Right Here Waiting [Rafe Cameron x reader]

chapter twenty three

I woke up with the worst headache I'd ever had. I turned to see Rafe sleeping peacefully next to me on the hospital bed. Short snores left his slightly chapped lips, my hand caressed his jaw lightly, careful not to wake him up.

My eyes moved to the door quickly when it suddenly opened. My boyfriend didn't react, still sleeping, but I raised my head to look at the person who closed the door silently. I nodded towards Ward, a silent form of greeting. He watched Rafe, concern obvious on his face.

"I still don't know what happened." I whispered, moving my eyes from Rafe to his dad. He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face.

"He was high when he left to go to your house." My eyes widened, feeling the guilt grow heavy in my stomach. I felt like I was going to throw up. He could've died because he wanted to come over.

My thoughts came to a stop as the man sleeping next to me stirred. He groaned as he opened his eyes, his hands quickly covering them. My eyebrows furrowed as I looked down at him. He met my gaze, but the look he was giving me told me more than words could at the moment. He heard our conversation. This made me want to slap myself for being so careless when he needed to rest. He turned to look at his dad, gesturing towards the door.

"I have to talk to Y/n." Ward nodded, closing the door after he left. "What's wrong?" He asked, his eyes searching my face in concern. I laughed, even if it sounded fake.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"You'll have to tell me eventually, so why not now?" I looked anywhere but at him, until he raised his hand to pull my head towards him.

"It's my fault you've got hurt." His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You were on your way to my house when you got into the accident." He sighed, his hand moving from my jaw to my cheek, trying to comfort me. I felt horrible. I was the one who needed to comfort him, not the other way around.

"It's my fault I was high. You've been constantly telling me that I should stop doing coke, but I didn't listen." He could tell that I was still unsure. "Please listen to me. It's not your fault." I slowly nodded, trying to smile convincingly. "And besides, I'm fine. I'm just a bit bruised, I'm sure they'll let me leave tonight."

——

He was right, he left the hospital later that day. However, his father took him home, telling him that he had to rest. I agreed with him, knowing that he needed to recharge after everything that's happened.

I went back home, after making sure Rafe was okay. I took a long bath, deciding to go for a swim in my pool. I didn't take my phone with me, so when I returned to my room I found over ten missed calls form Rafe. Before I could call him back, I saw a few messages from him, each one begging me to come over.

I got into my car as fast as I could, reaching his house in record time. I found him in his room, laying on his bed, hugging a pillow. As soon as I opened the door, he raised his head to check who entered and immediately stood up when his eyes met mine.

"Oh, Thank God." He exhaled, his arms going around my waist to hold me close. "I had the worst nightmare." I hummed, pulling him after me towards his bed.

"I was at some party on the beach, and I couldn't find you anywhere. I was with Topper and Kelce, dealing coke and getting high." He paused to look at me, trying to grasp my reaction, before he continued. "And then you came out of nowhere and we had a big fight." I didn't say anything in response, remembering my own dream, the one I didn't want to share with him. "Are- are you okay?"

"Yeah. I was just thinking about what you said." I mumbled, avoiding his eyes.

"It helped me realize that I don't want to lose you." He trailed off, until I finally met his gaze.

"That's the sweetest thing anyone's ever told me." I laughed awkwardly, making him also laugh. I turned my head to kiss him. He smiled into it, taking advantage of the moment to slip his tongue in my mouth. I groaned when he pulled away, but his next words made the air leave my lungs.

"I love you." He said confidently, not realizing what he said until the words left his lips. I gasped, my eyes looking into his, trying to grasp the truth.

"I- uh- Do you really mean it?" I'd asked him, a bit scared to find out the truth.

"Of course. Why would I say it otherwise?" I nodded, obviously relaxing.

"I hope you know that I feel the same way, but I don't want you to think that I only said it because you said it-" I mumbled, slightly panicking. Rafe noticed, bringing his lips back to mine, kissing me slowly and passionately, cutting off my blabbering.

"I know. You've done so much for me, you don't need to say it." He said as he pulled away. I nodded, bringing him into another kiss.

"Thank you."

Author's Note: Hi!! This ended on a happier note, seeing as it has been quite dramatic. Hope you enjoyed!! If you have any suggestions make sure to comment!! Feedback of any kind is always appreciated!!