OBX Imagines

The Marina- Rafe Cameron pt. 6

AN: Is this long? Totally. But is it worth it, yes, yes it is.

I woke up early the next morning. I was the only one awake, and based on how much everyone drank last night, I figured I'd be the only one up for a while. I left a note on the counter saying I was at the beach. I loved the beach; it could help my crazy thoughts slow down. It was calming. I found a good spot on the sand at sat down, trying to think of how to tell the pouges about what was going on with Rafe. I was so lost in thought that I didn't notice a figure heading my way. "You're up early." I turned around to see Sarah in one of John B's shirts, looking exhausted. "Sarah, what are you doing here?" "I heard you up and saw your note and figured I'd come join you. John B was snoring, so it wasn't like I was getting much sleep anyway." I chuckled at that, and she sat own next to me. "Actually, I'm glad you're here Sarah. I've been wanting to talk to you if that's okay." Sarah smiled, "Of course, shoot!" I played with my hair nervously. "It's about Rafe." I saw her smile fade and her posture stiffen just a little. 'Here goes,' I thought. "When we were captured by Singh, he did more than just help me. He apologized for things, he said he regretted what he did to you. He proved himself to be trustworthy. After I got shot, I told him to leave me, but he didn't." I looked over at Sarah to gauge her expression before continuing, "I told him I forgave him. I'm not saying anyone else should, but that's just the kind of person I am. Maybe I give too many chances, but I've given him another one. Yesterday he came to my house. He wanted to make sure I was okay." Sarah just kept listening. "Sarah, I don't want to hurt you. You mean the world to me, and everything you've been through is awful, yet you keep a smile on your face, and I'd hate to be the reason it fades. He asked me to come around sometime. I don't know what to do, I don't know how to feel. I'm scared because you guys are my friends- forget that, my family, but I also feel like I owe Rafe to stand by my word." Sarah was quiet for a while, "Does anyone else know?" "Kie knows a little," I responded, "But it was important to me that you know the most first. I don't want to hurt you Sarah, and if you want me to drop your brother I will." Sarah gave me a tight smile, "If it was anyone else, I'd be pissed, but I know you. You're too kind for your own good. You see the good in every person, and you've never wrong about it. Of course I'm worried about you being around my brother. I'm afraid of him Lily, but I trust you. I trust you to do what's right in any situation, and if that means being a friend to my brother I'm not going to stand in your way." I smiled in disbelief, "Sarah, I promise it's okay if you don't feel that way, I just needed to tell you." She smiled back, "Lily, it's really okay. Just be careful and watch your back." She began to get up, "I'd tell JJ soon though, you're his best friend." I nodded, "What about everyone else?" Sarah smirked a little, "As long as you're not hanging out with him instead of us, it shouldn't be a problem. Besides, you have approval from me, everyone else is inferior to me." I giggled and stood up too, "True that." We hugged and then Sarah gave me a kiss on the cheek. We walked back to the Chateau and ate a horrid breakfast with the others. John B had terrible food options. I left not long after breakfast and went back home. Mom was upstairs sleeping; she worked a long shift yesterday. I went into the kitchen to grab a snack and saw a piece of paper on the counter. I picked it up and my jaw dropped.

Rafe dropped by, asked if you would come to Tanny Hill. If you go, keep your phone on. Rough shift yesterday, love you. -Mom

I looked around for a pen and then scribbled a note back before going upstairs to my room. I took a shower, put on my yellow bikini, threw on some shorts and then checked myself out. The bandage on my side wasn't exactly flattering, but I was just going to ignore it. I looked good, and I had to take a minute to compose myself, before I ran downstairs, got in my car, and drove to Tanny Hill. As I began to pull into the estate I started to panic. What the hell was I doing? I quickly pushed that thought down and parked. I got out and admired Tanny Hill. It was a really, really nice estate, I couldn't say I wasn't jealous. I walked up to the large door and hesitated but knocked. Not even a minute passed, and the door flew open. "Hey." I exhaled shakily, "Hey, Rafe." He smiled, "Come on in." I went inside and he closed the door behind us. "Thanks for coming." "Yeah, no problem. What's up?" I followed him as he walked through the big house. "I need to take this boat down to the marina for some maintenance, and it's a bit of a job to do by myself. I was wondering if you could help me." I looked at him a little shocked, "Rafe, I know shit about boats." He chuckled, "I'll tell you what to do, besides it'll be fun, and I didn't want to go with Topper." Topper, I almost forgot about that asshole, but it made my heart swell to know he'd rather ask me than Topper. "Alright, I'll come, I'm not sure how much help I'll be." Rafe smiled genuinely, "Perfect. I need to grab something and then we can head out to the dock." He went down a hall and I texted my mom telling her I was about to go to the marina, with Rafe, on his million-dollar boat. Rafe came back shortly, and we headed to the boat at the end of the dock. He got up on the deck of the boat and held out