I'll Come Running

Chapter 14

***

The sight of Rafe and Jessie dancing in the middle of midsummers, clearly in love, filled Ward with an immeasurable amount of rage. Seeing them laughing, talking, acting as if they were the only ones in the room, he could tell they truly believed they were. Nothing was going to stop them from having the night they wanted, right? Ward believed them to be sorely mistaken.

Not being able to take the sight anymore, he finally broke their dance by getting in between both of them and pushing Rafe slightly.

"Have you lost your mind?" Ward screamed in Rafe's face as he walked closer towards him, forcing Rafe to take steps back. Rafe was sick of following orders. He began to walk forward, walking right into Ward's chest and he pushed him back.

"I know exactly what I'm doing." He replied angrily with narrowed eyes and a raised voice. There was no saving face now, Ward had just caused a scene that he had planned on saving for when they got home, but who knew if Rafe was even coming home.

"This is not happening, over my dead body!" Ward screamed. That was enough for Rafe, he thought that could be arranged.

"Fine!" He spoke as his fist flew up in rage to connect with Ward's face. Jessie backed up to let Ward fall to the ground. It all happened too quickly for her or anyone else to intervene. But finally, security stepped in, one guard to help Mr. Cameron off the floor, and two more to escort Rafe out of the club. Jessie, still shocked, simply followed behind with her mouth open wide in disbelief.

"I can't believe that prick!" Jessie exclaimed as she ran up to Rafe in the parking lot, finally able to find words.

"Yeah, well I can." Rafe said angrily but clearly unphased as he readjusted his jacket and combed a hand through his hair.

"Are you okay?" Jessie inquired as she went to feel around Rafe's body. She didn't know what she was looking for but also didn't know what else to do.

"Yeah, Jess, I'm fine, I promise." He answered as he took her face in his hands. "Are you okay?" He asked, his eyes solely focused on hers, looking for any indication of a lie. She just nodded, still clearly appalled.

"I need to smoke." Was all she could say.

---

There they sat, on the edge of the dock at the Chateau overlooking the starlit marsh, and the cloud of smoke above their heads thanks to one of Jessie's cousins specials. They were both still in their midsummers attire, but neither of them cared.

"So, what're you going to do now?" Jessie questioned as she passed the blunt to Rafe.

"Nothing. I'm gonna go home, continue to tell my dad how it really is and he can either accept it and move on or find another circus monkey." Rafe replied with his words slurred, indicating the weed was doing its job.

Jessie just giggled a little and looked at Rafe. "I still can't believe you're doing all this for me."

"I'd do anything for you." He said as he met her gaze. They both paused, locking eyes with one another. Jessie looked down at Rafe's lips and then back up. Rafe received the message and slowly leaned in, finally ready to break the tension that's been between them all night. There lips collided with a passion neither one of them had experienced before, and yet still there was a gentleness that couldn't be described. Their lips danced together in perfect harmony. Jessie was convinced that fireworks were going off around them, oh wait, there actually were.

They broke away to be met with fireworks in the distance, no doubt from midsummers. They looked back at each other and smiled.

"So what does this make us?" Jessie asked as she bit her lip waiting for the answer. Rafe remembered that they technically weren't official.