you got a tattoo of rafe’s initial on your chest !!
a/n :: this is so corny ahh , hope you like it tho.
c/w :: mentions of sex , titty sucking, english is not my first language. not proofread!!
divider credits :: @pixopix <3
you were insecure about your chest since high school. they were plump and a lot bigger for your age, and you tried to hide them in every way possible. you thought they would get smaller as you got older and lost weight, but it was quite the opposite and they got even bigger. nobody ever saw your boobs, not even your best girl-friends because you were simply too insecure about them.
it wasn’t any different with rafe too. you were dating for over a year now, and of course you had sex. you still remember your first time with him, you didn’t even take off your bra. he didn’t mind it back then because he thought you were just too shy because it was your first time. but he was so wrong. every time he tried to catch a glimpse of them, you hid yourself. “rafe stop staring at them!” “but baby, i want to see them so bad.. why don’t you just show me ?” you ignored him every time, but still felt bad because you knew he felt like you didn’t trust him. so you talked to him about it, and he just hugged you and told you he didn’t mind and would wait until you were ready.
the idea came to your mind randomly. you were just laying in bed and scrolling through tik tok, and you saw some girl’s video. she was showing off her tattoo on her arm, and it was her man’s initial. you smirked to yourself as you googled some tattoo artists around your area. as soon as you found one, you booked an appointment. you were getting a tattoo of rafe’s initial on your chest.
the day came faster than you expected. you were even more nervous because you hadn’t told rafe about this. he didn’t even know you were getting any tattoo. the experience was not as bad as you thought it would be. when you got up to take a look at it, you were in pure shock. the R in cursive on your left breast looked even better than you imagined. however, the scariest part was showing this to rafe..
when you got home, you found rafe sitting on the couch, watching some tv show. he heard your footsteps and got up to greet you. “hey sweetheart, where have you been?” you didn’t answer at first, just looked up at him with doe eyes. he furrowed his brows and smirked, “what did you do bunny, hm?” you bit your lip, and took his hand to guide it to your top. “see for yourself rafey.” he gently moved the fabric to the side, and as soon as he saw the fresh red tattoo on your chest, his smirk faded and his hand stilled. you watched his reaction and immediately thought he didn’t like it. “i-i know it probably looks stupid but i felt like it was a good idea.” you sounded even quieter than you expected. rafe’s eyes were still glued to the tattoo, but he didn’t say anything, just leaned in and kissed right on the red and swollen spot. you sighed, and squeezed his shoulders. “rafe? say something please..” he looked up at you, resting his head on your boobs now. “you are perfect bunny. what did i ever do to deserve you?” he cupped your face and kissed you. it wasn’t sweet or slow, no. it was claiming. you gasped into the kiss as you wrapped your hands around his neck and pulled him closer. when you two parted, he rested his forehead against yours, breath hot against your lips. “this is the hottest fucking thing i have ever seen princess.” you blushed at his words and smiled softly. without wasting any more time, you grabbed his wrist and pulled him into your shared bedroom. he sat on the bed, waiting for your next move. you stood between his legs now, looking in his eyes as you took of your tank top, leaving just your bra. he just watched you in awe as he grabbed your waist and yanked you closer. you giggle and take his hand in yours to kiss it, then you guide it to your bra clasp. he looks up at you, “are you sure?” “yes rafe, c’mon.” he slowly unclipped the bra and threw it across the room without thinking twice. now you were completely bare in front of him. you tried to cover yourself on instinct, but rafe caught your wrists, still staring at your boobs. he was practically drooling at this point, mesmerised by this sight. he let go of your wrists and cupped one breast(the one with the tattoo) and squeezed it. he could have busted a nut right then and there, because oh if you weren’t so soft and perfect. “shit baby, these are literal perfection. how could you ever hide them from me?” his voice was full of lust. he took one of your nipples into his mouth and sucked gently. he groaned at your taste and your head fell back because this was the first time someone touched you like this. he laid you down without cutting contact with your breast, “fuuuck, gonna suck this perfect nipple until it is swollen and numb.” you arched your back and fed him more of your breast as your fingers run through his hair. rafe’s mouth was hot and his tongue was working wonders on your sensitive skin. you let yourself enjoy this moment and for the first time in years, you didn’t even think about your insecurities.
BestFriend!Rafe who keeps clothes at your apartment for you to sleep in. Just so you have the comfort of going to sleep with his scent wrapped around you. Other times he’ll be in your bed cuddling you and whispering sweet nothings in your ear as you fall asleep with your legs tangled in his and head on his chest.
BestFriend!Rafe who tells you about his hooks up, even the ones with your closest friends while letting you grind on his thigh. He goes into all the dirty details between him and the women he had fucked right before coming to your apartment.
BestFriend!Rafe who walked in on you touching yourself too many times. Sometimes he would just watch from the doorway of your bedroom and only announce himself after you’ve reached your orgasm. Asking you things like “Who were you thinking of?”
BestFriend!Rafe who would let you watch him jerk off if he didn’t feel like going to find some random girl on the island to fuck that night. Reminding as he fucked his hand that he wouldn’t fuck you no matter how desperate he gets..
BestFriend!Rafe who would get hard as he comforted you from yet another failed relationship. Letting you sit on his lap as you cried into his chest about how you just want to be loved by someone even though he’s the one that threatened to break your ex-boyfriend's kneecaps if he didn’t end it with you.
summary: after falling off a boat during a storm, you'd given up adventuring with the pogues. and dating all together. but the nightmares and panic attacks stayed with you all these years. you bared it alone, until an unlikely kook keeps showing up when you need help.
wc: 4.0k
warnings: 18+ smut, oral fem receiving
a/n: this one is long too sorry not sorry, we had a lot of ground to cover! as always let me know what you think, your messages and comments keep me inspired.
banner: @/rumbleonthemill
table of contents: PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5 , PART 6, PART 7, PART 8
“So, we gonna address the elephant in the room?” JJ was the first to say something at brunch. It had been eerily quiet at the table since you all had sat down, up until everyone ordered.
“Yeah, what the hell was that?” Pope’s voice is flat, eyes searching yours. You can feel your cheeks turning pink, sweat prickling the back of your neck.
“Seems like she stood up for herself and her friends. Was nice to see.” Cleo shrugs.
“You looked like you wanted to commit murder.” Pope adds as Cleo laughs.
“Yeah. And for Rafe Cameron?” Kiara emphasizes his name, and you have to swallow back your nerves. Their reaction didn’t surprise you. And you knew things looked crazy to them last night. You’d even left with Rafe, despite John B giving you a ride to the party in the first place.
“Okay, first of all, I’m not hooking up with Rafe Cameron.” You admit. And that was true. You hadn’t. Yet. “After that whole panic attack in Topper’s pool, I really wanted to get more comfortable in the water. I wanted my brain to not freak out so much. I had Sarah help me at Tannyhill. And she did an amazing job, really.” You grab her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She smiles at you reassuringly.
“But…” You continue, taking a deep breath. “I felt this pressure. Like if any of my friends helped me, I’d feel the need to get better faster. To hide how I really felt. I didn’t want you guys to only see me like…like that. Rafe didn’t know me before what happened on the boat. And I only really remembered him as being the person who happened to pull me out of Topper’s pool. So, I asked him to help. And he agreed. It took off some pressure and made me feel safer, even if it wasn’t logical.”
Everyone’s food arrives, thankfully giving you a break from an explanation that was nerve-wracking and probably too long-winded. The Pogues stay quiet, only some of them picking at their food. You take a bite of pancakes, and your nerves are so shot it feels dry in your mouth and heavy when you swallow.
“I would have helped.” JJ says from across the table, quieter than you’ve ever heard him.
“I know-” You start, but he doesn’t let you finish.
“I dove off the boat for you. I pulled you out. Do you…really not feel safe with me?” He’s clenching his silverware. That tugs at your heart. Your eyes sting. You’d never known who it was who saved you that day. But it’s not surprising that it was JJ.
“Of course, I do. Jayj, I seriously wish every day that I was as brave as you. Even before that happened. Thank you, and I appreciate you so much. I promise if there’s anything I can think of that will help me, I’ll ask you guys.” You hope with everything you have that none of this meant you didn’t trust them. Didn’t want them by your side. Thankfully, JJ smiles softly, nodding.
“I’m glad you told us.” Sarah says to you, squeezing your hand.
“Yeah. You need to do what’s best for you when it comes to healing.” John B assures you.
“We’ll always be there if you need us.” Pope promises, and the rest of the group echoes him before everyone finally eats their breakfast. You think that’s it, breathing a sigh of relief. But when the bill’s paid and everyone’s heading out of the diner, Kiara grabs your arm.
“I know you said you aren’t hooking up with Rafe, and I’m not here to tell you what to do, but please be careful. I know Sarah’s said he’s changed, and I do think that’s true, but some things have stayed the same. Word gets around. He’s always just..you know, sleeping around. Nothing else. I don’t want you to get hurt.” Her voice is firm, her grip tight, but her eyes are so gentle. The eyes of a best friend who loves you like a sister.
“I’ll be careful, I promise.” You tell her, giving her a hug.
Rafe went to Top’s home gym first thing after he woke up. There was still a little bit of anger at that Pogue stirring inside him. Even after he went back to your place to drop you off and you helped clean him up. You’d been so soft and gentle and quiet with him. Expecting nothing in return. He felt a subtle ache in his chest when he left you to go home to Tannyhill.
He didn’t understand this. Whatever it was with you. Maybe it was his first genuine friendship with a girl. But it made him feel like an asshole for being attracted to you. Wanting you. All of the confusing feelings made him want to run away. Stop talking to you. Pretend it never happened. But you’d asked him for help. With the pool sessions. If he left, he’d ruin that for you. There was too much pressure he felt not to do that. He had to help you until summer was over. That was the deal.
“Early start there, champ.” Topper jokes, making Rafe almost flinch. He nods at his friend, pumping a few more sets with the dumbbells. “That Pogue last night was pretty stupid, huh? What’d he do to you?”
“Talked shit to Sarah.” Rafe replied. Top was never subtle about trying to pry at Rafe for info. But Rafe knew mentioning Sarah would be pretty distracting, hoping it would make him change the subject.
“Damn, what an asshole.” Top frowns immediately.
“Yeah, at least I nailed him back.” Rafe shrugs. But Top doesn’t back down.
“First that Pogue girl helps me. Then she helps you. She can’t stay away from Kooks, huh?” He’s trying to joke, but it doesn’t land. Rafe loudly drops his dumbbells when completing his set, not answering. He turns up the speaker just a bit more, rap music blasting.
“Dude, you tryin’ to wake up the whole house and piss off Dr. Thorton?” Kelce walks in with a yawn as he turns the music back down. “Hey, you bangin’ that Pogue who came to your rescue last night? She’s pretty hot.”
“No.” Rafe mutters, lifting himself up the pull-up bar to do some reps.
“No? So, she’s available?” Kelce’s voice gets too excited for Rafe’s liking.
“Wait,” Top says at the same time. “You’re not banging her?”
“Can y’all fuck off?” Rafe breathes out between pull-ups, grunting.
“Bro,” Kelce scolds mockingly. “The whole beach saw her hug you. And you hugged her back. We just wanna know what’s up.”
Rafe finishes his pull-ups, dropping to the floor. He didn’t want to have this conversation. Not right now. Not at all, really. But they weren’t gonna stop. It was too out of the norm in the Banks for a Kook and a Pogue to be together. Although, it was becoming a Cameron legacy.
“I’m not bangin’ her. But you should also leave her alone.” He says flatly.
“Oh, so you really do like her, then.” Topper smirks before keeping his face neutral, pretending to be deeply focused on spotting Kelce while he bench-pressed.
“I’ve just been helping her with some shit, that’s all.” He grits out, over this conversation.
“Rafe? Helping a girl? All while not having sex with her? Pigs are flying.” Kelce comments as he takes a rest. Topper tries to hold back a laugh, his face going red.
“Shut the fuck up.” Rafe doesn’t have the energy to try explaining to them something he doesn’t even understand. He leaves without a goodbye, head swimming and no less angry than when he started.
By the time your Tuesday pool session comes around, you’re itching with anticipation to go to Tannyhill. You hadn’t texted Rafe. He hadn’t texted you. Neither of you had acknowledged anything going on between you two. And yes, you both were a little broken and avoidant in your own ways, but you knew you couldn’t avoid talking about things for too long. You’d truly go insane.
It’s not Rose that answers the door. Not Ward. Not Rafe. Not even Sarah. It’s Wheezie. She eyes you with a knowing smile, a fancy weekender duffle bag slung over her shoulder. Saying hi, she sets her bag down to the side with a thud.
“What’s with the bag?” You ask her as she lets you in.
“I’m going to my friend’s vacation home while my dad and Rose are in the Bahamas for their anniversary. Thought you were my ride.”
“Oh, that sounds fun!” The idea of a friend having two homes was wild to you. And if you remember correctly, the Cameron’s had a house in the Bahamas, too. And the people in your family could barely afford one trailer home on the Cut.
“Rafe’s out back. He started without you.” She says as a white Escalade pulls up.
She’s right. Rafe is out back. Beer unopened. Swimming laps like he’s training for the Olympics. You watch him, frozen for a second. Of course, it was a nice view of all his back muscles. But this was out of the norm. He’s always either lounging in one of the chairs or at the pool steps. You’ve never seen him swim laps like he was training for something.
“Rafe!” You call out as you close the pool gate behind you. He halts, coming up for air.
“Oh, hey,” He replies, breathing heavily.
“Are you good?” You grip your battered tote bag, watching him closely.
“Swell.” He replies flatly.
“Hm,” You nod, thinking for a moment. “Wanna go get ice cream?”
“What?” His brows furrow.
“Ice cream.” You repeat, offering him a small smile.
“You don’t want to practice in the pool?” His blue eyes do that thing again. Like he’s searching yours. Trying to figure you out.
“Maybe after. Show me what’s good around here.” You insist. Rafe shrugs, pulling himself out of the pool. You greedily watch his muscles flex, pool water dripping off of him. After drying off, he heads up to his room to quickly change before he whisks you off in the Camaro. The drive is too short to talk, but he pulls up to a place that looks like a boutique more than an ice cream shop.
The inside is sterile. White. Beige. Like most businesses in Figure Eight. There’s small touches of pastel blue here and there, like the booths, but other than that, it feels colorless. The menu is huge, with flavors you aren’t even sure you can pronounce. You stick with your usual while Rafe orders two flavors. He pays, which you don’t bother to fight. One scoop was more than a whole sundae at your local shop.
“Good idea.” He sighs as he sits in the booth, taking a bite with his spoon.
“You look like you’ve had a rough day.” You admit, licking your scoop from the cone. Rafe’s eyes watch you for a moment, drifting to your mouth, before flicking to gaze out the window. Heat rushes to your cheeks and your core, and you squirm in your seat.
“Friends kept asking questions about you.” He mutters, taking another bite.
“Same.” It’s your turn to sigh. It’s quiet between you two as you also look out the window at the marina.
“What’d you tell them?” Rafe asks.
“Well, I said you were helping me. I told them about the pool sessions. What’d you tell yours?”
“Nothin’, really. Didn’t feel right to share your business.” He mutters, and that makes you smile at him immediately. He wasn’t willing to just openly share your struggles without permission, not even to friends. It was kinda sweet, actually.
“Thank you.” You shift in the booth, feeling your stomach flutter. “I’m sure they didn’t let you off easy.”
“No, uh…” He trails, laughing awkwardly as he stares at his ice cream. “They think we’re hooking up.”
“Mine did too, at first.” You giggle, even as your heart rate picks up. “I know we did kiss, but I don’t really know how to describe what we’re doing, to be honest with you. Like, are we just friends? Friends with benefits?”
“I think for that label we might actually have to have sex.” He smirks as he eats more of his ice cream.
“I mean, I’m not opposed.” You admit, trying to maintain eye contact with his annoyingly beautiful blue eyes.
“Oh?” He perks up immediately, but you can tell he’s trying to stay casual.
“Did you think I was?” You arch your brow. Rafe still seemed like the kind of guy that thought every girl was interested unless she explicitly said no. He was too good-looking, too rich, too confident.
“I mean, kinda.” He chuckles. “You’re a little hard to read. And uh, remember when you said we shouldn’t have kissed? And it should never happen again?” Rafe’s grin gets mischievous.
“Wow, you are literally never letting me live that down, are you?” You find yourself laughing, playfully kicking him under the table.
“You also got out of the pool really fast after kissing me. I thought we were having a good time.” He shrugs.
“I was!” You insist, your mouth dropping open. “I just didn’t wanna get too freaky in the pool while your family was home.”
“Lame.” He pretends to be disappointed. “Well, whatever this is, I don’t care. I like it.” His voice gets softer with his admission, his eyes losing their glint as he takes you in.
“I do, too.” You can’t help it, you blush at him. He’s making you feel like a little schoolgirl with a crush. Something you hadn’t felt in a long time. Not even with Gavin. Gavin happened because you were partying a little too hard to deal with the boating incident and trying to pretend nothing was wrong. He was flirty, fun, and you wanted your life to be how it used to be.
“Did you not like your ice cream?” Rafe comments, interrupting your thoughts. You’d had a little bit of it, but most of it was melting in the waffle cone and dripping onto the table.
“Shit,” You mutter, grabbing a napkin from the dispenser and wiping it down. It felt wrong to come into a place as fancy as this place looked and make a mess. Even if it was just an ice cream shop. “I do like it. It’s just a little icy.”
“Icy?” His brows knit in confusion.
“Watered down. There’s much better ice cream on the south side. I gotta take you to Kildare Creamery.” You tell him, keeping your voice low like the employees could hear you.
“How ‘bout tomorrow? You busy?” He asks, watching you closely.
“Two days in a row? Moving a little fast, Cameron.” You tease, and he rolls his eyes, lightly kicking you under the table. You kick him back a little harder, smirking when he grunts. “I’m free after my shift at the Wreck. I could pick you up.”
“Wow. A ride in your aunt’s truck. Now you’re moving too fast, girl.” He winks. “I’m down.”
“Sweet. You feel a little better?” You nod at his finished ice cream cup.
“Definitely.” His shoulders seem less tense, his smile more relaxed.
“Good. Let’s go back to the pool and wrap up before I have to go to High Tide.” You offer as you check your phone. Rafe leads you out, holding doors like he always does but even opening the door of the Camaro for you.
Today’s pool session is short on time thanks to the ice cream break, but Rafe feels like he’s in a much better mood. He doesn’t care about that stupid Pogue or what his friends think anymore. And he can just focus on what you need.
Your goal for today is to float on your back. It’s something you used to do that felt overwhelming now. But with Rafe holding you up at first, you felt like you could eventually manage it. Rafe would never drop you. He’d never let go, if that’s what you wanted.
“Also, I think we should have a safe word.” You say before starting, and Rafe practically chokes on his beer. He knew you didn’t mean it like that. And it was a good idea. But wanting you for as long as he had, and not having you, meant every little thing got to him. He wasn’t used to this.
“What’d you have in mind?” He asks, clearing his throat and pretending his dick didn’t just twitch.
“Phoenix. I don’t think I’d ever say that in the pool.” You chuckle nervously. Seemed true enough. You’d also probably never say that in bed. So, it was good for that, too.
After some deep breaths, you finally lean back. Rafe puts his hands under your back, trying to stay rigid so you felt like you had sturdy support. It seemed to be going okay. Your breathing was shaky, but nothing crazy.
“I’m gonna drop one hand, okay? You’re doin’ good.” Rafe informs you.
“Rafe,” You start, breath catching. “I can’t.”
“You can.” He promises, still not moving.
“No, I can’t. I can’t.” You suck in a breath, like you were trying to breathe deeply but failed.
