rafe fixed the collar of his polo shirt in a suave manner,
grabbing ahold of the golf club in front of him with a strengthening grip for dramatic flair.
"let me show you guys how it's done,"
he said with a smirk.
rafe cocked his arm back and allowed for the golf ball to connect with his club to send it flying in the air.
it landed further from the hole than he intended.
"yeah. real good job,"
his friends said from behind him with a snicker leaving their lips.
"shut up."
rafe brushed past them in a fit of bruised ego and busied himself with the drinks lying in the cooler.
he rested himself inside of the golf cart,
giving himself a break from the beaming sun,
and let his eyes scan the golf course.
same thing,
different day.
rafe sighed out a breath of annoyance at this routined life.
it was becoming tedious;
nothing fun to do,
no one lively to see.
until up ahead,
rafe set eyes on a figure that rang of no recognition to him.
he strained his eyes to gain a better look,
but the girl herself was unknown.
rafe felt an acceleration in his heart begin,
though he hardly acknowledged it.
he watched as the girl paced back and forth on the course,
swinging her club around in a manner of carelessness.
"y/n! please act like you've had some home training,"
the woman who appeared to be her mother spoke through pursed lips.
the girl,
now embarrassed and visibly annoyed,
walked to the rented golf cart and sat herself down.
rafe's interest was piqued.
he found himself smiling at her childish response to her mother.
he could see it from here:
the girl hardly cared.
she was waiting for an excuse to be dismissed.
rafe racked his mind again to try and remember who these people are.
but,
yet again,
he came up empty.
he would certainly remember seeing such a beautiful girl around here.
"who's that?"
rafe asked a friend,
directing their gaze towards her.
rafe felt a small burning begin in his core as they looked and stared in the same wonderment he did.
he shook himself free of it;
feeling this jealousy was not plausible.
"that would be y/n l/n. moved here about two weeks ago. she lives across the way from me,"
topper informed while swinging his club around to prepare for his upcoming hit.
y/n continued to sit still while on her phone,
oblivious to the world around her;
oblivious to the admiring stares of half of the boys on this island.
"huh,"
he mumbled before continuing to say,
"i'll be right back."
rafe began walking towards y/n,
fixing his hair and trying to make himself look as perfect as possible for a first impression.
"hey!"
he smiled cheerfully once he arrived in their vicinity.
y/n and her family turned their attention to him.
his heart raced in response to her lingering gaze.
"i'm rafe cameron, ward cameron's son. just wanted to give y'all a warm welcome to figure eight,"
he greeted as he shook the mother and fathers hand.
"well thank you! i'm laura l/n, this is my husband james, my daughter y/n, and our youngest rosie."
rafe smiled as he waved at all of them,
his eyes finally locking with y/n's.
she was even more winsome up close.
"nice to meet you all! quite a lovely family. we could definitely use some more of these bright smiles y'all have on the island."
rafe watched as y/n's mother ate his commentary up.
he was charming and she simply loved any form of flattery;
he'd been on the island long enough to spot it.
though y/n,
on the other hand,
was different.
she didn't care for rafe's compliments, his cheesy remarks, or his welcomings.
he'd have to work to catch her attention.
rafe knew he would work until his hands bled if it meant winning her over.
"we're all having a get together tonight to celebrate the summer ahead of us, and if you'd allow it, i'd love to have your daughter attend if she would like to."
her parents smiled as hard as they could,
relieved y/n was starting to be accepted into their world.
y/n's head directed itself towards him for the first time since he arrived.
he had finally caught the entirety of her attention;
he loved it more than anything,
he quickly realized.
"she'll be there,"
her mother decided.
y/n rolled her eyes at the firm words,
hating that her mother still made decisions for her despite her grown age.
y/n was up for going until her mother made the decision for her.
now she wanted nothing more than to stay home in spite.
