𝐄𝐂𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐘 ✶ RAFE CAMERON

033

The pictures haunted Gianna as if they were ghosts from her past, waiting to pounce and posses her during her most vulnerable moment.

Pretending that everything was okay as Adrien set up their at home movie theater was the hardest, especially the jolts of anxiety every time her subconscious reminded her of the fact that Rafe Cameron was on the same island as her. She couldn't even stay under the covers without the air conditioning on full blast, feeling sweat dripping down her back and her palms going numb.

Adrien tried to ask her what was wrong, offering  ginger ale and medication in case she was physically feeling ill. All she could do was shake her head and say that it was probably just something she ate, and it was best for her to go home and rest. Being the good boyfriend he was, Adrien gave her a ride home, which Gianna was thankful for. The very idea of coming across Rafe in the middle of the street as she walked back to her house made shivers go down her spine.

Arriving at her home, Gianna could barely even look at Adrien, let alone kiss him goodbye, which was what she'd always do. She knew he was finding it strange, her jittery and fast paced mannerisms, but if only he knew the chaos that boomed inside her head.

One month without Rafe in her life. One month without him turning up at her doorstep. One month without his touch. One month without his ability to constantly make Gianna worry for him. She was meant to be happy without him. Her life was better now— her mother hadn't relapsed in almost a month, she had great friends who were always inviting her to places, and a wonderful boyfriend who she felt like she didn't deserve.

She stomped up the stairs of her house, hearing her father's snores from the master bedroom. She entered her room, closing the door behind her then lifting up her mattress, pulling out the weed pen she had recently bought from Barry. Locking herself in her bathroom, as each puff turned into a small cloud of smoke, she could feel her heart rate go lower and lower, until she felt nothing at all.

Lying on the cool tiled floor, she felt the urge to cry, but not of sadness, oh no. She missed Rafe. She wanted to see him. She wanted to come across him as she walked in the street. Things she could only admit while she was high, and no other rational thought could stop the truth from getting to her.

She didn't care about Adrien, her loving boyfriend who'd always treated her in ways Rafe never did. She didn't care about Marisa, who she knew would scold her for going back to the same person who had made her suffer. She didn't care about the fact he had done wrong by so many people. She just wanted to be with him.

So, she sat up from the floor, leaning against the sink and splashing cold water on her face. She quietly slipped out of her room, careful not to wake her parents, who were taking an afternoon nap, not worrying about the whereabouts of their daughter, who they trusted so. Not knowing that she was currently on her way, high as cloud, to encounter Rafe Cameron.

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Gianna's mind felt fuzzy as the large estate that was situated upon Tannyhill became larger and larger. She forgot how big it was, not daring to ever come close to it during the month it was unoccupied. But now that there was movement inside it again by the eldest Cameron son, she could admire its tall walls and strong gates.

She spent the whole walk thinking about what she'd say to Rafe once she saw him. Though, her mind couldn't exactly function correctly due to the influence of marijuana diverting her thoughts from Rafe, to food, to the color of the sky, to the different birds that chirped, to Marisa's voice yelling at her to get out of the street—

Wait, what?

"Gianna, you're going to get run over! Get out of the middle of the road," the raven exclaimed, needing to stomp over to the blonde, who was clearly on cloud nine by now, and yank her to the sidewalk.