Amnesiac

CHAPTER 7

Rafe's gaze was encouraging, blue eyes soft and smile small. The box before you was fairly big, and when you asked Rafe what was in it, he'd told you that it was a surprise. You felt nervous and confused, hesitantly reaching for it and pulling it closer. Your heart swelled at this gesture, thinking about how things had been weird between you two lately.

After the night where you'd gotten so drunk, you were much more reserved around Rafe, and he noticed. Part of you felt bad whenever you went to bed with your back turned towards the door or you woke up long before him, but you really didn't know how to feel. On one hand, Rafe's eagerness for his own girlfriend was understandable, but on the other... His aggression unnerved you. It reminded you of the Rafe from your memories, the version that was mean and careless with his words. Not the Rafe that was sitting before you.

Then there was the matter of The Wreck.

That shade of blond hair and that raspy voice was so familiar to you. It scratched an itch in your brain, mulling over the encounter days later. You weren't stupid. At least, you liked to think that you weren't, so it seemed logical to assume that that was JJ. The guy missing from all of your pictures. The guy who got underneath Rafe's skin so bad that it had almost ruined your relationship again. The guy who you were apparently closer to than Rafe and even Sarah.

There were so many gaps in your memory, furthering your confusion once combined with what you were being told.

Swallowing a sigh, you opened the box, pausing at the pretty shade of yellow you were met with. You could feel Rafe's gaze on you as you set the top aside, slowly reaching out to finger the chiffon material of the . It was simple, but not boring, strapless and long, and clearly made to move like water around you.

You opened and closed your mouth, at a loss for words before asking the occasion.

"Its for Midsummers."

That term did ring a bell, and when you thought really hard, you had faint memories of nicely dressed people and extravagance and music.

"We always went together," he told you. "Not as a couple. This year would be a first for that, but..."

Rafe moved closer, taking your hand.

"It's always been a little tradition of ours," he said, making you smile. "We'd make fun of whatever headpiece Rose decided to wear and sneak off with some drinks that definitely weren't meant for us."

Rafe chuckled, and you looked back down to the dress.

"Do you like it?" he finally asked.

"Yeah," you honestly answered with a nod. "It's really pretty."

Rafe's gaze was expectant when your eyes met his again, and you leaned over to kiss him. Rafe's lips chased yours when you pulled away, and you chuckled to yourself when he kissed you again.

"I think I'm going to take it home," you slowly told him, watching the slight frown form on his face.

"Home?"

You shrugged.

"My parents have been back for...what? A few weeks now? I know you said our relationship wasn't the best, but I have to admit. I don't like that they haven't even reached out to me aside from the odd phone call or two."

Rafe watched the way your face fell.

"I guess it'll have to be on me to reconnect with them and familiarize myself with the house and parents I grew up with," you said.

Rafe looked unsure, and you knew that he liked having you here with him and his family.

"Are you sure...?"