𝙍𝙄𝙋𝙏𝙄𝘿𝙀 BOOK ONE || 𝐑𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐁𝐗 𝐅𝐢𝐜

𝔅𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔡 𝔟𝔶 𝔅𝔩𝔬𝔬𝔡

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby - Cigarettes After Sex

⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

2:40 ———|———— -4:46

𝒩𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔'𝓈 𝑔𝑜𝓃𝓃𝒶 𝒽𝓊𝓇𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊, 𝒷𝒶𝒷𝓎

𝒩𝑜𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔'𝓈 𝑔𝑜𝓃𝓃𝒶 𝓉𝒶𝓀𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝒻𝓇𝑜𝓂 𝓂𝓎 𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Pulling into Isla's driveway, Rafe looked up in the rearview mirror, trying to rub the dried blood from around his mouth.

"Come on," Isla jumped out, "I'll clean you up." She felt a hand on her lower back gently, as she unlocked her door. 

Something about it was strange to her, how easy it was to pretend with him like they were fully grown. Walking into her house, a part of her liked the feeling that this could be their home, of what it might be like to walk through the door of their own place. 

Rafe, having never been to her house, fit in like he was a part of the furniture. Something about his presence always felt right in hers. 

"It's exactly how I thought it would be." He said aloud leaning against the counter looking around, she turned to him with a glass of water for both of them. 

She leaned on the island opposite him biting her lip. "Yeah?"

He nodded to himself, putting the glass down. "Yeah, but I mean, there's no trace of a family living here?" He asked her, gesturing to the photos of her parents wedding day on the mantle and none of her, alongside her tennis tournament trophies and her parents doctorates.

Isla shrugged to herself, "they like it like that." She explained, hopping up to sit on the island. 

"Your parents?" Rafe asked. 

She nodded, "yeah, I mean I think they only had a kid to please my great grandma." Isla laughed, her voice mixed with an undercurrent of loneliness.

"You two were close right?" He questioned, she looked at him surprised at how much information he had collected over all their years of knowing each other. "I always saw you with her on Sundays, wearing those little church outfits." He smirked.

"Yeah well, she always liked me best in them. I don't know, I feel like sometimes she raised me more than my mom did." Isla sipped the ice water, relieved to finally be sober. 

"I always thought you looked like an angel like that." Rafe admitted, "you'd wear those bows in your hair with those fancy gloves, shiny white shoes and socks." 

Isla looked at him, a part of her realising that over all these years, he had thought of her all along. That while she had been admiring him in his suits with his hair slicked back, he had been looking at her too. "But you always pulled on my ponytail." She pointed out.

"Hey, I was like eleven. Besides, you were always too busy with Sarah fussing over little Wheezie." He rolled his eyes at her, "mom use to tell me off for it too." He laughed to himself.

It was the only time she had seen him smile talking about his mom. "She was really pretty," Isla remembered, "she use to always wear a pearl necklace." 

Rafe nodded, "yeah," he sighed, "she always said to be sweet to you. She'd go on and on about it whenever you came over for a playdate, she said when I was older I'd understand."