Waves of the Heart / Rafayel X Reader

Part 1: The Plan

It was summer, and finally, it was time for our holiday. Early that morning, we all met at my house—Tara and Caleb were already waiting for me in the living room. It was my turn to choose where we’d go, and I had spent hours gathering as many photos of my hometown as I could find. When I felt ready, I carried the pictures into the living room.

As soon as Caleb saw me with the photos, he crossed his arms, his face already showing his irritation. He knew exactly what I was about to suggest. Every time I brought up the idea of going back to my hometown, he would ignore it. He understood what had happened to me there eight years ago, but I wasn’t ready to let it go. I was determined to return, no matter how much Caleb resisted.

“So… I was thinking maybe we could go-” 

Before I could finish, Caleb cut me off. 

“MC, no. Pick another place. Anywhere but there.” His voice was firm, almost pleading. 

I sighed, feeling the weight of his disapproval settle over me. Tara exchanged a confused look between us, clearly lost. She didn’t know the history—only Caleb and my parents did. But I needed to convince him. I had to.

“Just hear me out,” I began, trying to keep my voice light and hopeful. “I’ve done a lot of research on the place. And there’s a beach! You love the beach, right? We could play, surf, do all sorts of things.” I forced a smile, willing him to see how much this meant to me. This was my only chance to go back, to reclaim what was lost. I couldn’t give up.

“Oh, so it’s an island?” Tara chimed in. I turned to her and nodded, hoping she’d take my side. I could see the excitement spark in her eyes.

“Omg, we could go swimming too!” Tara added, her enthusiasm bubbling over.

I froze at her words, feeling Caleb’s eyes on me, scrutinizing every reaction. He was testing me, waiting for any sign of fear, knowing it would be his excuse to call off the trip. I swallowed hard, forcing my voice to stay steady.

“Yes, we can go swimming and everything!” I said, grinning as convincingly as I could. But Caleb wasn’t buying it.

“It’s too dangerous to go to the beach without our parents,” Caleb said, his tone shifting to something more calculating. “Or… we could bring them along if you want.”

My heart sank at his suggestion. If our parents came along, I could kiss my plans goodbye. I glanced at him, seeing the smugness in his smile.

“Ew, bring our parents? What are we, in kindergarten?” Tara scoffed, unknowingly coming to my rescue. Caleb just shot her a glance before standing up and leaving the room, his presence lingering in the awkward silence he left behind.

Tara noticed the sadness creeping onto my face and quickly cupped my cheeks, squishing them gently.

“Don’t worry about him. He’s always like that,” she said, her words a balm to my anxiety.

I tried to smile back, but it felt weak. I knew Caleb was only doing this because my parents had asked him to look after me. I couldn’t really be angry at him, even though frustration gnawed at me. 

“I’ll talk to him,” I told Tara, my voice softer now. “I’ll let you know if he agrees.”

After Tara left, I knew what I had to do. I had to face Caleb. I found him in his room, the door locked. I knocked softly.

“Caleb? We need to talk.” 

For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then I heard the lock click, and his face appeared in the doorway. He didn’t say a word, just waited for me to speak.

I struggled to find the right words, my mind a jumble of thoughts and emotions. “Look… can we just—?” I paused, taking a deep breath to steady myself. “I miss my hometown, Caleb. I promise I won’t go near the water. Just this once, please, can you listen to me?”

I tried to soften my plea with a small, hopeful smile, but his expression didn’t change. Instead, his next words hit me like a punch to the gut.

“I don’t understand you,” he said coldly. “God saved you from death once, and here you are, trying to crawl back to it. What’s wrong with you?”

I was too stunned to respond, the weight of his words sinking into my chest like lead. He rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut in my face, leaving me alone with the echo of his harsh judgment.

Death. Was that what I was doing? Crawling back to my own death? 

The thought lingered, heavy and inescapable, as I stood there, too numb to move.