Good Days •Rafe Cameron•

Esme

Rafe's POV

     I brush away the small long baby hairs that tickled my face as I laid in the sand. The September night sky filled with stars dance across the midnight atmosphere. The cool air kissed my skin causing goosebumps to rise.
     My calloused hands caresses her cheek as the moonlight illuminates her brown skin. Tiny specks of sand tangled in her hair. The hair I so desperately wanted to lay in.
    She is absolutely breathtaking underneath the stars tonight. Her plum mauve pink lips curved the right way. Her nose pointed up perfectly. Her eyelashes moving mesmerizingly with each blink.
     "What are you thinking?" I asked her. She doesn't look my way. Her eyes focused on the constellations.
     "John B." She answers. Her voice is sad. And it broke my heart to hear it crack, but I didn't know how to answer to that.
    "Don't pretend like you care." She sighs, turning her head towards me. Finally. I was able to see her dazzling eyes. The brown beauty's that sparkled with pulchritude.
     "I care about you." I smile. She rolls her eyes turning her attention back to the stars. "Why won't you just tell the truth?" She asked. Her demure demeanor radiated.
    "You know why." I imply. The police and the island believes John B is guilty. Everyone was looking everywhere but me. No one knew that I am the one who really killed Sheriff Peterkin.
It's silent for a while. The two of us lay peacefully next to each other gazing up at the sky. I can see Phoebe's chest rising and falling from my peripheral vision. I match my breathing with hers. Our breaths moving together as one.
"Rafe..." She says. She turns her head back to me, scooting her body closer. "Hmm?" I hum. "Do you remember your mother's voice?" She asked.
I was taken aback from that question. No one has ever asked me about her. Not even Wheezie, who barely has a memory of her. And with that question; it made me realize that I no longer remember the sound of my mothers voice. Was it sweet and sincere like Sarah's? Or was it stern and bold like Wheezie's?"
"I don't remember." I answered. "I've haven't given it much thought. My voice was low and morose.
"It's only been four month since the accident. And yet, it feels like a lifetime." She sighs. "I don't remember what they sound like." Her voice sounds fragile. Like it's going to break any moment.
"All is very, very wrong." She whispered. The strong winds blew across her face causing her to shiver slightly.
"Tell me..." I say, quietly." Phoebe takes a short pause before speaking. "You've ruined me." She says. I snap my head back to her; averting my eyes from the stars to her face.
"Ruined you?" I questioned. Phoebe sits up from the sand. Her long locs fall down her back as she pulls her legs to her chest; holding on. She focuses on the shallow waves that brush up on the sand pulling in and out from the tide.
"Everyone knows." She starts. "The Pogues, including your sister know about us. And I'm afraid to admit, but it's embarrassing." She says.
Her words cut me like a knife. Kills me emotionally to think that I could ever been embarrassing.
"I'm sorry." I apologized, not really knowing what to say or how to answer to that. "You don't have to apologize, Rafe." She demanded. My name sounded like bliss when she used it.
"Everyone's judging me, Rafe. I know it. How am I supposed to defend John B and still be in love with you?" She asked, finally looking at me.
"You're in love with me?" I smirk. She instantly rolls her eyes. "Of course, that's the only thing you heard." She says. "John B is in jail because of you, and yet, you still feel the need to charm me with your charisma." She smiles, sweetly.
Her sweet melodic voice rang with sarcasm. And for the first time in my life. I felt at peace. Staring at the most beautifully breathtaking girl. Everything about her was intriguing. I should be punished for hurting her. Yelling at her. Lying to her. Every bad thing I have ever done to her, would never outweigh the good I want to do for her.
She is too good for me. She is strong and demure. Loyal and brave. Kind and generous. Everything you would want in a girl you loved. And me. What am I to her. Facetious and arrogant. Nihilistic and pugnacious. I am bad for her. I wish I could give her all her Good Days.
"I would do anything for you." I say, brushing her cheek. She sighs into my touch. "No you won't." She hums.
"Yes, I would." I smile widely. "Tell the truth about you and your dad." She implies. "Everything but that." I teased.
   Phoebe grows silent again. The waves splash against our feet as the tide pulls in. The slow and steady breathing of hers became a comfort to me.
    I felt Phoebe's small fingers move to mine as she laces them with mine.
    I turn my head towards her; so I could see her beautiful eyes. "Kiss me." I demand. A contagious giggle leaves her lips. And instead of just kissing me she quietly crawls on top of me. He long dress rides up her thigh, as she straddles my hips.
     Her hands moves under my shirt, massaging my abs and torso.
    I smile greedily up at her she leans towards me, landing a kiss on my neck. I close my eyes in pleasure as she turns the kisses into sucking.
     "Oh, my God..." I breathed. My hands squeezed her ass she she begins to rock her hips against mine. I sit up, pulling her closer.
    The straps on her shoulders begin to fall revealing the soft succulent brown skin on her breast.
    "I love you." She moans. I pull away from her kisses and take her face in my hands. My thumb rubs her cheek.
She looks to me for answers. Her brown eyes are filled with tears. It pained me to see her like this. But I can't change who I am. All I could do was hope that Phoebe could accept me for who I am.
"I don't deserve your love." I whispered. She shakes her head. "You're so stupid, Rafe. Truly. I was willing to take you the way you were before all this bullshit." She starts.
"One day people are going to respect me, Be. You'll see." I breathed. She rolls hers eyes, resting her hands on my shoulders. "I respect you. And I love you. Before Peterkin. Before the money. Before the lies. I have loved you." She smiles sweetly.
"So, you're never giving up on me?" I wondered. She nods. "Never. Rafe, if you tell the truth. I will be by your side every step of the way. I will hold your hand through the pain. If you love your dad. If you love your sister. If you love me; you'll do the right thing." She pulls me in for a kiss. Her full lips mold onto mine.
I deepened the kiss; pushing my tongue into her mouth, causing her to moan in pleasure. I tangle my fingers in her long locs. They've became really long and sit below her waist.
"Marry me." I blurt out, pulling from the kiss and holding her face in my hands again.
She raises a brow; giving me a questionable look. "You can't be serious." She laughed. "I'm very serious. You marrying me will make my life a whole lot better." I smile.
"Rafe..." she trails off. "Please." I begged. I sounded whinier than I intended. "Don't you think people will find it weird that I'm marry you. Knowing I'm John B's friend. And honestly, I don't want to marry someone who is the cause of my best friend sitting in a jail cell right now. His hearing is tomorrow. And Kiara and I haven't been back home in days. My cat probably thinks I've abandoned her-." I cut her off with another kiss.
"You talk too much." I smirk. "You don't even have a ring." She implies. I shrug my shoulders.
"Who cares. Marriage isn't some piece of jewelry." I say. "It's still nice to have one." Phoebe, sassed. "Fine." I start. I take my signet ring off my index finger.
"Take my ring." I say, pulling her small hand in mine, slipping the ring onto her ring finger. She smiles, widely at the jewelry, wiggling her fingers and bringing it up to the moonlight.
"It's pretty." She says, giddily. "It was my mom's." I said, wrapping my arms around her waist. "Hypothetically speaking, what would our last name be?" She asked.
"Cameron." I say, nonchalantly." She rolls her eyes. "I can't get rid of Carrera. That was my mothers name. And definitely not Devereux. It was my fathers." She explains.
"But you already have your mother's first name as your middle, Esme." I smile, calling her by her middle name.
She looks taken aback. "I've never heard anyone call me that before." She whispers. "It's settled. I Rafe Cameron am the only one allowed to call you Esme."