“Okay. You got this. I’m dropping one hand.” He does it slowly, making it so that your body barely moves. If he’s as careful as he was trying to be, you’d barely feel it.
“Did you do it?” You ask, voice tiny.
“I did, you got this. You’re good.” He murmurs. At one point, he convinces you to talk in order to distract yourself. You end up admitting why you had panic attacks. What happened on the boat with your Pogue friends. Rafe almost shifted his weight, a little bit of anger at your friends for risking your life to find something that probably didn’t exist. But JJ did save you. He could admit that kid finally did something right.
When it came time for Rafe to fully let you go, it went about the same as before. You would say you couldn’t, he would insist you could. But you never used the safe word. So, he let you go. Slowly, but he did. And then you were floating. On your own. And he had to try not to cheer like he just won the Enduro.
“Good job today.” Rafe tells you as you dry off. He noticed you were quick to get out of the pool. No kiss this time.
“I know I said I didn’t want to hook up in the pool,” You start like you could read his mind. “But I wouldn’t mind if you joined me in the shower.” Rafe practically gets fully hard right there, especially when you look over your shoulder and wink at him before you go inside.
He doesn’t even bother closing the door, yanking you to him and kissing you exactly like he’s wanted to since the boneyard. Self-control was never his strong suit. But the last thing he wanted was to scare you or think he was only helping you so that he could get in your pants. Now, after knowing how you felt, he couldn’t help himself.
You let out the softest, shortest moan, and he just about falls apart. He deepens the kiss, tongue dancing with yours. His hands roam your body, touching where he’s wanted to for too long. Shoulders. Stomach. Breasts. Ass. Thighs. All of it feels so soft, so incredible. He breaks the kiss, trailing his mouth down your neck. Sucking, nipping, hearing you sigh in content. But he needs to taste you.
“Sit.” Rafe commands, his voice so deliciously deep and firm. You obey, sitting on the built-in shower bench. “Safe word still applies here, for anything. Okay?”
“Okay.” You parrot, your heart beating out of your chest.
“Spread your legs.” That’s his next command. Your whole body goes hot at those words, collecting in your core. He barely waits for you to do as he says, fingers hooking through your bikini bottoms.
“Can I take these off?” He rasps, and you nod so fast you fear you’ll give yourself whiplash. He’s quick at sliding your bikini bottoms down, the tile cold against your scorching skin. Cursing under his breath, he pauses to admire the sight of you bare before him. It makes you flush, wanting to close your legs. But you knew he’d tell you to open them again. And you would.
Rafe grabs a towel, tossing it onto the shower floor in a heap. And then he kneels. The sight of him like that has you biting your lip, wondering if you were dreaming. It didn’t feel real. Like you’d wake up any second, back in your aunt’s trailer, all alone. A man. A Kook. One that most of Kildare feared for years. Kneeling before you like he would worship every part of you.
His warm, large hands rest on your thighs as he trails kisses up your legs. The second his kisses make their way closer to your pussy, your stomach flutters again. Your hands reach out, running through his buzzed hair.
“Can I? Please.” His voice is thick with desire, breath fanning across your inner thighs and making you shiver.
“Yes.” Your voice comes out ragged as your eyes lock on his.
That’s when he dives in like a man starved. Rafe licks and sucks in a way that has you writhing and moaning in seconds. Like he’s done this so long he’s mastered it. It’s the perfect pressure, reaching the perfect spot as his fingers find your clit. He’s so skilled you forget where you are, head thrown back as he groans in pleasure, vibrating against you.
The coil in your core warms and tightens, sending your hands to grip the edge of the shower bench. His tongue goes from tasting and exploring to picking up the pace. And then it leaves. His name slips out of your mouth in a long whine, and you beg and plead without a care.
But Rafe doesn’t leave you waiting long. His tongue laps at your clit, circling it with expertise. And he slides one long, wide finger into you. You feel your pussy clench, a gasp turning into a moan when he curls his finger and finds the sweet spot.
Your hips buck and lift in pleasure, but Rafe’s free hand is strong enough to hold you down. And that makes it even hotter. You say his name again, loving how he groans when you do. The vibration against your clit makes the coil in your center dangerously tight.
“Oh, fuck. Rafe!” You whine, hips stuttering uselessly against his grip.
“That’s it,” He takes a breather before diving back in. “Cum for me.”
That’s your undoing. The coil in your core snaps, your eyes rolling back as you lurch forward, sliding on the tile. Rafe’s finger leaves you longing as he pulls away, licking his lips.
“Easy, easy,” He murmurs, holding you up before you end up slipping onto the shower floor. “Good girl.” Your body warms again, a content laugh lazily slipping out of your throat. You pull him to you by the waistband of his swim trunks, and he sits beside you and takes you into his arms without you having to say anything. But just as you start to come back to earth, your phone alarm goes off.
“Shit!” You flinch against Rafe, groaning when you realize what it was for. Your shift at High Tide. That you’d completely forgotten about. “Noooo, no, no, no.”
“What?” Rafe looks amused as you untangle yourself from him.
“I have to go to work. I’m so sorry. Fuck!” You pout.
“No worries. Take a quick shower. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He shrugs.
“Seriously,” You look down at his teal swim trunks, his bulge straining against the fabric. “I feel bad. I should-”
Rafe interrupts, saying your name like he was scolding you. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. We can have more fun tomorrow.” He’s smiling in a way that makes you want to believe him as he picks the towel up off the floor, spanking your ass on the way out of the shower.
“Tomorrow.” You promise, pulling him to you for one last, long kiss. You couldn’t get enough of him, even after that. You didn't think you ever would.
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It was truly a big "fuck you" from the universe when you had gone months without seeing your ex-... boyfriend? No, you never made it official. Ex-lover? Ew. Ex-situationship? Oh God that's worse. Ex-fling? Yeah, sure. Anyways, a big "fuck you" from the universe when you'd gone months without seeing your ex-fling, and the one night you really really weren't expecting him, he materializes.
Maybe it was your fault for getting too comfortable. You actually noticed that these days. The moment things seemed settled and you let out that big breath you'd been holding in, everything went awry. So awry that you were standing face-to-face with Rafe, your ex-fling, and Charlie, your current ... fling (you hadn't had the "what are we" conversation yet).
"Wait, I'm confused... you guys know each other already?" Charlie moved his head side to side, guaging your's and Rafe's unreadable expressions.
You snapped out of your shock and stuttered out a sentence. "No! I mean yeah... yes. But not that well, I mean we went out at one point but I barely remember it." You chuckle awkwardly, "so long ago!"
Rafe understood what you were trying to do and nodded slowly. "Oh, yeah. So long ago-- barely remem- we only hooked up like once." He shrugs, trying to downplay the whole thing for Charlie.
"Twice."
"Thought you had a bad memory about the whole situation."
"Not that bad."
Okay, maybe you were still a little upset about him. It didn't matter though, you had a new fling/potential future boyfriend to see to.
"Wow, what a... uhm small world." Charlie rocks back and forth on his heel. "This isn't how I imagined our little reunion, Rafe." He smiles, ears turning pinkish.
The party grew louder around the three of you but you all had each others' undivided attention.
"Me neither, man." Rafe pats Charlie's shoulder. "But it is really good to see you again." He meets your gaze and the playful glint from earlier softens. "It was nice to see you and... and hear you." His words surprise him and he blames the alcohol for his loose lips. Clearing his throat, he tries again, "hearing from you... uhm both of you, of course. The beautiful couple!" Rafe prayed to God the ground would swallow him whole. "I'm gonna go get another drink uhm ... yeah." With that, he walks away.
Charlie speaks first, and you were eternally thankful for it.
"I hope this doesn't step on... our thing at all."
Relief washes over you and you shake your head. "Not at all. I mean neither of us knew. And it was a long time ago... super shortlived too."
He smiles finally and interlocks your hand in his walking you to the kitchen island. It was crowded with snacks and booze. A long night awaited you. A night you'd most likely forget.
.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._.._..
The dancing, drinking, and laughing had been too much for your bladder. So you were waiting behind a few people for the bathroom. You stood with your legs glued to each other, scared you'd burst any second.
Unable to bear the wait, you rushed upstairs and used the bathroom at the end of the hallway. You knew upstairs was off limits but surely the host would understand an emergency.
After finally doing your business, you were ready to join your friends again. You washed your hands and the scent of lavender wafted towards your nose. You made a mental note to get a perfume of the same fragrance.
Wiping your hands on your T-shirt, you walked out of the bathroom only to bump into something hard.
Or, well, someone.
“What the hell?” You exclaimed.
The little jumpscare had distracted you from Rafe basically dragging you back into the bathroom and locking the door behind him.
“What— what are you doing?” You tone consisted less of surprise, and mostly of irritation.
“You’ve been dodging me all night.” He crosses his arms over his chest. He said those words like it was the obvious and logical thing for him to do.
“Dodging?” You furrowed your brows.
“Avoiding me. Everytime I show up where you are, you leave and go somewhere else.”
“I didn’t realize I was doing that.” You were being honest. Then something dawned on you, “and even if I was, what’s it to you?” It was your turn to cross your arms. “Hm? What does it matter? It’s not like we’re friends or something.”
He scoffs, “yeah, clearly. Definitely not after this stunt of yours.”
“What stunt?”
“Are you kidding?”
“Does it look like I am?”
It didn’t.
“Charlie,” Rafe gestures to the bathroom door as if Charlie was standing right outside. “Dating him to get my attention?”
Your mouth fell agape. He doesn’t actually believe that does he?
“You’ve lost your mind.” You step forward to somehow slide through the little space he left, to get to the door. However, he quickly sidesteps and blocks you.
“What? Am I wrong?”
“You couldn’t BE more wrong actually. I mean, fuck, I didn’t know you two were friends! If I had, I would’ve never agreed to go out with him. I'm not that kind of person."
“You don’t expect me to believe that do you?” He tilts his head, and stares with an unfamiliar intensity.
“I do actually. I have enough self respect to not come crawling back to the guy who threw me away like I was disposable.”
Your eyes felt a little wet, and your throat a little tight. Woah. It had been almost five months since he dumped you, and it was clearly still a touchy subject.
Rafe was taken aback by your sudden truth bomb. It was a side of you he’d never seen before. Actually, all of this evening was a side he’d never seen. The two of you went out for two months and the whole time you were quite shy and soft spoken. He thought you were really sweet and… good for him. But this side of you was interesting too. Multifaceted. He liked it.
Your relationship was new and confusing for him. Maybe that’s why he couldn’t handle it for too long. People always eventually retreat back to their comfort zone.
You were a bright light. Kind and considerate. From day one, you were exactly what you showed. There were no mind games with you, which was unfamiliar to him. The kooks he’d went out with felt soulless in comparison to you. He felt soulless in comparison to you.
And after things ended, he actually felt something. Something he hadn't felt in a … well maybe he’d never felt it.
Ache.
Not the physical kind, but somewhere deep inside. He couldn’t sleep that night, which might have been a sign that breaking up with you wasn’t the right decision. And it honestly pissed him off how great you had taken it too. A ray of sunshine ‘til the very end. No big scene. No throwing a drink in his face. No screaming. No insults. Nothing. Just a nod, and an “oh okay.”
Maybe you didn't care as much.
That ache was strong too. He remembered your smile, your laugh, the concentration in your eyes when you listened to something he said. He wasn’t much of a talker but with you, he was coming around to the concept.
You, on the other hand, loved talking to him. He knows that because you told him. It was a simple comment but it made him blush like crazy. He had to go to excuse himself and go to the bathroom to fan himself. He’d never done that before.
He loved the sound of your voice too. And you knew that, because he told you. He’d never said that before. Around you, it was like his thoughts shot out of his mouth before he could get the chance to filter them. It was over a phone call, he remembers. A quiet, “I really wanted to hear you.” He felt like a creep, but when he heard a giggle, he knew it was okay.
But these words. Threw me away like I was disposable. They were like a slap in the face. Is that how you saw it? Is that how you saw him? Didn’t you see he was different with you? Why couldn’t you see that?
“I- I didn’t… I didn’t throw you away.” He collected himself. “I told you that day, I… I was mentally checked out. I wasn’t in the right headspace.”
“Yeah, you don’t have to repeat all of that. I remember.” You sniffled and looked down. “And I'm sorry but I thought that was just an excuse.”
“An excuse? Y/N, I was being honest. I- I can’t believe- I thought you cared about mental health, majoring in psychology and shit.”
“Physiology.” You corrected him.
“Same thing,” he purses his lips.
You chuckled at his response. Half anger, half actually finding it funny.
“You can't blame me, okay? Your timing was suspicious and given your history-" You cut yourself off. It was rude to go there; to stereotype.
Rafe stared in confusion. "How was the timing suspicious? What does that even mean?"
You took a deep breath. You only ever had this conversation in the mirror when you angrily rattled off about all the things you should have said the day he dumped you. You imagined giving him a piece of your mind and leaving him stunned. But, no. You kindly took his words and swallowed your own. Staying polite, because... and you're ashamed to admit this... you didn't want to completely close the door on him. Yes, some sad part of you decided against being bitter so he could see how smooth you handled the situation which would leave him impressed and full of regret and begging for your attention again--
"Rafe, we went out three times." You tried your best to not back down now. Full eye contact. Mental power pose. "The third time, things went a little further than just... y'know making out, and you wanted to... y'know." You were hoping he would fill in the blanks mentally.
"Fuck."
Or verbally.
"Mhm. And I remember I told you I didn't want to that night." God, this was painfully awkward. Still you pushed through. "And it was all fine the next morning, we had a nice breakfast. You left in the afternoon and then... then you ghosted me for like two weeks." You felt a familiar anger rising again as you recounted the events. "And then you call me out of the blue... say it's nice to hear my voice... ask me to come for a walk in the park. I-I'm over here like an idiot thinking everything's good and maybe you were just busy or something, even though that's not really an excuse. But hey, we were still getting to know each other. Then I see you, we have a normal conversation, and then you dump me."
Somewhere during that little monologue, your eyes had wandered away from his. Vulnerability, you now realized, wasn't your strong suit.
"I mean... how am I not gonna think it had something to do with me not wanting to... y'know."
Rafe was horrified.
How could this become so twisted in your mind? That's not at all what happened. Here he was thinking he was being mature and letting you go because you were too good for him. You couldn't handle the post-honeymoon phase Rafe. You shouldn't handle him. He didn't deserve to bring you down with him and his unhealthy habits. But how could he tell you that? Alone in the bathroom of a party of some guy he knew from his high school lacrosse team.
He shook his head and decided to clear the air.
"Y/N, you're wrong... trust me."
But before he could launch into his little monologue, there was a knock on the bathroom door.
"Y/N, are you okay in there? It's been a while." Charlie's voice came from the other side of the door.
Rafe looked at you and silently pleaded for you to not say anything. To continue. To get to the bottom of this mess. To get closure.
Warnings: Dark fantasy, bloodplay, cowgirl position, rough sex, and self-harm/bloodletting.
Note: I feel like this is going to flop, but I posted it because I found the topic interesting. I wrote about this because I’m fascinated by succubus (yes, it’s weird), but I love the theme anyway.
Recommended music to listen to while reading: Cannibal - Kesha & Closer – Nine Inch Nails
There was a suffocating silence on that Tuesday night. For Rafe, it was absolute hell. He paced back and forth in his room, his fingers tapping restlessly against the side of his thigh. There were no parties happening, no trace of fun on the island, and to make matters worse, the cocaine was gone. He had already shaken the last plastic baggie three times just to find dust. Without the rush of the drug and with nowhere to go, his mind began to spin in that dangerous orbit of someone who is bored enough to do any stupid thing just to feel the blood rush through their veins.
That was when a random memory hammered into his head. The book.
He had found that bizarre thing weeks ago, during a boat trip with his father. Ward had anchored to handle business at a gray marina on the mainland, and Rafe, wanting to get away from the old man’s lecturing, went out for a walk alone at night. He ended up finding the book tossed near a wooden crate. There was no sense for it to be there, but what really hooked Rafe's attention was the warning carved in small print inside the back of the dark leather cover: "Once this book is opened, it shall be yours alone. You will not be able to burn, tear, or discard it." In that moment, it had made Rafe’s spine freeze.
Lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, he remembered that as soon as he got home from that trip, simply threw the object into the middle of the mess in his nightstand drawer and tried to forget about it.
But the curiosity of withdrawal is a violent force.
Rafe stood up, went to the dresser, and opened the drawer with force. He rummaged through empty cigarette packs, lighters, and old papers until his fingers brushed the rough texture of the cover. The book was still there. He pulled it out and went back to the bed, feeling the cold weight of the paper in his hands.
As he flipped through the yellowed pages, a shiver ran up his neck. The book was purely ritualistic, filled with strange symbols, crooked writings, and macabre illustrations that looked like they were drawn in dried blood. He let out a heavy sigh, his eyes fixed on a double page spread that had a glaring title written across it.
The text promised to summon a succubus, a creature tied to sex. It said that if he followed the summoning ritual, the man would have all his desires and fetishes fulfilled by her.
The room seemed to grow even quieter. Rafe stared at the details of the page for a few seconds, his knuckles white from gripping the paper so tightly. For a moment, the image of that presence there with him felt too real. But the tension that had built up in his chest broke the moment he realized what the hell he was considering doing.
"How fucking stupid," he muttered to the empty walls.
He let out a dry, mocking laugh at himself, tossing the book hard onto the mattress, though his eyes remained fixed on the dark cover, thinking it was just complete nonsense written by some stupid person.
The minutes dragged by, the clock on the wall seeming to mock the silence of the room. Rafe kept staring at the dark cover of the book, static on the bed. Finally, he rolled eyes and let out a muffled curse, pissed off at himself. He knew he was going to do this shit. Deep down, from the second he laid hands on that rough cover, he knew his lack of anything to do was going to win over his common sense.
He pulled the book back onto his lap with force, opening it to the exact same page, and began to scan the instructions with a mixture of mockery and haste.
For the summoning to work, the text demanded a specific atmosphere, but with elements that, by pure bad luck or fate, he was able to gather right there. The ritual called for four lit candles to mark the cardinal directions of the room, ashes of something that once had life to purify the air, and the main thing: an offering of fresh blood and channeled desire, poured directly onto the central symbol printed on the yellowed sheet.
Rafe let out a nasal laugh, shaking his head.
"Alright, let's see if this fucking works," he grumbled, springing up.
He ransacked the house looking for what he needed. He came back to the room carrying four vanilla scented candles he had stolen from his stepmother's living room cabinet, the sweet, sickening smell probably wasn't what the hellish book had planned, but it was what he had. He scattered the candles in the four corners of the room, turned off the main light, and lit each one with his gold lighter. The flames began to dance, casting long, distorted shadows across the walls of the dark room.
For the ashes, he simply took the glass ashtray beside the bed and poured some of his own cigarette butts in a circle around the open book on the floor.
Only the blood was missing.
Rafe sat on his knees on the rug, right in front of the page showing the drawing of a female silhouette with demonic features and hollow eyes. He pulled out the switchblade he carried in his pants pocket, the blade clicking open in the silence of the room. He hesitated for only a second, looking at the gleaming metal under the dim candlelight. Then, he pressed the sharp tip against the pad of his left thumb, pulling slightly until he felt the sharp sting and the warmth of the cut.
A thick, red drop of blood began to well up from the cut. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, letting all of his frustration, withdrawal, and the dark desire to vanish from this reality guide the moment, exactly as the book asked.
Opening his eyes, he positioned his injured finger over the paper and let the drop fall right into the center of the ritualistic symbol.
The first five minutes passed in silence. Nothing happened. The flames of the vanilla candles kept burning slowly, the sweet smell mixed with tobacco filling the air, and the drop of blood on the paper looked like nothing more than a ridiculous, dark smudge. Rafe exhaled through his nose, letting out a loud, mocking laugh, feeling like the most pathetic guy on the whole island for falling for this joke.
