Delicate

chapter twelve

TW mention of rape

Shit it's Ward 

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RAFE'S POV

"Quick get in the closet!" I hiss at Ella. "Coming Dad" I say nonchalantly as I open the door. "Looking good son" he says adjusting my tie. "Whatever. Uh what do you need?" "I need you to keep a watchful eye on Ella for me, with you being at the school and all now you know?" I sure as hell have been doing more than watching Ella. I've touched her, tasted her, kissed her, and gotten the urge to even open up to her. "Why do you need me to do that Dad?", "Well, Rose is worried about her with what happened to her dad and her fighting with her brother and all, plus some things you don't need to know about". "Why can't you make Sarah do it? They spend every second together anyways" I ask him annoyed. "Because son. There are other factors at play here that she can't handle" he says frostily. "What factors!?" I ask starting to get angry. He's making it sound like Ella, my Princess has shady shit going on or something. I don't know what it is exactly but I don't like it. "Nothing you need to know right now!" he says slapping me across the face. "Can't you just be a good son for once and do what I ask?"  "Yeah Dad, of course" I say sounding defeated, and holding back tears. I won't cry, I don't cry, especially not in front of her. "There's my boy" he says cupping my face in his hands and giving me a pat on the back. He leaves and closes the door behind him, and Ella emerges from the closet. Before I can say anything she wraps her arms around me tightly and I lose it. I stand there and I fucking sob in her arms. "He- he made it sound like you did something wrong. I-I-I'm so sorry" I stutter. If I wasn't high there's no way in hell I'd let this happen, but he can't talk about my girl like that.

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ELLA'S POV

He sobs in my arms, and I begin to cry with him, getting flashbacks of my own relationship with my dad. "I'm just never enough for him" he mumbles, burying his head into my chest. "He talks about my girl like she's some criminal and I still can't stand up to him" he's now pacing in circles, breathing heavily, and aggressively tapping his head.  "You're enough for me Rafe" I say softly, walking over and planting a kiss on his cheek. I sit down on the edge of his bed, and he lays his head in my lap. I twirl strands of his hair, and we both start to calm down. 

"I never knew he was like that" I mumble. "I mean he, you guys, y'all just seemed like such a perfect family".  "That's because he treats you like Sarah" he says her name like it's poison. "Sarah's the favorite, Wheezie is ignored, and I'm well, I'm nothing. I'm a failure, disappointment, I'm the default person to take his anger out on". It was in that exact moment I fully realized that I had feelings for him, hell that might've been when I realized I loved him. 

Me and Rafe, sunshine and midnight rain. Same person different fonts, least favorite child and least favorite child. King kook and Pogue princess, best friends older brother, and little sisters best friend, ocean blue and forest green. Me and Rafe were practically meant to be. 

"That's parta the reason I've always liked you" he rambles on. "I saw through your tough girl act because (his voice breaks) because it's the same act I put on. I'm not trying to say we're the same" he pauses. "I have no idea what it's like to be constantly covered in bruises, to go through everything you've been through, but I understand how it might feel". this is the most genuine I've ever seen him. "And I just wanna let you know, if that bastard wasn't lost at sea I'd murder him. I know about the things he and his friends did to you in the basement Ella" I inhale sharply feeling like I can't breathe just thinking about it. "It makes me furious to think someone could even think of raping their own daughter, especially if that daughter is you". I'm now sobbing hysterically. No one I mean no one has ever made feel so cared for than I do right now, snuggled in Rafe Cameron's arms while he reassures me I didn't deserve my past traumas, and he relates to them.