Secrets in the Dark

Chapter 20

The days after their last conversation felt like a blur to Ava. She'd walked away from Rafe's house that night, but the weight of his words had followed her, lingering in the corners of her mind. Don't forget about us. The phrase echoed, haunting her in quiet moments when she was alone, when she wasn't distracted by the noise of the world. She thought about Rafe—about what they'd done, about everything they had broken together—and wondered if, deep down, she was still chasing something that didn't exist anymore.

But it wasn't just Rafe she had to face now. It was the wreckage she had left behind.

It had been weeks since Ava had last seen Rafe. After their conversation, they both retreated into their separate lives. Rafe kept to his usual Kook haunts, and Ava—well, Ava tried to find herself again. She spent more time with her friends, distancing herself from the chaos of Rafe's world, trying to repair the damage she had done. Her relationship with JJ was, as expected, shattered beyond repair, and though she missed him, she couldn't undo the choices she had made. It wasn't just JJ that she needed to rebuild with; it was herself.

She found herself back at the beach a lot, walking the sand with no particular destination in mind, just needing to breathe in the salty air. Every time she thought of Rafe, there was a tightness in her chest—guilt mixed with something else, something she couldn't quite place.

But now, as she walked the familiar path to the pier, the horizon stretching before her, she realized that whatever had happened between her and Rafe—whatever mess they had created—had to be left behind. She couldn't fix it. And she knew she had to let him go.

Ava was startled when she heard footsteps behind her, and she turned to see Rafe walking toward her. His expression was unreadable as always, but there was something about the way he looked at her that made her stomach tighten. It had been a while since they'd spoken, and despite everything that had happened, there was a part of her that still yearned to know how he was, even if she knew they couldn't go back to what they were.

Rafe stopped a few feet away from her, his hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans. He glanced out over the ocean, the soft, rhythmic sound of the waves crashing against the shore filling the silence between them. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. It was as though the weight of everything they'd been through was hanging in the air, thick with unresolved tension.
Finally, Rafe broke the silence, his voice low and uncertain. "You're okay?"

Ava nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't sure how to answer. "I'm... trying," she said quietly, the words feeling heavy as she spoke them.

Rafe's eyes softened just a fraction, though his expression was still guarded. "I've been thinking about you. About us. About what we did."
Ava's breath caught in her throat, and she looked away, staring out at the water. "I don't know what to say, Rafe. I don't even know how to apologize for everything."

He took a step closer, his voice rougher now. "You don't need to apologize. I don't need that. We both knew what we were doing. And we both knew we were playing with fire. But I think... maybe we were just too stupid to realize it would burn us in the end."

Ava glanced at him, her heart heavy with the truth of his words. "I don't regret it," she admitted softly. "But I regret how it ended. I regret hurting people. You. JJ. Sophia."

Rafe's face tightened. "I hurt people, too. Including you. But what we had—it was never going to last, was it? Not with everything we've done, everything we've broken."

"No," Ava whispered, shaking her head. "It wasn't."

They stood in silence for a while, the weight of the unsaid things pressing down on them both. Ava could feel the air between them thick with everything they'd shared—the lies, the passion, the betrayal, and the moments of softness that had almost made her believe they could make it. But in the end, they were too tangled up in their own destruction to salvage anything real.
"I think we both need to let go," Rafe said, his voice quieter now, like he had finally come to terms with the fact. "You can't fix this, and neither can I."

Ava nodded, her throat tight with unshed tears. "I know."

Rafe looked at her one last time, his expression softer, more vulnerable than she'd ever seen him. For a moment, he seemed like the person she had once known—the person she had wanted him to be, before everything got so complicated.
"I'll always care about you, Ava," he said quietly, his words holding a weight that neither of them could deny. "But I think it's time for us to move on. For real this time."

Ava felt a tear slip down her cheek, but she didn't wipe it away. She couldn't. Maybe this was the closure she needed. Maybe this was the final step. Rafe slowly stepped closer in that moment letting his thumb slowly brush away the tear rolling down her face. Hesitantly he leaned down searching her eyes for permission. Ava nodded slightly and Rafe places his lips on hers kissing her softly. They had never experienced a kiss like this before. This kiss was a goodbye.

Pulling apart Ava looked down too scared to look at Rafe's face, scared that by looking into those eyes she would fall back into the cycle they had been in ever since last summer "I'll never forget what we had, Rafe," she said, her voice breaking. "But I have to let you go. I have to let us go."

Rafe gave a small, bitter laugh. "Yeah, well. Guess we're both good at walking away, huh?"

Ava gave him a soft, sad smile. "I guess we are."
Rafe nodded once, a finality in his gesture. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the distance. Ava stood there for a long while, watching him go, feeling like a chapter of her life had finally closed.

It was only when she was alone again, the sun beginning to set behind her, that she finally let herself breathe. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt a quiet peace settling over her. The storm had passed. She had walked through it and survived. And now, it was time to rebuild.
Ava knew the road ahead wouldn't be easy. She had hurt people. She had made mistakes. But she was ready to take responsibility for them. She was ready to face what she had broken and figure out how to put the pieces back together. Not just with Rafe or JJ, but with herself.
She wasn't sure what the future held, or if she would ever truly fix everything she'd done. But one thing was certain: she was no longer running from the truth.

And for the first time in a long time, Ava finally felt like she could breathe again.