Golden Hearts | Rafe Cameron

71

August 20

In an hour, the party I haven't been looking forward to will begin. It's the party where we'll say goodbye to everyone. It's at the Camerons' house, and we've invited all our friends on the island, but there will probably be more people than that. Ward and Rose are out of town tonight, but they'll be back tomorrow, so we're lucky we can have the party.

But I don't know how I feel about it because I know I'll just be sad when it's over. It will feel terrible to say goodbye to everyone.

I managed to convince Rafe to invite the Pogues too, just because they've actually been there for me a few times this summer. He wasn't too happy at first, but he eventually accepted it and promised there wouldn't be any fights.

I walk down the hall until I reach the backyard, where I meet Sarah and Kiara who just came from school. I smile at them, and they both greet me with a big hug.

"Adeline!" Sarah cries, "I can't believe it's almost over."

"But we'll see each other next summer," Kiara says.

"I know, it's such a shame," I laugh, almost crying too.

"Let's have the best night," Sarah says.

Shortly after, Topper arrives with Kelce, Nathan, and Rafe. They've all dressed up just like the rest of us, and Rafe also greets me with a hug and a kiss on the lips.

"Hi," he says.

"Hi," I smile as he holds me.

His expression changes, and I turn around to see the Pogues approaching. Topper and Kelce don't look particularly happy, nor do Nathan or Rafe. But they all stay quiet. They know it's important for me and for them that we're all together just for tonight.

Rafe's grip on my waist tightens as they come up to us, and the atmosphere becomes awkward.

"Okay, so should we see if anyone else is coming?" Sarah says, trying to lighten the mood.

"Nathan and I can check the front," Topper says and walks off with Nathan.

"Thanks for letting us come," I hear Pope whisper to Kiara, who smiles at him.

The awkwardness quickly dissipates when Kelce starts playing music and more people arrive. More groups come, so eventually, there are enough of us not to have to mingle with those who dislike each other.

I leave Rafe for a moment to get a drink. I don't want to drink too much, though, because I don't want to feel awful tomorrow when I leave, but I'll have a little because there might not be much time for it when I'm in college.

"Adeline," I turn around and see JJ and John B coming towards me. I smile at them while taking a sip from my drink.

"Can't believe you're leaving," John B says.

"Neither can I," I say and sigh.

"I guess not all of us have the same opportunities as you. I won't even be able to go to college," JJ says, shrugging, and I feel sorry for him.

"But we're happy for you. You're going to have the perfect future with Rafe even though we hate him," John B says.

"Thanks," I say.

An arm wraps around my shoulder, and I look up to see Rafe standing next to me. Of course. "Shall we go get another drink?" he asks.

"I already have a full one here," I say.

"But I need one, can you come with me?" Rafe asks.

"Sure," I say and say goodbye to JJ and John B and follow Rafe to the drinks. He stops behind the bar and grabs a drink. I know he made me come here to get me away from the Pogues. But I don't want to risk starting any fights right before we leave each other anyway.

"You know we were just talking, right?" I say as Rafe drinks from his cup.

"I know," he says and swallows. "I just don't like it."

"But you know what I said," I say.

"I know, you don't have to remind me, Addie. Come on, let's find Topper and the others," Rafe says and puts his arm around me, leading me through the crowd until we find the guys standing and talking with drinks in their hands.

"There you are!" Rafe says. Sarah and Kiara are here too.

"I can't believe you two are leaving tomorrow. And you, Kelce!" Sarah says.

"I'll miss you so much," I say, and it's clear we're both a bit tipsy because when we go to hug, we stumble and fall onto the grass. Rafe and Topper act quickly. Rafe places his hand on my shoulder and helps me up.

"You okay?" he asks, looking me over to see if I'm hurt anywhere.

"I'm fine, Rafey," I say with a smile. He rolls his eyes at the nickname.

The party continues. I spend most of the time with Rafe, but after a while, I'm just with the girls or some other friends from my old school. It's a lot of fun, and I dance and sing a lot. Many people talk to me about college and our childhood, how time has passed so incredibly fast. It's scary that we won't see each other in the same way anymore.

It's not until people start leaving that Rafe comes back to me. He takes my hand, "Can we talk?"

I nod and follow him. I don't know what he wants, but I do as he says. But something scares me. What if he's going to say something I absolutely don't want to hear? Something bad. Something really bad that I just don't want to hear.

We go out onto the Camerons' balcony where we are alone. It's a beautiful night and the sky is full of stars. I wish we could stand here forever. Get lost in Rafe's blue eyes and not have to think about anything else. Forget all the problems in the world and just focus on each other for the rest of our lives.

Rafe wraps his arms around me. His hand strokes my cheeks just like he always does. Our eyes lock, and we don't say a word to each other. We just stand in silence and stare deeply into each other's eyes.

"I'll never get tired of your beautiful eyes," Rafe whispers.

"I'll never get tired of your eyes, Rafe," I say.

"I love you, Adeline. I love you more than anything in this world," Rafe says.

"I love you too, more than anything, Rafe," I say, and that's when Rafe kisses me. I wrap my arms around his neck while his hands are on my cheeks. I savor the kiss because I know we won't feel each other's lips for a long time.

"Please think of me every day even if we don't see each other," I whisper.

"Of course, Addie. I'll never forget you, and besides, we'll see each other again next summer," Rafe says.

"But that's so far away," I whisper.

"I know, but good things come to those who wait. I could wait for you forever as long as I know I'll see you again," Rafe says.

And right then, in that moment, I wished time would freeze. Because, oh, I had no idea how life would change after that night. That was probably the moment when everything changed, but how could I have known that then?

I thought this was just the beginning.

A/N: One more chapter and I'm crying!!