"so i'll see you tonight?"
rafe asked as he looked over at the girl.
y/n suddenly felt any disappointment or anger she felt fade away beneath his stare.
her lips turned into a smile and she nodded her head.
rafe could have fallen to his knees right there,
at the simple sight of her ravishing smile.
and when she spoke with a voice of pure honey,
saying,
"yeah. i'll be there."
rafe suddenly felt high on life.
***
"please behave tonight. we're new, and i don't need you doing anything y/n-ish that puts our reputation at risk."
"y/n-ish?"
y/n repeated with raised eyebrows.
her mother waved a manicured hand into the air to dismiss her comment.
"you know what i mean."
"mhm. don't worry, mother,"
y/n said with a voice of sarcasm as she tied the bathing suit around her body and threw an outfit overtop of it.
"i'll be perfectly perfect. is that good enough for you?"
her mother rolled her eyes at the insolent daughter before her,
turning on her feet to retrieve a glass of wine she so desperately needed.
y/n would soon walk out of the front door and into her car,
sitting in the seat for a while to find directions.
suddenly,
there was a knocking at her window that made her flinch.
"sorry, didn't mean to scare you."
the boy laughed once her window was rolled down.
"i'm topper thornton, rafe's friend. you want a ride there?"
"yes, absolutely,"
y/n replied with a thankful tone,
getting out of her car to pile into topper's.
when the house appeared into her vision,
she couldn't stop herself from gaping at the amount of people surrounding the house.
"jesus."
topper laughed at her side then said,
"if there's one thing rafe cameron knows, it's parties."
"i can see that."
the two parked as best they could in a place so crowded then trailed their way in.
y/n was glad to have a friend by her side upon entering.
people yelling colliding with the booming music intimidated her to the core.
she tensed up immediately then turned to find comfort in topper,
but found that he had become lost amongst the sea of people.
she had no choice but to push forward and into the kitchen,
where she would pour herself a drink to soothe her nerves.
"y/n!"
the familiar voice cheered.
she could see rafe towering over the people surrounding him;
it made her smile.
when he was finally standing in front of her,
y/n was able to admire him from top to bottom.
"hey,"
she finally returned as the cup came to her lips again.
"glad to see you made it."
"mm, couldn't resist."
his laugh echoed,
ringing brighter even over the thrumming noises.
"you should thank your friend. he gave me a ride. don't think i would have made it without him."
rafe slowly brought the cup away from his lips then asked,
"friend?"
"topper. you know, the next time you invite a girl somewhere foreign, you should probably be the one to pick her up."
y/n gave his shoulder a playful nudge,
but felt herself become mortified at the actions and words.
her mother would berate her to no end if she saw how she was acting right about now.
y/n waited for rafe to turn away from her,
but he only smiled wider and extended his arm for her to take.
"i'll do better next time. allow me to show you around?"
y/n took his arm into hers then allowed him to lead her outside,
where they fell sights upon kids lounging around the pool.
"this is the backyard."
"oh? really?"
y/n teased,
earning her a chuckle,
then followed him back inside.
they slipped past the chain that blocked them from upstairs,
roaming around in a fit of giggles and amusement.
y/n abruptly stopped at as they passed a room that was full of books;
her heart stuttered at the sight.
"holy shit,"
she mumbled as she trailed away from rafe to walk inside the room.
her fingers began carefully caressing the spines of the books while she fluttered by.
"oh, yeah. this is our little library."
"i love it,"
she gasped as she gently pulled a book off the shelf,
reading the title to herself.
rafe watched her expression melt into one of warmth at this book in her arms;
he wanted nothing more than to hold her at this.
"my dad used to read this to me as a kid,"
she admitted as her fingers traced the title in dazed nostalgia.
rafe appeared from behind her shoulder to read the title.
seeing it made his stomach turn into knots,
remembering the book he used to love himself.
"i used to read that everyday. was my favorite book for years. never met anyone else who read it."
