HEARTLESS─── RAFE CAMERON [1]

chapter fourteen

"Thank you," I say to Rafe as he pulls into Brie's driveway. It's weird to say those words, especially to him. But for the first time in a long time, I mean them. Sort of.

He nods his head curtly, not saying anything else. Eventually, he pulls the breaks and the car jolts to a stop. "Okay. Anything else you need from your boyfriend? Or are we done here?"

I wince— as a joke. "Oof. You saying it like that makes me think you still don't like me. I was just beginning to like you."

"Well I'm flattered, Vandenburg. But seriously, uh, do you need anything else? Because if you don't, I'm going over to Topper's."

"No, I'm...I'm fine," I say, unbuckling my seatbelt. As I begin to open the car door, I pause, back turned to Rafe. "Well, actually, there is one thing." I sit comfortably back down, facing Rafe.

"Okay," he says, folding his arms over his chest impatiently. "Shoot, Vandenburg."

I take a deep breath. "You know how I told you like...two weeks ago, that my parents were coming back the next Tuesday?"

"Yeah!" He exclaims. "I was meaning to ask you about that. It's been a week since last Tuesday. Where the fuck are your parents?"

"They— Their trips got delayed. They had to stay an extra week. But they're coming back in two days."

"And you're telling me this...why?"

"Because I think we should tell them. Your parents and my parents. I think it's time. It's been like...basically three weeks, since we started doing this. I think it's time."

"Yeah yeah," he says as he takes a hand through his hair. "You're right. Yeah."

"My parents have wanted to get together for a while. Like, all of us. For the last few years, it's been just the parents. I mean you know." I pause, shaking my head. "They just thought we grew out of family dinners. But you— you know why."

Something in the atmosphere has changed. I can tell just by looking in his eyes. I've made it awkward, I realize. I shouldn't have said that last part. I'm such an idiot. We were just starting to get along.

He swallows whatever he really wants to say down. "Okay. I'll tell my Dad. He'll tell Rose to set up something at our place."

"Okay, but— but what about Sarah?"

"What about her?"

"I haven't told her about us yet. I don't want her to feel betrayed, or whatever. It's awkward when you think your best friend is dating your brother."

"Look, she probably knows by now. You know how quickly word gets spread around the Outer Banks. And why haven't you told her by now?"

"Well, she's your sister," I retort.

"Who talks to their siblings? She's your best friend."

I don't want to tell him that we got into an argument. I especially don't want him to know what our argument was about. "I just—" I pause, "I haven't seen her around lately."

"Even if we were really dating, if we actually liked each other, Sarah's opinion wouldn't change a thing. So I don't see how it matters. She'll find out when she needs to find out, okay?"

I nod my head. "Okay. Thanks, Rafe. For driving me. And for everything else."

***

"Hey girls!" Dior calls out from her porch as she sits up from her sun-chair to join us in Brie's car. "You guys ready to spend a shit ton of money?"