Kiara and Rafe's Guide to Dating

lesson three: it's only weird if you make it weird.

Lesson Three: It's only weird if you make it weird.

Beams are gonna blind me

but I won't feel blue

like I always do

'cause somewhere in the crowd

there's you

Super Trouper - ABBA

They're back on a plane.

Kiara switched around her seats, so she's now seated between JJ and Pope. Rafe is free from her grumblings about the regulated temperature. By all means, he can finally relax.

He sighs into his seat, the recline is as far as it'll go, and he still feels perpendicular. Of all the windows, his shutter is the only one firmly shut.

There's a crick in his neck that he ignores. The consequences of a bad night's sleep from unfavorable and highly uncomfortable sleeping positions so he can avoid Kiara's sprawl. The balancing act he performed last night at the very edge of their mattress could go down in history, how he managed to get at least 4 hours of sleep is beyond him.

Luckily that would be the last night he'd ever need to share a bed with her, he'd anticipated for this now. They were finally on his plan and he could breathe a little easier, this would be familiar since it's designed by him. He knows how it goes, they go to the hotel—in the heart of Nassau, he gets the keys for Room 404 (which he already checked into yesterday on his phone), they have the ocean view and Kiara can take the bed and he'll take the extra cot.

The cot is a luxury compared to the sliver of space he got when sleeping with her. He's looking forward to finally having his own space.

The two days in Outer Banks threw him off with the uncertainty of everything from the first moment they crossed the threshold of the island. This version of the Outer Banks is his personal twilight zone, everything moved an inch—it's palpable, irritating and, microscopic— and he can't make any sense of it.

The following weeks have already been planned down to the minute with Kiara, they had the time to do so back in London. He knows his next moves and Kiara's, there's no over looming threat of ambush this time. Letting his guard down with her is not a mistake he's going to make again.

Once they touch down Sarah immediately gathers the group in a huddle. She stands with her hands on her hips as she waits for everyone to quiet down and look at her, Kiara slides in place beside Rafe and when he shoots her a questioning glance, she just shrugs.

"How was the flight for you?" Rafe asks while she rubs the sleep out of her eyes. Her elbow knocks Wheezie and she mumbles and apology.

"I finally got some rest after Sarah was done discussing the itinerary for the wedding," Kiara says while stretching her legs. "Which we've gone over maybe a modest million times over before. But it's good for us, I'll be busy with running around with her adding the finishing touches."

Rafe frowns, "Why is that good?"

"We won't have to spend more time than we need to, and you can go enforce whatever stupid plan you have to get your ex-girlfriend back." Kiara stretches her arm now, looking like she's about to run a marathon. "You know, the reason you're here."

"Actually, the reason I'm here is because—"

"Oh right I forgot about your whole emotional maturity spiel," Kiara waves her hand dismissively, "Yeah, yeah, you're here for that as well Dr. Phil."