The Fine Line - Rafe Cameron

Chapter Seven

After years of silence and resentment, they found themselves together again, like pieces of a puzzle finally fitting back into place.

Their breakthrough on the beach had kept them talking long into the night, and eventually, Alexandra led Rafe to one of her favorite places: the lighthouse.

When the treehouse was too close to everything she wanted to avoid, this was her true escape, a place where every worry was able to leave her mind and she was just left with the best view of the Outer Banks.

Naturally, Rafe complained the whole way up, saying his legs were sore and he needed her to carry him. Alexandra just responded to his whining by calling him a pussy and saying he needed to stop skipping leg day.

They sat up there for hours, staring out at the dark ocean and sharing four years worth of stories. For the first time in a long while, Alexandra truly laughed—genuine, stomach-hurting laughter that left her gasping for air.

They reminisced about childhood memories, like the time he taught her to ride a bike or the day she got her first period on his living room couch, which led to him panicking and screaming that she was bleeding out.

They also laughed about the Halloween when they dressed up as Dorothy and the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, with Rafe happily wearing the Dorothy costume because Alexandra had begged him to be the Scarecrow.

As the night wore on, it struck Alexandra how much she had missed his laughter. Watching his eyes crinkle and his whole body fold in half with every chuckle felt like stepping back into a world she thought she had lost.

As the laughter settled, a soft silence fell between them, broken only by the sound of the waves crashing against the shore below. Rafe leaned back, his gaze dropping down to his feet. "I know it's long overdue, but... I'm sorry, Alex."

The sincerity in his voice caught her off guard, and Alexandra felt her heart skip a beat. She glanced over at him, his face cast in shadows, the faint light from the lighthouse barely illuminating his expression.

"Sorry for what?" she prompted, though she knew. She needed to hear him say it.

"For everything," he replied, looking at her now, his eyes reflecting a vulnerability she hadn't seen in years. "For shutting you out...for treating you like crap...for making you feel like we were nothing after everything we'd been through. I don't know why I did it. Maybe...maybe I thought I had to prove something." His voice broke slightly, and he looked away, swallowing hard. "But I know I hurt you. And I hate that."

Her arms wrapped tightly around herself as a cold breeze stirred the air, the ache of all those years resurfacing. Yet, the pain was softer now, dulled by time and the sound of his voice finally expressing what she'd needed to hear.

"It did hurt, Rafe," she said quietly. "I couldn't understand how you could just...flip a switch and become someone I barely recognized."

He let out a shaky breath, nodding slowly. "I didn't recognize myself either, if I'm honest. It's like...everyone expected me to be a certain way, and I just leaned into it. Pushed everyone who knew the real me away. And that included you."

There was a long pause before she reached out, gently placing her hand over his. "I won't say I completely understand. But...I think I get it a little more now."

They stayed like that for a moment, hands clasped together, the tension easing as they began to feel like the old friends they once were. He gave her hand a small squeeze, then said, "Remember that time we stole Ward's boat to go watch the meteor shower? Just the two of us?"

Alexandra's lips curled into a smile. "And you almost capsized us because you didn't know how to steer?"

"Hey, I was trying to be cool," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Clearly, I was an idiot."