But his laugh died in the next second. The candlelight flickered violently, almost going out completely before shining back up, now with a deep, reddish hue.
The darkness in the corner of the room seemed to detach itself from the wall. A silhouette took shape there, appearing out of nowhere, as if it had been camouflaged in the shadows the entire time. You stepped forward, revealing yourself under the trembling glow of the fire, and Rafe simply forgot how to breathe.
You were beautiful in a way that didn't seem human, bordering on the impossible. Your eyes had a golden, predatory glow, and your lips curved slightly as you tilted your head to the side, studying his features, his tense shoulders, and his rapid breathing. Slowly, you ran the tip of your tongue over your lower lip, like a hungry predator in front of a feast that had just been served.
"What the fuck is this!" Rafe exclaimed, his voice cracking.
The shock was so great that his instinct was to pull away immediately. He scrambled back along the carpet, his heels slipping until his back hit hard against the wooden side of the bed.
Before he could think of screaming or reaching for the switchblade he had dropped on the floor, you took another step toward him. Your movements were fluid, silent, and dangerously elegant.
"Why are you like this?" your voice echoed through the room, loaded with a magnetism that made his entire body tremble. "You were the one who called me, weren't you? So, now I am here."
Rafe tried to focus on any sign of danger, but his mind simply glitched. You were the exact embodiment of everything he had ever wanted, the kind of woman who inhabited his most feverish and secret thoughts. Every curve of your body, the exact tone of your skin under the red light, the shape of your lips, the curve of your thighs... everything seemed tailored for him, shaping itself perfectly to his deepest desires.
The wave of panic that had paralyzed Rafe just a few seconds ago began to melt away rapidly, replaced by a physical attraction so violent and primal that he could barely blink. The danger didn't matter anymore; he just wanted to get closer.
You crawled slowly across the carpet toward him, every movement exalting a silent predation. As you drew closer, the illusion of an ordinary girl began to dissolve: your eyes lost their golden hue and turned into a dense red, deep like fresh blood, and your skin radiated a suffocating heat, as if there were a fire burning beneath it. From where you were, you could hear and feel the uncontrolled thumping of the young man's heart, beating against his chest like a caged animal.
Drawing closer, you tilted your face and sniffed the curve of his neck, inhaling the scent of expensive cologne mixed with the cold sweat of nervousness. Moving slowly up his jawline, you gave a slow lick to the side of his face, sliding up to the tip of his ear.
A low, hoarse groan escaped Rafe's throat.
None of it made sense in his head. No girl on the island, in fact, no girl in the world had ever made him feel so absurdly vulnerable and exposed. You seemed to belong to another universe... and deep down, he knew you did.
"Hmm, Rafe... I can feel you," you whispered, your voice vibrating right against his ear.
The first thought that flashed through Rafe's fragmented mind was how the hell you knew his name if he hadn't said anything. But his paranoia was crushed by arousal; he didn't even bother to question it. If you were a demon, you probably knew absolutely everything about his life, every dirty secret and every weakness.
"But tell me why you summoned me," you continued, pulling back just enough to look at him, a provocative smile playing on your lips. "I don't believe you called me here to have tea and biscuits."
The sharp irony of your words took Rafe by surprise. He parted his lips, but his mind seemed to have forgotten how to formulate a coherent sentence.
"I... I don't know. I was just curious," he stammered, trying to regain the control he had clearly already lost.
As he spoke, Rafe’s eyes traveled down your entire body without any shame. You wore minimal clothing, scraps of dark fabric that barely covered the essentials, leaving almost all of your warm, curvy skin exposed under the red light of the candles.
"Don't give me that," you said, moving even closer, the heat of your body almost burning his. "I know you're needy. And I know I can help you with that. Since you called me here, don't make me regret it."
Rafe couldn't say a single word. He only nodded, completely hypnotized by the movement of your lips and the implicit promise in your words. He was yours, and both of you knew it.
The bulge in Rafe's jeans was already stark, hard, and impossible to ignore. You licked your lips once more, letting the hellish fire in your eyes burn even brighter in the dim light of the room. Without warning, you reached out your warm hand and squeezed his cock over his pants, gripping hard enough to make him jolt on the bed and let out a muffled curse through his teeth.
"This is what you need, fuck... and I'm going to give it to you," you said, your tone shifting between a dangerous playfulness and a brutally predatory promise.
In a fluid motion, you shifted your position on the rug, turning around to get on all fours right in front of him, your knees dug into the floor. Because of the proximity, Rafe’s face was aligned directly with the full curve of your ass, the minimal clothing leaving almost everything on display. He held his breath, his eyes completely fixed on you as your hands slid quickly down to his hips.
With a sharp tug, you unzipped his pants, the sound of the sliding metal echoing loudly in the quiet room.
Rafe threw his head back, hitting it against the mattress, his knuckles white from digging his nails into the messy sheets. He was completely surrendered, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he felt the intense heat of your hands make direct contact with his skin, pulling the fabric down to free what he wanted so badly.
The heat of your skin seemed to burn Rafe's palms when he finally broke the trance and moved in. He didn't know if he was having a withdrawal hallucination, if this shit was a dream or reality, but the lust running through his veins was the most violent thing he had ever felt in his life. He looked at you with a purely animal hunger.
In a sudden, desperate movement, his hands traveled up to your breasts, his fingers digging into your hot skin as he grabbed the thin fabric covering them and ripped it all at once. The sound of the tearing cloth only fueled the trail of destruction he wanted to leave.
Rafe threw himself forward, burying his face against your soft breasts. He began to suckle hard, his mouth hungry and heavy, his teeth scraping lightly against your nipples as he felt his own cock pulse painfully between your hands. He licked you as if you were a sweet, forbidden fruit, leaving a trail of hot spit running down your skin, sliding down your collarbone as he groaned muffledly against you, completely surrendered to the taste of the creature he had summoned.
In a swift, firm motion, you pushed him by his shoulders, throwing his body back against the mattress. On pure instinct, Rafe pulled his own shirt over his collar and tossed it into some corner of the room, leaving his bare chest rising and falling with ragged breaths. He dug both hands into your waist, his fingers sinking into your warm skin. The view he had from down there, with you on top of him with your breasts fully exposed under the red glow of the candles, was an absolute delusion. This was a thousand times better, stronger, and more addictive than any drug he had ever put into his body in his entire life.
Keeping your eyes locked on his, you brought your hands down to your hips and began to slide your extremely thin panties down your legs, slowly, with absolutely no rush, until you threw them away. Now there was no barrier left between you.
"You're destroying me, fuck..." Rafe groaned slowly, his voice completely hoarse as he slid his hands up from your waist and squeezed your ass hard, pulling your body even closer to his.
The sound of desperation in his voice was music to your ears. Every inch of Rafe's body radiated a violent, raw, and needy lust, and you could feel that pure energy floating off him, entering your pores. It was feeding you, leaving you incredibly full of power and vitality, making the fire in your eyes burn even stronger as his mind completely lost itself in you.
You shifted your hips on top of him slowly, teasing, making it very clear how wet and soaked you already were, completely drenched and ready to receive him.
No further warning was needed. In a quick, steady motion, you pulled yourself up and came down with everything, sitting all at once on his cock. It was large, thick, and tore right in, making you roll your eyes in pure pleasure as you settled around it.
For Rafe, the sensation was mind-blowing. It was infinitely better than any porn magazine or stupid fantasy he had ever imagined in his life. You were too perfect, tight and warm in all the right ways.
He groaned loudly, throwing his head back, completely surrendered to the violent pleasure rushing through his entire body. You bit your lips hard, feeling his cock buried deep inside your cunt, filling every space as you began to dictate the rhythm.
"Let me devour you," you whispered, your voice coming out dragged as you began to ride his cock with force.
"What?" Rafe managed to stammer, his eyes half closed, his mind so clouded by lust that he could barely process the words.
"Let me devour you," you repeated, each syllable coming out paused as your mouth curved into a wicked smile.
You kept riding him like a slut, accelerating the movements. The friction of his thick cock made your cunt even wetter, squelching with every heavy down stroke. Rafe only nodded, completely hypnotized, without the slightest ability to understand the real meaning of that phrase. The arousal and dopamine were so high that he simply chose to let himself go completely.
Satisfied with his submission, though, in truth, you were going to do it anyway, barely caring if he said yes or no, you let your true nature emerge a bit more and revealed your teeth, now visibly sharper at the tips, like a predator's fangs.
Rafe, instead of being frightened, found that bizarre detail completely sexy. Seeing you losing yourself on his cock in that raw way stripped away the last bit of sanity he had. He lifted his hand and delivered a hard slap to your ass, the crack echoing loudly in the room.
That was the trigger. You leaned forward, pressing your chest against his, and sank your sharp teeth straight into the side of his neck. The tear in the skin made the hot, metallic taste of blood gush straight into your mouth. His taste was absolutely delicious, mixed with the vital energy you were already starting to drain straight from the source.
The taste of his blood was surprisingly sweet, almost addictive. You kept grinding your hips hard, moving your wet cunt and drooling all over that cock which was already completely soaked in wetness and sweat. The blood flowed continuously from his neck, leaving a hot, red trail that brought an absurd amount of pleasure both to you, who received the offering, and to him, who felt the pain mix with the lust.
Your eyes grew visibly redder, glowing like embers in the dark of the room. Rafe groaned loudly, his throat scratching, while his cock seemed to beg for mercy inside that hellish grip. He felt like a complete lunatic for wanting you so much, for enjoying that violence. In his head, the only certainty was that he never wanted you to let him go.
Rafe raised his trembling hands, his fingers burying into your hair and then sliding down to caress your tense shoulders, all while you continued to make him bleed. It was a bizarre scene, but conducted in a terribly erotic way. You loved it; you loved feeding on the essence of stupid, selfish men, and every drop of energy entering your body made you feel more and more full of power.
Usually, your protocol was simple: you used to kill them after sucking every last drop of life. But with this guy... Rafe was different somehow. His darkness matched yours.
You kept licking and smearing yourself on his neck, feeling his cock pulse heavy and frantic inside you. Slowly, you pulled your mouth away from the wounded skin, letting a string of blood mixed with your saliva drip directly onto his bare chest.
You didn't look like an ordinary woman anymore. You were in a state that was completely out of the ordinary, with a hungry, intense expression, a crazy, beautiful demon of a slut who had absolute control over the situation.
"I don't want this to end..." Rafe managed to grunt, his eyes fixed on yours as he watched you grow stronger and stronger, dictating a brutal rhythm on his cock. To him, you were the pinnacle of all existence.
Your hands traveled up to his face, palms pressing firmly against Rafe's mouth to muffle the groans that were already too loud. He didn't try to pull away or fight the command; he just accepted the weight of your palm, closing his eyes for a second and making it very clear, in every line of his tense body, that he would let you do absolutely whatever you wanted with him from then on.
Free to dictate the end of that feast, you began to ride even faster, coming down with full force to the base of his cock, setting a violent rhythm that made the wooden bed creak in the silence of the room. On pure instinct of survival and pleasure, Rafe's hands gripped the sides of your ass, his fingers sinking into your hot flesh to try to hold the impact of each descent.
You were endlessly greedy, sucking away not just his body, but every ounce of sanity and energy that still remained in that boy's mind.
The heat in the room was almost unbearable, the air heavy with lust, sweat, and the sweet smell of blood and vanilla. Rafe felt that violent wave rush up his spine, the clear sign that he was about to explode. In a desperate reflex, he reached up and grabbed your breasts hard, begging with his eyes for a relief that felt like it was going to break his body in half.
You smiled, finding amusement in that delicious urgency. Taking your hand off his mouth, you arched your back, propping your palms on the mattress behind you to give your hips more angle to ride with even more force and depth, feeling his cock scrape deep at the very bottom of your cunt.
"Please... make me cum, please..." he begged in a dragged whisper, his voice failing from how hoarse it was, his eyes almost rolling back with pleasure.
You only nodded slightly, with a look that promised to finish him off once and for all. Accelerating the rhythm even more, you began to slam down with full force, giving no mercy. Completely delusional and unable to hold back, Rafe’s hips began to thrust up with you on pure instinct, pushing his cock upward with each of your descents, trying to reach the very bottom of that sensation which felt like it was going to consume his soul entirely.
The groan that escaped Rafe’s throat was loud, torn, a sound he had never made in his life. All of that tough, unshakeable Figure Eight guy persona had been completely disintegrated; now, lying under your body, he was the one who looked like a surrendered little bitch, completely submissive to your control. The heat between your legs was absurd, and your clitoris, extremely swollen and hypersensitive, rubbed hard against his skin with every movement.
Feeling that he was at the absolute limit, Rafe gave one last violent thrust upward, slamming hard inside you. The sharp, heavy impact made your entire body shiver, his cock throbbing deep in your cunt as the release of pleasure finally overtook him.
His release came with everything. The hot cum shot hard inside, and the sensation was so intense that your cunt almost exploded, twitching repeatedly around his cock to suck up every last drop of that energy. Rafe’s pupils dilated to the extreme before he collapsed completely, his body going totally limp and relaxed against the mattress, his eyes half closed and his breathing heavy like someone who had been taken to the very limit of body and mind.
"Good boy," you whispered near his ear, your voice soft and loaded with satisfaction.
Looking down, you saw him like that: exhausted, helpless, and with his mind completely clear, free of paranoia or meds for the first time in months. You had done an impeccable job. In no rush to get off him, you leaned down slowly and left a gentle kiss on the young man's sweat damp cheek.
The soft touch was the final trigger for his exhausted body. Rafe simply closed his eyes and fell asleep right then, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep under the watchful eye of his demon.
Coke, smoking, sex, all things that kept Rafe Cameron occupied. Despite the rebellion these activities possessed, he dappled in them so often that he was starting to get bored. That was until you came along, and you were everything he wasn't.
Chapter Four
Warnings: Drug use, cursing, suggestive content, ALMOST smut but we gotta have some conflict, eventual smut and character development for Rafe, OBX plot slightly included
Word Count: 1,290
Then it hits him, you're higher than him and he can't ignore it.
"Woah, hold on," He grabs your hips, breathless. This was new, the guilt. Maybe with any other woman it wouldn't matter, but not this, not right now. This was his plan along, and he can't understand why his mind is flaking on him now.
It's not to say he doesn't want this because it's pretty, physically, obvious he does. Just by a dampened spot on his shorts. Two seconds on him and he was already leaking, usually he can hold back.
"What?" You freeze, the weed increasing your paranoia.
"Isn't what I planned," his strong hands push your hips up, he's doing his best not to have any contact with you at all. Mostly because he would be taking advantage, but Rafe Cameron never comes this fast with a woman. Sure, he takes what he wants and leaves his hookup hanging, but he doesn't want to be seen as a pussy. "You wanna buy weed? Fine, but we're not doing this."
"Rafe I-" you mewl, "Oh my god, I completely took this the wrong way." Your hands immediately retreat to your face, covering your red expression. You were dealing with your own feelings and right now you felt like the pervert. The one taking advantage of him, someone who was just trying to do business with you. When it came to men, you were blunt about boundaries and now you were breaking your own rules.
"It's your first high," He doesn't want you to feel bad, he hates it but that's the last thing he wants. "You're feeling weird, everyone does."
"Good weird," you remind him, "but not weird enough to feel unsure of whether I want this or not."
You couldn't believe those were your own words, but it was far from a lie. It was your last shot at proving to him you were okay with what was playing out, perverted or not.
"Don't say that," a vein is prominent on his neck, displaying his restraint, "You know what they say about me? Bet you do."
You watch him, curious as to how he's going to play this.
"It's all true and if you keep saying those things to me, you're gonna find out for yourself."
It's a clear warning, that much is obvious to you. Maybe a sober you would pullback, remind herself of her prudish ways. Then you consider the fact that sober you chose to come here. She knew how dangerous it was and she was even hopeful it would turn out this way. You decide that you owe it to her.
"Prove it to me then," Your eyes narrow, hands grazing up his biceps to his shoulders.
Rafe, not a man of many words, pulls you to him, kissing you feverishly. To his surprise, he's still careful with you, forceful with his tongue but his hands hover over your waist. Your hands grab his wrists and you pull his palms to your hips.
"Please," Your voice barely a whisper.
"Oh," He growls and no longer holds back as he grinds your hips over his, "You gonna say please, you want it that badly?"
Rafe may be hiding it well, but he's astonished to say the least. You coming onto him was the last thing he expected. He had an entirely different scheme laid out for how he was going to have you.
Rafe imagined you coming over, tail between your legs, as you politely asked for drugs. To no one's surprise, guilt would consume you and tears would swell. In a corrupt and all deceiving way, Rafe would shush you gently and praise you for being such a sweet girl. Crying on his shoulder would lead you to be utterly attached to him, making you wrapped around his finger.
"Please, Rafe," You snake a hand into his hair, "Just this once, I wanna do something for myself."
"Pogues don't get that huh?" Rafe tilts his head. He doesn't know why his hands aren't unzipping his shorts, but caressing your back. Before, that's what he wanted and he was sure of it; he does still want it but there's another feeling lingering.
"Work first with us," you smile softly.
Rafe snaps out of it, "Are we gonna fuck or what?"
Your eyes widen, his countenance did a full 180.
"What-"
"What do you mean what?" He scoffs, "You came onto me, you got into my lap, you-
"I don't think I this feels right anymore," now is when you feel the tears swell, a part of Rafe's plan but he didn't want to be the cause of them.
"Get off me, I knew I shouldn't have trusted a caddy girl, let alone a pogue," He pulls you off his lap, not rough but handling you the way he wants to. "I'm not getting set up to catch an allegation. You workin' with John B or something?"
"I wasn't trying to- Rafe, I don't even know who that is," You quickly wipe your eyes and irritation replaces your sadness. His behavior is showing you exactly why you shouldn't have done this in the first place. You know now what's right and you're going to learn from this mistake.
"Every pogue knows John B," he's leading you out the door and slamming it in your face before you can stand up to him.
Rafe leans against the door and lets out a frustrated huff. He showed you the part of himself he shows everyone: the suspicious, judgmental, sex-crazed Rafe. He was closer to showing you a side of himself he wasn't sure deserved to be seen. So, he retracted, and put his guard up before you could catch it.
Rafe had gotten good at doing this his whole life. When you come from a wealthy family that got their riches in unethical ways, you learn to do what's best for you, and definitely don't show anyone your vulnerability. Rafe's father had always told him that feelings were what you waited to have when you were alone, preferably at night and in your own space. When you crossed that threshold with him, all he could see was his father getting in a good hit, his ring gashing the side of Rafe's cheek.
Whatever Rafe was feeling right now was the last thing on your mind. You got out of dodge as quickly as you could and headed back to your side of town. The walk was helping you clear your head, you may have looked like a crazy person: arms crossed at your chest and taking in huge deep breaths while closing your eyes occasionally. You were quite the opposite of Rafe, you didn't care what people thought of you and you always found helpful ways to regulate your emotions.
After relaxing your heart rate, you began to think of something else that came up during the interaction. Who is John B and why would you be working for him? First, you thought maybe he meant literally, but there was no upper management at the country club with that name. If there was, you'd remember it.
Almost as if the universe was trying to send you your answer, you feel a body shoulder check you. Then you watch as two men stalk past you, it was clear they were on a mission.
"Aye watch it John B," A blonde guy barks at the other.
The other, a brunette man, shouts a sincere apology to you before running off with his buddy.
There he was, in the flesh, John B, and him and his friend clearly had work to do.
A sneaking revenge-seared pit forms in your chest, and now you want to prove Rafe right.
