Officially Yours Now
Pairing: maybank!reader x soft!rafe
Synopsis: after weeks of sneaking around, rafe takes you to a very special place. far away from everyone’s expectations and opinions, he finally asks you to be his girlfriend.
Warnings: kissing (finally!!!), maybe a tiny bit if angst?? idk
Wordcount: 1,9k
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Anxiety bubbled in your chest as Rafe led you to whatever place he had been so secretive about, his hands gently covering your eyes. You could feel the warmth of his body behind you, close enough to make your heart beat faster than usual.
Whatever seemed to bloom between the two of you over the past weeks, continued to grow stronger. Messages would be read within seconds instead of minutes, hangouts were more frequent than before and every secret glance lasted a little longer.
“Are we almost there?” you asked, growing impatient. Walking without any vision and having Rafe as the one to guide you, didn’t exactly help with the anxiety you already felt.
Rafe huffed a laugh as he guided you into the right direction. “Almost. Be careful here.”
You felt the hard surface underneath your feet change into a soft layer of sand. A small smile tugged your lips as you recognized the familiar feeling, the nerves dissolving into excitement.
Then, after another few steps, his hands slowly lifted from your eyes.
As your vision came back, your eyes widened when you saw the view. The ocean stretched out in front of you, gentle waves rolling against the shore. As the sun hung low on the horizon, the sky was painted with a beautiful orange hue. Looking around, you didn’t seem to recognize the location.
When you turned around, Rafe was watching your reaction with a satisfied smile. “You like it?”
“Like it? Rafe, this is perfect.” you beamed, turning back to the view. “Where even are we? I’ve never seen this place before.” The boy watched as you walked further down the beach.
“It’s Cameron property,” he explained, following behind you. “Belongs to our family.”
You paused, turning to him. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”
“Nope.”
“You have a private beach?”
“If that’s how you wanna call it, yeah.”
A stunned laugh left your lips, turning back to the ocean. There was something almost unreal about having a entire beach to yourself. The thought itself was something you could have dreamed of.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah,” he murmered, stepping closer to you. “Gorgeous.”
When you turned toward him, you had expected to find him admiring the view. He wasn’t looking at the sunset. Instead, he was looking at you. He reached for your hand, his fingers slipping easily between yours. “Come on, there’s a blanket further down.”
You let him pull you across the beach, following him toward the blanket he had laid out an hour earlier. As you approached the comfy blanket, along with the snacks that were sitting on top, your brows raised in suprise. “How did you know those are my favorites?”
“You talk,” he shrugged, like it was obvious. “And I listen. Pretty simple, actually.”
A smile slowly spread across your face as your eyes met his. “I don’t even remember telling you. When was it?”
“A month ago.”
You couldn’t help the warmth spreading though your chest. “You remembered that?”
He shot you a look. “Of course I remembered.”
As the two of you settled down onto the blanked, you spoke up again. “You’re kind of cute when you try.”
“Try what?”
“To be thoughtful.” you teased, already laughing at your own words.
He shook his head with a scoff in fake annoyance, but he was smiling as he reached for your favorite snacks. “You’re impossible.”
“Yet you brought me here.”
“Unfortunately.” He sighed, causing you to gasp dramatically.
“Wow. After I came all this way with you?”
He frowned, opening the snack packet before handing it to you. “You complained the entire time we walked over here.”
“Because I couldn’t see where we were going, and you wouldn’t tell me.” You fought back, trying to keep your laugh back.
“And now?”
You looked around you, a grateful smile appearing on your face. “Now I’m considering forgiving you.”
“How generous.” Rafe said, a soft smile appearing on his lips after seeing yours.
The two of you laughed as you copied his position, leaning back onto the blanket, your shoulder comfortably resting against his. Without thinking about it twice, Rafe shifted closer, his arm wrapping around you and tugging you against his side. His fingers rested loosely against your upper arm, occasionally brushing over your skin when one of you shifted ever so slightly.
For along time, you just talked.
There was no real subject to the conversation, and neither of you seemed to care. It was the kind of easy conversation that only happened with people you were completely comfortable with. You made fun of younger him after he told you about a childhood memory, and he teased you about the amount of snacks you had already eaten in just half an hour.
Eventually, you somehow ended up arguing about who would survive on an abandoned island the longest.
“Me, without a doubt.” You said confidently.
Rafe laughed, turning his head toward to you. “ Oh please, you’d last two days.”
“Two days?”
“Three, if I was there.”
You turned your head toward him, narrowing your eyes playfully. “You saying you’d save me?”
He smiled. “Obviously.”
“Aw, how cute.”
“Don’t make it weird.”
You smiled, resting your head against his shoulder. His arm tightened slightly around you, pulling you even closer as he laughed under his breath.
“I think you’d miss me.”
“I definitely would.”
His answer came so easily that you went quiet for a moment. You hadn’t expected him to say it so seriously. Rafe seemed to notice the sudden silence too, his gaze dropping to you. For a second, nobody said anything. The playful energy between you shifted into something softer.
He looked away after a few seconds, shifting besides you. Clearing his throat awkwardly, he started picking at the edge of the blanket, fidgeting with a loose thread before dropping it and then doing it again.