his hand to me. I grabbed the rail instead and hoisted myself up. "I got it, thanks." I brushed past him with a smirk, I wasn't going to cave that fast. I saw him roll his eyes before he joined me. "So, what do I need to do?" Rafe pointed towards the other end of the boat, "Untie that rope down there, and let me know when you have it free." I walked down to the rope and began to untie the knots. Rafe went up to start the engine and I finally got the rope untied. I looked up at him, "I got it!" He nodded, and I heard the engine start. He went down to the other end of the boat, and I followed him. "Good to go," I asked. "Yeah, come on." I followed him up to the steering wheel and he began to take us out from the dock. "Can you watch the right side?" "Yeah." I made sure he cleared the dock on the right side and gave him a thumbs up when he was clear. We were almost to the open bay. "You wanna come drive?" I looked at Rafe is disbelief, "Rafe, I'm not gonna drive your fancy boat." He smirked, "I'll help you, come on." I warily walked over the wheel and Rafe moved so I could get behind it. Once my hands were on the wheel he came behind me. He was so close I had to remind myself to focus on driving and not how he was breathing right by my ear. "It's just like a car, but you have to account for the current." I nodded because I didn't trust my voice. His hand came up to rest over one of mine, guiding it to the left a bit. "You can give it a little more throttle if you want." I moved one of my hands and pushed the throttle forward. I was a little too zealous, because the boat rocked forward unexpectedly, and Rafe had to grab my hand and pull back some. I couldn't help but laugh, "Sorry!" It took me a second to realize he was laughing too, "You really don't know shit about boats." I blushed a little from embarrassment, "Well, I did warn you." He smiled and turned to look at me, the distance between us was so small. My breath caught in my throat, and I was definitely not paying attention to the bay in front of me anymore. We were both starring in each other's eyes and then Rafe whispered in my ear, "You might wanna watch the bay." I blinked before turning back towards the bay. I prayed that I was the only one feeling the tension. Rafe took his hand off of the throttle and gave me a little more space at the wheel. "Just keep us headed out for the middle of the bay." I nodded and Rafe moved to go down to the cabin. Once he was out of sight I let out my breath and shook my head. Rafe being close to me was intoxicating. "Get it together," I murmured under my breath. Did I really think I was going to be able to have something with Rafe? That was just setting me up for heart break. Rafe came out of the cabin with a smile on his face and two beers in his hand. He handed me one. "No way I'm drinking while driving this boat. You just saw me with the throttle." Rafe set down the beer and moved beside me, "We're in open water, we'll be fine. Besides it's about the journey, not how fast we get there." I moved away from Rafe, letting him take the wheel. "I know you did not just say that," I chuckled, taking the beer he set down. He turned to me, "That was funny?" I looked at him like he was utterly stupid, "Yes, Rafe. It was funny, because I never imagined something like that coming out of your mouth." He rolled his eyes and took a swig of his beer. I laid back on one of the benches and closed my eyes. "Enjoying yourself?" I opened my eyes to look at Rafe, "Is that a problem?" He smirked before turning around. I proudly smirked to myself and closed my eyes again. It was about 10 minutes before Rafe said something, and I was almost asleep. "Can you take the wheel? I got to fix the line down there, it got tangled." I rolled off the benches and went over to the wheel. Rafe looked amused at my methods and went to go untangle whatever line. I looked out over the bay and took a moment to admire the beauty of it. The ocean never fails to mesmerize me. "Hey, Rafe!" Rafe looked up at me and I smiled, "You think we can get in the water? It's hot." Rafe shook his head and dropped the line he was working on and headed back to the helm. "What," I asked. "You know we're trying to get the boat to the marina right? Not take it out for a fun time." My expression immediately changed. He asked me to help him take his boat to the marina, not play in the freaking bay. I was about to apologize when I saw a playful smile come on his face. "I was just kidding, we can get in the water, it is pretty hot." Relief flooded me and I watched him guide the boat to the side of the bay. I went to drop the anchor when he told me, and then I went to the cabin taking off my shorts. I caught sight of my side and wasn't so sure about getting in the water anymore. "Rafe?" I walked around the cabin, and he came out from one of the rooms, shirtless and hot as ever. I gulped and tried to compose myself. "Um, uh, sorry. Do you think I'm okay to get in the water with my side?" Rafe furrowed his eyebrows and came over to look at my wound. He peeled back the bandage and felt the edge of my patch work. I flinched and pulled away a bit. "Sorry. I think it'll be okay. We'll just make sure to change it and clean it when we're done." I backed away from him a bit more, being this close to shirtless Rafe was not good for me, "Okay." He smiled a bit, "Come on." I followed him back up to the helm and we went around to the back of the boat. Rafe jumped in and I followed. I let out a sigh of content as I came up from the water, "This