SYNOPSIS‧₊˚ Rafe decides to stay in the villa for one final day, only for a Slumber Party challenge to bring him the best gift of his life, in more ways than one
WARNING(S)‧₊˚ heavy swearing, verbal arguments, minor public humiliation, social isolation ⚠️this chapter has been forcibly labeled 'mature' twice now, there is nothing i can do, so if you are unable to read it, it has also been uploaded to my ao3 (linked in my pinned post), you do not need an ao3 account to read it
˗ˏˋ series masterlist ˎˊ˗
WHEN JJ padded over to Soul Ties, the hot and humid air hit him first, followed by the sight of Rafe.
The man was slumped on the daybed, long legs stretched out, staring blankly at the railing that overlooked the pool. He had on a hoodie, looking like a shell of himself.
"...Hey," JJ said softly, stepping onto the deck. He kept his distance for a second, testing the waters. Rafe’s temper was a fragile thing on a good day, Rafe was a fragile thing, but after last night—after you were dumped from the island in the most brutal twist they’ve witnessed so far—the whole villa had been walking on eggshells.
Rafe didn't look up.
He just let out a dry breath. "Hey."
JJ took that as an invitation, dropping down on the end of the daybed. He rubbed the back of his neck, looking over at Rafe. The line of his jaw was tight, teeth visibly clenched. "You good, man?” He threw out. “...Sofia woke up asking where you were."
"I don't give a fuck what Sofia was asking," Rafe snapped, voice rough and gravelly from lack of sleep. He turned his head, his eyes bloodshot, ringed with dark circles. "And, no, I'm not ‘good’, JJ.” He groaned. “I feel like I'm losing my mind..."
JJ nodded, his expression softening. Although he’d never say it out loud in a million years, JJ was the guy Rafe trusted most. The only one who didn't look at him like he was some kind of ticking time bomb, even when he was.
"I get it, bro," JJ said, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Last night was…fucked. Nobody saw that shit coming. Nobody, whole house feels empty without her..."
"It's not just empty," Rafe muttered, voice cracking slightly as he shifted to sit up. "It's suffocating. I look around this fuckin’ yard, and every single spot is just a reminder that she's not here. The daybeds, the kitchen, that fuckass fire pit... it's all just her. And now I'm supposed to make breakfast and play nice with the reason she’s gone? Fuck that."
JJ sighed, watching him. "Well, it's the next day now,” JJ starts, careful. “...where is your head at?"
Rafe stiffened, turning to look out over the villa, shoulders dropping as the anger seemed to drain out of him, leaving nothing but an exhausting defeat.
"I'm think I’m jus’ gonna leave," Rafe said quietly.
Rafe just shrugged. "Why shouldn't I?" He turned back to him, arms thrown up in a helpless gesture. "I mean, look around, man. There’s nothin’ left for me. Who else have I had even the least bit of interest in since day one? When has my head ever been turned, aside from it being to her?" He shook his head, drawing his lips into a thin line. "Never. Not once. From the second she walked in, that was it for me. You know that. Everyone knows that."
"I know, but—"
"There are no 'buts,' JJ.” He interrupts. “What else would I be here for beside her? The money? I didn't come here for the fuckin’ money," Rafe added, a bitter laugh escaping him. "I have enough money. And honestly? I don't even know why the hell I came on this show in the first place. If you asked me three months ago if I was in the right headspace to find love, I would've told you fuck no. My life was a mess, I was dealing with shit... I just did it because it felt like... like some weird obligation I couldn't shake."
He shifted closer to JJ, eyes wide.
"But now? Being in here with her?... I feel like it was the universe, or whatever the fuck is out there, just pushin' us together. Like I had to go through all this bullshit just to find the one person who actually sees me, who actually makes me want to be better. And if she's not in this villa... then what am I doing?” He scoffs, scrutinizing himself. “Letting my ex hold me hostage on national television?"
JJ sat in silence for a long moment. He wanted to tell Rafe he was being dramatic, but he couldn't. Everyone had seen who Rafe became when he was around you. The sharp edges of his personality softened, the guard he kept up with everyone else dissolved.
Rafe was in love with you. Whether he knew it or not, whether you knew it or not, whether he said it or not, whether you said it or not. And seeing him without you was like watching a battery die.
"Bro," JJ started, choosing his words carefully. "I hear you. And I respect how you feel right now. But listen to me, just... don't just pack your bags jus’ yet."
Rafe frowned. "Why not?"
"Just... think on it for today," JJ pleaded, standing up to put a hand on Rafe's shoulder. "Just chill for a second. Let your brain process last night without making that big of a decision at eight in the morning. If you sit on it all day, and by tonight you still feel like you're wasting your time here, then fine. I won't stop you. I'll help you carry your bags myself. But…just give it today."
Rafe looked at JJ's hand on his shoulder, then back out at the villa.
"Fine," Rafe muttered, his jaw tight. "Alright, I'll stay. But I'm not sleeping in that bed. Not with her. And I'm sure as hell not pretending everything is fine."
"That's all I'm askin’, man," JJ said, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze. "Just chill. Come down whenever you're ready."
DOWNSTAIRS in the kitchen, the boys were preparing breakfast, per usual. Today, however, it felt like a more like a chore.
Pope was slicing avocados for Cleo, his face focused. Across from him, Theo was flipping pancakes, while Justin carefully plated a fruit bowl for Rima. John B stood by the toaster, staring blankly at the wall as he waited for Kaitlyn’s bagels to pop.
JJ walked into the kitchen, grabbed a blender and began tossing in frozen berries, protein powder, and oat milk. He blended it in silence, the loud whirring of the machine filling the awkward gaps in conversation. When it finished, he poured the thick pink sludge into a cup, grabbed a straw, and turned toward the stairs.
"That for Haja?" John B asked, leaning against the counter.
"Yeah," JJ said shortly. "Peace offering.” He shrugged. “I'm over the drama, man. I don't want any bad blood, but that’s as far as it goes." And he didn't wait for a response, heading up the stairs to the Glam Room.
INSIDE, Cleo, Sarah, Rima, and Kaitlyn were clustered around the vanities while Sofia sat off to the side, aggressively brushing her hair, face dark. Haja was sitting on a stool, scrolling through her villa phone.
JJ walked in, ignoring Sofia's heavy stare, and walked over to Haja, setting the smoothie down on the table next to her. "Jus’ thought to make sure you had somethin'."
Haja looked up, surprised, a small, grateful smile forming on her lips. "Oh. Thanks. That’s…really sweet."
"Mhm," JJ hummed, his tone casual, devoid of the flirtatious warmth he used to give her. He turned his back before she could say anything else, eyes scanning the room. He locked eyes with Sarah, Cleo, Rima, John B who had just walked up behind him with a tray, and Pope, who was standing at the doorway with a plate.
"Yo," JJ said, his voice dropping, disregarding who else was in the room or who might feel excluded. "I need to talk to you guys. Like, right now." He left no room for argument as he walked back out into the corridor, the selected group exchanging bewildered glances before following him out.
Once they were all huddled in the narrow hall, away from the door, Cleo crossed her arms. "What's goin’ on?"
"Guys, it's bad," JJ said flatly, looking at each of them. "Like, really bad."
"What's bad?" Sarah asked. "Are you talking about Rafe? Is he okay?"
JJ just sighed. "I just went up to check on him," he explained, rubbing his face. "...He told me he’s thinking about leaving."
"What?" Pope straightened, surprised but also not. "Why would he leave?"
JJ looked at the man like he had lost his mind. "What do you mean why, Pope? The only girl he has ever cared about in here—the girl he’s most likely in love with—just got booted out of here last night.” He hissed, voice hushed. “Of course he wants to leave."
The hallway went silent. John B looked down at his shoes, while Sarah's eyes pooled with tears. The gravity of Rafe's despair seemed to hit everyone all at once, but before anyone could offer a solution, Rima shrugged.
"Honestly?" She said, voice calm. "Let him."
The entire group turned to her, shock plastered across their faces.
"Let him?" John B repeated, incredulous. "Why would you say that?"
"Because he’s miserable, John B." Rima shot back. "He’s not happy in here. He will never be happy in here, because his happiness left with her.” She deadpans. “He only smiles, he only laughs, he only functions normally when he is with her. And she’s gone.” Rima snarled, like the thought itself offended her. “So why should we force him to stay here and suffer?"
"Rima," Pope argued, stepping forward. "You know how much she cared about him. If she were standing here right now, she would want Rafe to be happy. She’d want him to stay, try to enjoy the experience, and see it through to the end—"
"No, she wouldn't," Cleo chimed in, scoffing and stepping up to back Rima up. "She would want him to do whatever makes him happy, and staying here isn’t it."
"Exactly," Sarah agreed, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "Their connection is so strong, you guys. We all saw it. It’s not like they’re some random couple that’s going to forget each other in two weeks. This won't be the end of the world for them if he walks out. They’ll come back together."
Rima nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. "That's exactly my point.” She gives the boys a tight-lipped grimace. “So if he wants to leave, let him leave. I truly believe, with every fiber of my being, that he’ll be ten times happier outside of this place than sitting in here without her.” She emphasizes with her hands. “To be completely honest, I expected him to walk out last night. I think the only reason he didn't is because he was just too emotional and overwhelmed to even remember that he’s not a prisoner, that we can choose to leave at any point."
The boys stood in the quiet of the hallway, the weight of the girls' words sinking in.
"...Yeah," John B admitted, a heavy sigh escaping him as he scratched the back of his head. "You guys are right. And plus, there’s really nothing left we can do to convince him otherwise if his heart isn't in it."
"I did tell him to just think about it for the rest of the day, though," JJ added, looking down the corridor toward the stairs. "I told him to just take it easy, breathe, and if he still wants to leave by tonight, then that’s that."
"That's fair," Cleo said, her expression softening, letting the silence hang before attempting to change the subject to something else. "... So did none of you make Sofia breakfast?"
The boys all looked at each other, unapologetic smirks spreading across their faces.
"Hell no," John B muttered, scoffing. "Why the hell would we do that?"
"Yeah, absolutely not," Pope laughed quietly. "My culinary skills are reserved for people who don't ruin couples for fun."
A brief burst of laughter rippled through the group, a fleeting moment of levity in an otherwise heavy morning. But as quickly as the laughter came, it died down.
"...Damn," JJ murmured, his voice cracking slightly. "I still can't believe she's actually gone. Like, it's just crazy."
"Yeah," Pope agreed, leaning his head back against the wall. "I know in some way, we all want to be the ones to win this, obviously.” He sighed, shaking his head. “We all want to make it to the end. But if I'm being honest... I think we all had our bets on them.” He throws out casually. “We all thought Rafe and her were going to take it."
"They've been through so much, since day one," Sarah said, her voice thick. "And every single time something happened, they always came out on the other side better than they went in, even if it was messy.” She smiled softly to herself. “We all came here to find love, but those two found it and so much more."
"I miss her, man," Cleo said softly. "The whole vibe of the house is wrong. And you can see it in Rafe... the light she gave him? It’s gone.” She says sadly. “From his eyes, from the way he speaks, from the way he used to jump out of bed at the crack of dawn just to make her breakfast exactly how she liked it… He looks miserable."
"Alright," JJ said, straightening his shoulders and clapping his hands. "Here's the plan. Make sure someone is keeping an eye on him at all times, keeping his spirits up, but not smothering him, y’know? We all know he can get a bit...snappy.” JJ jokes, light laughter washing over the small group. “He’s down, bad, so let’s just make sure he knows he’s got us."
BY mid-afternoon, the unrelenting heat of the sun was violent, and a sharp ping echoed from Cleo's phone, signaling a text as everyone moved to gather around.
"Islanders, it’s time to find out what the public really thinks in today’s challenge…Mean Tweets! #NoFilter #CaughtInTheNet #SpillTheTea"
When they walked out to the challenge area, there was a clothesline across the lawn. Hanging from the line were various paper cutouts shaped like pieces of clothing—brightly colored underwear, t-shirts, bras, and socks—each bearing a tweet from a viewer with the names completely blanked out.
The rules were simple—an islander would step up, read the anonymous tweet off the clothesline, and then decide who they thought the public was talking about. Once they made their guess, they would grab a giant bucket of ice cold, soapy water and dump it directly over that person's head before peeling off the sticker to reveal the name.
If they were right, they scored a point for their team—Boys versus Girls.
"This is gonna be a bloodbath." JJ muttered to Pope as they lined up on their respective sides, the soapy water already smelling strongly of citrus.
And he wasn't wrong.
The public had been watching 24/7, and they had collected a massive amount of ammunition. And, while almost everyone was slated to get their fair share of criticism, it became clear within the first ten minutes that three specific people were the primary targets of the public’s wrath—John B, Haja, and Sofia.
Sarah was up first for the girls, stepping up to the clothesline as she pulled down a cutout shaped like a pair of boxers and read it aloud.
"____ is a literal wolf in sheep's clothing. He puts on a good nice guy act but he's actually a master manipulator and a liar. And it doesn’t help that he’s just easy."
Sarah didn't hesitate. She grabbed the heavy blue bucket of soapy water, walked straight over to him, and dumped it over his head with a splash that soaked his frame. John B sputtered, wiping water from his eyes as Sarah walked back to peel off the sticker.
Sure enough, his name was underneath.
The tweets kept coming for John B, each one more devastating than the last.
Rima stepped up next, reading a tweet from a paper t-shirt.
"The _____ hate train is departing the station and I am the conductor. I called him not being shit and all my friends called me crazy. Yet here he is flirting with his ex and showering with another girl. He is a nasty, desperate little ogre."
The villa erupted into gasps and laughter. "An ogre?" Theo snorted from the back, covering his mouth, shoulders shaking as he laughed.
John B just stood there, drenched in soapy foam, jaw tight as he took hit after hit, his behavior during and after Casa Amor coming back to haunt him in the most public way possible.
But he wasn’t the only one. The public hadn’t forgotten Haja’s behavior during Casa either, especially her back-and-forth antics with Miles before he was dumped.
Cleo stepped up to the line, pulling down a cutout of a tank top.
"___ is the biggest bird, it’s actually embarrassing to watch. A total bitch who acts like she’s innocent but she’s literally community at this point."
Cleo winced at the harsh wording. "Oof. I think... Haja?" She winced. “Sorry.”
Cleo didn’t look particularly happy, but she grabbed a bucket and walked over to Haja, dumping the soapy water over her with a quiet muttered apology.
She peeled the sticker off, revealing Haja’s name, the other islanders revealing more tweets directed towards her as the game went on—pointing out the hypocrisy of her sleeping with JJ but then letting Miles grope her, labeling her behavior as sneaky and disrespectful.
Haja stood there, eyes blinking against the soapy water, lower lip trembling as the harsh reality of public perception hit her.
And JJ himself didn't escape unscathed, though his hate was minimal compared to the others.
Somewhere halfway during the challenge, Sofia stepped up and read a tweet targeting him.
"I don't even feel bad for ___. He’s so easy, he literally did this to himself because he let his dick do all the thinking."
Sofia smirked, huffing to herself before dumping the water on JJ, who just shrugged, shaking wet hair out of his eyes. "Fair enough," he muttered. "They’re not wrong."
And because no one was perfect, the rest of the islanders had their fair share.
Pope stepped up and read a tweet about Theo.
"___ is so two-faced. He was playing Y/N from the first day of Casa. The second they got that video, he swooped in like a vulture and utilized her emotions against her just to secure his spot."
Justin was targeted next, with a tweet calling him ‘insecure’ and accusing him of ‘using Rima as a safe option and a scapegoat now that Cleo is back into Pope’s arms’.
Kaitlyn's turn brought a brief moment of comedic relief when Cleo read a tweet that made everyone cringe.
"___ is just so boring. She contributes nothing to the villa. She’s the equivalent of the soggy ass pickle on a cheeseburger."
But Kaitlyn just threw her head back and laughed, genuinely amused. "Honestly, that’s hilarious." she giggled, shrugging the comment off as she took her bucket of water with a choked back laugh.
Then Rima was hit with a tweet that read…
"___ came into the villa thinking she was the shit, but she couldn't bag a single guy. When that failed, she turned this shit into Ex Island."
Rima rolled her eyes as the soapy water hit her, flipping her wet hair over her shoulder.
Sarah was called out next, the tweet labeling her as ‘airheaded’ and declaring that her taste in men was ‘probably the worst palette the world has ever seen in human history.’ Sarah just sighed, accepting the downpour of water, eyes casting a dark look over at John B.
Cleo's tweets consistently called her ‘incredibly indecisive’, accusing her of only bringing Justin back from Casa because he was ‘Pope 2.0’, which made both Pope and Justin look incredibly uncomfortable.
And Pope's tweet was a hit to his pride as Kaitlyn read it out from an underwear cutout.
"And ___ is such a loser LMAO. 'I've always felt like the second option'... maybe because you act like one?"
Pope's face hardened as John B dumped the water over him. He wiped his eyes, clearly stung by the public’s perception of him.
But the worst of the storm was reserved for Sofia.
The public was ruthless regarding her arrival in general, her behavior towards you and Rafe, and most recently… her role in your elimination.
Sarah stepped up, eyes flashing with a dangerous spark as she pulled down a paper t-shirt.
"____ is the definition of a desperate, pathetic, male-centered idiot. She’s the real homewrecker, acting like an insecure child and embarrassing herself on national television."
"Oh, this is definitely you," Sarah said, her voice dropping all pretense of friendliness as she lifted the bucket and turned it over, drenching Sofia, leaving her gasping for air.
And the hits kept coming, a tweet in reply to someone defending Sofia reading,
“____ literally 'forgot' Y/N’s name on purpose to be petty, and it's been openly admitted that she used her ex in the past?? She is not that girl. Even if it did come down to pretty privilege, your fave is not taking it."
Sofia stood there, water dripping from her hair, hands curled into tight fists at her sides.
But the final tweet of the challenge was for Rafe.
"Since Y/N is gone, all of the other islanders need to take cover or something, because ___ is probably about to Godzilla the villa."
It wasn't super mean, but it was clearly a dig, and Rafe just shrugged as the water was poured over him, not caring but also not even interested in these games anymore.
And as the challenge ended, the already fragile state of the villa shattered even further.
As they were walking back to rinse off the sticky soap, Sofia snapped. She turned around in the center of the lawn, wet hair clinging to her face, eyes wild with humiliation and rage as she looked at the circle of people.
"Are all of you happy now?!" She yelled, voice screeching. "Getting to humiliate me like you have some kind of personal vendetta—"
Sarah stopped in her tracks, her expression turning ice-cold. "It is a personal vendetta.” She seethed. “You got what you deserved."
"What I deserved? For what? Getting your friend kicked out?” She scoffed. “I was doing what I had to do!" Sofia defended herself, voice shaking as she gestured wildly.
"You didn’t have to do anything, you had a choice," Cleo stepped up, voice booming as she closed the distance between them,. "And you chose the wrong one. You should’ve gone home.” She hissed. “But instead you ruined probably the best connection here because your own ego couldn't handle the fact that Rafe doesn't want you."
"You did it out of spite," Rima chimed in, crossing her arms, brown eyes boring holes into her. "So don't sit here and cry about the consequences of your own actions, now."
JJ stood, arms crossed, watching the confrontation with a cold, unbothered expression. Theo and Justin were watching as well, not really knowing how to feel. John B and Pope remained silent, mentally agreeing that Sofia brought this on herself.
Haja and Kaitlyn had planned on not being involved, but they were watching from the balcony now.
And Rafe, well Rafe had disappeared long ago. He’d been moving like a ghost around the villa—you see him and, if you blink, he’s gone.
"You know what? I don't give a shit!" Sofia shouted, snarling, stepping right into Cleo’s face, her chest heaving. "I came here for myself! I didn't come here to make friends with any of you bitches!”
“Bitches?!”
“Who the hell—”
“I’m going to do exactly what I came here to do, and if you’re all so damn mad about it, then you can go crying and running after your fucking friend!" She let out a harsh, mocking laugh, eyes sweeping over Sarah, Rima, and Cleo.
