Good Days •Rafe Cameron•

Can I Trust You

   

A warm summer breeze kissed goosebumps along my brown skin as I laid in the tall grass behind my house. Echo purred softly next to me.
The salt from the marsh filled my nose as I listened to the soothing sounds of the water hitting the dock. The grass tickled my legs as my dress hems sat high on my thighs.
My mind went back to last night. John B was right. He found the found the gold. I still couldn't quite comprehend it. It's seem surreal.
I stared up at the sky, studying the clouds. Big and white. Most of them looked like a blob except for one that seemed to take shape of a heart. I pout my lips brushing off the thought of Rafe.
Why did this heart make me instantly think of him. Surely I didn't miss him. In fact, I planned on not speaking to him ever again. JJ was right. I'm better off with the Pogues than slumming it with some over privileged Kook.
"My brother's been texting you." A voice suddenly said speaking up. My body immediately jerks up, scaring Echo a little.
I look over to my right. "Louisa?" I questioned, furrowing my brows together. Why was she here? She rested her right hand in her hips giving me an annoyed glare through her glasses.
She was very different from Sarah and Rafe. Her dark hair and small demeanor made her stick out like a sore thumb next to her pretty blonde siblings.
"It's Wheezie." She corrects. "Sorry." I apologized, standing up. "I forgot how short you are." Wheezie says. We basically came face to face. "You we're wearing heels last time we met." She adds.
"Um...yeah." I say looking down at my bare feet. Grass peaked between my toes. I look back up facing the youngest Cameron. "You mentioned your brother?" I asked. She nods. "Yeah, he says he's been texting you. But you haven't answered him." She explains.
"That's because I blocked his number." I say. "Yeah, I figured." Wheezie sighs. "He so hellbent on you. He's been talking about you non stop." She smirks.
"What do you mean?" I asked. "Well, he says you're not like the others Pogues." She explains. "Maybe because I didn't grow up as a Pogue or Kook. I'm from Columbia. The most boring Capital in the US.
"He wants to come over." Wheezie said, crossing her arms over her chest. "When?" I asked, furrowing my brows.
"Now. He out front in his Range Rover." Wheezie runs to the side of the house. "Wait, what?" I exclaimed, following the girl.
    The two of us walked to the front of the house. Rafe's truck was park out front in the driveway. "I brought her for you. Can I go now?" Wheezie asked, annoyed.
    Rafe quickly hops out the truck slamming the door. "Yeah." He nods. Wheeze opens his trunk pulling out a bike.
    She steadies it on the ground before hopping in and zooming down the street back home.
     I glared at the tall man who stood before me. I didn't want to give him any satisfaction that I was openly willing to listen.
     "I texted you." Rafe starts. "I blocked your number." I said, sharply. I tilted my chin up. "Listen, Phoebe." He says.
     I blink several times. I was surprised he used my actual name. It's sounded strange coming from him. I didn't like it. Not one bit.
    "I shouldn't have brought you there. I knew what I was doing." He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck nervously.
     I didn't say anything. I continued to glare at me. Standing still waiting for him to continue with his sorry excuse.
     "I really like hanging out with you. You make me nervous. I'm a good way, though." He explains. "Are you sure it's nerves?" I asked passive aggressively. "Or is it the withdrawal from not having your daily dose of coke?" I sassed.
     "Phoebe." Rafe breathed, stepping closer to me. He reaches for my hands. I pull them behind my back.
    "You're not a good person, Rafe." I look up into his sad eyes. "But don't you see. I can be better with you. You make me a better person." He smiles, shyly.
     "How?" I questioned. "What have you done that has made you a better person. Ever since I got here you've been an asshole. To me. My friends. My cousin." I shout.
    "You know growing up. I was always the older cousin. I'm the one who's supposed to stand up for her. But after these past few weeks I've realized that she's the one standing up for me. And it makes sense. I try to see the good in everyone. I try my best to believe that maybe Rafe Cameron was finally coming to his senses. But Kiara sees the problem with you. And its that you're incapable of anything real. You're a joke!"
"I don't think you really believe that, Phoebe." Rafe said, running his fingers through his hair. "Actually, I do, Rafe." I breathed. Rafe quickly takes my hands in his. He turns my hands over so that my palms are facing up.
His fingers begin to trace my lines. His brows furrowed and his yes grow sad. "I'm sorry." He apologizes.
It's silent for a moment. The only sound being our steady breathing as we the two of us stand still hand in hand.
"That's all wanted, Rafe." I say. "Just an apology. I just wanted to hear you say the word sorry." I whispered. My hands move up his forearm smoothing over the hairs on his arm.
"I like you, Be." Rafe says, using my nickname again. A small smirks appears on my lips. Maybe I do like it when he uses my nickname.
"And it feels good to know that there's one person in this whole fucked up world who has my back." Rafe says. He pulls my face into his hand caressing my cheek with his thumb.
"I'm sorry I called you a joke." I apologized. "Yeah, that kind of hurt my feeling a bit. Not gonna lie." Rafe chuckles. "It made me feel pretty ordinary." He pulls his hand away from my face dropping it at his side.
"Well, you're not. To me." I start. I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. I stand on my toes as I try to reach his face. "In fact, I think you're one of the most extraordinary people I've ever met." I whispered in his ear.
Rafe wraps his arms around my waist pulling me as close as possible. He lift me up a bit so that I'm standing on his toes.
I can feel his hand rub my back as his smile grows bigger. The most genuine smile I've ever seen.
"You know I like you, Phoebe." Rafe starts. "And I've really tried to stop thinking about you. But ever since you first came to the island you're just there in my head. And it feels like you always will be." Rafe spoke. His voice no louder than a whisper.
His eyes flickered between my lips and my brown eyes.
He leans in closer. I pull away. "What are you doing?" I exclaimed. Rafe rolls his eyes. "Would you just stand still." He smirks. He pulls my dress moving me closer to his body. His hands take my face lifting my chin up.
He leans in again, closing his eyes. I close mine. Lips brush softly against my own before he smashes them together.
My hands grabbed the hairs on the nape of his neck, pulling him in closer. Rafe fingers run through my locs as he lifted me off the ground.
His back hit the side of his trunk as the both of us deepened the kiss. Rafe breaks form the kiss as he begins to leave tiny pecks across my face. Nose. Cheeks. Forehead.
"I've been waiting to do that for weeks." Rafe chuckles. He set my down on the ground. "Oh, yeah? I asked. "Yeah." He bites his lip.
"So, does this mean we're friends again?" I asked. "I think we're a little more than just friends." He states. I cross my arms. "Then if that's the case, am I gonna be safe with you?" I blink several times. "Yes." He answered. "And do you promise to try an do better? No drugs. No drinking." I list off. "Yes. He nods.
I uncross my arms and take his face in my hands. "Can I trust you?" I whispered. Rafe leans in to kiss. This time it's soft. Subtle. He pulls away, finally looking into my eyes.
"Yes."