Promise *Rafe Cameron*

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Sage leaned toward the mirror, steadying her hand as she swiped on the final flick of eyeliner. 

Her lashes curled upward with mascara, her lips glossed with a subtle sheen. 

For the first time in a long time, she didn't look like someone who'd been dragged through heartbreak, betrayal, near-death treasure hunts, and the occasional emotional breakdown.

She looked... like her again. Maybe even a better version.

Peeling off her cozy pajamas, she swapped them for a cropped top that clung in all the right places and a pair of high-waisted leather shorts that left little to the imagination. Bold, sleek, intentional.

She wasn't going out to party. She was going out to prove something, even if it was just to herself.

The moment she zipped up her boots, she heard it:

"Where do you think you're going dressed like that?"

Sage froze in place like a teenager caught sneaking out past curfew.

She turned to see Jacob, sprawled on the couch, a bowl of popcorn on his lap and one eyebrow raised in big brother judgment.

"A party," Sage said, with an exaggerated smile, like a contestant on a game show. She even threw in a dramatic twirl.

Jacob didn't laugh. His eyes narrowed at her top. 

"I'll wear a jacket." Sage sighed, grabbing a denim jacket off the back of a chair. 

"That's what I thought," Jacob said, smug as ever as he kicked his feet up on the coffee table. "Love you. Have fun."

"Love you," Sage muttered back, pulling the door closed behind her.

The second she stepped outside, the sound of music thumped low in the distance, and headlights lit up the driveway.

"Hey hottie, get in!" Avery yelled through the open window, waving like a lunatic.

Sage couldn't help but grin.

Sliding into the passenger seat, the smell of coconut body spray and Sour Patch Kids hit her all at once. It was comforting. It was Avery.

"How the fuck are you? I missed you," Avery exclaimed, smacking Sage's arm lightly with a bright red manicured hand.

Sage laughed, buckling in as Avery peeled out of the driveway like they were escaping a heist. "Oh, you know..."

How did you explain everything that had happened? The gold. The caves. The people they lost. The people they almost lost.

The fact that she used to fall asleep thinking about Rafe, and now she only dreamed about running.

But she didn't say any of that. She just smiled instead.

"I'm glad you said yes to tonight," Avery said, one hand on the wheel, the other already passing Sage a half-finished water bottle filled with something that definitely wasn't water.

Sage took a sip, wincing. "Jesus. What is that?"

"Vodka, duh," Avery smirked, turning into a familiar cul-de-sac. 

"Who's party are we going to?" Sage asked, and Avery shifted in her seat.

"Tyler's."

Sage gave her a look.

"I know, I know," Avery laughed. "But seriously, he's actually been super docile lately."

"Docile?" Sage snorted. "That is the last word I would use to describe him."