"Honestly, I’m surprised you all aren't hanging from the fucking plane she’s on by now, considering how far up her ass you all have been!” She mocks, looking them all up and down. “Get a grip. She's gone, and she's not coming back."
With that final, bitter declaration, Sofia turned and stormed off toward the villa.
THE fallout from the Twitter challenge had left everyone exhausted by the time night rolled around.
Everyone was either getting settled into bed or getting ready to get settled—Pope and Cleo were in bed, whispering and giggling. Theo was in his and Sarah’s now shared bed, her right next to him as they flirted mindlessly as John B glared from the edge of the bed he was now sharing with Kaitlyn. Justin and Rima were still getting ready while Haja tucked herself onto the far left side of her and JJ’s bed.
And before heading out to Soul Ties to sleep by himself, again, Rafe was cornered by the boys near in the outdoor kitchen while grabbing a drink before bed—JJ, Pope, and John B standing in a loose semi-circle around him.
"Yo, Rafe," Pope said quietly, breaking the silence. "Just…checkin' in one last time tonight, man.” He edged carefully. “Is it... are you really still planning on leaving?"
Rafe stopped and looked at his friends, expression resolute.
"Yeah," Rafe said, voice flat and steady. "I think so. I’ve spent the whole day thinking about it, and...there’s just no point.” He shrugged. “There’s nothin’ for me here."
JJ stepped forward, putting both hands on Rafe’s shoulders, looking at him.
"Listen to me, bro," JJ said, his tone softening. "We get it. We…understand, and none of us are gonna try to force you to stay if you don’t want to. But…do us one favor,” JJ started, glancing back at John B and Pope who nodded before turning back to Rafe. “Just give us one last day. Spend tomorrow with us."
Rafe groaned, shaking his head. "I’m not—"
"No, listen," John B interrupted, stepping in. "Just one last day where you aren't down in the dumps.” He threw his arms out. “Leave this place on a good note. And then, by tomorrow night? You can walk right out those doors, go find your girl, and get her back. Alright? No pushback. We promise."
Rafe looked at the three of them before he let out a long, slow breath, shoulders dropping.
"Fine," Rafe muttered, the faint ghost of a smile touching his lips. "One last day. And then I’m gone."
MORNING arrived with a strange, yet bittersweet, speed.
The first half of the day moved at a kind of fast-forwarded pace. The boys went through the usual motions—making breakfast, lounging around —but the energy was centered around making sure Rafe had a memorable final day.
And he was genuinely trying his best to engage—he spent an hour in the pool playing catch with JJ and Pope, throwing a beach ball back and forth until his shoulders ached. Later, he sat on the daybeds with Cleo and Sarah, playfully gossiping, or rather, mocking their gossip before they shooed him away.
The guys had told the girls about Rafe’s decision and of course, they respected it.
But during the quiet lulls—the moments when everyone else was pre-occuppied—Rafe would slip away.
He spent a long time sitting on the beanbags by himself, his phone held in both hands. He scrolled through the camera roll, thumb lingering over the photos of the two of you. There were pictures of you both laughing, candid shots JJ had taken of you two napping on the daybeds, and the very last photos you had taken together in the photo booth—him taking a picture of the pictures, just in case.
A deep ache settled into his chest as he stared at your smile on the screen. He missed the sound of your laugh, the way you looked at him like he was the only person in the room, the touch of your hand against his skin.
Just a few more hours, he thought to himself, jaw tightening. Just a few more hours in this place, and I'm coming to find you.
BY afternoon, the calm of the villa was interrupted by that familiar text tone.
Everyone turned their heads as Sarah grabbed her phone from the kitchen counter, her eyes widening as she read the message.
"Islanders! It’s time to get cozy and messy in today’s challenge….Slumber Party! #BlindLuck #WhosWho"
Before heading out to the garden for the event, everyone changed into the mandatory dress code— styled in pristine white for the challenge, the boys wearing crisp white shorts, while the girls looked stunning in matching white silk and lace lingerie sets, leaving the boys breathless.
Everyone was fairly excited to see a massive, oversized bed in the center of the garden, complete with dozens of plush pillows and white silk sheets, and, of course, Ariana standing by it all with her signature poised smile.
The boys were handcuffed to the bed while the girls were sat off to the side, sleep masks atop their heads and pocket-straps full of paint.
"Hello, Islanders," Ariana greeted them, eyes twinkling. "Welcome to the best Slumber Party you’ll probably ever have.” She teases. “Boys, as you can see, you are all going to be handcuffed to the headboard of this gigantic bed. Girls, you are about to be blindfolded and armed with your own specific color of paint."
She gestured to the satchels of paint each woman had.
"One by one, the girls will dip their hands in their paint, climb onto the bed, and feel their way through the boys. Your mission? Recognize the guy you are coupled up with, and then handcuff yourself to him.” She throws out casually. “Boys... you must remain completely silent. No speaking, no whispering, no giving hints. And girls, once you shackle yourself to a boy, you must keep your blindfold on until everyone has completed their turn.” She says firmly. “Let's see who truly knows their partner..." She drawled. “Girls, please lower your blindfolds.”
The boys were lined up and securely handcuffed to the humungous headboard, one of each of their arms stretched out, leaving them vulnerable and at the mercy of the girls. Rafe sat near the center, relaxed, treating this as the final thing before he was out of here.
The line of girls each lowered the sleep masks over their eyes, giggling as they did so as Ariana put her index fingers in front of her lips, reminding the men to stay quiet as she approached the girls, guiding Cleo up to the bed first.
Cleo stepped up, dipping her hands into her pocket full of royal blue paint before carefully climbing onto the bed.
She moved across the line of boys respectfully, careful, light touches of her palms against their chests and shoulders as they flinched from the chill of the paint and tried to hold in their laughs as she crawled around. When she reached Pope, her hands lingered on his jawline and shoulders, recognizing his frame almost immediately as she smiled blindly before straddling him, kissing him deeply before securely handcuffing herself to him.
Next, Ariana helped Sarah onto the mattress, her hands covered in vibrant yellow paint. Unlike Cleo, Sarah had zero shame or reservations.
She giggled, touching her way through the boys, running her hands over their abs and arms, even kissing her way through the line like there was no tomorrow. The boys tried their best to stifle their laughter as she managed to snog Pope, JJ, Justin, and Theo before, unfortunately for her, in her confusion, she mistook John B’s broader build for Theo’s and handcuffed herself to him.
John B looked confused, but satisfied, while Theo, sitting right next to him, raised his eyebrows in shock. The rest of the boys were wide-eyed, exchanging frantic, silent glances. JJ bit his lower lip to keep from bursting out laughing, pointing wildly with his free fingers at John B's smug face, while Pope winced hard, knowing the hell that was going to rain down once Sarah took that blindfold off.
Rima was next, hands coated in purple paint. She used a similar strategy, kissing her way through the boys with a playful confidence until she reached Justin, hesitating just a bit. Having been in a long-term relationship with him, she was pretty familiar with his body.
Her hands traced his chest, a confident smirk spreading across her lips as she found his wrist and locked the handcuffs into place.
Then, Haja stepped up, bright orange paint dripping from her fingers. And she took full advantage—kissing her way down the line up of boys, lingering on their lips. She was clearly having her fun, taking the kisses far past what would be considered necessary. And when she reached JJ, she recognized him, handcuffing herself to him. But JJ didn't even react, his face remained flat as he stared blankly over her head at Pope, looking over this whole thing.
Kaitlyn followed, her hands covered in bright white paint as she decided to just have fun with it. She giggled, smearing white paint on her lips and planting kisses on several of the boys' cheeks and chests before eventually navigating her way back to John B, handcuffing herself to him. Of course, this created an incredibly awkward setup, as John B was now shackled to both Kaitlyn and Sarah, though neither girl could see it yet.
And finally, with Ariana’s help, Sofia navigated her way onto the bed, hands dripping with thick green paint. And she wasted no time.
She was aggressive, messy, and frantic—smearing green paint all over the boys' bodies and faces as she felt around. She moved down the line, seemingly...unable to pinpoint Rafe. The guys were confused but also amused—wondering why she behaved so wildly for a guy that she couldn’t even pick out blindly.
And as Rafe sat, watching her go back and forth between all the guys, he couldn’t help but think about you—how you would’ve recognized him almost instantly, how you would’ve known by any part of him. By his jawline, his chest, his hands, his buzzcut that you loved to run your fingers through—hell, he was sure you could’ve recognized him by the way his breathing always changes when you’re around.
But as Sofia was still blindly groping her way across the mattress, failing to recognize Rafe, it was then that boys noticed Ariana’s eyes focused somewhere far behind them, waving someone over softly.
All of their expressions twisted, heads turning, jaws slightly agape as two figures sauntered into the villa, dressed in white lingerie sets.
They couldn’t see their faces at first, just the bodies of two people that were clearly women—hips swaying as they got closer. And when they got close enough to see the full picture, their jaws dropped.
JJ’s eyes went wide, and Rafe—who had been sitting back with a bored expression—went entirely frozen, his heart hammering.
It felt like the universe had clicked into place, shifting on its axis just for him. For a guy who had spent his whole life feeling like a screw-up, the one who never got what he wanted, Rafe suddenly felt like that helpless little kid who used to look up at the night sky and wish upon a star—except, for the first time in his life, his dream had actually come true. The weight that had been suffocating him since your dumping lifted, replaced by a comforting warmth.
You were here.
It was you.
His real saving grace was walking right back to him, and everything else faded into static. And for all the times he called you that nickname you loved so much, he would protest that you looked like a true angel right now, nothing short of.
You were walking into the garden, looking radiant, that familiar soft smirk on your lips as everything seemed to move in slow motion for him as you blinked, turning slightly to the side as your eyes connected with his, a sparkle in them.
And walking right next to you was a brand-new bombshell—sun-kissed beauty with long, messy beach waves, mismatched silver rings on her fingers, minimalist tattoos littering her skin, and a killer suntan.
Both of your hands were covered in thick red paint, dripping on the wood of the deck as you approached, taking your places next to Ariana.
Sofia was still blindfolded, still oblivious, and currently still feeling around Theo’s chest a few feet away.
The boys were itching to scream, to jump out of their seats.
JJ was literally buzzing, not only at your return but at the mere sight of the girl next to you, eyes locked onto her as she offered him a slow, wicked wink.
And Rafe was breathless, speechless, his eyes flooding with tears as his jaw clenched, his entire body shaking as he realized he wasn't dreaming, and that the girl he was about to leave the villa for was standing right in front of him.
And he thought about how much he’d owe JJ for the rest of his life for convincing him to stay just one more day.
When Ariana gave you and the new bombshell the silent go ahead, you fought a smile as you both climbed onto the bed. You missed Rafe, more than words could ever attempt to convey, but it wouldn’t be you if you didn’t decide to tease him, just a little bit.
You started at the right end of the bed, while the other girl took the left, and paced yourself down the line, lightly running your red-painted fingers over the other boys’ shoulders, making them grin as they knew what you were doing. The newest bombshell, however, had zero reservations—she went down the line from her side, passionately kissing every boy like her life depended on it.
And while she was busy kissing the rest of the lineup, and Sofia was still struggling to pinpoint Rafe, you crawled your way onto the mattress, moving toward him.
And nothing made this sweeter than the fact that, right next to you, Sofia had finally fumbled, failing to recognize Rafe as she mistook Theo's structure for his and handcuffed herself to him instead.
But Rafe didn't even notice Sofia, he didn’t care.
His world had narrowed down to you.
He kept the rules in the very back of his mind, struggling as he didn’t allow himself to say a word. Instead, the second you reached him, he leaned forward, as far as his handcuffs allowed, his one free hand reaching up to grip the back of your neck as he practically yanked you into a kiss that was so desperate, it felt like he was drowning.
You kissed him back just as hard, your red-stained hands wrapping around his shoulders, smearing the color across his skin. Rafe was kissing you like the exchange would grant you both immortality, chest heaving as he held you in place, refusing to let you go as his fingers dug into your skin. A single, stray tear slipped from his eye, tracing a path down his cheek as his shoulders shook, the man forcing himself to hold back a sob of the most relief he’s ever felt in his life.
The kiss went on much longer than intended, or maybe not, breathtaking and deep, on the center of the bed while the rest of the men watched in awe.
And when signaled by Ariana, you reluctantly pulled away, breathless and smiling as you used what little time you had to smear a heart on his chest before wrapping a paint-drenched palm around his neck, pulling into one more bruising kiss, leaving your handprint around his throat, before rising to your feet, looking down at his dazed face, and wiggling your red-painted fingers at him in a playful goodbye as you and the other girl exited the challenge area until you were to be called again.
Rafe sat there, his free hand trembling above his heart, a dazed smirk on his face as he stared out at nothing. He looked down at the red handprints, surrounding the messy heart, on his chest, wondering again if what just happened was even real.
As you and the other girl rounded the corner, mischievous smiles on your faces, Ariana spoke up for the first time since the challenge started. "Okay…that was wild.” Ariana cringed. “Alright ladies," her voice boomed. "You can take your blindfolds off."
The sound of rustling sheets filled the air as the girls lifted off their blindfolds, eyes examining who was where.
Cleo looked down, thrilled to see herself next to Pope, her paint splattered on his chest. "You look sexy in white," Pope whispered, a smirk playing on his lips as his free hand rested on her hip, pulling her closer against him.
"You look sexy in blue," she flirted back, pecking him on the cheek.
Rima gave Justin a smug smile, satisfied. Haja offered JJ a small smile, but his blue eyes were glued to the scenery in front of him, not wanting to make eye contact or make her think his feelings had changed at all.
But the real drama was on the other side of the bed.
Sarah looked up at her handcuffs, her face twisting in fury when she realized she was locked to John B. "You’ve got to be fucking kidding me," she hissed, throwing her head back.
John B tried to offer a weak smile. "Long time no see." He attempted to joke, but Sarah just narrowed her eyes at him.
"Shut up. You’re not funny." She snapped, face flushing with embarrassment as Kaitlyn remained awkwardly silent on the other side.
Meanwhile, Sofia looked up confidently, expecting to see Rafe's blue eyes looking down at her when instead, she found herself staring directly into the face of Theo. “...What the hell?” She muttered under her breath, confused.
She froze, her jaw dropping as she looked down at her green paint smeared all over Theo's chest, very few places untouched. She looked over at Rafe, who was sitting a few feet away, covered in red handprints and lip marks, looking disheveled and dazed and somewhere planets away.
Ariana stepped forward, a dangerous smirk on her lips. "It seems that, for some of you, your chemistry led you right back to each other.” She starts, hands clasped together. “However, for others, it seems that some things got lost in translation…” She drags out, eyes on Sofia and Sarah.
She turned her eyes to each of the miscoupled girls. "Sarah, how do you feel about choosing John B?"
Sarah rolled her eyes hard, slumping where she sat awkwardly beside the boy. "I’m pissed at myself.” She scoffs. “It doesn’t mean anything, though.” She quips, eyes flashing to the boy beside her. “I think it’s just because we spent so much time together, it’s probably muscle memory, nothing else."
“John B?” Ariana turned.
The boy in question just shrugged, a bit smug. "I’m a happy man."
Both Sarah and Kaitlyn just rolled their eyes in disgust as Ariana turned her attention to Sofia, who was trying her best to hold her head up high. "Sofia... you missed your mark with Rafe.” She says casually. “How does that feel?"
"I mean..." Sofia cleared her throat, trying to sound indifferent. "Rafe and I have been apart for a long time, so obviously it’s a bit tricky.” She shrugs, though you can tell she’s humiliated. “I’m not too embarrassed about it, but it obviously doesn't feel great. I’m just... I’m really hoping I didn't hurt Rafe's feelings by it."
Ariana turned her head slowly toward Rafe, who was more present but still had a far away look in his blue eyes. "Rafe... did Sofia hurt your feelings?"
And Rafe didn't even look at Sofia, just let out a short breath.
"I don't give a fuck," Rafe said through a breathy laugh, a lopsided smirk on his face.
The girls all gasped at Rafe’s brutal honesty, fighting smiles, a few of them covering their mouths to hide their grins as the guys lowered their heads to try and do the same, knowing that Sofia was the last thing on Rafe’s mind.
Sofia’s face turned an ugly shade of crimson, eyes flashing with anger as she stared at him, a snarl on her lips.
Ariana huffed, trying to shake her own amusement before she spoke again. “Now, let’s take a look at all the evidence.” She begins. She stepped closer to the edge of the oversized bed, her eyes scanning the multi-colored chaos smeared across the sheets and the boys' skin. "Who was responsible for the purple and blue paint?"
Cleo and Rima both raised their hands with confident smiles. Ariana nodded. "You two seem to have the least amount of paint scattered on the bed and all over the guys. It looks like you found your men pretty easily. Was it hard or easy trying to track them down blindly?"
"Honestly, it wasn't super difficult," Cleo explained, glancing fondly at Pope. "When you spend time with your partner, you just learn the little things about them—how their shoulders feel, the shape of their jaw. If you actually pay attention, it makes it easy."
Rima nodded in agreement, chiming in, "Exactly. You just know their frame. If you lock into your connection, you don't need eyes to know who's in front of you."
Ariana smiled, turning her gaze down the line. "Alright, who’s yellow, white, and...orange?"
Sarah, Kaitlyn, and Haja all slowly raised their hands. Ariana raised an eyebrow, letting out a soft chuckle. "Now, you girls have a good amount of paint all over this bed,” she taunts”...and it clearly looks like you had some serious difficulty finding your guys. So, tell me—was it just genuinely that hard to find your partners, or were you all just using this as an excuse to have some fun?"
Sarah sighed, casting an embarrassed look at John B before speaking up. "I mean, it was definitely a little bit difficult because I haven't known Theo for that long, so I wasn't sure how to pick him out from some of the other guys. But... yeah, I'm not gonna lie, I was definitely having a bit of fun down the line, too."
Kaitlyn broke into a wide grin, shrugging her shoulders casually. "I was one hundred percent just having my fun, I don't think that's a secret to anyone here."
Haja flipped her hair, offering a playful smirk. "I'm always going to have my fun no matter what the challenge is, but honestly, it was still really easy for me to recognize JJ when I got to him."
Finally, Ariana's gaze landed on Sofia, her expression turning unreadable. "And lastly... Sofia. You have green paint smeared across almost every single spot on this bed, and obviously, you've handcuffed yourself to the wrong guy.” She tells her. “It's safe to assume it was a struggle for you out there. What was so difficult about distinguishing Rafe from the other men? Especially considering you two shared a relationship outside of the villa before the show…"
Sofia cleared her throat, face tightening as she tried to maintain her posture. "Rafe and I have been broken up and apart for a very long time. When you're disconnected for that long, it's obviously a bit tricky to remember things perfectly."
But the rest of the islanders weren't buying her excuse. JJ scoffed from his spot, being the first to speak up. "Bro, come on, I don't think it's that hard," he said, throwing his hand up. "Every one of us guys watched you go down the line, going back and forth, literally touching every single one of us from head to toe. It shouldn't be that hard to tell the difference between a fuckin’ buzz cut and a full head of hair." He muses, rolling his eyes
The girls chime in, murmuring and nodding in agreement, while Rafe just let out a loud laugh, shaking his head. He didn't give a shit about Sofia's excuses, he was just ready for his girl to come back out.
But eventually Ariana had to calm all of them down once they started to get a little bit too loud, when Sofia jumps in, "I didn't even get around that bad,” She mutters, slumping. “There’s literally red paint everywhere.” She scoffs, curling her lips. “So, who’s red?"
The guys all struggle to contain themselves while the girls now grow aware of the extra color all over the sheets, growing confused as their eyes scan everyone and everything.
"Wait," Ariana smiled,. "Who is responsible for all the red paint?"