“Rafe?” You frowned, thrown off by his sudden weirdness.
“What?”
His voice was defensive, the way it never was with you unless you were joking around.
You shifted away, sitting differently so you could study him carefully. He avoided your eyes, suddenly very nervous. Rafe Cameron was many things, but nervous wasn’t one of them.
“Rafe,” You tried again, your voice softer now. “What’s wrong?”
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Still not meeting your eyes, of course. “Nothing’s wrong, okay?”
“You’re acting weird.”
“No I’m not.”
“You are.”
He finally met your eyes, shooting you an annoyed look. His gaze didn’t carry any real annoyance, though. If anything, he looked embarrassed that you noticed his weird behavior. He tried to come up with something smart to say, but quickly realized he couldn’t fight your pretty eyes any longer.
With a soft sigh, he spoke up.
“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. For a while now, actually.”
Your stomach fluttered, the nerves from earlier resurfacing. “Okay.”
He rubbed his palms against his shorts, trying to gather his thoughts before continuing. “I don’t really know how to say this without sounding..” He paused. “I don’t know. Stupid.”
A small smile tugged your lips, nodding once. “You can tell me, Rafe.”
“I know.”
He looked down at your hands, then slowly reached for one. His touch was gently as his fingers intertwined with yours, almost hesitant. Nothing like the confident way he usually carried himself.
“I know what we’re doing probably isn’t the exactly the smartest thing.” He started, his voice soft.
You swallowed. “Rafe..”
“Just let me finish.“
He took a deep breath, gathering himself before continuing. “I know there’s a million reasons why this is a bad idea. We’re complicated. Everything around us is complicated. And there’s probably a dozen of people who could tell us exactly. why we’re making a big mistake.”
His thumb brushed over your knuckles in a small, absentminded movement.
“But I don’t care.”
A shy smile appeared on your lips before you could stop it.
“I’ve tried to care,” He admitted. “I’ve tried to convince myself that it would be easier if I just stayed away from you.”
An embarrassed laugh left his lips.
“And it hasn’t exactly worked.”
His words made your heart skip a beat, a shy smile appearing on your face. “No?”
He shook his head. “No.”
When he finally met your eyes again, your chest tightened.
“I don’t want to wonder if I’m allowed to hold your hand when we’re around other people. I don’t want to pretend to that I’m not jealous when someone flirts with you.”
A soft laugh left your lips as you remembered the way rafe got jealous at the boneyard.
“I don’t want to keep pretending this isn’t what I want.”
He shifted closer.
“I want you.”
Your breath caught, not knowing what to say. So instead of giving him words, you flashed him the sweetest smile he’d ever seen.
His head dropped with a nervous chuckle. “That was supposed to sound a little more romantic.”
“It was.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He nodded, your words giving him the final courage. “Be my girlfriend.”
You blinked, the smile on your face growing even wider. “Are you asking me?”
“Yeah.”
“You didn’t exactly leave much room for negotiation.”
“I can do it again.”
You laughed. “Rafe.”
“What?”
You moved closer until your knees touched.
“I’d love to be.”
His face softened immediately, relief flooding his chest. “You do?”
“Yeah.” You smiled.
A grin slowly spread across his lips.
“Okay.”
“Okay?” His reaction threw you off, making you laugh. “Is that your big reaction to having me as your girlfriend?”
He laughed, pulling you closer again. “I’m trying really hard not to freak out.” You smiled, but before you could tease him about it, you realized how close the two of you had gotten. A soft breath left his lips, his gaze dropping briefly to to your lips before returning to your eyes.
You swallowed once, your own eyes dropping lower.
Rafe’s thumb brushed over your side. “You know,” he murmered, his voice quieter now. “You’re making it really hard for me not to kiss you right now.”
You smiled faintly. “Am I?”
“Mhm,” he murmered. “Very hard.”
For another moment, neither of you moved. Then, Rafe slowly leaned in. He gave you just enough time to pull away before his lips gently met yours.
The kiss was soft at first, almost hesitant, like he couldn’t believe the fact this was happening after weeks of sneaking around. When he felt you smiling faintly against his lips, that hesitation disappeared completely. His hand found your cheek, cupping your face to pull you even closer.
Without breaking the kiss, you shifted just enough to climb onto his lap. Your hands found his shirt, causing Rafe’s breath to hitch. He pulled back ever so slightly for air, immediate smiles forming on both of your lips.
Not letting you go for too long, he closed the small distance between you by placing his lips on yours once again. Your hands in his shirt tightened, while his free hand slipped to the nape of your neck. The kiss deepened slightly, yet his touch stayed gentle.
When you eventually broke apart, neither of you went far, foreheads resting against eachother.
“You’re officially my girlfriend now.” He said softly, almost as if he still couldn’t wrap his mind around it.
You smiled. “And you’re officially my boyfriend.”
He lets out a quiet laugh.
“That sounds weird.”
“You’ll get used to it.” You said softly, tracing his chest with your fingers.
He smiled, watching your movements. “I definitely will.”
“Good answer.” You teased.
He huffed a laugh before pressing a soft kiss to your forehead, pulling you comfortably against him.
Little did you know, this perfect feeling wouldn’t last long..