LITTLE SECRET | RAFE CAMERON

45: 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩

The next day rolled around as if karma was out to play with Alice's life.

She let out a deep sigh as she looked at herself in the large closet mirror.

Her body was hugged by the red dress that she had picked out for tonight. It accentuated her cleavage nicely, not too much but just enough. The tight material made her hips stand out, showing off the pretty fullness of her body and went just above her knees.

Sitting down at the dinner table in it would be interesting, but that was a worry for her future self.

For now, she sat down at her dressing table and picked up half of her hair and tied it into a neat bun, pulling the other half forward over her shoulders.

Even if it was a dinner with family friends, it was common for them to dress up. Like a competition to see whose family looked more elegant.

And she had done everything she had planned to look pretty tonight. Her hair was in a half bun, her makeup with the matching red lipstick to her dress was done and her favorite gold earrings were on.

Alice usually managed to cover her nervousness by making herself look pretty. Just like makeup covered the flaws on her face or clothes covered the flaws in her body.

Only tonight she couldn't hide the nervousness that was coursing through her veins and throbbing in her temples.

„Sweetie, can you come down and help me in the kitchen?" Laurel's voice echoed up the stairwell.

With one last look in the mirror, Alice finally left her room and headed downstairs. The hallway leading to the kitchen already smelled like a lot of food, probably because her mom had once again overdone the cooking.

„Can you take these-„ Laurel began, pointing at the empty plates on the kitchen island, but fell silent when she finally turned to look at her daughter. „-wow, that's...a dress"

The emphasis on the little word „a" made Alice look down at herself. „you don't like it, right? I should change, maybe I-"

„No, no I like it, it's just..."

She tugged at the red dress she wore for several reasons. Mostly because she thought it would look pretty for dinner.

But maybe also because the person who bought it for her was on the way here.

„I've never seen you in a dress like that" Laurel tilted her head and looked at her more daringly.

„It wasn't my idea to buy it either" She mumbled and grabbed the plates that were intended for setting the table in the dining room.

„Whose idea was it?"

„Well, first Sarah's, then Rafe's and now I'm wearing it"

„Rafe's?" Laurel asked with a frown.

Alice could only nod.

Her mom's expression was strangely deep, not as cheerful as before. A change in her mood in a matter of seconds. „so you're wearing it because..."

„...because I thought it would look pretty for dinner" Alice completed her sentence with caution.

Nodding, Laurel placed her hands on the counter in front of her. „so you're wearing it for yourself, not for him." Her sentence sounded more like a realization than a question.

Well, like a hoped-for realization.

Alice shook her head, but thought for a moment before daring to speak. „no, he wouldn't...I mean, Rafe isn't like that. He lets me wear whatever I want"

„Good." Laurel breathed out a relieved but emphatic breath.

Alice knew why Rafe had bought her the dress, so of course she wore it.

He had bought it for her because he thought it was beautiful and so did she, so she wore it of her own accord. And so far...no, he would never tell her that she couldn't wear something.

He wasn't like that, was he?

She strolled into the dining room with the plates and began to set the table, lost in her own mind with all these thoughts.

She placed one plate in front of each of the nine chairs. Wine glasses as well as normal glasses and folded the red napkins neatly into a triangle before placing the cutlery on them. And just as she finished and went back into the kitchen to see if her mom needed anything else from her, the doorbell rang loudly.

The many voices broke through the previous silence in the hallway.

Alice hastily straightened her hair and tugged at her dress.

Something about the fact that for the very first time it wasn't just the Camerons coming over for dinner but her actual boyfriend, made her way too nervous.

JJ had never gotten through to her family enough to come over for dinner.

„You look pretty, he'll think so too" Laurel encouraged her as the voices traveled down the hall into the dining room.

She nodded with a thin smile. It helped to know that at least her mother knew that this was more than just one of their many dinners for her.

The two came into the dining room just as everyone was finding their seats.

And Alice could only watch how effortlessly Laurel mingled with her guests. It was so strange. She only said a few sentences and immediately won laughter and sweet smiles. Her mother's liveliness and lightheartedness didn't come close to what Alice felt as she entered the room, almost like a gentle breeze. Noticeable in a way, but not as quick-tempered as her mother.

And yet one of them noticed her, as if she was the only one in the room.

His icy eyes swept over her. Over her or the red dress, or over both at the same time, but no matter what it was, his usually stern eyes were soft.

And they only became much softer when their eyes met and she smiled at him.

„Ali!" Wheezie exclaimed happily after following her older brother's gaze and now drawing the others' attention to her. She stood up from her seat and ran towards Alice, wrapping her arms around her for a hug.

Laughing sweetly, she returned the hug and came to greet the rest of the Camerons, letting her eyes wander over the table.

Her father Owen and Ward sat across from each other, with their wives on each of their sides. Ian sat across from Rafe, Wheezie at the end of the table and Sarah sat next to Ian, so...

Alice's gaze fell on the empty chair right next to Rafe and across from Sarah, who hadn't raised her eyes once.

Like it was a nightmare to be here.

„Hi" She murmured quietly as she sank into the chair next to him.

„Hey" Rafe replied and looked at her knowingly.

This dinner would be hell for both of them and they knew it.