At her words, the girls all groan, shaking their heads with bitter smiles.
“I fucking knew it,” Rima shakes her head, a grimace on her lips as Justin contains a grin.
“Should we tell ‘em?” JJ chokes out, holding in a boisterous laugh.
“Should we tell ‘em,” Cleo mocks, plucking the blonde’s forehead.
“I heard so many people kissing, I knew it.” Kaitlyn throws in casually, leaning back.
“Wait, when?” Sarah leans over, confused as Kaitlyn faces her.
“Towards the end.” She says. “You didn’t hear it? It sounded like an orgy, I swear.”
“Oh, my bad…one more thing,” Ariana laughed, stepping back to center stage as the girls all sighed. "You weren’t the only ones getting up close and personal with the boys…” She dragged out, looking all too happy as she continued, the islanders’ heads already turning back towards the entrance. “Please welcome your newest bombshells…”
“Bombshells?!” The girls all said in unison, emphasizing the plurality of the word as Ariana just grinned.
“Talia…” She called, taking a long pause before a genuine smile spread across her face. “...and Y/N.”
“What?!”
"Oh my God!" Sarah shrieked, as she shifted to sit on her knees on the mattress, whipping around to face the ‘Love Me Not’ sign, shaking. Cleo and Rima were screaming at the top of their lungs, squealing, clapping frantically despite the handcuffs as everyone broke their necks to watch as you and Talia walked into the villa, you for the second time, smeared in red paint as you strutted towards Ariana.
The girls were loud for you as Sofia sat frozen on the bed, her jaw clenched so tight it looked like it might break, her eyes boring into your face with an expression of pure hatred and solemn defeat.
Confessional : Talia
"Hi, I'm Talia,” she smiles widely at the camera. “I'm twenty-one years old, from Fort Lauderdale. If I'm not in a bikini surfing, I’m taking photos, creating digital designs, or working out. I am someone who detests drama and just loves to keep the vibes fun and wild.” She squeals. “My last relationship was a total disaster because he was way too uptight and tried to control me, so I walked away.” She shrugged. “Now, I’m here looking for a guy who can actually match my pace, who isn't afraid to be a little adventurous, a little crazy, and who makes me feel safe just being myself."
As you and Talia came to a stop next to Ariana again, the host smiled warmly at you. "You two have already made quite an impression.” Ariana smirks. “Y/N, welcome back. How are you feeling returning to the villa as a bombshell for the second time?"
You looked around the yard, your eyes locking onto Rafe's form, before you looked back at Ariana with a confident, slightly snarky smirk.
"I’m happy to be back," you said, your voice steady and full of the life it lacked just two nights ago. "To be honest, I really thought it was over for me. But...I guess you just can't get rid of me that easily." You shrugged, eyes locking onto Sofia with a certain dominance and spark that had her scoffing, looking down.
Ariana then turned to Talia. "Talia, welcome to the villa for the first time.” She muses. “How are you feeling?"
Talia stepped up, her bubbly energy evident. "I think this is the most excited I’ve ever been in my life." She smiles from ear to ear like a kid in a candy store. “And... I already have my eye on a few people…” She teases, peering at JJ through her eyelashes.
"Well, bombshells," Ariana said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out two shiny silver keys. "As you can see, our islanders are still locked down. I’m handing you the keys to set them free.” She says, an undertone to her words as she places a key into each of your palms. “It's been fun, but it's about time for me to. I'll see you all soon." She winks. "Maybe much sooner than you think..."
With a final wave, Ariana exits the garden.
You both exchange wide smiles before stepping onto the large bed, splitting the line of boys down the middle to unlock them, you deliberately teasing Rafe by saving him for the very end.
You walked over to Pope and Cleo first, sliding the key into their handcuffs, and the second the lock clicked open, Cleo threw her arms around your neck, pulling you into a rib-shattering hug. "I can't believe you're back!" she gritted, swaying side to side with you in her arms as you giggled, sharing the sentiment.
Next, you moved over to the trio that was John B, Sarah, and Kaitlyn. As soon as you clicked Sarah free from the chains, she threw her entire body forward, pulling you into the biggest bear hug, crying into your shoulder. "Oh my god, I thought you were long gone," She sobbed happily, squeezing you tight. "Ohhh God, I hate you for this but I love you so much." She said softly as she pulled back.
Kaitlyn gave you a casual, soft hug and a warm smile before she got off of the bed while John B offered you a warm, grateful smile and a slight hug. You didn’t even see JJ coming as Talia had unlocked him and he sprinted across the mattress, tackling you into a bear hug as you struggled underneath him.
By the time you finally got over to Rafe, he was jittering with impatience, sitting on the bed, jaw tight, his blue eyes wide, bouncing slightly on the mattress as he looked up at you.
You were kneeling above him, smirking down at him as you made no moves to, well, move.
The man groaned underneath you, desperate. "C’mon, don't make me wait," Rafe begged, his voice a low, rough growl that was entirely unapologetic. "Seriously.” He tried to be firm, setting his eyebrows into a hard line before it fell, a plea on his face. “You’re gonna to do this to me after everything?"
You let out a soft laugh, holding the silver key just out of his reach. "I don't know,” you taunted. “You look kind of cute like this."
"I’m not playin’ with you," he muttered, an amused but desperate grin breaking through his exhaustion. "You’re seriously gonna make me beg?"
"Maybe," you teased, leaning in slightly.
Before you could even slide the key into the lock, Rafe’s free hand shot forward, wrapping around the back of your neck as he pulled you down into a teeth-clashing kiss right there in front of everyone. You laughed against his lips, trying to speak through the exchange, but Rafe wasn’t letting up. "Rafe... hold on... you have to let me unlock you first—"
"It’s probably best if I stay handcuffed for your sake, really," he mumbled against your lips.
All you could do was giggle as you finally managed to guide the key into the lock, clicking the cuffs open. And the second his hand was free, Rafe wrapped both of his long arms around your waist, pulling you down onto his lap on the mattress as everyone watched, jaws dropped, clapping and cheering for the both of you. His hands slid down to grip your ass between his fingers, lifting you higher and dragging you in impossibly closer as he made out with you like there was genuinely no tomorrow, quite literally stealing the air from your lungs.
He was mumbling frantically in between each small gasp for air, his forehead resting against yours as he gripped you like you were dangling off the edge of a cliff. "I missed you so much... God, I was about to leave. I didn't know what the fuck I was gonna do in this place without you."
"I missed you too," you whispered, your heart swelling with an overwhelming warmth as you wrapped your arms tightly around his neck, burying your face in his shoulder. “I’m glad you decided to stay.”
The rest of the islanders were cheering incredibly loud, chanting your and Rafe's names in perfect sync as he stood on his knees with you in his arms, tossed you just high enough to lock your legs on top of his shoulders before leaning forward, letting you drop and pinning you to the mattress beneath him, kissing you breathless.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," JJ shouted from the grass, laughing as he covered his eyes. "Jesus, guys, save it for the Hideaway!"
"Get a room, man!" Pope yelled, pumping his fist in the air.
"Well, guess we don’t have to worry about him leaving anymore." Rima muttered quietly from the back, nudging Cleo and Sarah’s shoulder, a relieved chuckle escaping her.
Confessional : Cleo
She was creaming and squealing, jumping up and down in her seat. “My girl is back, ahhhh! I am over the moon!” She emphasized, eyes wide and excited. “The baddest bitch has returned to her throne, and the look on Sofia’s face was worth every second spent without her.”
Confessional : Rima
“I am so happy, right now.” She smiled, wiping on stray tear that feel. “Fuck it, I’m rooting for them to win the whole damn thing. Their connection is so unbreakable, and tonight really proved it to everyone in here and pretty much everyone watching.”
Confessional : Sarah
“I so thought she was gone. Like, for real.” She laughs lightly, wiping tears from her eyes, though a grateful smile remains on her face. “I missed her so much. We all did. Those two days without her felt so weird.” She says. “And seeing the light come back into Rafe’s eyes the second she came in... it had to be the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”
Confessional : JJ
“Let’s fuckin’ go, dude!” He shouted, punching the air with a grin so wide it had his cheeks red. “My girl is back in the building!” He exclaims. “Having her back feels great, man…And Rafe, man,” He sighs, shaking his head. “That’s my boy right there. We’re back in business, baby!”
Confessional : Sofia
“...What the fuck?” She was sitting straight up, arms crossed, face dark with anger. “I mean, what was the point?” She laughs bitterly, eyes narrowing. “If you all were just going to bring her back fourty-eight fucking hours later, why even give me the option?” She criticizes. “Like, was it just because it was her? If I had gotten anyone else dumped, would you have brought them back?” She grows increasingly more agitated. “This is pathetic, it’s unfair, and honestly, I’m disgusted. Not only by the clear favoritism here, but the sight of Rafe’s tongue down her throat.”
When you and Rafe finally pulled apart, you were still lying flat on your back against the pillows, trying to catch your breath with Rafe hovering over you, his hands resting on either side of your head as he stared down at you with an expression of unwavering adoration.
As you lay there upside down, you cast your eyes among the crowd of people and noticed Sofia standing a few feet away on the grass, far behind everyone else but still visible, staring down at you with a look of pure rage.
A slow, satisfied smile spread across your lips. You lifted one hand, giving her a petty, cheerful little wave.
Sofia’s jaw clenched so hard a vein throbbed in her neck as she turned without a word and stormed off toward the villa, leaving you and Rafe laughing softly on the mattress as he scooped you up and tossed you up into the air, over and over, catching you each time you came back down as your friends all cheered and chanted around you.
Happy that he was happy, and happy to have you back.
A half-hour later, the girls had crowded around you and Talia, dragging the two of you up to the Glam Room so you both could unpack your things and get settled.
You didn’t realize how much you’d missed this.
Before you’d even entered the room—Cleo, Rima, Sarah, and Kaitlyn had all thrown themselves at you in a group hug, pulling apart just to join hands and start jumping around like pre-school kids on a playground.
Now, you and the girls were sat around the makeup room, some of them helping Talia organize her makeup at her vanity as the other half helped you reclaim your closet space.
"Talia, you’re so pretty," Sarah said, leaning forward with a warm smile. "Talk to us! We want to know all about you."
“Oh, you’re all so sweet,” Talia laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder, blushing. "I’m twenty-one, from Fort Lauderdale, and I’m pretty much just a typical beach brat.” She shrugs sheepishly. “I live in bikinis, I surf every single day, and I hate drama.” She groaned. “I just like to have fun."
Cleo’s eyes lit up. "Ooh, a Florida girl!” Shooting the rest of you a knowing look. “Love that. Do you…have your eye on any of the boys in here yet?"
Talia immediately looked over at you, a slightly shy smirk forming on her lips, remembering the conversations you two had shared in the car on the way to the villa.
“...She’s interested in JJ,” you stepped in for her, a grin breaking across your face. "And I, for one, am convinced they would be perfect together."
"JJ?!" Sarah gasped, her hands flying to her mouth in excitement. "Oh my god, yes!"
"Right?!” You threw in, equally as excited. “She's from Florida, loves surfing, same sense of humor... and I swear she speaks his language.” You hype the bombshell up as she listens, warmth creeping up her cheeks at how warm and welcoming you all were. “And I’d argue she’s his physical type— dark hair, the tan, and her personality matches his so well—wait, why am I talking about you like you’re not here?" You catch yourself, turning to the girl.
“It’s alright,” Talia laughs, her cheeks flushing slightly. "But I hope you’re right. Seeing him from the outside, I don’t know, I just felt like he had this wild, fun energy that I like in a guy. I really want to get to know him..."
Before the conversation could go any further, the door of the room pushed open.
Rafe stood in the doorway, chest heaving, face still flushed as his eyes swept past the girls and locked onto you.
"Uh, hey can I…?" Rafe asked, throwing a hand out in your direction, his voice rough and pleading as he looked at the group of girls.
Cleo threw her head back and laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "Boy, go ahead and take your girl before you spontaneously combust." She threw out, everyone in the room laughing along as Rafe shot her a playful glare.
Rafe didn't wait for another invitation as he walked forward and grabbed your hand, his fingers intertwining with yours as he pulled you out of the room, Sarah letting you know that she’d finish unpacking your things for you, before the man led you down the hallway and out toward Soul Ties.
The moment you reached the secluded area, Rafe turned around and wrapped his arms around you. He pulled you against his chest, burying his face in the crook of your neck, groaning and squeezing you so tight you could barely breathe. All you could do was laugh, wiggling in his crushing embrace.
He began kissing you all over—your neck, jawline, cheeks, your lips— hands moving restlessly across your back, clawing at it. It was the display of a man who had felt hopeless only hours prior.
"Fuck," Rafe whispered against your lips, loosening his grip just enough to allow you wrap your arms around his neck, closing his eyes to take a moment before opening them again. "I almost left.” He says, eyes wide like it just hit him. “If you hadn't shown up, I would’ve been gone by tonight. Hell, I would’ve been gone by this morning, but JJ kept begging me to give it one last day, everyone saying they wanted me to 'leave on a high note'."
He shook his head, a soft, self-deprecating laugh escaping him as his thumb traced your lower lip.
"But it didn't even matter. Because you are my high note. I’m only happy when I’m with you, angel,” He whispered. “That’s what I wanted. That’s all I care about."
You fixed him with a downwards smile moving to hold his face in your hands, looking into his eyes. "I’m back now, Rafe. And I’m not going anywhere." You assured, kissing his cheek.
LATER, after everyone had showered off all the paint and changed out of their lingerie, you walked down into the main yard. Everyone was mingling in small groups, the soft neon lights reflecting off the pool water.
You noticed JJ sitting by himself on the edge of the pool staring out over the water, looking uncharacteristically quiet.
You walked over and sat down right next to him. "Hey, stranger."
JJ turned his head, his face lighting up with that crooked grin. "Hey,” he smiled, leaning over to pull you into a hug before pulling back, hands on your shoulders. “Still can't believe you're back." His eyes were tearing up just a fraction before he blinked it away with a sniffle, letting his hands slide from your shoulders. "We came into this place together, you know? It felt wrong doing this without you."
"I missed you too, J," you smiled warmly, bumping his shoulder with yours. You looked over at the lounge area, where Talia was chatting with some of the guys, before steering the conversation. "So... how are you feeling about the new bombshell? Have you talked to her yet?"
A shy, bright smile spread across his face, a wide contrast to the checked-out look he had been wearing practically all day.
"We, uh…we actually had a conversation not too long ago," JJ admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, his voice turning uncharacteristically soft. "And I think I could really like her.” He tells you. “She’s beautiful, first of all. But even personality-wise, we have the same taste in music, the same hobbies back home, we’re from the same place so that wouldn’t be an issue... she loves surfing, she’s really bubbly, she’s just the kind of girl I always saw myself with...” He smiles, playing with his hands.
You watched him, satisfaction settling into your chest. For the first time since entering the villa, JJ wasn't talking like a typical player. He wasn't discussing just looks or cracking sexual jokes like he usually did. And sure, he’d done somewhat the same thing with Kiara—they had talked about normal things—but you had never heard JJ discuss common interests, personalities, or the prospect of going back home with a girl.
"I'm happy for you," you said sincerely, squeezing his arm. "You deserve this."
JJ smiled, but then his eyes dropped to his hands, his expression turning serious as he leaned closer. "Yeah.” He breathes. “And, at least now, I can be done with Haja." He scoffs. "I’d be lying if I said I didn't have a small thought to try and make things work after Miles was dumped. But honestly? If Miles hadn't been dumped, I think she’d still be doing the same thing with him."
He let out a bitter breath, looking out over the pool.
"Even when we had a conversation about it, she never even apologized to me. Not once.” He shakes his head. “She just kept saying she was 'exploring her options' and ' enjoying the experience.' She didn't see any part of what she did as wrong. And that really hurt me, man.” He slumps next to you. “Because I liked her. But seeing how she handled it? It just broke all the trust. I don't feel bad about walking away anymore, especially now with Talia here.” The soft smile returns to his face. “...I’ve never felt so naturally drawn to someone before in my entire life."
You smiled, patting his back firmly. "Then follow that.” You encourage. “You deserve it.”
JJ shot you a grateful smile, opening his mouth to thank you when a loud ping echoed from his pocket, both of you looking down then back up at each other.
“I got a text!” He shouted, pulling out his phone as everyone whooped, cheering for him to read it.
"Islanders, sorry for the late night interruption. We know tonight has been full of surprises, but tonight, there is one more. Please, gather around the fire pit. #JudgementDay"
YOU were all sat around the fire pit, most of you in your couples, with a few exceptions of course—Cleo was with Pope, Rima had Justin’s arm over her shoulder, Sarah was leaning on Theo, JJ and Talia were sat comfortably next to one another, you were tucked into Rafe’s side, while Kaitlyn sat a weird distance from John B, Haja and Sofia sitting next to each other and relatively far from everyone else.
Footsteps echoed down the wooden walkway, and Ariana emerged from the shadows for the second time tonight, wearing a striking dress, per usual. She smiled as she spotted you all, “Hello again,” she greeted, taking her place at the center of the fire pit as you all greeted her in return, her eyes sweeping over the nervous faces.
"Islanders," Ariana started, her voice calm. "It’s been a rough couple of days,” she added, nodding along with all of you, meeting your and Rafe’s eyes specifically. “Relationships have been tested, hearts have been broken, all while we are nearing the final stretch of this experience." She says matter-of-factly. “We’ve hit the halfway point, and things are about to start getting a lot more brutal.”
She paused, her eyes locking onto you and Talia before she gestured with her hand. "Talia, Y/N... please, come and join me."
You and Talia stepped forward, you leaving Rafe with a kiss on the cheek as he squeezed your hand, his heart racing as you and Talia stood on either side of Ariana, facing your fellow islanders.
Your heart was thumping, dread settling into your stomach from the last time you had to stand up here.
But, at least this time you know. Though, it still hurt, because you couldn’t tell anyone else.
They were blindsided, no idea what was about to happen.
"Islanders, I have some important information to share with you all regarding the arrival of tonight’s bombshells," Ariana explained, looking directly at them. "Originally, Talia was supposed to be the only bombshell entering the villa tonight…and her arrival was supposed to result in the elimination of one islander." She tells them, the group muttering.
She turned her head to look at you, her expression serious.
"However... because Y/N was given the opportunity to re-enter the villa, she was also handed an ultimatum.” She drops, some eyes locking onto you, confused as you let your head fall slightly. “Y/N was told that she had a choice. She could decline the offer to re-enter the villa, which would keep the elimination limit at one. Or…” Ariana dragged. “She could accept the offer, re-enter as a bombshell for the second time… at the cost of an additional islander being dumped."
A gasp rippled through your friends, exchanging wary glances.
"What this means for you all tonight," Ariana announced, "Is that, because Y/N chose to follow her heart and return, two islanders will be dumped tonight instead of one.” She finally announces, everyone cursing under their breath, nervous—they were overjoyed to have you back, of course. But it didn’t diminish their fear of going home. “Furthermore, tonight's dumping was originally supposed to be a collective, unanimous vote where everyone decided which islander would go home. But, because there are now two bombshells standing here, that counts for two eliminations. And we only found it right to divide that responsibility amongst two groups."
Ariana’s eyes narrowed as she took a deep breath. "Tonight, all of you sitting before me will be responsible for sending home one girl and one boy based on who you believe has made the least amount of progress in this villa so far.” She explains, everyone’s eyes wide as you tried your best to not show just how bad you felt or how nervous you were. “Girls... you will be responsible for deciding which boy to send home.” Ariana tells them. “Boys... you will be responsible for sending home a girl."
She clasps her hands together, a sorrowful smile on her lips. "You will have five minutes to discuss and come to a decision.” She throws out, turning back to the pair of you next to her. “Y/N and Talia, you two will have no say in these decisions.” She says casually, and you both simply nod as she turns to the islanders, face serious. “Your five minutes start now."
