𝙍𝙄𝙋𝙏𝙄𝘿𝙀 BOOK ONE || 𝐑𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐁𝐗 𝐅𝐢𝐜

𝔘𝔫𝔡𝔢𝔯 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔄𝔫𝔤𝔢𝔩 𝔒𝔞𝔨

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ : invisible string - Taylor Swift

⇄ ◃◃ ⅠⅠ ▹▹ ↻

0:46 ———|———— -4:12

𝐼𝓈𝓃'𝓉 𝒾𝓉 𝒿𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝓈𝑜 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓉𝓉𝓎 𝓉𝑜 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀

𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒

𝐼𝓃𝓋𝒾𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔

𝒯𝓎𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝓂𝑒?

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

As Isla showered out in the front yard, using a bowl of water and soap. Rafe laughed at his girl embracing country life, despite them having running water in the shower. Walking into his parents old room, he sat on the edge of his mothers side of the bed, holding her pearls in his hands. Hearing her words ringing in his head. Over and over again. The emptiness and sparseness of his memories of her, letting her voice echo through.

"Love, Rafe, is not just about words or grand gestures. It's about being there for someone through thick and thin, even when it's hard. And sometimes, it means being brave enough to break the cycle of pain that you've seen, to choose a different path. Your father might tell you differently, but you have the power to be different. You have the power to love fiercely and honestly, without reservation. And when you find someone who fits into a piece of your soul, who fills your days with light and warmth, don't be afraid to tell them. To love is the the bravest thing we can do."

He ran his mothers necklace around his wrist, pocketing it and headed to the kitchen pouring a mug of rosé he'd bought with his fake ID. Isla lay back on the couch, book in hand. "Do you think that maybe Sarah already knows?" She asked, the thought causing her to snap her book shut, sitting up taking the cup from him.

"No." He shook his head, "I told her I was staying with some mates for a while, she didn't even bat an eye." He shrugged, sitting beside her as she kicked her feet into his lap. "Why, what did you tell her?"

"I sent her a text as we drove over." Isla sipped her wine pensively, "I told her that I needed some time to clear my head after everything the other night. She didn't like the idea but I said that I just needed some space from everyone."

Rafe rubbed her legs sweetly, "I promise you, I just need a little time to sort this all out. But we will tell her."

But it wasn't like she could say, "hey Sarah, I think I've been hooking up with your brother..." Just for Sarah to ask if that meant they were together. "Yeah I mean, no he hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend, but it was totally worth ruining our friendship over!"

She couldn't help but wonder what they would even say, it wasn't like they had really spoken about it either. Not really, she knew they belonged to each other and that was good enough for her - but was that worth risking her best friend's trust?

Isla chewed her cheek, unsure to speak her mind or not, every word running through her mind was another piece threatening to balance in their delicate equilibrium. Afraid that at any moment, all of this happiness would just become some old memory you look back on, like a old diaries and scrapbooks you find coated in dust under your bed.

"Hey, I mean it Isla - I just need some time, you can trust me." He reassured her, wrapping his arms around her as they on the couch watching the sun setting over the trees out of the open doorway.