sparkling - ʀᴀꜰᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴇʀᴏɴ.
PAIRING : enemy!rafe cameron x kook!reader
SUMMARY : the country club announces a carnival ball, and your parents make you go there with the last person you’d want to be around — rafe cameron.
WARNING(S) : drinking, minor violence, swearing, not proofread
A/N : we're going full kook baby (divider by @roseraris)
WC : 4.6k (bear with me. BEAR WITH ME)
first part, "nights like this" is here!
You clench your teeth as you walk around the room, waiting for the dress to arrive.
To your surprise, it’s white outside the window, the soft snow covering most of your garden. You sit down on your bed with a sigh.
In two hours you’re supposed to be walking through the door of the country club, your dress flowing on the floor as you move plastered to Rafe’s side.
The last part still makes you fuming.
Obviously, it wasn’t your idea— your parents decided you’d look perfect with the oldest of the Cameron siblings. They seemed to forget that you literally despise him. And you’re pretty sure he feels the same about you.
If this ball was happening a year ago, you wouldn't mind. You'd probably be already all giddy, waiting for your prince on his white horse to come pick you up.
All because of a stupid party. Your birthday party.
It still replays in your head, as if there wasn't anything better to remember.
Rafe kissed you on the rooftop of Tanney Hill. Rafe, the guy you've been obsessed with since, well, fifth grade, kissed you to fulfill your birthday wish. Little did he know he actually fulfilled two of them that night.
But, nothing that's tied to Rafe is easy. Just as you were supposed to leave with him, you caught him with a girl all over him.
Is that enough of a reason not to be happy about being there, showing off by his side at the ball?
“Sweetie, your dress is here!”
Soon after that, your door creaks, and your mother comes in with a long dress in her hands.
It’s beautiful, that’s for sure-- silver, sparkling with tiny glitter pieces. The straps are thin, almost nonexistent.
"Isn't carnival all about being, I don't know, fun?" you say skeptically. "This is going to be so tense. Apart from the fact that I have to be there with Rafe."
Your mother glances at you, her eyes softening. "Ward asked us a long time ago, and you know how your father is about his 'promises'..."
You huff, resting your chin on your hand.
"Plus, you still didn't tell us what happened between you two that made you dislike him so much." You feel a similar sting in your heart. "And you don’t have to, just so you know.”
You give her a defeated look and get up. You trace your fingers down the fabric before you speak up. "I should probably try it on..."
Your mom gives you an excited nod. "Go on!"
She gently hands you the piece of clothing before disappearing behind the door. Do you have any other choice than to get ready? Not really.
You slip into the dress, your figure sparkling in the mirror with every minor movement. It flows over your body most beautifully— a little tighter in all the right places, but not tight enough to feel uncomfortable while sitting, eating, or dancing.
You spin around on your tiptoes, checking yourself out, and a small smile creeps up your lips.
The night before, you used all your most expensive skincare and had a very everything shower. If you have to suffer, at least you’ll look pretty.
You match your makeup to the theme—a whiteish sparkly eyeshadow and lots of highlighter, making you look like a mirrorball—in the best way possible.
With the last run of fingers through your hair you realize it’s almost the time to go.
It’s already dark outside, the moon radiating from the snowy beach in the distance. You grab your heels and bag, hearing your mother calling you from downstairs.
You take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay. It has to be.
The Camerons have just pulled up, their car’s engine dying soundly as you jump off the last step. You look down at your hands and can’t help but notice them slightly shaking.
The doors open, and Ward comes in first, with Rose close by him. Then, Wheezie runs in, dragging Sarah by her hand.
Rafe follows them like a ghost, all quiet when he closes the door behind him.
“Well, look who’s there!”
Your father directs these words to the oldest of the Cameron siblings. You glance at Rafe and see his eyes slightly widen as your dad comes up to him. Almost as if he’s thrown off by it.
He quickly regains his typical confidence and shakes the man’s hand, steady and sure.
“Hi!” Sarah comes up to you, a cheeky smile spread on her face. She looks as gorgeous as ever— her blonde hair pinned up in a half-updo, some strands hanging out and curling around her face.
You hug her, lingering for a bit before pulling away and noticing Wheezie looking at you.
“Well! There goes the princess,” you say, bowing in front of her, so low you’d fold in half. The young girl giggles, and you feel your heart warm up.
"Come on, girls! We're going to be late!"
Rose is already waiting by the door, tapping her heeled foot on the wooden floor.
You glance at the Cameron sisters, rolling your eyes.
"I saw that, young girl."
