The Deal

Chapter Fifty One

•:Not Ready Yet:•

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"Why are you not angrier with me?" I ask Rafe  as I cling to his side, following him back to the island club. Our fingers laced tightly together.

Warmth flows soothingly through my veins. A content fire of tenderness burning behind my ribs. Basking in the afterglow of hearing those words from someone I know won't hurt me.. Someone who isn't lying, Despite the way things began between us and the things he did to me, time has changed us, circumstances have shifted, altered, morphed.. If there's one thing I know for sure, one thing I can say with absolute certainty.. Rafe would never hurt me nor would he utter a lie.

He may have hurt me in the past but one thing he never did was lie to me. And knowing that is like being covered in a blanket of reassurance that I don't have to fight for, it's just there, keeping me warm.

For once in my life, I believe those words that have always felt like hot oil stirring in my stomach, thorns prickling my skin, ice burning my flesh. Instead it feels like color draining back into a black and white image, flowers blooming and weeds turning into luscious green grass. The sun fighting past the clouds and once again casting its warmth and rays of light. It feels like a breath of fresh air after being held under water.

I want to soak in it, drink it in and bury myself alive in its comfort but trying to get there is like trying to dodge a thousand laser beams that will slice you into pieces if touched. Set by a wrath of estranged defense and self protection only it's morphed into self destruction.

Rafe wouldn't hurt me, but that's not what I'm afraid of.....

"Who says I'm not?" He asks. I stay pinned to his side as he weaves us through the crowd of people. I only roll my eyes at his comment; too high off of the feeling radiating through me to retort.

The music softens through the heavy chatter flowing through the air as we make our way back inside. Anger waving through my veins like a violent tidal wave when. Rafe's hand slips free of my mine before he pulls his phone from his pocket and swipes around the screen. Pulling it to his ear a moment later.

Tessa's blonde hair flashing from the corner of my eyes, drawing my attention to the area where the other other minions stand. Kelce, Topper of course and Erik.. I don't know much about him only that Rafe doesn't seem to like him and every time I'm within a hundred feet of his presence, my skin crawls.

Kelce is quiet.. at least he always has been around me. I'm sure he has more to say with his little crowd that he's comfortable with and Topper is more back and forth than someone with split personality disorder. He's friendly one minute..usually when Sarah's around. He's tolerated my so called filth of being a pogue since he used to date Sarah and her and I happen to be practically attached at the hip. Erik I've never uttered a word to his intentional and more than apparent sneers are enough to grasp his opinion of me. Lucky for me I couldn't give less of a fuck what he or anyone thinks of me.

As if all of the snakes in the pit have radar; Tessa's eyes flicker across the room, their laser beams bouncing off of ever head and face in proximity, aiming straight towards me and meeting my gaze. Her hazel gaze hidden beneath too much black eye makeup; holds mine in an eat shit and die curse.