outerbanks imagines.

dinner dates-rafe

y/n l/n is bored out of her mind,
to say the least.
between the repetition in food that remains in the cabinets and the no new tv shows,
she is bored.
just until the vibrating of her phone beside her offers her a breach in this apathy. 
"hey pretty,"
rafe greets with a voice so bright that y/n can't help but smile.
"hi."
"what are you up to?"
y/n sighs when she answers,
"literally nothing. i'm on my fourth rewatch of this show."
rafe laughs from the other end.
"let's go out and get something to eat."
"ugh, please. i'm sick of ramen."
when the pair agree on a place and time,
y/n wastes not another second before she's up and readying herself.
she knows rafe loves her in all her beauty when she's both casually comfortable and glammed out,
so she decides on an outfit that falls right in the middle.
something that compliments her figure of godliness but allows her an evening of easiness.
she does her makeup as one might,
tidies her hair up,
slips on her shoes and is done just in time for rafe to arrive.
when y/n piles into the passenger seat,
she leans over his console and presses a greeting kiss  to his cheek.
rafe closes his eyes beneath this kind act then turns to face her completely.
"you look beautiful,"
he says while allowing a finger to caress down her cheek.
"yeah? i thought you might like this."
she looks down at her outfit in reference.
"you were absolutely right."
y/n relaxes into the seat with a wide smile.
the little moments with rafe,
such as this,
is what keeps y/n's going.
it's the wind in her lungs,
the blood in her veins,
the colors in her brain.
she exists beside rafe.
rafe cameron is no expert in love,
he just knows y/n is the greatest thing to happen to him so he showers her with affection in thanks.
and he admires her greatly;
he once said that he could find her any and everywhere,
that in each of his steps comes the syllables of her name,
pulling him closer to where she remains.
y/n giggled when she first heard it but thought of it as something romantic.
the two are rather perfect for each other.
the summer is just beginning,
meaning the air is cool with springtime residue,
the mosquitos are waiting to begin their reign of terror.
the sun is high and warm in the bluest of skies,
giving them only a taste of what's to come in her golden prime.
the music spills from rafe's car speakers at a low volume though it can still be heard over their laughter and words of enamor.
it's the greatest time of their lives,
and it's only just beginning
when the pair finally arrive to the restaurant that rafe realizes has become y/n's favorite,
their conversation does not die at any given moment.
up until y/n is distracted by the waiter when she goes to put her order in.
rafe can't help but admire her in this time of her distraction.
the way her hands move when she talks,
the timidness ringing true in her cheeks,
those eyes that hold a million truths and have been rafe's for the keeping.
there is no doubt that rafe cameron is wholeheartedly in love with the divine feminine before him.
when he goes and orders,
y/n does the very same.
she takes note of his expressive manners that often only show in his eyes,
the tapping of his index finger to the table,
every freckle kissing his nose and cheeks.
when he returns to their conversation,
both of their smiles are wide and can only be worn by people filled to the brim with love.
"here is your drink,"
the waiter says while placing rafe's drink in front of his.
"and here is your drink, beautiful."
y/n is surprised beneath such a compliment,
but she smiles in return anyways.
it's the south,
she figures,
these kinds of indications are hard to escape.
but rafe can see right through this sleazy waiter.
though he keeps his mouth shut.
there is no doubting that y/n is a beautiful girl and letting her slip away without being told that should be considered a crime.
"are we ready to order?"
rafe waits for y/n's cue then nods for her to order first.
it's the gentleman's thing to do,
he always says,
to let his lady order first.
so y/n scans the menu one last time then asks,
"which is better?"
the waiter and his all too eager eyes follow y/n's finger between the choices.
rafe thinks he's getting a little too close to her,
intruding on her personal space and his prized possession of a girlfriend.
"mm, definitely this one. and i think with your beautiful figure, it won't do any damage."
the comment sends alarms blaring off in rafe's mind,
all to the tune of:
what the hell?
y/n nods in agreement and puts her order in with doe-eyes,
though she tries to hide them.
but how can she?
rafe has studied them in all their complex purity,
he's traced them time and time again in his mind,
he's let the image of them be burned into his memory.
there is no hiding it.
rafe remembers a time when he used to compliment y/n,
how she'd hide behind her hair or her hands to shield herself away from such praise. 
now here she is,
accepting them with eyes meant to be reserved for him.
the boy turns his attention to the outside view of the ocean.
his mind is racing and he can't seem to steady his thoughts.
"is..everything okay?"
y/n asks,
reaching across the table to find his hand.
when she finds it and rafe feels the comfort of her warmly embrace,
all these unresolved issues fall away.
what am i doing?
you're being insecure, dumbass.
rafe takes in a deep breath to cleanse himself then answers her question with,
"yeah i'm okay."
and a small smile to seal this.
"i think the waitress just policed my diet."
y/n exhales a laugh then tries to cover it up with the back of her hand,
but rafe reruns the laugh alongside the shake of his head.
"well, who is he anyways?"
"exactly."
and it's as though nothing ever happened;
as though rafe never felt that chill on his neck that details of jealousy and all its malignancy.
they are free to converse again without any interruptions or any bothers.
just until soon after,
the very waiter,
who rafe is beginning to side eye,
places their food right in front of them.
"here's your food, lovely."
