When He Leaves - R. Cameron

8 𝑤𝑒'𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑒, 𝑦𝑜𝑢 & 𝑖

𝑤𝑒'𝑙𝑙 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑣𝑖𝑣𝑒,
𝑦𝑜𝑢 & 𝑖

summer of '19

          "Thanks, man." Rafe said with a fake smile, handing him over the two hundred dollars it cost to keep Rory's jeep on the impound lot. He had got Topper to drop him off, giving him an excuse that the truck had been towed. It wasn't that he didn't want his best friend to know he was hanging out with Rory, but he also did not want her to get shit for it later. He could picture her in the bathroom that day— pitiful eyes, tears on her cheeks, and a vulnerable voice. He never wanted to see that again.

         It was dark, and he had told her he would have it back to her today. And he was ten minutes away, but his dad called him. He answered it immediately, knowing what happened last time he ignored him. "Hey." He said and swallowed, looking in the rearview mirror before he turned. It was silent for a second, aside from his stepmom's voice in the background.

          Ward cleared his throat and a door shut. "Where are you? I told you no more screwing around." He said, in that authoritative tone. Rafe pressed his lips together and held back a sigh. "I'm taking my friend her car back. The one you towed." He said and did not realize his mistake. Do not back talk.

          "Do not back talk me, son." And there it was. He rolled his eyes. "I need you home now. You can take it to her tomorrow." And then the line went dead. He really thought about listening, but he was coming up on her house. Her dad's truck was gone, and he wondered if he pulled the disappearing act again like Rory said he did.

          Rafe got out and knocked on the front door. He waited for a minute before knocking again. Rory flung the door open with a wild look in her eyes before she realized it was him. She blinked at him and crossed her arms over her chest, wrapping the flannel close to her body. He noticed it was his and smirked. It nearly covered the sleep shorts she wore. "Hey. Where's the old man at?" He asked and peeked inside.

          "I don't know." Rory peered around him, her soft hair brushing his bare arm. He watched her closely, towering over her small frame. "You brought my jeep." She said with a shy smile and backed up for him to step through the door. He shut it behind him and followed her, noticing how clean it was compared to earlier. She went down the hall and went up a set of stairs.

          She turned to look at him over her shoulder, her bright eyes looking up at him. "We could sit in the living room, but I'm not sure when my dad will be back." She explained with an uneasy smile before going into her room. He stopped in the door, pressing his tongue into his cheek as he observed the space. There was a window with the blinds pulled up and curtains pulled aside to face the ocean and the moon high in the sky. Her bed was made up of white sheets and the room smelled like her— coconuts and vanilla.

          She sat on her bed and stared at him, uncertain of his intentions. "My ass is going to be beat when I get home." He grinned at her, plopping on the bed and resting his head back on the mattress. She watched him get comfortable with an unknown look in her eye. "Why?" She asked and brushed her hair behind her ear— he loved her hair, there was nothing like it. It was a variety of waves and curls and brown.

          Rafe sighed and rested an arm behind his head so he could better look at her. Her eyes flickered to his shirt sleeve pulling tight around his bicep. "I'm supposed to be home." He said, and swallowed the uneasy feeling back. He was half joking about the beating-his-ass part. "Then go." She said, her voice hitching in panic. "Oh, wait. How are you going to get home?"

           He stared at her for a moment, watching her in the dim light of the lamp beside her bed. "I can call Topper or someone." He shrugged and closed his eyes, tilting his head back comfortably. His eyes were heavy with sleep— he did not sleep good last night, besides for the couple hours he was pressed up against Rory.  "No, I can take you." She said and stood up. He stretched his arm out and grabbed her wrist, tugging her back on the bed.