Sovereign [rafe cameron]

three

may i?

After leaving the party, Rafe went to a familiar rundown house deep in the woods. He got off his dirt bike, knocking the kickstand down, and walked towards the door, pounding on it.

The door slowly creaked open, "Country Club, what a surprise," Barry spoke out in his chill voice. He turned around to walk back inside while Rafe followed.

"I need a bag," He mumbled out, not being able to stand still. He watched as Barry left for his bedroom and came out minutes later with a small baggie filled with the sparse white powder.

Barry threw the bag to the erratic boy who kept shifting in his place, "Pay up," he stated, holding his hand out.

Rafe pulled a wad of cash out of his back pocket and threw it to Barry in the same manor. Once the dealer counted the correct amount, Rafe immediately left.

He couldn't blame Harper for his craving for the drug at the moment, he could only blame himself. If she found out that he was addicted, she would never trust him again. But that didn't stop Rafe from pouring a small amount of the powder on his dresser when he got home. He stared at the white line for a spilt second before bending over and inhaling it all.

The girl that caused Rafe to put himself in this situation may be the only person that could get him out of it.

"You look like shit, man," Topper said to his friend when he showed up at the Island Club. The bags under Rafe's eyes were dark purple, his hair wasn't slicked back, and he had on simple athletic shorts and a t-shirt.

Rafe ignored the boy and started with his workout, trying to get his mind off of the events from last night. He pushed himself more than usually, lifting the most he could possibly handle.

When Rafe was at one of the squat racks facing the mirror, he saw the reflection of a familiar face walking by the pool. He saw how she smiled at every person she walked passed, yet when she saw him in the mirror, her smile faded.

Harper moved her gaze to her feet and continued on her way towards the cafe. Usually Harper would make a sarcastic remark towards the boy, but she didn't have the energy.

Rafe watched as the girl walked with her head down and entered the building across from the gym. He wasn't in the mood to continue his workout so he decided on going to the showers. He took his time, letting the steaming water run down his face and body.

Once he got out, he wrapped a towel around his waist, letting sit right below his hips. It was when Rafe was stood in front of a mirror, that was conveniently by the door, when it swung open.

"What do you mean lawsuit?!" Harper frantically asked, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose with her eyes closed. Rafe forced out a cough, causing Harper's eyes to shoot open.

She saw the Cameron boy standing in front of her, only covered by a towel and his body still wet, "Shit. Fuck." Harper rambled before quickly walking out the door, "Not the women's!" She shouted back through the door.

Rafe shook his head and laughed at the girl, knowing she's exactly the type of person to accidentally walk into the wrong bathroom. Even if it was a place she's gone to her whole life.

While Rafe was getting dressed, he was thinking back on what Harper was saying when she walked in. Lawsuit? He walked out of the locker room to see her pacing back and forth down the hall.

"Harper?" Rafe spoke, the girl still pacing, "Hey, Harp." He spoke softer. Harper stopped in her place and looked up at the boy, the height difference between them being nine inches.

"We're being threatened with a lawsuit if we cut off a pipeline in the South Atlantic," She spoke quickly, tugging at the roots of her hair, "My dad just told me that we already started work on transferring the pipeline to the North Atlantic."

"Was there a contract?"

"Yeah."

"What were the agreements?"

"Uh, that's it! There's a breach of contract because they've missed February bill payment!" Harper shouted excitedly, "You're a genius!"

Harper hurried her way down the hall, "It wasn't that hard to figure out!" Rafe shouted after her. Before Harper turned the corner, she flipped Rafe off without looking at him.

Rafe stood in the same spot, staring at where the girl disappeared. Right before he began to walk away, Harper popped her head around the corner, "Thank you, Rafe."

He smiled at her before she disappeared once again. It was a simple interaction, but it felt like a step towards a friendship.

Back at Harper's house, she was able to stop the lawsuit and continue work on transferring the pipeline. Part of her was upset with herself that she didn't realize the breach on her own, but the other part of her was thankful for Rafe.

Harper got everything settled before she took some time on the balcony. She was finishing a book when her phone buzzed slightly on the side table.

"Creek?" Was all the message from Rafe entailed, but Harper understood the single word.

FLASHBACK

"No! Don't get my clothes wet! Rafe, stop!" Harper was laughing harder than she ever had before. Rafe was holding her by the waist, his grip tight on the girl as he stood over the hidden creek they had earlier found.

"Rafe, please!" She shouted again, still in a laughing fit.

"Fine, fine," Rafe huffed, backing away from the edge, but still keep his tight hold on the girl. Before she was able to squirm away, Rafe turn around and ran towards the edge, jumping into the water with Harper.

The creek wasn't very deep, but Harper still couldn't touch the bottom. Once she resurfaced, she gave Rafe a mean glare before splashing him with water. Rafe, being tall enough to touch the bottom, walked over to the girl. He pulled Harper closer to him, wrapping her legs around his waste so she didn't have to stay afloat.

"My clothes are wet," She huffed, staring into Rafe's eyes which were now only inches away. He smirked at her pouting face, moving some wet hair out of her face.

He thought she was beautiful, inside and out. His gaze lowered to her lips, water droplets lying on top of them. Her mouth gaped open slightly when she realized what his eyes were locked on.

"May I?" Rafe innocently asked. Harper nodded her head slowly, knowing exactly what he wanted. The boy closed the gap between the two, locking their lips together.

END OF FLASHBACK

"On my way."