Sarah snorts behind your back, and you send Rose a sheepish smile. When you run your eyes around the room, you notice Rafe staring at you.
He has a total poker face. Not a single muscle moves when you examine his features, but his eyes speak, or rather scream a million words. There's a hint of anger, making you grimace.
You just have to show off for a little while by his side, and it will be over before you even notice.
You tell this to yourself as you walk out the door, still feeling his gaze on your back.
It's going to be a long night.
The parking lot outside of the country club is already filled with expensive cars when your family and Camerons arrive.
You get out and the cold air quickly hits you, a sharp breath sneaks out of your lungs.
“Okay…” You whisper to yourself, watching Rafe slam the car’s door as he and his family come out. “Remember, just a few hours.”
You turn around and see your father already standing there with Rafe. How the hell did this boy get here so quickly?
“Do we really have to?” You try, eyeing Rafe and noticing his jaw clenching.
“Y/n…” Your father tilts his head and gives you one of his looks, and you know there’s no point in arguing any further.
You turn to Rafe, feeling a lump in your throat appear.
“You’re cold.” He says, looking you up and down. You grimace.
Rafe gestures at your body, “You’re literally shaking.”
You look down, and he’s right— in all these emotions, you didn’t really see it. “Whatever.”
Now it’s him who twists his lips, as if he wants to say something, but changes his mind at the last moment.
“Why do we even have to show off together like some monkeys in a—”
“Are you two coming?” Your mother interrupts you by exclaiming, already waiting at the door.
You glance at Rafe once again and let out a muffled huff. “Let’s just get this done.”
The silent treatment is nice, you have to admit. He follows you without a word, and soon enough you are on the last step.
You take a shaky breath. Most of the people are already there. All the thoughts hit you at once— what if you accidentally slip? Or spill your wine? What if—
Rafe doesn’t let you finish that sentence in your head, because he opens up the door and clears his throat, giving you a signal to finally move.
You startle and quickly get in, immediately getting hit by the wave of warm air and the heavy smell of candles mixed into it.
Rafe’s presence by your side is radiating. You feel it, almost as if he was burning, just inches away from your arm.
You can’t help but remember the memorable night it all went down. It felt the same, yet so different.
Suddenly, Rafe puts his hand on your waist, making a shiver run down your spine. His touch is soft and barely even there as if he’s disgusted to even touch you. Despite yourself, you feel a sting in your heart, and can’t help but wonder how many times it will happen again tonight.
An older man comes up to you two. You know him from the golf field, or at least that’s what you think. He sends you both a smile, before reaching out for your hand and shaking it with such a power you’re almost sure your arm popped out of its place.
“Hello there, Ms. Y/L,” he says, then directs a nod towards Rafe, “Young Cameron. Tell me, what do you think about this?”
“It’s beautiful,” you say, looking around properly for the first time.
The whole place is decorated with such elegance— silver elements mixed with black and white. The glasses on the tables are already filled with champagne, waiting for the guests to come and try it. And, Lord, is that a live band performing on the stage?
The lights reflecting from the crystal accents gleam in your eyes, and you don’t even notice when the corners of your mouth have risen.
They must’ve spent a fortune on this.
“I’m glad you like it,” Mr. Cohen, if you remember his name correctly, says, his eyes trailing off to the dance floor, slowly being filled up with pairs ready for the opening dance. “Oh! Perfect timing. You’ll still get to join. Isn’t that wonderful?”
Your face falls. You discretely steal a glance at Rafe but aren’t able to see anything past his stupid neutral face. You look down, and he takes his hand off your hip in a second, stretching it out as if he got burned.
“Come on!” Mr Cohen hurries you, and you look at him while clenching your jaw. You send him the most polite smile you can make up on your face at the moment, and, defeated, slowly make your way to the crowd.
“You don’t have to do this.”
This is the second time Rafe has spoken up this night. Did he vow to only speak in single sentences for the whole ball?
You look at him skeptically, “As if you don’t know my parents. And Ward. Let’s just— get it done. After that, you can go to your friends, and I can go my separate way.”
He raises his eyebrow but doesn’t say anything. A few women smile at you when you and Rafe squeeze through the other pairs, finally finding a decent place.
The musicians start to play a soft and slow melody. The violin goes first, the sweet notes sounding through the whole room, accompanying the moving pairs.
Rafe’s hands find their way to your body. He holds you close, so close you can feel the tension in his muscles.
You try not to look at his face, because every time you do, your mind wanders. To the moments before that stupid kiss, to when it was just you and Rage against the world. If only you didn’t kiss, maybe everything would’ve been different.
