LITTLE SECRET | RAFE CAMERON

05: 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮

Alice looked down at her breakfast bowl, her head resting on the palm of her hand, her eyelids nearly closed.

The night had been pretty rough on her.

Yesterday's conversation with her mother had left her so confused that she had lain awake in her bed for hours. It had felt like the longest night of her life. She had tossed and turned, from one side to her back, over to the other side and onto her stomach.

Then she turned the pillow over and placed it differently.

Then she got hot and had to throw the blanket off, but it was too cold without the blanket.

It was a nightmare of a night filled with tormenting thoughts.

„You look like shit" Ian said, charming first words as he walked into the kitchen.

Alice's attention swung to Ian - her brother - who walked over to the fridge. Rolling her eyes, she went back to eating her breakfast, „Good morning to you too, asshole"

„I saw you in the hammock last night" He sat down across from her. „trouble sleeping, huh?"

He got a half-hearted nod from her as she took a spoonful of her cereal. But her body didn't want to eat. It literally stuck in her throat, every spoonful of cereal associated with bad thoughts that spoke to her.

It was as if her body was rejecting the food, the mere smell of it making her sick. She was struggling with this for quite a while now.

„Don't worry, it's not that serious" She brushed it off.

He frowned at her. An expression she hated.

„How's JJ, haven't seen him around lately"

This time the next spoonful of cereal really stuck in her throat.

She broke out into a heavy cough, caught off guard by his offensive questions. She hadn't told him about the break up yet. If Ian had found out that JJ had cheated on her with Kiara of all people, something unstoppable would break out.

„Is everything okay between you two?" Ian asked.

„Don't you have some dumbbells you should be lifting or something?"

„Sorry I care" He scoffed and watched as Alice stood up hurriedly.

Rolling her eyes, she grabbed her phone from the counter as well as her bowl, which she put in the dishwasher before leaving him alone in the kitchen to hide back in her room upstairs.

She knew that Ian just wanted to talk.

Well, he'd never really liked JJ - and she couldn't blame him for that - but there was nothing he could do about the fact that his little sister had fallen in love with him.

Unfortunately.

She dropped on her bed and looked up at the blank ceiling. On the night of the party, it all felt so much easier. The alcohol had taken her mind off things - at least for a short while - but she couldn't just become an alcoholic now because some dumb boy had ripped her heart out of her chest.

So, instead of sneaking into her dad's wine cellar to get wasted, she simply grabbed her phone.

ALICE
Hi
Can I come over?

SARAH
Of course
Bring your bikini!

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

„I feel bad for not telling Ian" She sighed, taking a sip from her drink.

„Well, we both know what he would do if you tell him" Sarah looked over at her knowingly.

The girls were lying outside on the sun loungers by the pool. The sun was burning down on the island and beaded little pearls of sweat on their bodies. Actually, it was a really nice afternoon, but Alice couldn't even enjoy it. Because yes, she was well aware of what her brother would do to JJ.

Sarah sat up on with a sigh. „but I don't understand why you're still protecting him. I mean, if Topper was cheating on me, I'd tell Rafe" She pushed her sunglasses up on her head.

„Tell me what?" Rafe interrupted, who had been watching the two girls for the last few minutes.

Alice looked over her shoulder in surprise.

With an backwards cap on his head and wearing nothing but his swim trunks, Rafe pushed away from the door frame.

She was so taken by the sight that she didn't even notice Topper following him.

„If Topper cheats on me" Sarah repeated as her boyfriend came up to her.

„Why would I ever cheat on you?" He gave her a peck on the lips before sitting down next to her on the lounger.

„Why are you two so nosy, we're talking about private stuff here"

„Oh yeah, cause' it's so private that JJ cheated on her" Rafe chuckled and sat down on the edge of Alice's lounger, not caring about her laying on it.

„Thank you for your sympathy, Rafe"

He looked over at her and smiled cheekily, his gaze briefly wandering down to her bikini top, from which her breasts - shiny from
the sunscreen - peeked out a little, but what he wanted to see was mostly covered by fabric.

„Always." His eyes swung back up to hers.

Sighing, she crossed her legs and leaned further back on her lounger, trying to ignore the fact that he was so close to her exposed skin. She closed her eyes and still felt his eyes staring at her, literally drinking in the sight of her.

„You didn't tell Ian?" He cleared his throat and watched her cross her arms behind her head.

She opened her eyes again, looking at him through the darkened lenses of her sunglasses as he adjusted his cap. „no, I didn't and I won't."

He narrowed his eyes, seeming to sort out his words as he watched Sarah and Topper get up and step into the pool.

„So he runs around the island unharmed after hurting you?" He wondered when the two were out of reach.

The way he said it made it sound like the greatest crime in the world. As if JJ was actually doomed to be punished for it.

Frowning, Alice pulled her legs up to her body and wrapped her arms around them, letting him know that it wasn't something she wanted to talk about.

„You know..." He grabbed her sunglasses and pulled them off. „I could make him regret what he did."

Oh, and she knew he could definitely make him regret it, but he was probably just looking for a reason to beat up one of the Pogues.

„Just let it go, Rafe" She shook her head expressly.

JJ had made a mistake, and yes, he had hurt her too, but there was no way she was going to send Rafe after him now.

Especially because he was unpredictable.