angel - rafe cameron (outerbanks)

10 - i hate you

chapter 38
i hate you

the next afternoon, angie had barely touched her lunch when the doorbell rang. she was sitting in the kitchen, picking at her peanut butter sandwich, trying to distract herself. her parents were out. they had a meeting with ward, something about business deals and charity work. the usual. she never paid attention to their meetings anymore. it was always the same conversations, only with different names and faces. but today, it felt like a weight on her chest, a reminder of everything she had tried to ignore in the last few days.

then the doorbell rang.

angie didn't even need to guess who it was.

she glanced at her phone sitting on the counter, still with those five unanswered texts from rafe, followed by sixteen missed calls. her stomach churned. she should've deleted them by now, but something kept her from doing it. maybe it was the fear of what would happen if she acknowledged them, or maybe it was the way they made her feel. she couldn't pinpoint it, but that moment, when she heard the sound of his footsteps outside her door, she knew it was him.

with a huff, she stood and walked toward the front door, feeling the heat rise in her chest. her hand hovered over the doorknob, and for a second, she almost considered not opening it. but she couldn't avoid him forever. and maybe, just maybe, she needed to face whatever this was—before it spiraled any further.

when she opened the door, the sight of rafe standing there was almost too much. he was high, she could tell by the glazed look in his eyes, the way he swayed on his feet. his hair, usually messy, looked even more disheveled than usual. and the faint smell of weed and alcohol clung to him like an old friend.

rafe's eyes flickered with recognition when he saw her, and for a split second, he looked almost relieved. but it didn't last long.

"angel," he slurred, his voice thick with confusion and frustration. "you've been ignoring me."

angie crossed her arms over her chest, her fingers trembling slightly as she tried to contain the rush of emotions threatening to break free.

"you're high." she took a step back, intending to shut the door, but rafe was quicker. his foot wedged in the doorway, stopping her from closing it completely. she sighed, her patience running thin. "what the hell do you want?"

"why've you been ignoring me?" he asked again, his voice quieter now, but still tinged with desperation. "what did i do? why won't you answer me?"

she didn't respond. she couldn't. the anger, the hurt, the confusion—it all tangled inside her like a knot she couldn't untie. she didn't want to hear his voice right now. didn't want to look at him.

he pushed the door open with ease, stepping into the hallway without waiting for an invitation. the space between them seemed to shrink, and angie felt her pulse quicken. he was too close.

"angie, answer me," rafe demanded, his voice rising. "why are you doing this? what did i do to you? why won't you talk to me?"

"i'm not doing this, right now." angie finally said, her voice small but firm. "i don't want to talk to you."

his face twisted, his jaw clenching. "you're making me crazy. you're in my head all of the fucking time." his voice had shifted from desperation to frustration, the words coming out in a sharp burst, like they had been waiting to escape for far too long. he began hitting the side of his head, "you're in here, constantly, and i can't get you out."

angie stayed silent, her fists clenched at her sides. the tears threatened again, but she held them back, refusing to give him that satisfaction. rafe's expression faltered for a second, his gaze softening before hardening again. he looked at her, like he was trying to figure out what was going on inside her head. "why won't you answer me? where were you last night?"