You’d eventually move on, and seeing Rafe switch out his girls after less than a week would hurt less.
But, what matters is present. And right now, want it or not, you stand on the dance floor, so close to the boy you once swore you’d marry you can feel his irregular breath on the top of your head.
Rafe spins you around, and you realize you have dissociated for a while. He stares down at you, a shadow of a grimace sneaking up on his face. The heat rises to your cheeks, and you’re not really sure if it’s from anger, or maybe something else.
You swear you feel his touch on your waist tighten, the place where he’s resting his hand burning through the material. You clench your teeth. You’re almost sure your heart racing can be heard by the pairs near you.
You look around, trying to focus on anything else. The piano joined the melody, making it heavier. It builds up the rhythm, nearing the end. There are, what, two spins left before you’re finally free.
Yours, as well as Rafe’s movement, loosened up, his broad shoulders less tense than before, your body moving smoother as well.
When your eyes return to his face, he’s already looking at you, at every feature. For the first time, you see something else in his eyes.
He notices he’s been caught, and doesn’t seem to care. His eyes lazily move across your face, but the emotions change as quickly as they appear. You furrow your eyebrows as he spins you around for the last time as if you are the only ones on the dance floor.
Someone accidentally bumps into you, pushing you even closer to Rafe. Does this have to happen to you?
He grips you a little harder. The last chord plays out, essentially ending the dance, and you pull away as fast as you can. His breath hitches, almost unnoticeably. His hand lingers in the air for what feels like an eternity to you. You look in his eyes you’re unable to decode for the last time before giving him a stiff nod and getting off the parquet, your heels’ clicking lost between the steps of others.
The crowd thins out slowly, and Rafe’s gone from your eyesight before the next song starts.
You sit down at the long table. Dinner is about to start, and the waiters are smoothly spinning around, either getting all the food ready or adding champagne to the crystal glasses.
You lean back on the chair, take a long, deep breath, and explore the table with your eyes. Many people are still dancing, so not all the seats are taken. Each of them is already assigned. You’re reading the cursive letters on the note left by the seat next to you when someone’s voice appears behind you.
“I fear that we don’t know each other.”
You jump up in your place and turn around. A tall, dark-haired boy your age, or a little older, is standing there. He smiles and sits down on the chair beside you before he introduces himself, “Callum Brown.”
“Y/N Y/L,” you answer, resting your chin on your palm. “I haven’t seen you around.”
Callum laughs, and you hold back from furrowing your brows. “I’ve been gone for my studies, but, finally, I’m back.”
You open your mouth to say something but get interrupted by the clinks of some utensils. Both you and the boy look up.
Rafe’s sitting down right there in front of you. His jaw tightens when he glances at you.
“Cameron? Is that you?” Callum says, and you raise your eyebrow. “Man, I haven’t seen you in ages!”
Rafe looks him up and down, forcing a smile that doesn’t even reach halfway to his eyes. “Yeah, and I wish it could stay this way.”
Your eyes widen while Rafe doesn’t look bothered. Callum grimaces and opens his mouth, so you quickly interrupt him by getting his attention back on you, “So, what are these studies about?”
The boy regains his confidence and starts rambling a seemingly learned-by-heart speech about some law studies in LA. You can’t help but sneak glances at Rafe between nodding and humming.
He sits still at the table, his broad shoulders straight as he looks around, obviously avoiding the sight of you.
Soon enough, the seats are full, and the president of the country club starts his speech. His monotonous voice makes it hard for you to keep your eyes open, forcing you to constantly blink in order not to fall asleep.
When he ends, you automatically join the applause, softly clapping your hands with a taught, polite smile.
Everyone gets to eating and chatting, and you immediately curse the person who set up the seating arrangements.
“So, Miss Y/L, how’s it going at school?” Ms. Thornton asks as you pour some juice into your glass.
You look up, your fingers intuitively tightening the grip, only to see everyone sitting close by looking at you with a curious expression— including Rafe, although his fave is more of a typical Cameron poker face.
“Well,” you start, and you feel your cheeks warm up from the attention. “It’s… fine. I started volunteering at the hospital, and—”
“Ooh, how ambitious!” Some older man exclaims, cutting his steak in half. “Isn’t it the same place our Rafe volunteered in his sophomore year?”
You lock eyes with him and watch as he takes a breath. But, instead of saying anything, he just nods.
“Speaking of Rafe,” An elegant, adult woman says, “Do you have anyone? You know, my cousin is already engaged with his fiancée. I’m sure someone has caught your eye!”