feels good." Rafe was floating on his back, and I splashed him before ducking under the water. When I came up, he was ready to splash me, and we engaged in our little war for a minute. I eventually conceded, I was no match for Rafe. He had a genuine smile on his face as he swam over to me. I smiled back at him, and he stopped in front of me treading water. "Everything been okay with your mom since you got back?" The question caught me off guard, but I quickly smiled and said, "Yeah, she was mad, but that was understandable. She's just glad I'm back and safe. Can't ask for much more than that." Rafe nodded, "It's nice to have someone who cares about you like that." I swam a little closer to Rafe, "How are things with your dad?" It was his turn to look taken back. "It's how it's always been, no matter what I do, it's not good enough." I looked at Rafe, "You know, you don't have to do everything for your dad. I mean I know you probably know that, but it's just a reminder that you're more than whatever your dad wants from you." Rafe stayed silent and I was worried I crossed the line. "He's all I got." I was quiet. I was contemplating on bringing up Sarah. "You still have Sarah, and Wheezy." There was no way I was going to bring Rose in there. She was a bitch. Rafe scoffed, "Sarah doesn't want anything to do with me, and Wheezy thinks I'm crazy." I pushed a little further, "Maybe if you just talked with Sarah-" "That's not gonna happen." His tone was harsh, and I sucked in a breath. Rafe looked at me and spoke softly, "Sorry. I'm just not ready for that." I nodded. Rafe looked back towards the boat, "We should probably go back, we still need to take this to the marina." I followed him to the ladder and climbed up after him. He stowed the ladder and I headed to the cabin. I went to the bathroom and looked for a first aid kit. I eventually found one under one of the benches on the deck. I went into one of the rooms and took off my bandage. My wound did not look flattering. I sighed before I began to pour the alcohol on a gauze strip. "Let me help." I looked up to see Rafe, and he came over to the table I had the supplies on. He patted the tabletop, and I sat on it. He began to take the alcohol and dab at my wound. I winced, and he brought his mouth down to blow cool air on it. Immediately goosebumps appeared on my skin. He looked up at me and I looked away. He finished cleaning it before getting out another bandage. "I didn't mean to be rude earlier." I gave him a weak smile, "It's alright, I shouldn't have been so pushy." He shook his head, "No it's not. I didn't mean to snap like that. I'm trying to be better, but sometimes I just lose it." This time I gave him a genuine smile as I dipped my head down to look him in the eyes. "You're trying, and you're saying sorry. You're self-aware. That's really good, Rafe." His gaze was piercing me. "Your dad isn't the only person you have, I promise. You'll talk to Sarah when you're ready, but you have me. I meant what I said in Barbados." Rafe gave me a small smile and I smiled back. He secured my bandage, and I slid off the table. "Let's get this to the marina," I said as I headed back to the deck. Rafe stayed in the room for a bit, but shortly he joined me and then we were off. We continued in silence, but it was comfortable. The marina came into view, and I turned the wheel over to Rafe as he guided it into the dock. I helped Rafe tie off the boat and then I went back to the cabin. I was putting on my shorts when Rafe knocked on the door. "Hey, if you want, I thought we could grab something to eat while we're here?" I smiled, "Sure." He smirked at me before disappearing. I waited for him on the deck. He came up shortly. "You ready?" I nodded and followed him down to the bottom of the boat, he got off of the deck, and this time, when he offered his hand, I took it. "Thank you." Rafe smirked, "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" I rolled my eyes at him before walking down the dock. He laughed and came in step beside me. The marina had a restaurant- that looked more like a tiki shack- at the end of the dock. We walked in and sat at a high table that overlooked the bay. A waitress came over with some waters and left us to decide what to eat. I kept looking around. When I agreed to eat with Rafe, I was not thinking about the possibility of people seeing us. Whether it be the pouges, or someone that would tell the pouges that they saw me out with the Rafe Cameron. Rafe tends to get a lot of attention around here. "Hey." I turned back around to look at Rafe. "Yeah?" "You good? You keep looking around like you're expecting someone." I tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a shudder, "Yeah, I'm good, just taking in the scenery." I didn't want to make him feel like I didn't want to be seen with him. I did, but- wait. I DID want to be seen with him. Shit. What the hell was I doing? I must have zoned out because Rafe reached across the table and touched my arm. THAT brought me back. "Are you sure you're okay?" I sighed, "I am. I'm enjoying this." I paused, "But, I haven't really talked to the pouges about anything. I guess I'm just worried that someone might see us and say something. Not like this means anything, unless it does. What am I saying?" Rafe cut me off, "Just relax. If you want, we can just go back to Tanny Hill and eat there." "No, it's good, I'm good." Rafe looked unconvinced. "I'm sorry, I'm going to tell them I just haven't figured out yet and I don't want you to feel like I'm afraid