The islanders stood up, swapping places so that the girls were on one end of the couch with the guys on the other.
You stood next to Talia, holding her hand for comfort. You could tell that she felt as guilty as you did, in some sense—your hands trembling slightly as you watched your friends silently argue, shooting looks across the deck.
God, what have I done? you thought, cursing your own selfishness, your mind racing through the all the possibilities. By choosing to come back, you might’ve possibly just signed the eviction notice for one, or two, of your closest friends.
You were terrified for Cleo and Rima. Rima’s romantic journey had been undeniably stagnant—coupling with Pope who gave her no true effort, stuck in a platonic coupling with Rafe, her recent return to Justin having the potential to be seen as safe rather than progressive.
Cleo was trapped in an exhausting cycle of back-and-forth drama with Pope, constantly branching out to other people but always running back, and they had just settled down.
And you were terrified for JJ. He had made a connection with Kiara that failed, moved way too fast with Haja which blew up in his face, and was currently single and vulnerable—right at the exact moment a bombshell basically custom-made for him had walked through the door.
If the girls voted him out now, he would never get his chance.
And in the back of your mind, a faint fear for Rafe lingered. Aside from you, he hadn't made a single romantic effort in the villa. If the girls viewed his lack of exploration as a lack of progress, they might use this as a reason to dump him...
You didn’t realize you’d been staring at a blade of grass, consumed by your own thoughts, until Ariana’s voice boomed in your ears, your head shooting up.
"Islanders, your time is up," She announced, cutting through the whispering. "It is now time to reveal your decisions…and who is going home tonight." The air was silent and tense as everyone sat back, eyes on the three of you standing before them.
"Girls, we're going to start with you," Ariana said, her eyes scanning the row of women. "Who have you chosen to speak on behalf of the group?"
Sarah stood from her seat, shoulders back as she smoothed her dress down.
“Sarah, please tell us what boy you all have decided to dump from the island?”
"...I want to start by saying that this really was a hard decision," Sarah began, her voice clear but carrying a distinct edge. "But, we have decided to send this boy home tonight because…we feel that he’s been completely disingenuous to everyone here.” Her voice drops, everyone’s eyes going wide at her switch in tone. “From my personal perspective, I believed our connection was real, and, at the very least, it was real…on my part. But after Casa, it became pretty clear that nothing he ever said to me was genuine."
She cast a brief look back at Kaitlyn before continuing.
"Even this boy’s ex-girlfriend agrees that he is still the same self-serving guy he was before he entered this villa. He’s just been hiding behind a nice-guy persona the entire time.” She snaps, standing straighter, her hands clasped behind her back. “Therefore, the boy we are deciding to send home tonight... is John B."
A shocked silence fell over the fire pit, mostly emanating from the boys’ side.
“John B,” Ariana started. “Please, come join me.”
John B didn't look surprised—a bitter smirk crossed his lips as he stood up from the bench and walked took his place next to Ariana, arms clasped tightly behind his back.
"John B," Ariana said, turning to him. "The girls believe you've shown the least amount of progress. How do you feel about their decision?"
John B let out a dry chuckle, shaking his head. "Honestly…I think this decision was made based off of some kind of popularity contest rather than who actually made the least progress here.” He shrugs. “I disagree with them. I’m not the same person I was years ago, or even the same person I was walking in, and I feel like the girls are letting one mistake blindside them to the growth I have actually shown.” He scoffs. “But... whatever. It is what it is.” He nods, a grimace on his lips.
The girls all scoffed, laughing under their breath as John B locked his eyes on Sarah, narrowing them at her. She didn’t know if he was showing some kind of silent remorse or trying to intimidate her, but either way, Sarah lifted a hand to wiggle her fingers at him, mouthing ‘bye bye’.
Some of the islander caught this, snickering under their breath, even the guys, as John B just rolled his eyes, a snarl on his lips.
Ariana nodded before turning her eyes to the opposite side of the fire pit. "Boys... it is now your turn.” She starts. “Which girl have you decided to dump from the island?"
Surprisingly, Rafe stood up, his blue eyes absent of anything warm as he started speaking.
"We're deciding to send this girl home tonight because, quite frankly, we don't believe she should have ever made it back from Casa in the first place." He starts bluntly, gasps washing over the fire pit as he stands with the most satisfied smirk on his face you believe you’ve ever seen. "We feel like this girl is chasing ghosts," Rafe explained, his voice steady, cold. "And in the process, she’s let her own bitterness cloud this place with negativity. She’s spent her time here creating an environment that sucks for everyone, being god awful to people who don't deserve it at all, and, personally speaking, has actively tried to ruin, what I believe to be, one of the best connections in here—Y/N and myself."
Rafe stood proudly, voice dropping as he turned and looked directly at Sofia.
"You told me the other day that you don't think I’ll ever be a good person.” He starts, voice flat. “And I don't accept that. I know I can be a better man. And there is one girl in this villa who actually sees me, who actually believes in me, and who makes me want to be better every day.” He shoots a glance at you, eyes softening almost instantaneously before he slowly turned his blue, icy gaze back to Sofia, who was sitting with her jaw clenched, hands balled into fists in her lap. “You’re stuck in the past, and you’re just dragging everyone else down. So…” Rafe turns, eyes on Ariana. “I think it’s no secret that the girl we are sending home tonight…is Sofia."
Sofia scoffed, the sound coming out more like a deep breath or choked sob she’d been holding in as her eyes flooded with angry tears.
“Thank you.” Ariana nodded at Rafe, a silent signal that he could sit as she turned her eyes to the girl in question. “Sofia,” Ariana spoke up. “Please, come stand next to John B,” She ordered, everyone watching as she stood and marched across the fire pit, her heels clicking against the wood as she took her place next to John B, chest heaving.
"Sofia," Ariana said softly. "The boys have made their decision. How do you feel?"
Sofia let out a shaky breath, a tear escaping down her cheek as she looked at Rafe, voice trembling with a bitter kind of pain. "There’s no point in playing nice up here.” She shrugged, face red. “These people were looking for any opportunity to get me out of here and you all gave them one, humiliating me in the process.” She criticized. “And I would be lying if I stood here and said I wish Rafe and Y/N the best. I don't.” She snapped, eyes slitted. “I was with Rafe through the worst of the worst. I saw the ugliest, most broken side of him, and I stayed. And I can't believe that standing here in front of him all this time later... it all counts for nothing to him." She scoffs, tears running down her cheeks.
She wiped her cheek swiftly, a nasty smirk forming through her tears as she looked at you.
"I still truly believe deep down that Rafe and I are meant to be.” She grits out at you. “I was his first love, and you can't erase that.” You just stare at her, the faintest form of a smirk on your face as she looks down at her feet. “What they have in here isn’t real, it doesn’t mean anything. So yeah... I’m leaving, but I’m leaving knowing exactly who he is." She laughs bitterly before turning to you one last time. “And I can’t wait for you to see it once you leave this place.” She bites, the words sounding like some kind of threat.
Sofia glared at you, but she had nothing left to say as the silence settled.
"Well...John B, Sofia," Ariana announced, her voice carrying. "You are now single, vulnerable…and dumped from the island.” She tells them with a slight frown. “You may pack your bags and prepare to leave the villa. The rest of you... you are safe, and I’ll see you all soon."
THE goodbyes in the villa were split down a line.
Upstairs in the bedroom, none of the original girls went up to help Sofia pack her things. Only Kaitlyn and Haja walked over to Sofia’s wardrobe, helping her fold her dresses and close her suitcases. They weren't particularly close with her, but as fellow Casa girls, they simply didn't want to leave her alone during her final moments, even if that was the system she set up for herself.
Down in the main yard, the original girls looked on with understanding, but they shared zero sentimentality. Sofia had treated you terribly from the second she arrived, and they believed she had earned every single bit of the cold shoulder she was receiving.
With John B, however, the vibe was a bit different. All of the guys—JJ, Pope, Theo, Justin, and Rafe—gathered around his bed, helping him pack his things, and carrying his luggage down the stairs. The guys hugged him, dragging him to take photos before his departure.
While the girls were gathered on the outdoor couches, Cleo looked over at Sarah. "Are you planning on saying anything to him before he leaves?"
Sarah sighed, looking down at her hands, a look of quiet sadness clouding her face. "I think I have to.” She shrugged. “I mean, despite everything that happened... I really liked our connection while it lasted. I genuinely had hope that we would have made it out of this villa and been something real in the outside world. So, it hurts to see it end like this, but it’s just what it is."
She looked up as Kaitlyn walked down the steps beside Haja, both having finished helping Sofia. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Haja and Sofia stopped to hug and chat while Kaitlyn made her way over to you all. "Kaitlyn, are you gonna say goodbye to him?"
Kaitlyn shrugged, relaxed. "Yeah, I'll give him a hug or something. But I’m not too worried about it.” She says casually. “We run into each other at the same spots all the time, so I know I’ll see him in a couple of weeks anyway. It's not a big deal."
A minute later, John B and the guys returned to the yard, looking over at the group as you and the girls walked over to join everyone.
Sarah took a deep breath, smoothing down her dress, and walked over to him. "Hey. Can we talk for a second?"
"Yeah, ‘course," John B said quietly.
They walked a few paces away, standing near the edge of the pool deck away from the rest of the group.
Sarah was the first to speak, her voice dropping all the previous anger. "Despite what you may believe... tonight's decision wasn't spiteful. It wasn't us girls being bitter, sitting in a circle saying 'oh, he hurt me, so he has to go.' It wasn't a revenge plot."
John B listened quietly, his eyes fixed on her face.
"It was just... what you did at Casa really showed us that there was no real growth from your past mistakes," Sarah explained softly. "And you don’t have to agree, but even Kaitlyn agreed that it felt like the same old patterns.” She explained. “You were the same person when you came into this villa, the same person during Casa, and now the same person leaving."
John B nodded slowly, a genuine look of regret washing over his face. "I understand, Sarah. Honestly, I do. I wish I could've had more time in here to make up for it and show you that I can change, but... I think deep down I know we would have never gotten back to that same level we were at before Casa happened.” He accepts his defeat. “I get it. I just... I really hope you can forgive me some day."
"I forgive you," Sarah said, a small, sad smile touching her lips as she stepped forward. "I do. I wish you nothing but the best, John B...but our ship has sailed, and that's okay."
They pulled each other into a warm hug, holding onto each other for a moment before walking back together toward the main exit where the rest of the islanders were waiting.
Confessional : JJ
“Although I’m happier than ever to see Sofia walk out those doors tonight…I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty upset to see my guy John B go.” He sighs, trying not to get too emotional. “He made some terrible decisions at Casa, we both did, and I see why the girls made the choice they did—I agree with it.” He admits. “But at the end of the day, that was still my dawg, y’know? It sucks to see your boy leave.”
Confessional : Pope
“Damn, seeing John B get the boot hits hard.” He drags a hand down his face. “I felt like him, JJ, and myself were a real trio in here, so seeing that broken up is tough. But I agree with the girls' decision. A big part of why he’s leaving is because of what went down at Casa, and you can't blame them for holding him accountable.” He says honestly. “Casa is the ultimate test in this villa... and John B failed it. Terribly.”
Confessional : Kaitlyn & Haja
They were sitting side by side, Kaitlyn speaking first. “Look, we’re not best friends with Sofia or anything, we never really got to know her on that deep level we would have hoped for to build a friendship...”
“Yeah,” Haja nods. “But at the end of the day, we were all Casa girls. We just wanted her to have at least a decent memory of us helping her pack her bags and seeing her off, so she didn't feel alone."
Confessional : Cleo, Rima, & Sarah
They were sitting clustered, trying to contain their laughter when it came out, all three of them doubling over.
“Bye!” Cleo exclaimed through her own amusement as they gathered themselves.
“We don't give a fuck that she’s gone.” Rima deadpan, still reeling. “What did you think was gonna happen?”
“I mean, look, I feel a tiny bit bad for her on a human level.” Sarah cut in cautiously. “I’d be pretty pissed off too if I got the worst version of a guy years ago, and then he goes and gives the best, most loving version of himself to another girl later down the line because he finally decided he wanted to be a good person.” She explains, not defending Sofia, but acknowledging her outlook.
“Okay, would we be pissed? Yes.” Cleo throws in. "But would we come onto a national television show and make that new girl’s life a living hell because we're bitter? Absolutely not. You should be mad at the guy who put you in that situation in the first place, not the innocent girl. So yeah, we feel bad... but we also don't."
Then a brief moment of silence fell over the three of them before they turned to the camera in sync, waving. “Bye Sofia!”
Confessional : You & Rafe
He had an arm around your shoulders as you looked up at him. “I’m a little bit sad to see John B go tonight.” You admitted. “I think we were kind of close—not the closest, but we were good friends I would say—but…he made his bed at Casa, and he had to lie in it.” You shrug.
“Yeah,” Rafe nodded, scratching his chin. “He wasn’t too beat up about it either. But, I think the girls made the best choice.” He shrugs, looking down at you with a smirk. “I’m jus’ glad it wasn’t me.”
You giggled, opening your mouth to speak again. “But Sofia?” You edge, eyes on Rafe before bursting out laughing as he held you, a satisfied smirk on his face. “I could literally throw a fucking party, right now.” You breathe. “I do feel a tiny bit bad still about everything that came out, you know, her reasoning for acting that way…” You peered up at him carefully.
Rafe groaned, dropping his head. “I apologized to her so many times and even tried to break up with her after!” He defended. “But she wanted to stay and keep trying, I didn’t—”
“Rafe, it’s fine, I know,” you placed a hand on his chest, chuckling. “You’re a different person, You’re a better person, okay?” You reassure, leaning up to kiss his cheek before turning back to the camera. “Hopefully, when she gets back out into the real world, she’ll go seek the help she clearly needs.”
Standing right in front of the giant, glowing "Love Me Not" neon sign, John B and Sofia stood with their suitcases in hand.
John B let out a heavy breath, a peaceful smile breaking through his sadness. “Love you guys. All of you. Even if I sucked at showing it.” He chuckles. “Take care of each other." He raises his hand in a final wave as he turns and begins walking away.
Sofia doesn’t say a word, just grabs her suitcase and marches behind John B, both of them disappearing around the corner.
Confessional : John B
"Leaving tonight is...something, man.” He drops his head. “It hurts to walk out right at the halfway mark, but I'm just grateful for the experience and for meeting everyone that I did. I really want to say to Sarah that I am sorry and I'll forever cherish the connection we made in here, even if it ended like this. And to the boys—JJ, Pope, Rafe... those are my guys, since day one. Even when I messed up and made some bad decisions, they didn’t defend my mistakes, but they never threw me to the wolves either, and I gotta love ‘em for that.” He laughs to himself. “I'm going to miss JJ's unhinged jokes, I'm going to miss Pope spewing random, useless facts early in the morning, and I'm even going to miss seeing Rafe turn into the guy he wants to be each day. I admire him for that." He adds. "Love them all."
Confessional : Sofia
"I'm pissed off.” She starts. “I came her for Rafe. I have always been the one chasing him, begging him for the bare minimum, and it makes me sick to watch him give everything I ever asked him for to another girl. And the girls in there are nothing but a bunch of mean girls. I never felt welcome for a second.” She scoffs in disgust. “If I had to name my only true friends in that place, it would easily be Miles and Haja, and honestly, they treated those two pretty terribly, too. So, I guess I was just getting along with the other outcasts.” She rolls her eyes. “This entire thing was a waste of my time and nothing but an excuse for people to humiliate me on national television."
As the sound of the car driving off sounded, the remaining group turned back toward the villa, the air feeling lighter and only just a bit heavier at the same time.
Rafe walked over to you, hand sliding around your waist, pulling you against his chest as you both walked back toward the villa, safe, united—every hurdle jumped—and actually ready for whatever the final weeks had in store.
next chapter>
do y'all love me again? (this chapter was so lazy)
summary: after falling off a boat during a storm, you'd given up adventuring with the pogues. and dating all together. but the nightmares and panic attacks stayed with you all these years. you bared it alone, until an unlikely kook keeps showing up when you need help.
wc: 4.6k
warnings: 18+ due to later explicit chapters and heavy subject matter. this particular chapter is slight violence.
a/n: ok this chapter totally got away from me and it's long but I hope you like it anyway, let me know what you think!
banner: @/rumbleonthemill
table of contents: PART 1, PART 2, PART 3, PART 4, PART 5 , PART 6, PART 7, PART 8
The next day you have off, you plan to spend it with your Pogues. Picking up Pope and Cleo in your truck, you head to the Chateau. This is what summer was about. Spending time with your friends, the people you felt like you could be yourself around. You rolled down your window, letting the salty ocean breeze hit you.
“You look happier than usual.” Cleo comments, smirking a bit. That makes you flush, and you pretend to be extremely focused on the road like you couldn’t drive to John B’s in your sleep.
“Yeah,” Pope agrees. “I’ve been meaning to tell you, it seems like you’re feeling a little better.”
“Aw, thanks guys.” You murmur. “I have been feeling a little better. Trying to run every day and I’ve started to run on the beach, close to the water. Really close.” That was true. You didn’t want to tell them about the pool with Rafe, but you could at least share some of your progress.
“That’s awesome!” Pope exclaims.
“Good for you, girl.” Cleo echoes.
The moment you enter the Chateau, it’s a chorus of greetings and a line of hugs like you didn’t just see them the other day. It made you feel so warm, so loved. Even if you stopped going on adventures with them, they still felt like your chosen family.
“How’s the truck doing?” JJ asks as he sits next to you on the couch, finishing his can of beer.
“Fine. The check engine light hasn’t come on again.” You assure him. Of course, you told one of your best friends about the truck needing a jump. You just didn’t tell him who gave you one.
“Probably not the alternator then, thank fuck.” He mutters.
“You’d get me a deal though, right?” You tease, elbowing him in the side.
“I’d try. That shit ain’t cheap.” He chuckles as he opens another beer.
“Tell me about it.” You frown, heading to the fridge to grab a beer. Instead of drinking it, you press the cold can to your forehead. It was always a little stuffy in the Chateau in summer. You had a feeling Big John didn’t really want to deal with bills while he was out doing God know’s what.
Next on the social agenda was another one of Topper’s parties. It had always been a way for Sarah to maintain some of the Kook friendships she cared about and spend a little time with her brother. But you’d always enjoyed them a little. Better alcohol, better food, and only a little bit of Kook judgement.
Like all parties, though, your social battery hits a wall. Anxiety creeps in, just a little. The bathroom was your usual place to retreat to, but with it being summer break with plenty of tourists getting an invite, the line was too long. You snuck out the front door instead, remembering that there were a handful of rocking chairs on the porch.
“Shit!” You hear Rafe’s voice before you see him, whipping your head toward the end of the porch. He’s seated on the last rocking chair, joint in hand, coughing smoke in surprise.
“Sorry, didn’t know you were out here.” A laugh slips past your lips as you take a seat in the chair next to him.
“Why are you out here?” He asks once he catches his breath. You two had been doing your usual dance all night. Avoiding each other, but stealing glances every now and then. He was in a light blue polo this time. One that matches his eyes.
“I should ask you that, Kook.” You quip, throwing his words from the boathouse back at him. He smirks at that. “Needed a breather. It’s getting pretty crowded.”
“I’m hiding from Sarah. Don’t want her to see me with this.” He nods at his joint.
“So, you decided to smoke by the front door?” You raise a brow and he rolls his eyes.
“Nobody leaves this way. They just go through the yard.” He says, which is true enough.
“I won’t tell.” You promise, snatching it from his fingers and taking a drag. His eyes light up against the porch lamps.
“You smoke?”
“My best friends are practically the biggest stoners on the Cut. What do you think?” You exhale, handing it back to him.
“Fair.” He takes another hit, eyes trained on you.