"looks delicious. thank you so much."
rafe watches in painful seconds as the waiter and y/n lock eyes,
smile at each other,
and release laughter that rafe has never heard come from y/n.
he can't explain it.
why am i so threatened?
he knows for certainty that y/n is a beautiful girl with a look even aphrodite would kill for,
he thinks he's rather used to guys staring and trying to gain her attention.
it's just...
y/n always ignores them,
he realizes.
she always turns a blind eye to their stares,
shuts down their advances,
she even laughs at them from time to time.
but now?
she's willingly letting this guy,
some random guy,
flirt with her right in front of him?
she's accepting his compliments with batted eyes and airy giggles?
what the hell are you doing, y/n?
rafe can hardly eat.
he prods at his food to distract himself from this surge in envy.
when y/n notices the clench in rafe's jaw and the refusal to eat,
she knows he's mad.
"is it not any good?"
rafe shrugs in reply.
he doesn't want to ruin their date,
he doesn't want to upset y/n or even accuse her of such insulting acts,
so he stays silent and tries to suppress these feelings.
the dinner passes without an entire word being said by rafe.
though y/n tries to pull an answer out from him,
he doesn't budge.
so she takes the hint and makes herself quiet.
rafe is much oblivious to the hurt rising in her expression,
a hurt he has inflicted by this cold silence.
when y/n asks for the check,
rafe rolls his eyes as the waiter of no good intention skips their way.
"can i have your number?"
he asks y/n as rafe hands him the money.
rafe then let's a chuckle of no humor slip from his lips and hang in the air.
"you've got to be joking."
y/n realizes now.
she can see he's green with jealousy.
"i'm sorry, are you serious? i-i have a boyfriend. i'm literally right here with him,"
y/n explains,
showing her hands towards rafe.
"oh? i thought y'all were cousins or something. that's my bad,"
he explains with a small awkward chuckle.
despite herself,
the comment makes y/n giggle.
she has never heard such an excuse.
rafe suddenly can't find the self restraint anymore.
so instead of doing something he might regret,
as good as it would feel to do so,
he hurries to stand and leave this damned restaurant.
y/n chases after him and says,
"please don't be mad,"
he stops his moving and shakes his head.
"that was real childish, y/n."
she throws her hands up in defeat.
"i didn't know he was gonna do that!"
"how could you not have known? you sat there and flirted with him the entire time. jesus, you might as well have been on a date with him."
"seriously? and you think this isn't at all childish behavior?"
she crosses her arms and stares at him in confusion.
rafe has shown jealously from time to time.
it's an issue they both are actively working on.
but she has never seen him this worked up.
"you didn't exactly make it clear you had a boyfriend, y/n,"
he finally says.
"i was on a date with you and i told him i had a boyfriend, rafe. i couldn't have possibly made it anymore clearer than that."
rafe goes to say something but y/n cuts him off by raising her hand.
"don't even say anything. just take me home."
so rafe does what she's asked of him,
and he takes her home without saying another word.
this tensed quietness gave them time to think of the right words to say.
what rafe could say to fix this and be forgiven,
and what y/n could say to make sure this never happens again.
then the car is parked and y/n decides it's a losing battle.
she needs to sleep.
but rafe reaches out and begins by saying,
"please stay."
the words are light enough to be a whisper,
but so heavy with sorrow that y/n feels herself become still in her seat.
all rafe has known is for people to leave,
and he lets them go.
but here he is...
asking her to stay.
so she does.
"talk to me, please."
y/n turns to face him and says what's been weighing heavy on her chest,
"look, i'm sorry that you thought i was actively flirting, but that does not excuse your behavior. you don't get to ignore me the whole time, you don't get to call me names and you sure as hell don't get to yell at me in a parking lot."
she clears her throat of this rising anger that's making her yell before continuing,
though it fades none,
"if you saw or heard something that you didn't like, you should have said something. i would've fixed it right then and there and none of this would have happened. but you won't swallow your pride. that is nobody's fault but yours, rafe. you don't get to lose all sense of respect for me just because you're angry or-or you're jealous. talk to me like an adult!"
rafe let's his body soak up the words.
even through all their ugliness in the truth,
he accepts them and his behavior.
"you're right. and i'm sorry. i was seeing things that weren't there, from your end at least, and i should have spoken up. and i'm sorry i yelled at you. you didn't at all deserve that just because i was running off of emotions."
y/n doesn't reply.
she just stares at him and tries to fight the tears rising in her eyes.
rafe feels a tenfold heavier with this added guilt.
"i'm a prideful man but i am trying to be better. i'm trying to be better for you so i can love you the way you deserve to be. i mean, you deserve the world and everything it has to offer, y/n. i'm just...i'm just trying to make myself worthy of you and sometimes i lose that fight."
"what are you fighting an imaginary war for, rafe? you don't have to make yourself worthy. you already are. i love you for all that you are and i wish you would just see that."
rafe feels the words fall over him in simple bliss.
all he's ever wanted was to be accepted and loved,
and it's all y/n has shown towards him.
he nearly lost it,
let it slip right tough his fingers,
all in a moment of blinded insecurity.
y/n is in love with him and always has been,
he's been stupid to think otherwise.
an idiot to believe she might leave to find someone else.
"i'm just so in love with you, y/n. i think it scares me sometimes."
"you don't have to be scared, love. there's nothing to be worried about."
rafe rests his tired head full of thoughts against
y/n's,
the mind that knows him inside and out with ease.
"i know what we have can be intense and sometimes nerve wracking, but it's so much more than that. it's light and easy, it's gentle, fun, exploratory, euphoric. these things...they'll happen, but you need to talk to me before it gets like this."
rafe nods in agreement.
"you're the better half of me, y/n. i'll love you for as long as time exists."
y/n smiles now that they've reached peace.
an olive branch has been extended and accepted with gracious hands.
"i love you."
rafe falls reassured under her words of promise then leans to seal their agreement with a kiss full of pleasure and bliss.
and that's how things will forever remain with rafe cameron and his girlfriend of procured divinity:
pleasurable and blissful.