cheeky smile jokingly.

"We'll see, Ness."  He puts his arm around my shoulders pulling me close as we continue walking. His touch causes me to feel my heart beat in my ears. Any background noise has become silent. I have never been more content in life than I am right here with Rafe's arm around me. I put my arm around his waist, touching Rafe feeling so foreign.

"Do you walk like this with your sister, Sarah?" Our eyes meet and he chuckles shaking his head at me.

"What are you trying to say, Nessa?"

"I'm not completely sure." I look at the ground with furrowed brows, confused with myself. What am I getting at?

"Are you going to yours or mine?" We reach the bottom of our street.

"Why would I be going to yours?" I ask quickly and nervously. Why am I nervous?

"I think Sarah's there, I thought you might want to talk to her with her leaving so soon." He suggests. I can't believe he thought of it before me. He's probably right I should go and find out the gossip really but she was drunk she's probably passed out asleep if she's already home now.

"Right, erm, I'll just go home tonight." Saddened slightly that I'm not going back to his house even though I wouldn't be going back for him.

We reach my house and we're stood on the doorstep, our faces inches apart.

"Well, thank you for walking me home, Rafe. I really appreciate it. I'd have probably been kidnapped and murdered if it wasn't for you." I grin sarcastically. My smile is always contagious to Rafe because within seconds he's smiling too.

He's shaking his head at me. "Do you always have to be so sarcastic, Ness?"

"Sorry, you make me nervous and sarcasm is my only defence." I blurt out before realising what I'm actually saying.

"I make you nervous?" He questions a small smile still apparent on his lips.

"Erm, I mean, No, yes, maybe, kind of?" I cringe at myself. Mentally face palming myself with embarrassment.

"You're cute when you're nervous." His eyes are fixated with mine, his expression falls serious. Cute? Rafe just said I'm cute. My head feels like it's about to explode. My heart is in my mouth. I can hear my pulse thudding in my ears.

His eyes flicker to my lips and back to my eyes. My stomach is flipping ecstatically. I look down to his lips, they look so soft. I move back up to his eyes. His face leans closer to mine.

What is happening right now? Is Rafe about to kiss me? I thought I was just a stupid little sister to him. But now I'm cute?

I can almost feel his breath fanning on my face when I hear the front door swing open causing us both to jump meters apart.

"I thought I heard voices!"