Blue | Rafe Cameron

xii

"Is this a fancy soiree? Do I need to find a cocktail dress or something?" I ask Sarah, feeling uneasy as she gives me an amused smile.

"Come on in, Rory" Sarah laughs, opening her room door wider and beckoning me in.

As I step inside, my eyes widen at the chaos before me- clothes littered everywhere, leaving barely any space to walk. I hold back my laughter as I tip-toe through the visible gaps of laminate, stopping to stand beside her dishevelled bed.

"Wow, did Hurricane Agatha originate in this very room?" I tease, grinning as Sarah playfully glares back at me, her lips tilting at the corner. I watch as she walks to her closet and begins rummaging through the clothes in a hurry, flipping through the endless array of dresses, tops, and god knows what else.

"I'll get around to cleaning it eventually, I tend to get a bit carried away when I'm picking out bits and pieces to wear." Sarah glances back at me, grimacing as she takes in the full expanse of the mess "Though, I'm not sure why I bother for these family dinners."

"Really? I would have thought it was a black tie, not optional" I chuckle, folding my arms as she snorts, turning back to her closet.

"Nope, not even close" Sarah mutters "Dad will make small talk, pretending he knows anything about our lives, Rose will drink a whole bottle of wine and talk business with Dad, Wheezie will scroll through her phone and throw sarcastic comments at Rose and Rafe will either be high off his mind, or he won't even bother showing up."

I try to ignore her comments about Rafe, pushing down both the anxiety that flares in me at the idea of him being present tonight and the alarm that I feel at him coming to a family dinner not sober.

"That's the opposite of how I imagined Kook royalty would be, I figured you guys would be more..." I pause, biting my lip as I contemplated "about sticking together?".

"Please," Sarah scoffs, laughing blatantly as she flips her loose hair over a shoulder "We're as dysfunctional and unhinged as everyone else. The difference is we have the good name and money to hide it."

"Amen to that" I mutter, nodding and I can't help but think about every lonely dinner I had while my parents were away or even the occasional 'family dinner' that was more like a business meeting.

I could relate to that family crap for sure.

"Here, this outfit would look perfect on you." Sarah chirps, pulling me from my mind and I raise a brow, smiling as she hands me a white silken sundress. I take the material in my hands, amused by how excited she looks. "I have been dying to wear this, but I don't have the chest or legs for it. You, on the other hand, will look amazing in it."

"Thanks, Sarah," I say, clutching the dress to me "This is super cute, but I wouldn't expect any less from the Kook Princess."

"Please" She laughs, throwing her head back and the sound bounces off the walls "You know I'm only the Kook Princess because you decided to denounce your claim and become a Pogue."

I raise my brow at her, grinning at her words. "I guess that kind of makes you Pogue royalty" She teases, and I can't help but scoff, rolling my eyes at her as I step towards the door.

"That's the cool thing about the Pogues," I say pointedly with a grin as I open the door "They don't do royalty." Sarah smiles, giggling as I salute goodbye and exit her room, my amusement still bubbling as I enter the deserted hallway.

As I walk down the deserted hallway and staircases, I try not to let the silence spook me but the emptiness around me is hard to ignore. I keep my pace swift as I make my way down the stairs onto my floor and back to my door, but as I reach it, I can't help but glance at Rafe's room, opposite mine.