His Choice - Rafe Cameron

34. That's My Girl

The Pogues are outside by the pool, flipping, splashing, tanning and doing typical Pogue stuff when there's a pool around. I didn't go in the pool today, I was sitting in a shaded area with an old easel and canvas that Sarah wasn't using. I did a basic painting of an olive tree which was bring trimmed by the gardeners. 

Once my painting is complete, I take the paintbrushes inside to wash them. 

"Bring back some snacks on your way back." JJ shouts to me before running over to the edge of the pool and flipping over Pope who was bending over, and landing in the water close to John B. 

Sure, I'll go and see what snacks the Cameron's have. 

A Rafe Cameron snack.

I hope he didn't head out this morning before the rest of us woke. I saw his car parked on the driveway, but he might have taken his bike. After cleaning the paint brushes and setting them out on a dish rack to dry, I walk upstairs and knock on Rafe's door, waiting patiently for him to open it. When there is no response, I call out to him.

Someone's footsteps can be heard from around the corner and I expected it to be Rafe, but the shadow that appears is far too short to be Rafe. I take an uncertain step backwards as I wait for the person to appear around the corner. I sigh in relief when I see that it is Wheezie.

"He's in the gym." She says, popping her headphones back on and continuing down the hall towards her room. I head downstairs and into the third garage where the gym is located. I can hear loud music blasting from the other end of the door. When I open it, I see Rafe seated on the bench press with two black dumbbells in either hand. He is shoulder pressing the weights and I watch as his back muscles tense with each thrust that he does into the air. He quietly grunts with every push.

He looks so hot right now and I have only seen him from the back. After finishing the set, Rafe stands up and wipes his face with a towel. When he turns around, I can see sweat all down his abdomen, shining against his skin from the bright lighting on the roof.

"You just going to stand there and watch or are you going to pick up some weights and tone up those scrawny arms?"

"How'd you know I was here?" I ask, stepping into the garage and closing the door behind me. Rafe picks the two dumbbells off the floor and places them on his knees as he sits back down on the bench press. He lifts his left knee in the air to assist him in raising the dumbbell up higher, then proceeds to do the same with his right knee.

"I always know when you're around gorgeous."

My hand wonders across the weight rack and I pick up 10kg dumbbells, not thinking they'd be too heavy. I am severely humbled when I can't even pick them up with one hand from the rack. I move to the smaller side of the rack and pick up 5kg dumbbells instead. I've never been to the gym before. Working on the farm was enough of a workout in itself. Lifting barrels, hay and other stock for weights. Chasing around the chickens and the goats for cardio.

I begin doing bicep curls with the weights as Rafe finishes his next set. He stands up and walks over to me, standing directly behind me. "You need to keep your elbows down by your ribcage so that you don't twist them or injure yourself." He pushes my arms down slightly until my elbows are down by my side. "By extending your arm all the way like this..." he guides my arms down slowly. "You are able to engage the full muscle and get the most out of the movement."

Rafe lets go of my arm as I continue lifting the weights, doing as he instructed.

"Like that?"

"Yeah, good." He moves over to the machine and pulls up a bar from the ground. Rafe parts his legs and bends his knees slightly before leaning forward. He moves the bar up and down in a rowing motion. I place the weights back on the rack and sit on the floor against the wall, watching Rafe workout.