The Lines We've Crossed

TWENTY-NINE

The next morning was alive with the smell of coffee, sizzling bacon, and the chatter of voices drifting from the kitchen. Heather woke up with a smile on her face, feeling the warmth of Rafe's arm still loosely draped over her shoulders. She tried not to move too much, not wanting to wake him just yet. Yesterday's night swim replayed in her mind—the stolen kisses, the whispered compliments, the laughter with friends. It had been perfect.

She slipped out of bed quietly, padding to the kitchen where Tyler, already awake, was flipping pancakes. Kiara was sitting on the counter, stealing bacon straight from the plate, while Sarah poured orange juice into glasses.

The Pogues—John B, JJ, and Pope—were scattered around the table, still half-asleep but definitely hungry.

"Morning, sunshine!" Tyler greeted, his voice teasing. "Had fun last night?"

Heather rolled her eyes, grabbing a cup of coffee. "Something like that."

Kiara raised an eyebrow. "Something? Girl, we all saw the way Rafe was looking at you. That was definitely something."

Heather blushed but couldn't help but smile. "Okay, maybe a little more than something."

"Uh, yeah, you think?" Sarah chimed in, giving Heather a knowing smirk. "He was practically glued to your side."

As Heather poured some coffee, JJ piped up from the table. "At least you guys are having fun. The rest of us are working the midsummer party," he said dramatically, leaning back in his chair and letting out a sigh. "While you and Rafe get to waltz in all glamorous, we'll be sweating our butts off in our uniforms."

Heather laughed, then sent Sarah a mischievous glance. "I could probably work something out," she teased.

Sarah grinned and caught on immediately. "Oh, we definitely can. I'm sure my dad and Devin wouldn't mind bending the rules a little for some VIP passes."

JJ's eyes lit up. "Wait, what? Seriously?"

"Seriously," Heather nodded, her voice full of confidence. "I'll talk to my dad, and Sarah can talk to Ward. We'll figure out a way for you guys to actually enjoy the party for once."

John B, ever the optimist, laughed. "I'm down for that. No more sweaty uniforms."

Pope, always the practical one, shook his head with a grin. "I'm not getting my hopes up, but it'd be nice to not have to work for once."

Tyler, still flipping pancakes, chimed in. "You sure your dads will go for that? You know they're all about keeping things structured."

Heather shrugged. "We have our ways of convincing them."

"Yeah," Sarah added, winking. "You've just got to know how to present the idea in the right way."

As they continued to eat, Heather felt the buzz of excitement growing. But just as she was about to ask Sarah about the details of the party, Sarah's phone buzzed. She glanced at it, then her eyes went wide.

"Oh my god, Heather!" Sarah exclaimed. "I just got a text from the country club. We're set for the midsummer party, and guess what? Our family gets to make a grand entrance right beside the Whitmores!"

Heather's heart skipped a beat. "No way! That's amazing."

"That's like, next-level official," Kiara said, grinning at Heather. "You're about to be all fancy with Rafe in front of the whole island."

Heather's excitement bubbled over, and she couldn't help the wide smile that spread across her face. "It's going to be perfect," she said, but then a thought hit her, and she looked at Sarah. "Wait, if I go with Rafe... does that mean this is like, our first public outing as a couple?"

Kiara raised an eyebrow. "A couple, huh?"

"Or... dating? I don't even know what we are," Heather admitted with a nervous laugh.

"You should ask him," Sarah suggested. "The midsummer party is a big deal. If he's inviting you to that, it means something."

Heather nodded, her thoughts swirling. Just then, Rafe walked into the kitchen, shirtless and looking like he'd just rolled out of bed. His god-like figure caught Heather's eye, and she had to stop herself from staring too long. But he noticed her glance, and a slow smirk spread across his face.

"You okay?" Rafe asked, coming over to her. His voice was low, just for her.

Heather felt her cheeks flush but smiled. "Yeah. You?"

He nodded, leaning closer to whisper, "You're beautiful, you know that?"

She felt her heart flutter at his words and almost forgot what she was going to say. "I was just talking to the girls about the midsummer party," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Are we going together?"

Rafe's expression softened, and for a moment, the tension that usually hung around him seemed to melt away. "Yeah, I want you to be my date. But if that's too much or too public, we can—"

"No, I want to go with you," Heather interrupted, surprising herself with how sure she sounded. "I just... I guess I want to know what this means. For us."

Rafe paused, then smiled. "Let's figure it out tomorrow. Mini-golf date?"

"Deal," she agreed, feeling a wave of excitement wash over her. Tomorrow would be their first official date, and maybe they'd finally define what they were.

At that moment, Barry's name popped up on Rafe's phone. His face darkened, frustration creeping in. "Finally," he muttered under his breath, stepping away to answer the call.

Everyone at the table exchanged a look, knowing that Barry always brought some kind of trouble.

"He'll be fine," Sarah reassured Heather, noticing the concern in her eyes.

A few minutes later, Rafe returned, his expression a mix of annoyance and relief. "Barry wants to meet later. We'll see how that goes," he said, sitting back down.

"Well, don't let him ruin your day," Tyler said, patting his friend on the back. "We've got more important things to focus on—like convincing our dads to let the Pogues party instead of work."

Rafe chuckled, and the tension eased from his face. "Good luck with that," he said, but there was a lighter tone to his voice now. He looked over at Pope and said, "By the way, I know I can be a dick sometimes, but... thanks for coming last night."

Pope raised an eyebrow, surprised by the unexpected gesture. "Uh, yeah, sure. No problem."

JJ leaned back in his chair, smirking. "Look at that—Heather's making Rafe go soft."

The whole group burst out laughing, even Rafe, who shook his head but didn't deny it.

By the time breakfast wrapped up, they had their plan in place. Heather and Sarah would pitch the idea to their dads, and by tomorrow, the Pogues might actually get to enjoy the midsummer party.

As everyone got ready to head out, Rafe pulled Heather aside.

"Tomorrow's going to be fun," he said softly, squeezing her hand. "We'll figure it out."

Heather smiled up at him. "I'm looking forward to it."

And as they parted ways for the day, Heather couldn't shake the feeling that whatever was happening between them, it was the beginning of something real. Something that just might change everything.