Collateral || Rafe Cameron

𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚-𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓

The days after Ward's failed attempt to bribe us were eerily quiet. Too quiet. It was like the calm after a storm, where everything had been shattered and broken, but there was no immediate sense of relief. Just silence. The weight of everything hung heavy in the air, clinging to me no matter how much I tried to shake it off.

I had returned to my normal routine, or at least, I tried to. I picked up shifts at The Wreck, spent time with my friends down by the water, and helped my parents around the house. On the surface, everything seemed fine. It was almost like nothing had changed.

But inside, I was a mess.

I couldn't stop thinking about Rafe.

Since that night in the cabin, he had been avoiding me, disappearing into the shadows as if he was trying to erase himself from my life. I hadn't seen him once. Not at the estate, not around town, not anywhere. It was like he had vanished. And it shouldn't have bothered me. I shouldn't have cared. After everything he had done, after the lies and the betrayal, I should have wanted nothing to do with him.

But I did.

I couldn't stop thinking about him — about the way he had looked at me, broken and vulnerable, as he lay on the floor of that cabin, bleeding and apologizing. The guilt in his eyes, the pain in his voice — it haunted me. And no matter how hard I tried to push it out of my mind, I couldn't.

I missed him.

I hated myself for it, but I couldn't deny it. I missed him.

A few days later, I sat on the porch, staring out at the fading light of the afternoon as the sun dipped below the horizon. The air was warm, the scent of salt and pine filling my lungs as I tried to clear my head. But no matter how hard I tried, my thoughts always circled back to Rafe. I wondered where he was, what he was doing. If he was okay.

And then, out of nowhere, Alden appeared, stepping onto the porch with that same distant look in his eyes that he'd had since we left the cabin. He sat down beside me, the wood creaking under his weight as he let out a heavy sigh.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. The silence between us was thick, filled with all the things we weren't saying. I knew Alden was still hurting. I knew he still hated Rafe. And I knew he could sense the conflict brewing inside me, even if I hadn't said it out loud.

"You've been quiet lately," Alden said finally, his voice low and rough.

I glanced over at him, my chest tightening as I met his gaze. "Yeah. I guess I have."

Alden nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly as he studied me. "You're thinking about him, aren't you?"

I flinched at the question, my stomach twisting with guilt as I looked away. I didn't want to lie to him. I didn't want to admit it. But I couldn't hide it from him anymore.

"I am," I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper.

Alden didn't say anything at first. He just stared out at the horizon, his jaw tight, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. I could see the anger simmering beneath the surface, the hurt that was still so raw, so fresh. And for a moment, I thought he was going to lash out, to tell me that I was crazy for even thinking about Rafe after everything that had happened.

But instead, he just let out a long, shaky breath.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive him," Alden admitted, his voice trembling with a mix of anger and pain. "What he did... it nearly cost me my life. It nearly cost you your life. And I don't know if I can ever forget that."

I swallowed hard, my throat tight as I listened to him. I understood where he was coming from. I felt the same anger, the same sense of betrayal. But there was more to it. There was the Rafe I had seen behind the walls he had built, the Rafe who had taken a bullet for me, the Rafe who had bared his soul in a way I hadn't expected.