BLOODSTREAM 彡 Rafe Cameron

Chapter Five: Unraveling

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Chapter Five

Unraveling

The early morning air was thick with the humid, coastal heat. Townes sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the pale blue walls of her room, which once felt like a safe haven but now seemed suffocating as the scent of Rafe's cologne clung to her sheets. She could still hear the distant echo of her helmet slamming onto the floor as she walked away from Rafe. Fuck off, she had told him, and in that moment, she meant it with every fiber of her being. But now, in the quiet stillness, doubt seeped in, spreading like an insidious fog through her thoughts.

Did I really mean it?

Despite the constant push and pull of their relationship, she couldn't stop the wave of memories crashing over her. They started soft, almost sweet—the way Rafe had looked at her that night at the party last summer, both of them too drunk to care about the consequences. The way he had kissed her, slow and deliberate, like she was the only thing keeping him tethered to the earth. His hands on her hips, pulling her close, making her feel wanted, needed. Those moments felt real, even now, when everything between them was so fractured.

"I've missed you." he admitted, his voice low and earnest.

Townes felt a thrill at his confession, her heart racing. "Me too," she whispered, feeling a rush of emotion that mingled with the exhilaration of the moment.

Rafe kissed her again, deeper this time, and she lost herself once more in the whirlwind of desire and uncertainty.

How he once whispered that he needed her, his voice cracking as if saying it out loud made him feel too exposed.

Last Summer

The air was warm and heavy with the scent of salt and bonfire smoke, the typical backdrop of a summer night on the Outer Banks. Townes had been wandering the beach, trying to escape the chaos of the party—Kooks laughing too loudly, Pogues taking advantage of the free drinks. It was the same routine every summer: a mix of tension and camaraderie between the two groups that always left her feeling like she didn't quite fit into either.

As she strolled down the shoreline, the fading glow of the party behind her, something caught her eye. A lone figure sat at the edge of the water, barely illuminated by the distant firelight. His knees were drawn up to his chest, his shoulders slouched, almost defeated. She recognized him instantly—Rafe.

He looked different tonight. Not the usual arrogant smirk or the dangerous edge she had come to expect from him. Instead, he was just... there, still and quiet, almost like he wanted to disappear into the vast darkness of the ocean. There was a heaviness in the air around him, a kind of sadness that made her pause.

Townes approached cautiously, unsure if she should interrupt whatever was going through his mind. But something in her pulled her toward him, a kind of quiet concern she couldn't ignore.

"Rafe?" she called softly, her voice barely carrying over the gentle crashing of the waves.

He didn't respond at first. His gaze was locked on the water, glassy and distant, as if he hadn't even heard her. But she knew he had. She could see it in the subtle tensing of his jaw, the way his shoulders stiffened ever so slightly.

"Rafe," she repeated, a little louder this time, stepping closer until she was standing beside him.

Finally, he blinked and looked up at her, his eyes red and glazed over, a mixture of exhaustion and something else—something darker. He opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again, as if the effort of finding the right words was too much.