RIPTIDE | Rafe Cameron

16. 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺

Rafe told me he loved me last night, and I didn't say it back.

I didn't really know what to say, because I don't know if I'm ready for that, I don't know if I'm ready to say that, I don't even really know if what I feel for him is love. I know what platonic love feels like, and I know what familial love feels like, but romantic love is terrifying, and in some ways out of reach for a girl like me. I don't even know if he'll remember that he said it, it was such a heat of the moment thing, and I almost hope that he doesn't remember.

Rafe looks so peaceful as he sleeps, his head resting on my bare stomach after the t-shirt he leant me last night has ridden up in my sleep. His arms remain wrapped around my torso, his body wrapped up in the crisp white sheets on the bed. I hadn't come here expecting to get so physically and emotionally close to him, but it felt right, and I don't have any regrets about any of it.

Even after Rafe closed the curtains last night, I can still tell that it's the morning, thanks to the light leaking through the not quite thick enough curtains. I feel like I should get up and prepare breakfast, but I can't bear the thought of moving Rafe, especially as he looked like he hadn't been sleeping yesterday.

"Are you hungry?" Rafe mumbles against my stomach, making me jump.

"Why do you ask?" I whisper, running my hand through his hair.

"I can feel your stomach rumbling," He mutters, rolling over and resting his chin on my stomach, gazing up at me as he traces shapes on my exposed hip with his finger.

"I'm fine." I sigh as he moves up, resting his hands on the mattress either side of my head as he leans over me.

"Are you gonna let me kiss you or are you going to tell me you've got morning breath again?" He asks me, referring to the first time we slept in the same bed.

I wordlessly hold onto his neck, pulling him closer and kissing him slowly, running my hands down his bare back, feeling him smile against my lips as I pull him closer.

"If you wanted a repeat of last night you should've just said," He teases.

"I want breakfast," I reply, running my hands over his shoulders, "And before you ask, that's not an innuendo."

"Yes boss," He grins, climbing off the bed and pulling on a pair of gym shorts before opening the curtains as I sit up in bed, wiping the sleep out of my eyes as he stares at me with a grin that's laced with mischief.

"What?" I exhale.

"I don't know much about makeup, but you could do with something on your neck, I reckon," He grins, a little too proud of himself as I jump out of bed and look in the nearest mirror.

"Fuck me." I mutter, looking in the mirror at the several marks littering my neck, the aftermath of Rafe's handiwork.

"I already did that," He whispers, standing behind me as he presses a kiss to my cheek, holding onto my shoulders.

"Not funny," I reply, trying not to laugh as I grab one of the cushions that fell off the bed in the night and toss it at him.

"Alright," He sighs, "I'll see what I can find for breakfast and then we'll eat on the balcony."

"Much better," I smile as he heads for the bedroom door, "Rafe,"

"Yeah?" He turns to me.

"You've got one too," I smirk, tapping the left side of my neck, "Right there."

"And I'll wear it with pride," He smirks with a wink, slipping out of the bedroom.

I decide that I'll shower when I get home later, feeling too lazy to bother about fussing around with someone else's shower and working out the heat settings. So I grab my shorts from where they were discarded on the floor last night, pulling them on and tucking Rafe's t-shirt into them. I look at myself in the mirror again and decide that there is only so much covering up that my hair can do, so I decide to check the en suite for any makeup that the owners may have left behind.