You almost choke on your drink, covering it with a small cough. Callum looks at you with wide eyes, but you dismissively wave your hand at him.
Rafe’s eyes are burning holes in you as he speaks up, his voice steady and calm, “I don’t think so. Not lately, at least.”
The woman gives him a hum and starts talking about her cousin’s upcoming wedding, and Rafe falls silent.
You can’t help but knit your eyebrows. You’ve never seen Rafe this quiet at an event like this— usually, he’d be chatting with some golf buddy or his father’s friend, or at least Topper or Kelce.
Tonight, they sit a few seats away, exchanging worried and suspicious looks.
You try to tell yourself it doesn’t bother you. His well-being is not your business or your misery.
And yet, that’s all you can think about for the rest of the dinner.
After everyone has eaten, the time for the dessert is very relaxing. Some people stayed at the table, and many returned to the dancefloor.
You now sit with Sarah and Wheezie, drinking one of the drinks offered to you by a waiter.
"And so, you know, I told her what I think about her, and she—" You don't get to finish because Ward comes up to the three of you.
He kisses his daughters on their heads and smiles at you.
“How are you all doing?” he asks, leaning on the chairs.
“All good, dad!” Sarah answers before she takes another sip from her glass.
“What about you?” he turns his head in your direction, a sly expression slowly creeping up on his face. “I must say, you and Rafe made a beautiful pair at the opening dance.”
Your breath hitches, unnoticed by the others. “I’m glad you liked it.” That’s all that escapes your lips.
“You know, I’m very grateful you agreed upon this. I’ve heard Rafe talking about you a lot, so I figured out I could ask your parents…”
He goes on, but you don’t catch any more words. It feels as if the world stopped— the music suddenly much quieter, overflowed by the racing pulse of your heart.
Rafe was talking about you.
All you’ve experienced from him for the past months were grimaces, snarky comments, or looks that could kill you.
And now Ward is telling you his son was fucking talking about you?
You open up your mouth, about to form a respond, when you hear gasps cutting through the air, followed by a loud bang.
You exchange a look with Sarah and both dart up to your feet.
“What the fuck is—” you say in between panting, going through the hall after your best friend.
You two have to squeeze through the people surrounding the scene. Sarah makes it out first.
“Rafe!” she calls out, and you practically feel your heart go all the way to your throat.
When you finally push the last person and manage to take a big breath, you can’t help but curse loudly at what’s happening in front of you.
Callum is on the ground, holding his hand to his nose, all covered in blood. Rafe is standing above him, irregular pants coming out of his lungs as he stares at the boy. He’s fuming.
Your eyes and Rafe’s lock together, and you see his expression change for a second before he shakes his head and storms out the room, going straight outside in the cold.
You come closer to Callum laying on the ground, quietly throwing cuss words under his breath. You’re frozen to the spot you are standing in.
The only thing you can hear in your head is your heartbeat. All the talking melts together. People pass by, accidentally bumping into your shoulders, but you can’t care less.
It’s the right thing to do. He was polite for the whole night, making small talk and passing you every juice you wanted, unlike Rafe who constantly shot glares at you and acted as if even the thought of touching you disgusts him.
But when you look out the big windows, and see Rafe’s tall figure making its way through the snow, you know. You just know.
Isn’t that a reoccurring thing? Whatever you’d do, you always end up near him. No matter how hard you’d try to stop it.
It’s like the gravity pushed you into his arms. Like the universe made it clear.
The little voice in your head calls you. You’re not sure if it’s real, or if maybe it’s just the illusion from the drinks you’ve had, but the word rings in your head.
The freezing air hits you like a slap across the face. Your shoulders are fully exposed and you start to regret not grabbing your fur bolero on the way out.
He slows down and turns his head to you. His eyebrows are arched and knit, and you notice he clenches up his fists— the knuckles still painted red.
“Go inside,” he grumbles in a voice soaked with anger. “You’ll get sick. Leave me alone.”
You huff. “No. No, no, we’re not doing that,” you say as you almost catch up to him. He doesn’t stop, so you pull his arm. “Rafe!”
Rafe stops in his tracks, and you feel his hand shaking under yours. “Wha- What the fuck are you doing?! Now you’re just punching people? Talking about me so much that Ward himself asked my parents to make me—”
His face goes paler than the snow surrounding you.
Your lips twist in a grimace. “Ugh, fuck that right now. Why did you punch Callum?”
Rafe looks down at his knuckles, and his voice comes out confidently, “He deserved that.”