“I haven’t in a while, actually. I feel like once I started getting panic attacks, I relied on it too much.”
“I get that,” Rafe takes a deep breath. “I used to rely on it to sleep ‘cause I kept doing coke.” You knew coke was a popular drug amongst Kooks. And you’d heard the rumors that Rafe dealt and abused it. But his admission still hits you. The man sitting next to you had felt so different than the boy you grew up hearing about. He hands you the joint, and you slowly take another hit.
“What made you want to tonight?” You ask curiously, handing it back. His gaze finally drops from you.
“Too much going on in my head.” He answers vaguely. That was easy enough for you to relate to. But for him, you didn’t know if it was because of your kiss. Or Mr. Brennan. Or Ward. Or a combination of all of that. You definitely hadn’t wanted to add any complications to his life.
“Same.” You reply, the weed and alcohol swirling in your brain enough that you didn’t want to confront him. Rafe flicks the roach into a flower pot that’s fancier than anything you’ve ever owned. For a second, you think the pretty blue flowers will catch fire, and you watch the pot intently only for nothing to happen.
“Ready to go back in?” Rafe asks, clearing his throat.
“No.” You admit, sinking further into the rocking chair.
“Me neither.” He agrees.
“One of us should go back, though,” You raise your brow at him, and he scoffs.
“Don’t look at me like that. Kie’s probably already losing her shit that she can’t find you. No one’s looking for me.”
“What about that girl you were talking to? The blonde?” You point at him, unwilling to leave the rocking chair that feels surprisingly comfy now. Rafe smirks like he’s glad you noticed.
“She went home.” He shrugs.
“Shit, Rafe Cameron striking out? Is that new for you?” You jab, feeling your eyelids get heavy.
“Okay,” He chuckles, drawing out the word. “Fine. You can stay here. I’m gonna crash in the guestroom upstairs.” He stands slowly, stretching a bit as he yawns. His polo rises up just enough that you catch a glimpse of his v-line. You don’t have enough control in that moment not to blush. And of course, he sees. His icy eyes glint again. “You goin’ to the Boneyard party tomorrow?”
“Yeah, of course,” You reply, pretending to stare at the flower pot again.
“See you there, Pogue.”
Rafe didn’t even get a chance to fully exit his room to go to the Boneyard before Wheezie stopped him. For a second, he thinks she might tattle to Ward that Rafe’s going to a party again. Even though Rafe is an adult. But her mischievous smile is paired with her wagging her eyebrows.
“What?” He rolls his eyes.
“Why do you keep hanging out with that girl in the pool? Are you teaching her how to swim?” Wheezie asks, grinning.
“No, she knows how to swim.” Rafe mumbles. That was just a guess, but you definitely seemed like you did.
“So, what are you doing then? Besides making out.” She grimaces.
“None of your business, Wheez.” Rafe pushes past her, heading down the stairs.
“Are you having sex with her in there?” Wheezie calls down a little too loudly, and Rafe shoots her a glare.
“No,” He matches her volume. “Fuck off.” Rafe couldn’t lie to himself. He’d already thought of fucking you in the pool. Multiple times. Especially after that last kiss. But that wasn’t why you were there. You were trying to help your panic attacks. Trying to heal. He could at least attempt to keep his dick in his swim trunks.
Rafe makes it to the Boneyard in record time. Top and Kelce are already there, mingling with a handful of Kooks. Rafe does his rounds of greetings and gets his beer, but once again, his mind isn’t present. He’d been applying to internships all summer and had barely heard back. Only one interview so far. And of course, Ward assumed he was just sitting on his ass all day.
“Yo, Top,” Rafe interrupts Topper’s tipsy storytelling, ignoring the irritation blooming on the blonde boy’s features. Topper knew better than to complain to Rafe. “You got any leads on an internship in Durham?”
“I can ask around.” Topper replies before rambling to Kelce again. Rafe scans the beach. No Sarah. No you. Plenty of tourons, though. The beach is crowded, the air smelling like ocean water and beer. There was a nice breeze, the sun just starting to set.
“Some sexy tourons to the east.” Kelce comments loudly, nudging Rafe.
“To the east? What are you, a ship captain?” Rafe taunts as he shakes his head.
“Seriously. They’re hot.” One of the other boys comments.
“And they’re looking over here. What about that one, Rafe? She looks like the girl you hooked up with over spring break.” Topper offers, pointing without a care. But he was right. She did. Dark hair. Tan. Light eyes.
“Nah,” Rafe shrugs, sipping his beer.
“Nah?” Topper raises a brow.
“Yeah, what do you mean ‘nah’?” Kelce scoffs. “Who are you?”
“Just not interested.” Rafe mutters.
“Since when? Are you seeing someone?” Topper starts to smile like he’s clever. Rafe is quick to stop that.
“No, I’m not fuckin’ seeing someone.”
“You totally are, bro,” Kelce is grinning now. “Who is it?”
“Nobody.” Rafe’s eyes narrow. But the boys are too drunk. Too used to Rafe being nicer.
“It’s Sofia, isn’t it?” Topper presses.
“No, I’m not fuckin’ dating Sofia, alright? Jesus Christ.” Rafe snaps, and the boys blink in surprise.
“Alright, man. Sit and sulk if you want. We’re gonna get some pussy.” Kelce rolls his shoulders back, taking a long drink before heading off with Topper.
Rafe goes back to the keg to fill his cup, and by the time he heads to where the Kooks are, a beach volleyball game has broken out. And there’s Sarah and you with your friends. He watches while pretending to listen to the Kooks. Watches the way you bend, waiting for the ball to come over the net. The way your tank top rides up when you serve. The way you laugh. Nothing else felt that interesting at the Boneyard anymore.
“That was a terrible serve, Kie.” Pope sighs from across the net after his team loses the next turn in the beach volleyball game. In terms of your friends, Pope, Kie, Cleo and John B were on the opposite team. JJ and Sarah were on yours. And unfortunately, Gavin.
“I’m sorry,” Kiara drags the words sarcastically as she glares at him. “But at least I’m hitting the ball more than you.”
“Alright, my serve.” JJ announces, lining up behind you. “Get ready for some Olympic level talent.” He hits the ball, landing it straight in the net.
“Nice.” You deadpan to your teammate.
“Come on, man.” Gavin groans.
“Sun’s in my eyes!” JJ throws his hands up defensively. It’d been a pretty uneventful game so far. Pope’s team was slightly ahead of yours. Finally, JJ gets the ball over the net. It eventually makes its way to you. You can see it coming, but it’s veering to your left. Looking like it’s about to go out of bounds. You let it, but to your disbelief, it lands within the line.
“Dammit! You had that.” Gavin exclaims.
“Thought it was out. Sorry.” You say sheepishly.
Cleo then serves, and Sarah spikes it hard over the net. John B tries to return it and misses.
“Still got it.” Sarah smirks as JJ cheers and you and Gavin high five her.
“I was distracted, that’s all.” John B shrugs.
“By what?” Pope glances at him.
“Sarah.” He admits, and his team rolls their eyes while Sarah smiles.
“Gross. Save the flirting for after the Pogue Olympics.” JJ gags. A few more rounds pass, the game still in Pope’s favor. JJ finds himself in the same position as you, the ball headed toward him but looking like it will go out of bounds. He dives dramatically, making it clear the ball was going to be out, and misses. Face planting. Sand going everywhere.
“Beautiful form.” Kiara claps.
“Come on, Maybank.” Gavin sighs.
“Just makin’ for good TV.” JJ spits out sand.
Eventually, the teams are tied. That’s when the game gets a little quieter. Everyone focuses more. Tries harder. Eventually, the ball launches toward you again, and it’s a repeat from earlier. You think it might go out of bounds. You hesitate. And it drops, just inside the lines.
“You gotta move. You can’t just stand still.” Gavin scolds. You roll your eyes.
“It’s just a game. Not the actual Olympics.” You retort.
“Yeah, well, it would be nice if you tried.” Gavin’s green eyes are cold.
“Hey,” JJ calls lightly. “We’ve all got strengths. Mine is looking damn good in Walmart swim trunks.”
“Debatable.” Sarah shakes her head. Gavin cracks a small smile, finally letting you be.
But then, as the sun dips below the horizon, it’s match point. History repeats itself. You don’t dive for the ball. You reach. And you miss. Pope’s team wins, cheering loudly. Gavin exhales sharply, grabbing the ball and slamming it to the ground.
“Jesus, dude.” Sarah flinches, but Gavin’s focus shifts to you as he steps forward.
“You just had to move. Not fuckin’ stay in one damn spot all game.” He snaps.
“Sorry I don’t want to catapult myself for a casual beach volleyball game.” You glare back at him. God forbid you didn’t want to hurt yourself or get sand in your eyes at a party. Both teams go quiet, the mood souring with Gavin’s outburst.
“Yeah, bro. It’s just beach volleyball. I was joking about it being the Olympics.” JJ keeps his tone bright, patting Gavin on the back. But Gavin doesn’t loosen up.
“It’s lame as shit to have a teammate that doesn’t even try.” Gavin walks away with his friends.
“She did try.” Sarah offers.
“Shut up, Kook.” Gavin mutters and you hope no one heard that but you. Sarah’s expression falters before she sighs and turns to John B, smiling.
The boys start up another volleyball game while you, Sarah, Kie, and Cleo head to the bonfire to warm up. Once the sun set, the beach would get pretty chilly, especially with a breeze. And you and Sarah had no interest in playing another game, even if Gavin quit.
The man himself and his gaggle of friends unfortunately sit on the other side of the fire as they chug their beers, trying to warm up. You and the girls ignore them, chatting about random things as you lounge and stare at the fire.
“You know,” Gavin says loudly from across the fire, coming around with some of his friends. Your stomach tightens. This wouldn’t be good. “I didn’t realize that once we graduated, we’d let Kooks claim the Boneyard.”
“It’s a public beach.” Sarah says casually, not even moving a muscle.
“Doesn’t mean everybody belongs. Y’all have all these unwritten rules of places we can’t go. Because we’d make you feel unsafe. Make the place seem like it was for poor people.”
“Give it a rest, Gavin.” Kiara rolls her eyes. You watch Gavin’s gaze flick between her and Sarah.
“You know, I didn’t think you two ever left Figure Eight unless it was to sleep with Pogues. Who y’all fuckin’ now these days?” A few of his friends and people nearby laugh. Of course, Gavin wasn’t close enough with your friends to know who was dating who. He saw what all strangers did. Two Kooks hanging out with Pogues all the time.
“You’re embarrassing yourself.” Kiara snorts, and Sarah giggles in agreement. Neither of them are affected, but you can feel anger simmering under your skin. The girl who grew up on the Cut was still buried deep underneath all the panic. The girl who had to defend herself and would do anything to defend her friends. Gavin’s words hit you because you knew your friends were much sweeter, much more loyal, and much stronger than he could ever fathom. And he wanted to imply they were just rich girls who wanted to sleep with whoever they could. You stand before your brain can ever register it.
“Leave them the fuck alone, Gavin.” You snap, your eyes like daggers. The crowd around the fire falls silent. Gavin’s mouth drops open, before closing as he smirks.
“Always defending Kooks, huh? Did one of them pick you yet? You got a sugar daddy?” Gavin coos mockingly.
“They’re here because they’re our friends.” You ignore his insults.
“Our?” He laughs. “You think you speak for the Cut now?”
“I went to school with you for a decade, dude. They’ve been showing up for us longer than you’ve bothered to show up for anybody here.” You say firmly. Gavin’s smile falters, and that spurs you on. “Kiara’s been with us since we were little. Sarah convinced her dad to help us with all the zoning shit threatening homes across the Cut. And Cleo bailed my friends out of juvie. So they’ve earned their place.”
Just for one small moment, you were the old version of yourself. The girl who stole jewelry and taffy from the tourist shops. Who climbed onto any boat your friends could get their hands on. Who never hesitated to put someone in their place.
“There she is.” Gavin’s expression hardens, noticing the same thing. “Still got that mouth, huh? Funny. I remember that mouth shutting real quick when you were with me.” Your stomach drops, the fire inside you doused with icy water. The crowd murmured, Kie said something, but everything sounded muffled. “You panicked about every little thing. I mean, who wants to hook up with someone they need to comfort for hours? You couldn’t even suck my d-”
“Enough!” Kiara snaps, standing with you now. But the damage was done. Your heart rammed against your chest. The feeling of all eyes on you felt suffocating. Your breaths shallow. It was happening here. Now. The exact thing Gavin mocked you for.
“Fuck you.” You dismiss him, stomping away before your voice can start to shake. As quick as you can manage, you put distance between yourself in the bonefire, hearing the girls trail behind you as they called your name. You march to the lifeguard stand as tears prick your eyes, sobs starting to wrack your chest. Breathing too shallow. Not enough air. Tunnel vision. Can barely hear. Barely see. Were you really this weak? Was this all you were?
“Don’t worry about him, babe. He’s a dumb asshole.” Kiara appears in front of you as you stop and crouch down. She gets on your level, stroking your back.
“I don’t want to be like this, Kie,” You sob. “I’m so tired of it. I don’t want this. I want to be the old me. I’m so tired.” Your words are shaky as you babble, spilling out of you without control.
“I know, I know,” Kiara takes your hand, her eyes watering.
“He’s just a stupid boy. I don’t even care about his opinion.” You mutter through sobs. And yet your body doesn’t care. It reacts like this anyway. Even with all the work you’d been putting in. It can’t even handle this.
Rafe catches you stumbling toward the lifeguard stand, Sarah obviously trying to comfort you by rubbing your back as Kie held your hand. His body tensed. Something was wrong. Without a goodbye to the Kooks, he charges toward you.
“Fuck off, Rafe.” Kiara gives her usual greeting, her brown eyes narrowing at him. But he’d heard snippets of what you said. This wasn’t your usual panic.
“Who did this?” He demands softly to you, even though you haven’t even looked up at him.
“None of your business.” Kiara snaps, face flushing. He looks to Sarah for some kind of hint, just in time to see her glance at the bonfire. The guy with the shaggy, dirty blond hair was laughing. The one Rafe noticed kept ragging on you during volleyball. He felt his jaw clench so hard his teeth hurt.
Rafe headed toward the fire, trying to keep his breathing even and his anger in check. It was just a stupid Pogue. A skinny, surfer fuck. One he could easily take in a fight. Not worth ruining all his progress, even if he made you cry.
“What? Here to defend your sister?” The Pogue boy grins, making it clear he was the problem.
“What’d you say to her?” Rafe leans into the assumption, liking the way he towers over this boy.
“Simple. Kooks like you don’t belong here.” The boy shrugs. Rafe chuckles dryly. Same shit, different day.
“And what did you say to Sarah’s friend?” He keeps his eyes trained on the boy.
“Her? Nothin’ she didn’t already know.” The boy shrugs. “She’s just a fuckin’ mess.”
“Hm.” Rafe nods. “I think you should leave.” The boy’s grin fades, his eyes narrowing.
“What, are you her Kook sugar daddy? Her bodyguard?” He retorts, his friends crowding behind him.
“I just think if you’re gonna cause problems with other Pogues, you really shouldn’t be here.” Rafe says simply.
“Kooks don’t tell us what to do.” The boy hisses, his friends agreeing.
“Pack up your shit and leave.” Rafe says casually, crossing his arms.
“Or what, big guy? You gonna go full psycho again and get your daddy to bail you out?”
Rafe smiles at that one. Of course, they knew his reputation. They should know better than to keep egging him on.
“Don’t need to. I can call Shoupe.”
“Oh, right. Got the KPD in your back pocket, too. You know, she ain’t worth all this. Trust me.” The boy insists. But he still hasn’t moved a muscle. And neither has Rafe, so the boy keeps going. “She’s got a few screws loose, you know. Not a good time in bed. You’re better off with a different Pogue, if you want something easy.” Rafe feels it. The anger boiling inside him. The way his body starts to vibrate. Vision practically going red. The old Rafe is thrashing in his cage. Doing anything to break free. But Rafe can’t have that happen. He tries to look neutral, but he can feel his mouth twitch. Feel his hands clench.
“I’m telling you, man,” The boy continues, smirking now. “I’ve already hit that. Not worth it.”
“I said to fuckin’ leave. I won’t tell you again.” Rafe snaps, shoulder-checking the shorter blond boy before storming away. The little parasite could go to hell. Rafe could ruin his life, even without hitting him. Didn’t he know that? Didn’t every Pogue? Why was he so fucking stupid?
The shove to Rafe’s back is so unexpected that he goes tumbling, and the punch to the face is so quick he sees stars as he’s knocked to the ground. He tried to be the bigger man. He tried to walk away. But the Pogue wanted war.
Sarah had already muttered a string of curses under her breath, directing your attention back at her. Her eyes were trained on the bonfire, and you followed her gaze, knowing her brother had walked off not long ago. You didn’t know where he went or what he intended to do after seeing you like that.
“Rafe!” His name tears from your throat when you see him go down and get punched in the face. The sobs wracking your body fizzled out. Anger was taking over again. The adrenaline from the panic made it strong and wild. And your sights were set on Gavin.
You charged toward him, barely hearing the girls call your name. The rambling thoughts you had during your panic suddenly went silent. Breaths heavy. Ears ringing. You marched toward the blond even as Rafe recovered and punched him back. You shouldn’t be happy about that. You shouldn’t. But he hurt Rafe.
He hurt Rafe. The man who dove into the pool and pulled you out before anyone else even moved. The man who dragged you out of a storm when he saw you were scared. The man who picked up on the first ring when you had car trouble. The man who spends two days a week slowly easing your nervous system around water just because you asked for help.
“Get the hell away from him!” You yell when you get close enough, dragging Gavin by his stupid surf shop shirt and shoving him away. He grunts in shock as he stumbles a bit, green eyes flying toward you. He’s got a red mark on the side of his head from Rafe’s hit. Will surely turn into a black eye by morning.
“Kook’s bitch defender to the rescue.” He mutters, and you push him again, hitting his solid chest. You position yourself between him and Rafe.
“Fuck you! I said get away from him.” Your voice is strangled, almost feral in your anger. You push him again. Gavin raises his hands, ready to shove you away himself, when Rafe’s voice growls from behind you, low and deep.
“Touch her and I will fuckin’ ruin you.”
“I second the Kook.” JJ’s voice rings out, and you turn just enough to see all of your friends. Every single one coming to your side.
Gavin blinks. Runs a hand through his sun-bleached curls. It’s like the situation has finally sunk in to his tiny brain. He’s outnumbered. None of his friends seem to be backing him. And Topper, Kelce, and the other Kook boys in a rainbow of Vineyard Vines polos have also arrived to the standoff.
“You two are perfect for each other, most mentally ill motherfuckers on the entire goddamn island.” Gavin spits before turning and finally walking away.
You exhale sharply, body still shaking. As you turn, you see your friends. Their shocked expression. Confusion. But your only concern is Rafe. Once you lock eyes with him, you see the damage. A split lip. Blood dried under his nose. Your hand flies to his face, stroking his cheek for just a second.
“Rafe,” You whisper, hand dropping to his and run your thumb across the back of his palm. His knuckles are red and slightly bloody. “Why’d you do that?” Rafe clears his throat, icy eyes still never leaving yours.
“I didn’t start shit-”
“I know,” You assure him softly. “Why’d you confront him?”
“He made you cry.” Rafe says simply. That was enough for him. Someone making you cry was unacceptable. Your heart lurches almost painfully in your chest. And you don’t even think, you throw your arms around him, holding him close. And he hugs you back, hands rubbing your chest.
You can hear the murmurs. Topper. Kelce. JJ. Kie. But you don’t care. Not anymore. And Rafe didn’t seem to care either. You can feel him kiss the top of your head. They could think what they want. As long as he was safe, that was all that mattered. You couldn’t hide it anymore.
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