to be seen with you or anything." I put my head in my hands and took a deep breath before looking back at him. He was smiling softly, "I'm the last person who would tell you to rush into talking to anyone. I understand, I'm not mad." I let out a sigh of relief and smiled. We ordered our food and talked throughout the evening. Rafe made me laugh, surprisingly. We talked about so many things, and yet nothing at all. The sun was setting and most of the restaurant's occupants had left when Rafe ended our conversation. "I should probably be getting you back." My smile faltered just a bit, but I quickly masked it. "Already?" I gave him a knowing smirk. I swear I saw him blush, but he turned away so I couldn't be sure. We walked out of the restaurant, and I turned to Rafe, "How are we getting back to Tanny Hill?" It was his turn to smirk. He pointed out to the road, and I saw a motorcycle. I turned back to him with a confused expression on my face. "I had Barry drop this off earlier." I couldn't help the huge grin on my face, I loved bikes. JJ took me for rides on his all the time. My grin dimmed at the thought of JJ, but I pushed it out of my mind. "Excited much?" I turned to see Rafe smirking at me, and I pushed him a bit before racing him to the bike. Rafe got on the bike and started it. My heart was beating out of my chest, and I knew exactly why. I was praying he wouldn't be able to feel it once I got behind him. "Sorry I don't have helmets." "Oh it's fine, JJ and I do this without helmets all the time." I got on the back of the bike and put my arms around Rafe. I didn't notice the way his smile faded when I mentioned JJ. "You ready?" Even his tone wasn't as joyful as it was a few seconds ago, but I wasn't paying much attention, I had my own problems. "Very," I said, smiling at him. He turned back around, and we were off. I loved the feeling of the wind in my hair, Rafe went fast, but I wasn't worried. I tightened my grip around his waist and couldn't help myself as my hand lightly brushed his abs. I tried to play it off as just changing my hand placement, but I don't think it worked. He reached a hand back and brought my thigh in tighter. My breath hitched at the touch, but he put his hand back on the throttle like it never happened. I was glad the wind was cool, because I was feeling very hot. We made it back to Tanny Hill without anymore touching, which I was grateful for. Rafe parked the bike, and I got off, him following. We walked to my car, and I turned to face him once I got to the driver door. "I had fun today." He smirked, "I know you did." I looked at him with my mouth wide open before he laughed. "I'm just kidding, it's fun to see you make that face." I blushed and looked down. Rafe lowered his head to try and meet my eyes, "I had fun too. I appreciate your help." I looked up at him, "I'm not sure how much help I was." He pushed a curl behind my ear, and I went still at the gesture. "Trust me, you were helpful." I chuckled nervously and backed away a little, just to awkwardly bump into the car. Rafe smirked, "I'm not making you nervous am I?" "No," I barely whispered back. I was pined by his gaze and started to feel antsy. "I should probably go. I don't want to worry my mom." Rafe nodded and reached behind me to open the door. I smiled at him before getting in and starting it up. "I'll see you around Rafe." I was about to drive out, but he stuck his phone in the window. I looked at him, completely confused. "Oh come on, you can't give me your number? We just spent half a day together." My mouth was definitely wide open as I looked at him. I grabbed his phone and quickly put in my number before handing it back. He took it and looked at my number before beginning to walk away, "See you soon, Lily." I smiled at him, fulling blushing and thanking God that it was dark out. I drove out and screamed on the way home. What the hell was happening? I know I didn't make up today in my head. I'm not that delusional. I got home and came inside. My mom was waiting for me. "Look who's back." She was smirking at me mischievously and I couldn't wait to tell her everything. "Mom, I have so much to tell you." She laughed, "I figured you would." I sat down on the couch and began to tell her about my day. She listened intently and I couldn't help my excitement as I talked about Rafe. "I had such a good time, Mom." She smiled at me, "I'm glad you did." "I'm worried though." My mom gave me a knowing smile. "I am falling for him, and that's scary. I told the pouges I was gonna be there for him, not date him, and I don't even know If he wants that, or if he's just playing with me. Maybe I'm just convenient." My mom took my hand, "Lily don't say that. Based on what you've told me, I don't think that's true. It's okay to be scared about your feelings. As far as the pouges go, you just need to be honest with them. I know that's hard, but I think it'd be best." I sighed, "Only Sarah and Kie know what's sort of going on, and I'm scared to tell JJ. He hates Rafe. It would be wrong to lose them over Rafe, but it also feels wrong to leave Rafe on his own. He needs someone, mom." "Why don't you just start with talking to JJ?" I nodded my head, "I know I should. I'm just scared." "If JJ's a real friend, he may be upset, but he's not going to quit being your friend." "I hope you're right." I went to sleep that night with butterflies in my stomach, but not the good kind. I was nervous to talk to JJ and I needed to tell Sarah what was happening too. I didn't get much sleep that night.