“But why?” Your voice raises, and you feel the anger that’s bubbling up inside you going dangerously close to the edge. “Do you just hate the idea of me even talking with someone else? You can’t bear seeing me enjoying something or—”
“I did it because I care about you!” he shouts out, his voice trembling. Your eyes widen.
“You care about me, so you decide punching the first guy I’m just talking with?”
“He was talking shit about you!” he finally spits out, now animating with his hands. “Talking about how you’re just a dumb bitch who knows nothing about life because she lives off of daddy’s money. Was I supposed to just- just let him say that?”
You hold your breath, your brows furrowed, and Rafe continues. “Well, I couldn’t. Because, for fuck’s sake, I love you, Y/N!”
The bubble bursts with the last words. You push him away, your vision blurry by the tears hanging of your eyelids. “Yeah? You love me? Well, I think you presented that perfectly at the birthday party. When you decided it was a perfect timing to make out with some bitch while I was literally standing outside the door—”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Rafe stops you mid-sentence. You wipe your tears, and when you can see clearer, you see the frightened look on his face.
“Don’t act stupid, Rafe. If you wanted to just kiss me and check it off your list, you could’ve just said that instead of acting like you felt what I did too.”
He grimaces. “I have no idea what do you mean—”
You let out a frustrated laugh, still speaking loudly through the night. “Oh? You don’t remember? Taking some touron to your room when you were supposed to drive me home?”
You see the moment it clicks in his head. His face falls, and he turns around from you, letting out a shaky breath. “I have never kissed her.”
“Wow. You can’t even say that to my face—”
Rafe looks at you again. “I have never kissed her. I don’t know what the fuck did you see, but nothing happened. If you stayed there for longer you’d know that I pushed her away in a second and went to look for you, but you were already leaving with Topper.”
Your heart misses a beat. Or maybe two. He must be lying, right?
“No. Nononono, but- but if that’s what happened, why didn’t you…”
He snorts. “What? Talk to you after you admitted it was a mistake?”
You throw your hands in the air. “I freaked out! I thought I was just a new notch in your belt, so this was the only way I could protect myself from being hurt even more!”
“Do you know how I felt? I’ve liked you—fuck it, I’ve loved you—for two years and I finally got to kiss you, and then you just tell me to forget it?” Rafe says, his voice much quieter now.
You feel your cheeks grow red when he gets closer, his lips inches from yours. “I thought it was for the better-”
He doesn’t let you finish. He cups your face and pulls you closer, connecting your lips together.
Someone has to pinch you, because this does not feel real.
You cautiously wrap your arms around his neck, letting all the emotions spill.
If the kiss on the rooftop wasn’t like in all your bedtime scenarios, this one definitely gets closer.
It’s passionate, fierce— just like Rafe. It’s out of the world. He’s burning, the warmth going everywhere: from your lips to your cheeks, to your heart. You are almost sure his is beating louder than yours.
He sighs into your lips, breaking the kiss to get some air, and you feel your mind spiral. Rafe’s eyes meet yours, and there’s not a glimpse of the emotions from earlier.
“Do you believe me now?” he whispers, softly brushing his lips on the corner of your mouth.
“Good.” He pulls you to his chest, resting his chin on your shoulder. You try your best to remain calm, although, if you were alone, you’d probably be jumping all over the ground. “By the way. Ho told you I was talking about you?”
“Ward... Didn’t know you were so devoted, Cameron.” You say with a giggle. He snorts and rolls his eyes.
“That old…” he mumbles, “Well. I can’t imagine otherwise.”
The corners of your mouth rise. You turn your head to the country club. “Don’t you think we should—”
You step back, or rather try to, but Rafe quickly pulls you back to him. “They’ll be fine.”
You let out a hitched breath.You don’t know what this exactly is. Or how it’ll go.
But you trust the universe with this one.
okay well !!! since you’ve reached this moment of the post i’d like to thank every single one of you for being as excited as i am for this one shot to come out, and sharing your energy with me through the comments asks etc. while i didn’t answer every single one of them, i want you to know that i see them, and i’m so so grateful.
this was super fun for me to write and for the first time i’ve felt such a motivation!!!
i know it’s kinda weird to get this dramatic about it but seriously, it means the world to me, especially considering that i started what, a month ago??
there’s not a SINGLE nonchalant bone in my body
i’m rambling now so as the ending note i hope you all enjoyed it ;)) tysm for waiting and sticking around, love youuu
| ۶ৎ taglist (thank you for liking it sm!! love you) :
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if i missed anyone i'm SO sorry i tried to keep up
