STRANGE LOVE | RAFE CAMERON |

CHAPTER 28: | CLOSE ENOUGH |

RAFE'S P.OV:

Rafe returned to Outer Banks with business on his mind. His father had ordered him to sell their properties, insisting they wouldn't be coming back. But when Ward mentioned his plan to donate the gold cross to a museum, Rafe felt his temper flare. The cross was his as far as he was concerned; he'd gone through hell for it and had no intention of giving it up. Rafe decided to stay behind, planning to make his own moves on the cross without interference.

One evening, he found himself at the Island Club, craving a drink to take the edge off. Settling against the bar, he struck up a casual conversation with the cute bartender who served him his drink. But before he could relax, he heard a familiar laugh—a sound that made his heart skip and his chest tighten all at once. Slowly, almost instinctively, Rafe turned, scanning the room until his gaze landed on Allison.

She was there, sitting at a table with her back turned to him, she hadn't even seen him. He didn't even know she was still in the Outer Banks. He'd hoped she would be, of course, but this was different. She was here. She was close enough to touch.

But then his eyes drifted to the man across from her, and his heart sank. The guy was tall, confident, and attractive. They were laughing, and there was an ease between them that cut Rafe deeply. He watched Allison smile at something the guy said, her laugh full and genuine, just as he remembered. Rafe didn't know who this man was, but he already knew he hated him. That guy was supposed to be him. Rafe was supposed to be the one to make her laugh like that.

Pain shot through him, sharp and relentless. While he'd spent weeks in Guadeloupe trying to get clean, trying to turn his life around for her, she had found someone else. He had faced withdrawal, and fought his demons, all with the thought of her as his anchor, as his reason. But now, seeing her with someone else, it felt like all those efforts had been meaningless.

The ache in his chest became unbearable, and he forced himself to turn back to the bartender, pushing down the hurt that was clawing its way up. He leaned against the counter, a bitter taste filling his mouth as he tried to focus on anything other than the scene behind him. Allison was supposed to be his, and seeing her with someone else felt like betrayal. He couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so he turned his attention fully to the bartender, putting on a smile that felt painfully forced. Without missing a beat, he started openly flirting with her, and thankfully, she seemed to respond.

・ • ・ • ・

Allison sat on her bed, the soft glow of her bedside lamp casting long shadows on the walls. The evening was still, but her mind was a storm of emotions. When Cole called and invited her to a party, she hesitated. Memories of her last party—the overdose, the hospital—flooded back, chilling her to the bone.

"I don't know. Last time I was at a party I—" Allison stopped herself, the words catching in her throat. The weight of that night still hung over her like a dark cloud, one she wasn't sure she could shake.

Cole's voice on the other end of the line was gentle but insistent. "I know, but I'll be there with you. You don't have to worry about anything. We'll just hang out, nothing too wild."

Allison was silent for a few moments, weighing her options. The idea of being around people again, in a place where she could let loose even just a little, was tempting. Maybe this was a step forward, she thought, a way to reclaim a part of her life that had been lost to fear and shame.

"Okay," she finally said, her voice soft but resolute. "I'll get ready. You can come pick me up."

As Allison walked to her closet, she carefully selected an outfit. She chose a simple dress that made her feel confident without drawing too much attention. She applied a bit of makeup, just enough to enhance her features, and ran a brush through her hair, trying to calm her nerves with each stroke. Looking at herself in the mirror, she whispered, "You can do this." But as she stared at her reflection, she wondered if she was trying to convince herself or someone else.