𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 | RAFE CAMERON

Forty Six | N O T A G A I N

— Scarletts POV

I sat on the edge of my hotel bed, phone in hand, scrolling through my contacts. I needed a distraction from the lonely room and my own thoughts. I dialed Mel's number, then quickly followed up with a call to Lacey. We chatted for a bit, catching up on the event planning and making sure everything was still on track. I transferred some money over to their accounts, hoping it would cover the rest of the expenses. We laughed and joked, and for a few minutes, I almost forgot about my current situation.

Just as I was about to hang up with Lacey, my phone buzzed in my hand and I saw Rafe's name flashing on the screen. I hesitated, wondering if I should answer. It could be about Tommy, I told myself, trying to justify my curiosity. I took a deep breath and pressed the answer button.

"Hey..." I said.

"Hey..." Rafe responded. "It's been a week."

"Yeah," I replied, my mind racing with all the things I wanted to say but couldn't. "What's up?"

Rafe's pause was telling. "I don't know, Scarlett. I've been thinking... maybe we shouldn't be on a break anymore. What if you get hurt or something?"

A part of me wanted to agree, to tell him how much I missed him and how much I loved him. But my stubbornness got the better of me. "No, I think we needed this," I said, trying to sound convinced. "I'll be fine."

I didn't give him a chance to respond. I hung up the phone, my heart racing with the words I had almost said. I love you, Rafe. I miss you so much. I couldn't let myself say them out loud. Not yet, at least.

I stood up, feeling restless. I needed a drink, or two, to take my mind off everything. I grabbed my purse and headed out to a bar.

I slid onto the stool at the bar, thinking about Rafe and I's phone call. I missed them both, but I had to trust Rafe's judgment about not doing the Intervention program for Tommy, and more importantly, trust him to take care of Tommy on his own.

As I waited for the bartender to come over, I kept feeling worried about how I was leaving Tommy with Rafe alone. Tommy's behavior had been terrible, and I knew Rafe was struggling to handle it. Still, the uncertainty gnawed at me, making me wonder if I'd made a huge mistake.

The bartender, a friendly woman, came over to take my order. "What can I get you, sweetheart?"

"Sex on the beach, please," I replied, trying to inject some humor into my tone.

As I waited for my drink to arrive, I glanced around the bar. It was a quiet night, with only a handful of patrons scattered about. I felt lonely, wishing Rafe were here to share a drink with me. We used to come to this bar all the time, laughing and joking together. Now, it felt empty without him.

Just as I was starting to think I'd have to entertain myself all evening, I spotted a familiar face across the room. JJ, who was sitting in the corner, sipping on a beer and looking like he hadn't a care in the world.

I took a sip of my drink, and contemplated making my way over to say hello. But for now, I was content to simply observe, and see if JJ would notice my presence.

As I sat there, sipping my drink and watching JJ, I saw JJ glance up, his eyes locking onto mine across the room. A small smile played on his lips, and he raised his beer in a silent greeting. I smiled back.

I got up from my stool and made my way over to JJ, noticing that he looked stressed. I sat down next to him, "Hey, JJ, what's going on? You look like you've lost your last marble," I said.

JJ looked up at me, surprised, "Well, look who it is," he said.

I smiled, "I know I said I'd never talk to you guys again, but I kinda lied."