saltwater | outer banks

5| mrs. country club

VENUS' HEAD SURPRISINGLY DIDN'T kill her when she woke up, but she did feel groggy from the events and alcohol consumption from the day before.

The sun was shining right in her face and blocking her vision, making the girl groan and pull the duvet over her head. She paused in the middle of the action, though, noticing that the covers weren't the ones that belonged to her bed.

She pushed past the brightness of the light and peeked over the fabric, now seeing a blond head of hair sleeping next to her.

Rafe's arm was tiredly thrown over her and his brows furrowed in his sleep slightly. She couldn't help but stop and take in his features for a moment; until now, she never really noticed the light freckles that peppered his nose, or the way he seemed so peaceful when he slept. A soft smile crept onto her face.

She briefly recalled falling asleep in his truck on their way back from the Boneyard, but she didn't know he planned to take her back to his house. Thoughts of her family surfaced, but she knew her mother and Jax probably weren't worried, most likely assuming she stayed with Kie or John for the night.

Venus could feel Rafe's warm fingers lingering on her waist. She took note of how she now wore a red t-shirt that she hadn't seen before; she could feel her bikini still on underneath, but was unsure where her shorts and button-up went. A vague memory of the Cameron boy giving her one of his shirts came to mind and she pushed any previous worries of what might've happened to her clothes away. The girl inwardly debated if she should get up and find her things so she could leave, but feeling the way Rafe's arm sleepily tried to pull her closer made any thought of the option disappear.

She gently brushed a piece of his hair from his face, quietly continuing to admire his features.

"How long have you been awake?" Rafe asked softly, his voice raspy and low from sleep. His blue eyes slowly opened and met her own.

She shook her head. "Not long," she assured, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Thank you...for helping me last night."

He shrugged and turned onto his back, his arms going behind his head. "Who else was gonna drag your drunk ass off the beach?"

Her jaw tightened as last night's events came back to her mind. She pushed herself up further on the bed and sat upright. "Yeah, sorry about that," she laughed stiffly. She bit at the inside of her cheek for a moment and cleared her throat lowly. "I should probably get going."

Rafe chuckled, his blue eyes watching her. "And how do you plan to do that, darling?"

Venus inwardly cursed at the fact that they'd taken his truck and her bike was nowhere near here. She shrugged and swung her legs over the side of the bed, noticing how her missing shirt and shorts had been neatly folded and placed on the chair in the corner along with her shoes. She stood and began gathering her things, questions concerning the Pogues making their way into her mind as she did so.

"I'll figure it out."

"Why did you know JJ had that gun last night?"

She froze with her back to him, the mirror in front of her reflected his relaxed stature still laying in the bed. "I didn't. I don't even know where he got it from," she lied.

A dry laugh fell from Rafe's mouth and he stood from the bed before walking over to the girl. He towered behind her and stopped just close enough to where she could feel his shirtless chest brushing against her back. His head tilted to the side as he looked at her through the mirror.