'Safe with Rafe' Y/N x Rafe Cameron

Chapter XCV

Jj was abnormally reserved. He had never been known to hold his tongue, he was normally an intense person to be around but tonight, he was so quiet that it even weirded out Kie.
She wasn't texting Pope at all. Actually, she was texting you.

Ding!
Kie: Has Jj said anything to you? He's being weird.

You look up to see her eyeballing you from across the table, searching your face for an answer as you think. You think back to only a few moments ago when he stopped himself short from getting whatever it was off of his chest. Yeah, it was a little bit odd coming from Jj but when you think about it, whatever it is, it must be weighing on him heavily if even Kie is worried about him.

You glance over at Jj quickly to see him fiddling with a cup coaster in his hand, tapping it on the tables wood repeatedly before meeting your eyes for himself. He quickly looks away when he notices you already looking at him and awkwardly shifts in his seat.

Kie: See what I mean?

He wasn't like this on the boat...

Kie: Maybe he regrets coming here?

You begin to really wonder before deciding to ask him for yourself but as you put your phone down and lean in a little more to ask, he stands up, making his way over to the bar instead.
"That would've had to be on purpose." Kie says as she watches him push past people.
"Pfttt..." You sigh, "He's probably just tired, he was all for coming here back at the docks."
"True..."

"So you guys did get the table!"
You look up to see Sarah standing behind you with one hand rested on your shoulder and in her other is a colourfully gradient drink, a slushy that smelled strongly of vodka and a tiny umbrella to top it off.
"That looks fancy! What is it?" Kie asks.
"Just a tropical slushy, they add a shot of whatever you like for a few dollars extra." John B says as he takes a seat, "Where's everybody gone?"
Kie points over to the bar that Pope stands at as he waits for his drinks with Rafe who was waiting for his own drink as well as yours.
"They're getting themself fixed up with beers or whatever, but I want one of those." Kie adds as she gestures towards Sarah's exotic drink.
"Want me to show you which bar to get it from? Each bar serves different drinks." Sarah says.
"Um, hell yes?"
"I'll come with you, just in case." John B says, "Y/N, you coming?"
"I should probably guard the table, Rafe is still getting our drinks so I won't be needing one anyways."
"Alright, we'll be back!" Kie shouts as Sarah drags her towards a bar further away.

The two boys lean against the tall bar by their elbows, arms crossed over their other as they wait.
No words were being exchanged but Pope didn't mind, he knew that besides John B, Rafe didn't particularly feel comfortable just yet around the others. He was still warming up to the pogues and he couldn't be blamed for how long it was taking him, Jj couldn't exactly be the most welcoming person so regardless of all his attempts at keeping him out, Pope was just happy to see Rafe trying; for you.
"I see things are going well with Y/N." Pope says, ridding the tension from between them.
Rafe smiles as his head hangs low above his arms, happily in love which made Pope smile too.
"Really, she's glowing these days." Pope adds.
"Hmph," Rafe huffs, "with all the shit I've gotten her mixed up in, I don't know why she stays."
"It's in her nature."

Rafe smiles softly at Popes words, it was true what he said. Staying persistent and optimistic was always in your nature, ever since you were a kid who was forced to parent her parents, all the way up to now.

You sit at the table on your own while every other stranger around you socialises with their friends, it was almost embarrassing how alone you were in such a lively place but you wait around anyways since Rafe was expected to come back any second now with Pope.
You pull out your phone, fiddling around with its screen at random to distract yourself when a whistle can be heard from behind you like somebody was whistling at you like you were some type of dog. Although the place was booming with music, the table you sat at was closer to being backed into a corner than it was in the centre so anything from behind you rather than ahead, was quite prominent.

You ignore it at first until the whistles started to become rowdier, restless for attention. Fed up with the grotesque behaviour of the boy, you turn around at last to see about three sitting at a table behind you. The one whistling was sitting on top of the table while the other two were seated more respectfully on its chairs, one was amused and the other seemed more embarrassed than anything.
"Hey!" The boorish one calls out, "If your friends have all ditched you, you're welcome to sit with us!"
You stare at him unamused as he starts to wave you over before rolling your eyes and turning back around, minding your own business again.
"Don't be shy!" He adds, this time though, you're approached only moments after.
The embarrassed one, the quietest of the boys stands beside you, evidently nervous or perhaps shy as he anxiously rubs the back of his neck and unable to keep up eye contact for anything more than a few seconds at a time.
"I'm uh-" He begins before being interrupted by the loud one.
"That's our boy!"
"I'm sorry. Uh- about my friend and about coming up to you like this..." He says with a small, wavering smile, "I saw you walk in and now I see you're all alone so I thought maybe-"
Your body, which was tense without your own recognition starts to ease as he speaks. He seemed genuine and even a little more considerate than his friend, he was definitely the odd one out and not only within his friend group either but quite possibly the entire club. He seemed geeky but kind.

Before you know it, you had lost yourself in a trance as he continued to drone boringly on and on, stuttering nervously over his words as he try's to work his way up to ask you for a dance.
That was until something heavy slams down on the table in front of you without warning and startling the nervous guy to a sudden silence.
A beer bottle.

You stare stunned at the beer bottle as it foams from impact before you begin to look up, following up the length of the arm to see Rafe standing in front of the awkward stranger, his arm outstretched between you and the man like a boundary after placing his beer down with a forceful thump.

Pope stands cautiously behind Rafe as he waits patiently for the other man to leave your side. Pope was ready for the worst but Rafes face was surprisingly unreadable, distinctly calm like the Dead Sea but somewhere in his eyes was a warning.
"Rafe, you're back-" You say, causing the stranger to choke on his words again.
"Oh- uh, you're the friend from earlier-"
"Boyfriend." Rafe corrects.
The anxiety in the mans stance escalates as he stares scared stiff at Rafe, "...Sorry, I'll just-" He mumbles before cowardly walking back to his friends in shame as they laugh at his attempt at approaching a girl, which softened you up quite a bit to him.
"I leave you for five minutes and your friends abandon you, what's happening?" Rafe asks, unhappily.
"They went to get drinks."
"All of them? Not even Jj could stay to keep you company?"
"Yeah about that, somethings wrong with Jj."
"Pshh- There's always been something wrong with Jj..." He huffs, "...hey."
"Mhm?"
"Who was that?"