"oh! are you kidding me? this is a classic. i loved everything about it."
y/n sat down in the nearest chair to open the book.
her eyes quickly scanned the words printed,
leaving rafe behind to stare in bewilderment at this raw beauty she owned.
he had never felt so interested in someone he hardly knew.
rafe wanted to spend hours alone with her in this room,
listening to her melodic tone and gaining a grasp on her;
he wanted to make sense of his admiration growing inside of him.
rafe sat beside her and looked down into the book,
smiling at the picture she was stuck on.
he remembered a time when that was his favorite part of the book too.
she turned her head towards him and tried to hide her frown,
but rafe could see the pulling down at the corners of her lips.
"you must want to go back to the party."
"are you kidding?"
rafe scoffed playfully to ease her back into that state of contentment.
"i love it here. do you want to go?"
y/n shook her head and said the blissful words rafe had been practically praying to hear.
"no. i want to stay here with you."
***
y/n and rafe had gotten real close real quick.
they were now weeks into their blossoming friendship,
everyday being better than the last together.
he showed her around every crevice of the island,
sharing secret spots he loved and his favorite restaurants.
he introduced her to his friends,
introduced her to sarah cameron's friends,
and made her feel welcomed by their community.
and his favorite part of their day was when rafe taught her how to play golf.
the upside of it all was that y/n's mother adored him.
she was practically free to do what she pleased so long as rafe was there.
things were practically perfect.

"kegger tn. you down?"

"def. pick me up in 10?"

"you don't even have to ask
be there soon."

y/n climbed out of her bed and began getting ready for the night ahead up until her mother walked in.
"where are you headed?"
"out with rafe."
"oh! you two are just absolutely adorable."
y/n stopped short at the words,
shaking her head in response.
"no, mom. we're just friends."
"i've seen the way that boy looks at you. don't be stupid and miss out on this great opportunity."
y/n sighed and rolled her eyes.
she was fighting a losing battle.
"look appropriate. that boy isn't gonna want to be with you if you dress like...like a whore."
y/n didn't understand where her mother got these obscurities from.
she had never done anything to prove herself promiscuous.
hearing these insults would always confuse and still hurt her ego.
"mhm, got it. you done?"
"yes, i'm done."
her mother's words were acid in the air.
y/n left the house and saw that rafe had arrived just in time.
rafe was smiling upon y/n's entering,
but found that instead of having it be met with her bright, wondrous smile,
that her eyes were watery and her lips were pulled into a frown.
rafe watched silently as she attempted to hide it with a facade,
but he had already caught sight of it.
"everything okay?"
"yes,"
y/n answered with a sniffle.
"i just need a beer."
"that i can do."
rafe began driving and quickly turned his music up to drown out both of their surely deafening thoughts.
had he thought it'd come as any consolation,
rafe knew he would pull over and skip any party to be sure of y/n's pleasure.
but she was bound and determined to drink away her darkened spirits,
and who was rafe to deny her that?
the night went by swiftly.
before she knew it,
y/n was inebriated to the point of stumbling around.
rafe kept his eyes on across the party all night while she gossiped away with his sister,
or drank herself numb.
he just wanted to make sure she was okay.
when he realized that she was now past the usual drunk and becoming worrisome,
rafe walked right up to her to escort her out.
he didn't expect y/n to wrap her arms around his abdomen and bring him close.
"hey,"
she slurred,
smiling against his warm chest.
rafe laughed off his rising nerves and draped his arms around her as nonchalantly as possible;
pretending as though his skin wasn't aflame from this embrace,
as though his heart weren't racing around in his ribcage.
"would you like to leave?"
he asked through gathered breaths.
"yes! let's go somewhere together!"
when they followed one another out to his car,
he stuck his key in the ignition and brought the engine to life.
"where to?"
"anywhere in the world, rafe. as long as we're together."
rafe laughed at her drunken words then shook his head.
but he soon found that he had made way to a special spot that no one had ever had the fortune of laying their sights on.
it had been rafe's only spot for a while now,
but now it would be theirs.
