LITTLE SECRET | RAFE CAMERON

12: 𝘌𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘪𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘥𝘢𝘺

Alice held her blue dress up by the sides, holding the fabric between her fists. She didn't want to trip on the way to the bar, that had been set up in the far back of the place.

Ian had sent her to get drinks. After fifteen minutes of the two siblings standing next to their parents and listening to them and their friends talking, it had already gone to their heads.

That sober? Impossible.

Luckily for her, there wasn't much going on at the bar.

There was only one lonely guy standing at the bar counter.

Talking to the pretty brunette behind the bar.

But Alice only saw his back. His arms were in front of him on the counter, hands tight around the glass he was holding. Just the way he stood there seemed so...strangely familiar. His shoulders were broad and firm, straining against the fabric of the blue suit he wore, the color of which made her glance briefly down at her own dress, which shared the same color. His blond hair was combed back and sat neatly. Not a single strand fell out of place and normally she would have immediately labeled him a sleazy snob, but the guy looked too...interesting.

Alice narrowed her eyes the longer she looked at him.

He seemed more and more familiar to her and when he finally glanced over his shoulder and his blue eyes caressed her, she understood why.

Rafe straightened up and turned to her as soon as their eyes met.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as Alice approached him and smiled herself, amazed at how...handsome he looked.

But the dress she wore amazed him just as much.

„You look..." He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it when he couldn't find the right words, left with the urge to say something. „...I like the dress"

Unlike with her brother earlier, she didn't resent Rafe for complimenting her on the dress instead of her in general.

It was enough of a compliment to leave Rafe Cameron speechless, so she wouldn't complain.

„Thank you, I like the suit" She returned, causing him to chuckle. „Oh yeah?" He adjusted his suit, drawing a small laugh from her.

Sofia had to smile quietly when she briefly looked up at the two of them.

It was no secret they complemented each other quite nicely. Maybe no one had told them before, but that's what Sofia thought. Him with that dark blonde hair, his smile so...genuine, while his blue eyes were attached to her. He had a dark aura that didn't match hers and yet they were beautiful to look at together. It was like she was bathed in sunlight, her dark brown hair falling so beautifully over her shoulders, a skin kissed by the sun as her brown eyes got lost in his blue ones.

„Seem's like you're enjoying yourself" Alice pointed to the drink in his hand.

With a loose movement of his hand, he swirled the liquid in the glass and looked down at it. „can't stand all this sober" He shrugged and looked at all the people, then back at her.

Rafe's expression was serious, but she liked how it softened slightly when he looked at her.

Like the way he looked at her was different from how he looked at everyone else.

She had to smile a little. He was nice to her, that was enough to make her feel something. Despite everything, he was...still a recurring visitor in her mind.

„Wanna try it?" Rafe held out his drink to her.

„You're not tryna poison me, are you?" She teased, making him roll his eyes with a faint chuckle.

She hesitantly took his drink and inspected it for a moment.

It looked a lot like whiskey, something someone like Rafe would definitely drink. She took a sip and felt the sweet and yet metallic taste spread in her mouth, causing her to grimace in disgust and making him laugh as she handed him back his glass.

„Jesus, that's disgusting"

Shaking his head, he downed the last sip and placed it back on the counter with a thud. He waved to Sofia, who came over to them with a smile caressing her lips.

„What can I bring you two?" She exchanged a look with Alice, one that made her look at Rafe.

Did Sofia see something that was invisible to her?

„Uhh, I'll take the same again and she'll have..." He started, taking a brief moment to look at Alice. „...a tequila sunrise"

Sofia raised her brows in surprise, but didn't let it show and took his glass. She moved back to the bar and started mixing the drinks, but tried to listen to their conversation unobtrusively.

A surprised expression covered Alice's face as his attention swung back to her. „why a tequila sunrise?"

He leaned sideways against the counter and pulled his lips up briefly as he shook his head. He put his arm down on the white counter, causing his biceps to flex, which showed through the material of the suit.

„You seem like a sunrise girl" He shrugged plainly.

Alice parted her lips to say something, but closed them again when she didn't know what to say. The smile on his lips did things to her that she couldn't put into words.

Things she felt in the pit of her stomach like a swarm of butterflies.

„Oh, shut up" She rolled her eyes and looked away as she felt the warmth rising to her face. It felt like all of her blood was rushing to her cheeks, turning them a light shade of red.

„And you told me you like tequila" He quickly added and got her to look at him again.

„I did?" She frowned.

„Mhm, you don't remember?" He hummed, tilting his head as he asked his question.

She furrowed her brows and just shook her head in response. A small laugh escaped his lips as it seemed like a memory just flashed through his mind. „My eighteenth birthday, you were wasted and I found you in the kitchen with a bottle of tequila in your hand..." Rafe began, making the embarrassment within her grow with every word. „...I took the bottle from you, you tried to stop me and repeatedly told me how much you love tequila"

She shook her head in shame, giggling „Oh god" under her breath as he joined her laughter. „That was so long ago, why do you even remember it?"

Sofia placed their orders in front of them. He grabbed his glass and took a generous sip as she watched him.

„So you really don't remember, huh?" He asked, his voice was accompanied by a seriousness.

She tried to remember, but there was nothing coming back.

No memory that could be so important that he became so serious by the mere thought of it.

„No...I don't" She answered hesitantly.

„You begged me to kiss you that night."