LITTLE SECRET | RAFE CAMERON

08: 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨

The first rays of sunlight fell through the window of Alice's room, leaving a bright glow on the wooden floor.

It was a perfect morning. The first one in a long time, and even someone like Alice - who wasn't a morning person at all - felt quite rested as she blinked awake.

Normally, she would spend twenty minutes after waking up rolling around in bed, trying not to fall asleep again and telling herself she would get up right away.

But the summer - which had completely taken over Outer Banks by now - was incredibly good for her.

She sat up on her bed, stretched and looked over to the window, offering a view directly into her garden which was bathed in warm sunlight.

It was just before seven in the morning, which was way too early for her, but the sight of the weather gave her an idea.

She got up and hurried over to her dresser and opened the drawer with all her bathing suits. She pulled out one of her bikinis and rushed into the bathroom. Brushing her teeth, applying sunscreen, putting her hair up, and changing into her bikini and a loose beach dress over it.

She grabbed only the bare essentials and left the house within half an hour after getting up without anyone noticing.

And although she wanted to use this morning for herself, her thoughts were restless.

Thoughts upon thoughts, louder than the sound of the ocean.

She tried to understand her own mind, to understand why it did what it did, but she couldn't.

Rafe Cameron was the definition of an asshole and yet her mind painted him beautiful.

Alice was more than familiar with the many stories and rumors that were whispered about him on the island.

It was nothing new for her and yet this morning she found herself thinking about Rafe more than she actually wanted to.

Something about him bothered her. Not in a negative way, but definitely in a confusing way.

He had a scent of his own that radiated security. An intense scent surrounded by something warm and fresh. Almost like the morning after a heavy rain.

The scent wafted across her nose like the morning she had woken up in his bed.

Something deep inside her didn't want it to be the first and last morning in his bed, but that wish was wrong in many ways and she knew it.

But then there were his eyes. Icy, deep blue like the abysses of the sea that could swallow her, but she would be brave enough to try to swim in them.

Even though she almost drowned in his eyes in his car yesterday.

The mere thought of Rafe shook something in her that made her uncomfortable and she didn't know why.

With a sigh, she let her things fall to the ground when she finally reached the beach.

The sand warmed her feet and tickled her soles as she listened to the waves breaking on the shore. She had come to surf - not to think about Rafe - so she took off her dress and grabbed her surfboard.

Goose bumps ran up and down her body as she stood ankle deep in the water. The waves threw cold drops onto the skin of her legs, sending the chill through her body, but she still went deeper, little by little, until she hoisted herself onto her board and paddled out.

When she was far enough out, she sat on it and looked up at the sun as it warmed her skin. The water rushed around her legs, which she let hang loosely at her sides as she just listened.

There were waves, the slight rustling of leaves and the cries of seagulls somewhere in the distance.

Alice tried as best she could to block out everything that was swirling around in her head as she approached the first wave. And as long as she was on the waves, she somehow managed it. All she felt were the splashes of water soaking her hair, touching her skin and falling down.

The loud roar of the water around her rang in her ears, but when the image of Rafe suddenly flashed through her mind again, it threw her off the surfboard and into the cold water.

Gasping for air, she came back to the surface and swam over to her board and lay down on it.

It couldn't be true that it was enough that she'd had a little more contact with Rafe in the last few days and that she was already so distracted by the mere thought of him.

But as her gaze fell on her spot in the sand, something else distracted her. The unpleasant wave of unease hit her as she spotted him.

He gave her a petty wave, making her shake her head in disbelief. Slowly she paddled back to the shore, grabbed her surfboard and stuck it in the sand when she got to her towel, which he was sitting next to.

„What the hell do you want?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

„Wow, someone's happy to see me"

„Did he send you, cause' if he did-„

He shook his head and interrupted her. „no...no he didn't send me"

Alice frowned at him. She didn't know how much she could trust him, even though she had trusted him with everything a while ago.

„He didn't, I saw you surfing and wanted to talk to you" He explained himself, which didn't make sense because this wasn't his side of the island.

Alice wasn't a part of the whole Pogue vs. Kook war. She thought it was pathetic, but she knew he usually never hung out around here. Quite a time had passed since she last spoke to him. Or any of the Pogues at all. However, she didn't really have a choice because she was never one of them.

„Talk about what?" She narrowed her eyes.

The boy cleared his throat, his brown strands of hair blowing in the breeze. „Everything."