"my favorite hide out spot,"
rafe annoucned as he parked the car.
y/n picked her heavy head up from the window to peek.
by the sign on the front lawn,
y/n knew this was a house his stepmother was attempting to sell.
she examined the front of the house and knew why it wasn't selling like the rest of them had.
the exterior was rough;
the house was nearly collapsing on itself.
but it seemed to add to the charm.
unfortunately,
no one from the figure eight would be caught dead in here.
so it would sit here and go to waste for eons,
if it should last that long.
but this was all why rafe loved it so much.
although it was on the rich side of the island,
it was excluded and didn't belong.
almost like him.
if you looked hard enough,
you could find the metaphor in anything.
he smiled at this and quickly helped y/n inside,
guiding her around in the dark.
he knew this house like the back of his hand.
they walked upstairs to what would be the master bedroom,
stuff from rafes' previous visits sitting around in there to make it his own.
"it's lovely in here,"
y/n said with a smile.
"where'd you get the bed?"
"took it after ward and rose invested in a california king."
"so, this is a queen bed?"
"yes ma'am."
y/n kicked her shoes off and laid on it,
quickly mollifying into it.
it was warm and comfortable,
holding in it the aroma of rafe.
she loved it more than she would love anything.
rafe laid himself next to her,
trying as discreetly as he could to stare at her in pure awe,
but he soon gave up and let his loving eyes drink her up as they pleased.
"why do you come here?"
she asked after a moments silence.
"space. don't get a lot of it at home so, come i here. peace and quiet."
"and you shared it with me?"
"i wouldn't want to share it with anyone else."
y/n turned on her side to face rafe who was already staring at her.
she smiled at this.
"i love it. thank you for trusting me,"
she spoke softly as her fingers trailed down his shoulder;
heat blossomed in her trail.
y/n looked into his eyes that glistened in the pale moonlight shining through the window.
everything she would ever want or need in this life would lie in the being of rafe cameron.
"we should run away together,"
she stated matter-of-factly.
"yeah?"
rafe taunted,
chuckling softly at her tipsy words.
"i'm serious! you hate ward and the way he treats you. and i hate my mother."
"why?"
y/n rubbed her tiring eyes.
"why do i hate my mother?"
"yes, why do you hate your mother?"
"where do i begin?"
y/n giggled through her hurt.
she gently laid her head to rafe's shoulder.
sending a wave of perfumed air to collect in his lungs.
he reveled in this moment.
"well, she called me a whore today."
"what? why?"
"i don't know. she said you wouldn't wanna be with me if i keep dressing the way i do."
rafe was surprised her mother knew of his like for her.
was it that obvious?
he also felt the rising anger that her mother would ever think such falsities.
y/n was the epitome of divine grace.
to say otherwise was blasphemous.
"..nothing could change the way i feel about you, y/n. from the day we met, i knew you were all i'd ever need in this life."
y/n looked up at him and blinked slowly.
she could feel the effects of her alcohol intake being wiped from her body;
she was sobering quickly to better absorb the rising moment.
"really?"
"of course."
"so you don't think i'm a whore?"
she asked with a teasing smile,
easing the tension around them.
the both of them fell into laughs at this.
"i could never think anything harmful about you."
y/n allowed herself a moment more to admire him.
his hard exterior was beginning to deteriorate right before her,
and how beautiful it was to see this tender side of him;
reserved just for her.
y/n finally inched closer and placed her lips on his,
initiating their very first kiss.
rafe felt a rush of endorphins crowd inside of his body to create the purest form of bliss.
he never believed heaven could exist on earth,
yet here it lied in the form of y/n l/n.
he would cherish this moment and all the ones they would go to create in the future forever.
y/n was left breathless as they pulled apart;
rafe had created a heated alchemy in the core of her chest that she never knew she could feel.
it was perfect.
they were perfect for one another.
y/n then laid her head back on his chest and closed her eyes,
feeling his hands caress her skin to soothe her.
"rafe?"
"yeah?"
"...i still want to run away."
rafe chuckled at this then pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
"we'll go wherever in the world, y/n. as long as we're together."