Rafe Cameron Imagines

All I've Been Thinking About🤍

The sun was starting to set over the horizon, casting a warm golden glow across the OBX. You stood at the edge of the water, feeling the cold waves tickling your feet as they lapped against the shore. The salty air wrapped around you like an old, familiar comfort, but it couldn't quite ease the turmoil inside. You felt like you were carrying something heavy that no one else could see. You'd been struggling with that weight for weeks, and no matter how much you tried to push it down, it always resurfaced, leaving you paralyzed by doubt.

You hadn't meant to meet up with Rafe tonight. Not really. But the message he sent earlier was impossible to ignore: "Meet me at the beach. We need to talk."

And so, here you were. Out in the open, trying to outrun the thoughts that kept gnawing at you. The tension that hung between you and Rafe was undeniable. There was something there—something real—but every time you tried to take a step closer, fear held you back. You had been hurt before. Too many times. Too deeply. And the thought of trusting someone again made your heart race in the wrong way.

The sound of footsteps on the sand broke through your thoughts, and you turned just as Rafe appeared from behind a rock formation, his usual confident swagger replaced by something quieter, more intense. His expression softened when he saw you, but there was an edge of concern there, too. He knew something was off.

"Hey," he greeted, his voice warm and familiar. His gaze lingered on you for a moment, like he was searching for something in your eyes. "You okay?"

You swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. "Yeah," you lied. You couldn't let him know how much you were struggling, how much the weight of your past was crushing you. You didn't want him to see the cracks in your armor, even though you knew he could probably see them anyway.

"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow, stepping closer, the sound of his boots in the sand punctuating the silence between you. "You sure?"

You shrugged, your gaze drifting back to the ocean. "I'm just... thinking. I guess. About things."

Rafe was quiet for a moment, taking in your words and the tension in your body. He had always been good at reading you, even when you didn't say much. That was the problem. You'd gotten so used to keeping things inside, to pretending that everything was fine when it wasn't, that it was hard to know how to let someone in.

"I can tell something's bothering you," Rafe said gently, taking another step closer. "You've been distant lately, and I don't like seeing you like this."

His words hit you harder than you expected. Rafe didn't just notice the little things; he noticed you. He noticed when something was off, and he didn't just brush it off. He cared. And that was both comforting and terrifying. Because you had no idea how to deal with someone who cared about you like that.

"It's not you," you said quickly, trying to reassure him, even though you knew it probably wasn't enough. "It's just... I don't know if I'm ready for all of this, Rafe."

"Ready for what?" he asked, his voice low and sincere.

You took a deep breath, fighting back the overwhelming emotions that surged inside of you. "For anything. For... this. For you and me."

Rafe's expression shifted slightly. His eyes softened, and he reached out, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear, the touch tender but filled with intent. "You don't have to be ready right now. You just have to be honest with me. I can handle it. But I need you to let me in, because I can't keep guessing what's going on in your head."

Your chest tightened, and for a moment, you found yourself holding back tears. Rafe didn't deserve your walls. He didn't deserve the fear you carried around like a chain around your heart. But the truth was, you didn't know how to let them go. Not yet.

"I'm scared, Rafe," you whispered, your voice barely audible over the crashing waves. "I've been hurt before. I trusted someone, and they... they didn't treat me the way I deserved. They didn't respect me, and now... now it's hard to trust anyone."

Rafe's face softened even more, and for the first time, you saw something in his eyes that wasn't just desire or attraction—it was understanding. He stepped even closer, now standing right in front of you. You could feel the heat of his body, the pull of him, but you were frozen, afraid to move, afraid to let him in.

"I get it," he said quietly. "You've been through a lot. And I'm not asking you to forget it. But I want to be the one to show you that not everyone will hurt you. Not everyone will break your heart. If you were mine, I'd never let anyone hurt you. Not a chance in hell."

You looked up at him, your breath catching in your throat at the sincerity in his words. Rafe's hand found yours, gently coaxing you to look him in the eyes. His thumb brushed over the back of your hand, sending a shiver down your spine.

"I want to dry those tears, kiss those lips, make you feel like the most important person in the world," Rafe continued, his voice low, almost as if he were confessing something he had been holding onto for too long. "It's all that I've been thinking about. I can't stop thinking about you, about what we could have. But I can't do this alone. I need you to take the leap with me."

The world around you seemed to fade away as his words sank deep into your heart. For the first time in what felt like forever, you allowed yourself to believe that maybe, just maybe, you were worthy of the kind of love Rafe was offering. Maybe you didn't have to hold on to the past anymore.

"I'm scared," you admitted, your voice barely above a whisper. "What if I can't trust you? What if I'm just too broken?"

Rafe gently cupped your face, tilting your head so you were forced to meet his gaze. "You're not broken. You're hurt. And I can help you with that. I'm not going anywhere. I won't give up on you, not when I'm this sure about us."

Your heart beat faster in your chest, the walls around you starting to crumble, piece by piece. "What if I mess it up? What if I can't be the person you want?"

Rafe leaned in closer, his lips brushing against your forehead in a gentle, comforting kiss. "You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to have it all together. All I want is you, the real you, flaws and all."

You closed your eyes, letting his words wash over you, the sincerity in his voice melting the last of your doubts. When you opened your eyes again, you knew what you had to do.

"I'm not ready to promise everything," you whispered, your voice shaky but filled with determination. "But I want to try. I want to be with you, Rafe. I just need to know that you'll be there, even when it gets hard."

Rafe's smile was brighter than the setting sun, full of warmth and hope. He pulled you closer, wrapping his arms around you in a tight embrace. "I swear, I'll be here. I'll never let you go. And I'll never let anyone hurt you again. You have my word."

The promise in his voice made your heart swell, and for the first time in a long time, you felt like you could trust again. With Rafe by your side, you knew you weren't alone.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, you finally let yourself give in to the feeling you'd been avoiding. You pressed your lips to his, your fears and doubts fading into the background. In that moment, all that mattered was the promise he made and the future you were willing to build together.