Collateral || Rafe Cameron

𝒆𝒑𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒖𝒆

The summer faded into fall, and with it, the storm that had consumed our lives slowly began to settle. Things weren't perfect, not by any means, but there was a sense of calm now, like we were finally on the other side of it all. The chaos, the violence, the betrayal... it was behind us. And in its place, there was something softer, something fragile but real. Something I wasn't sure I would ever find with Rafe.

He had changed. It wasn't obvious at first; it was in the little things, the way he carried himself, the way he spoke, the way he looked at me. The Rafe Cameron I had known before — the arrogant, reckless boy who had been so consumed by anger and self-destruction — was gone. In his place was someone quieter, more thoughtful. Someone who was trying. Really trying.

And I couldn't help but feel drawn to that.

It had been months since the night in the cabin. Months since the truth had come out, since we had both bared our souls and our scars to each other. And while the road ahead was still uncertain, there was a part of me that believed — no, hoped — that we could make it work.

Rafe had been keeping his distance from Ward, working on rebuilding his life without his father's shadow looming over him. It wasn't easy — there were days when I could see the strain, the weight of everything he had done, everything he had been a part of, dragging him down. But he didn't let it break him. He pushed forward, day by day, slowly earning back the trust he had shattered.

And I saw that. I felt that.

There were still moments of doubt — moments when the memory of what he had done, what we had been through, would creep back into my mind and make me question everything. But then I would see the way he looked at me, the way his eyes softened when he said my name, the way he held me at night like he was afraid to let go. And in those moments, I knew.

He was trying. And I was willing to give him a chance.

One evening, as the leaves began to change and the air grew cooler, Rafe and I sat on the porch of his house, the setting sun casting a warm, golden glow over the horizon. It was quiet, peaceful — one of those rare moments where everything felt simple. We didn't need to talk about the past, or the future, or anything in between. We could just be.

"I never thought I'd see this day," Rafe muttered softly, his voice breaking the comfortable silence between us. He was leaning back against the porch railing, his eyes fixed on the sky as he spoke.

I turned to look at him, my heart tightening at the vulnerability in his voice. "What do you mean?"

Rafe shrugged, his jaw tightening for a moment before he glanced over at me. "You. Me. Sitting here like this. After everything... I didn't think I'd deserve this."

"You do," I whispered, my voice filled with conviction. "You've changed, Rafe. You've worked for this."

He was quiet for a long moment, his eyes searching mine as if he was trying to believe the words I had just spoken. And then, slowly, he nodded.

"I love you," he said, his voice low but steady, the words filled with an honesty that made my heart skip a beat. "I love you, Ronnie. And I'll keep trying. I'll keep working until I'm someone you can be proud of."

My breath caught in my throat at his words, tears stinging my eyes as I looked at him, the weight of everything we had been through settling between us. It wasn't easy, what we had. It never would be. But I loved him. I loved him.

"I love you too," I whispered, my voice trembling with emotion. "And I'm already proud of you, Rafe."

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

The decision to go to college in another state hadn't been an easy one. Leaving the island, leaving my family, leaving my friends, it felt like the end of an era. But it also felt like the beginning of something new. Something I had worked so hard for, something I deserved. And when I told Rafe about it, when I explained that I needed this, that I needed to take that next step, he didn't try to stop me.

He understood.

And that meant more to me than anything.

The day I was set to leave, I stood on the dock with my friends, the familiar sound of the water lapping against the boats a comforting background noise. John B, JJ, Kie, and Pope were all there, their faces a mix of sadness and excitement as they helped me load my bags onto the boat. It wasn't goodbye forever. I would be back for visits, and they promised to come see me, but it was the end of something. The end of summers spent on the boat, the end of lazy afternoons by the water. The end of us, as we had always been.

"You better not forget about us," JJ said, his voice teasing but his eyes serious as he pulled me into a tight hug.

"I could never forget you guys," I whispered, my throat tight with emotion as I hugged him back.

"We'll miss you, Ronnie," Kie said softly, her smile bittersweet as she wrapped her arms around me. "But we're so proud of you."

I blinked back tears, nodding as I hugged each of them in turn, my heart aching with the weight of the moment. This was harder than I had expected. Saying goodbye to the people who had been my family for so long... it was like leaving a piece of myself behind.

But I knew I had to do it. I had to take this step. I had to move forward.

As the boat pulled away from the dock, the wind whipping through my hair, I glanced back at my friends one last time, waving as they grew smaller in the distance. And then, as the island disappeared from view, I turned my attention forward, to the open water, to the future.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

Rafe was waiting for me when I arrived.

He was standing by the car, his hands shoved into his pockets, his eyes scanning the horizon as I stepped off the boat. The moment he saw me, his face broke into a smile — one of those rare, genuine smiles that I had come to love so much.

"You ready?" he asked as I walked up to him, his voice soft but steady.

I nodded, my heart swelling with a mix of excitement and nervousness. "Yeah. I'm ready."

We didn't say much after that. We didn't need to. The weight of everything we had been through, the pain, the heartache, the love, it was all there, unspoken but understood. And as Rafe took my hand, pulling me toward the car, I knew that this was just the beginning.

There were still challenges ahead. There were still things we needed to work through. But for the first time in a long time, I felt like we were moving in the right direction. Together.

As the car sped down the highway, the sun setting behind us, I glanced over at Rafe, my heart full and hopeful for the future. He looked back at me, his hand squeezing mine gently, his eyes soft.

"I love you," he said again, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I love you too," I whispered back, a smile tugging at my lips.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt like everything was going to be okay.