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.
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a/n: this chapter is kinda short bc I wanted to get something out bc it's been a while so I split it in half.
also, SilverRose98made some amazing edits for this story and once I remember how to add videos I will definitely add them to the next chapter !!
tw: sexual content, heavy manipulation, toxic relationship
Failing that placement test hit Bexley harder than Rafe thought it would. He thought he fixed things, but he hadn't. Not all the way.
He stayed up with her for hours in the living room that first night, listening to her excitedly tell him all of her ideas about the store she wanted to open. She was giddy about it, talking about where she wanted it to be, what prices she wanted things to be.
"It's gonna be cheap," she told him, her hands moving expressively, widening them like she was displaying an aisle. "Really cheap. So no one will be hungry."
"You can't go too cheap," he warned her. "It's not worth having a store if you don't make profit."
"I know, I know...But I don't want anyone to be hungry," she repeated. She used that phrase often that night. 'No one will be hungry'. She must've said it about ten times.
It took Rafe a while to realize she used to be the girl going hungry. He looked Bexley up and down, subtly, and noticed the fact that she had gained at least twenty pounds since the two of them began dating. Gaining a few pounds was normal with new couples, because eating out was so common in new relationships. But Bexley gained the weight she was supposed to have had already, the weight that only stayed off because she didn't have enough to eat before Rafe.
"Hungry hurts," Bexley told him. "I...want everything to be cheap."
For maybe the first time ever, Rafe felt sympathetic to pogues. Because he'd never been hungry. But she had.
"Okay," he nodded, his voice softer now. "We'll be cheap."
Bexley reached over, and took hold of his hand. She gave a pitiful smile as she whispered, "You get me."
His heart softened even more. But he also felt a sting of guilt hit his chest. He didn't know why. This was an honest conversation they were having. One of their first completely honest conversation. He wasn't doing anything wrong. But guilt hit him easier these days.
Maybe it was the fact that, even with her so upset and scared, she still tried being kind to Rafe. When he was upset...he never acted as kind.
Every now and then during their conversation, Bexley's eyes would drift to Rafe's cheek. It wasn't just today this had been happening, it'd been the last two days. He knew she wanted to talk to him about his father slapping him the night prior, but she didn't have the courage to bring it up. He was embarrassed by it, so he didn't help her.
