Rafe and I are walking along the dock. He has been spitting out facts about all of the boats docked here, for almost half an hour now. I really don't care about the boats, the type of fuel they take or how often the engines need to be repaired. But it is nice to hear Rafe speak so passionately about something. Even though most of his words are mumbled and his sentences don't make sense, the more time we spend out here, the less likely he is to take more drugs
I've never taken drugs so I don't know how long his high will last. I just don't want him to take anymore.
Rafe gets a little too confident and walks closer to the end. He dips one of his feet in the water and stumbles, almost falling in but I manage to catch his arm and pull him towards me. He finds this hilarious and turns to me in a fit full of laughter.
"You were so worried, you should have seen your face." He places his hands on my shoulders and stares down at me. "Relax Scar, I wanted to feel the temperature of the water."
"Why? Do you plan on swimming?"
"I'll tell you a secret." He says, lowering his face down to my level and whispering in my ear. "I'm terrified of sharks."
"Here I was thinking Rafe Cameron wasn't afraid of anyone or anything." Except his father of course.
Rafe unexpectedly pulls me closer to him and engulfs me in a hug. He rests his chin on top of my head. "Your heart is beating like crazy."
"That's because you scared me."
"You care about me?"
"Don't be stupid, of course I care." He ends our embrace, but his hands move back to my shoulders as he continues staring at me. "What?"
"Nothing."
"Tell me Rafe."
He gives me a small smile. "I don't think I remember a time when someone told me they cared about me. I think the last person was my Mum."
Now it is my turn to pull him into a hug. I know how much he loved her and I think her death is part of the reason why he has so many mental health issues. He never recovered from her passing. The grief along with Ward's horrible parenting has created so many monsters inside the poor boys' head.
"I do care Rafe. I don't know why, but I do. You have done so much fucked up shit, but I still believe that there is good in that heart of yours."
He lets out a sigh. "I don't know about that."
"I see how gentle you are with Wheez. You really care about her. When we were kids, you cared about Sarah like that too. What happened?"
"She became a pest. An annoying, ungrateful brat. Couldn't do no wrong in my Dad's eyes. I always did so much for him and I got no appreciation. Meanwhile all Sarah had to do was click her fucking fingers and wow, she was such a superstar."
Ward is the main reason why Rafe despises his sister so much. He always compared the two and played them against each other. All he had to do was give Rafe some love and recognition. But it seems like he never did.
"You're a good person, Scar. To your friends, to JJ, to Emily and even though I don't deserve it, to me."
"You know, I hated the idea of you doing drugs. But if you're spitting out all of these compliments then maybe the drugs aren't so bad." I laugh at him. "I am seriously kidding. They're so bad for you. Why do you get high all the time Rafe?"
"Because then I don't have to feel the pain."
"What pain?"
"All of the pain."
"I don't understand."
He pats the top of my head. "You wouldn't understand."
Does he mean physical pain, mental pain, or both? He has already opened up to me more than I expected. I don't want to pry too much information out of him.
"We came out to the dock to speak about John B's bracelets. So tell me, what bracelet is it?"
"I don't want to talk about the bracelets. I want to talk about how beautiful you look."
I turn away from him, not wanting him to see my flushed face as I feel heat rise to the surface of my cheeks. I feel Rafe reach for my hand and he pulls me towards him. I keep my head turned to the side, but he uses his other hand to guide my face towards him.
"Rafe, stop."
"Stop what?"
"Complimenting me. It's weird."
He raises an eyebrow. "How is it weird? Do you not get compliments?"
I shake my head.
He opens his mouth in shock. "What the fuck? I call bullshit. I know that guys compliment you. You get so much attention. Look at all the heads you turned here tonight. Even despite the fact that you are a Pogue."
"Yeah, but being whistled at and cat called isn't a genuine compliment. Telling someone they're 'hot' or shouting 'hey sexy' out your window isn't flattering at all. The way you... never mind."
"Hey" he caresses my cheek with his hand. "Tell me."
His dark blue eyes are piercing through mine and I can't look him in the eyes while saying this. I close my eyes while speaking and tell him honestly, "the way you compliment me makes me feel weird." When I open my eyes, I see that he looks upset by this.
"I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable. That wasn't my intention, Scar."
"No, I know you were genuine. It's just-" I put my face in my hands. "Fuck Rafe, I can't say it."
"I'm high, I probably won't remember anyway so you might as well say it." He smiles to himself.
"When other guys say it, their words mean nothing. But when you say it Rafe, it sends waves through my body, butterflies to my stomach and you make me smile like a fucking idiot."
His smile grows deeper before he leans into me and presses his lips to mine. I wrap my arms around his neck as his hands grasp my waist. They slide down further as he slips his tongue into my mouth. Rafe squeezes my butt before his hands stop at my thighs and he pulls me upwards. I wrap my legs around his waist and our closer proximity allows us to deepen the kiss. As Rafe's tongue explores the inside of my mouth, my hands make their way to his hair and he moans into my mouth as I tug on his locks.
Desperate for a breath, I pull away and catch some air for a moment. Rafe is about to say something, but I cut him off by kissing him again. I begin to feel a burning sensation down below. A foreign feeling that I have never felt before. It catches me by surprise and I pull away from Rafe.
"You okay?" He asks me as he sets me back down to my feet. I stare up at him and use my thumb to try and wipe off the red lipstick that is smeared all over his face.
"You have lipstick everywhere." I laugh at him, failing miserably at trying to wipe it off. It has stained his skin.
"So do you. You look like the fucking joker." He laughs at me as I cover my mouth, imagining how freaky I look right now. Rafe pulls my hands away and holds them out to the side. "Stop, don't cover your face. You do look a little crazy, but you're still beautiful beneath that lipstick. You don't need all of that makeup, Scar."
"Yeah I do. I still have bruises on my face."
"I swear, if that mother fucker ever shows up again, I will make sure it is his last-"
I place my hand against his chest. "Let's not talk about him."
"I hate what he has done to you. It makes me so angry."
"But you saved me that day. Things could have ended so much worse if you hadn't have showed up."
He shakes his head with disgust on his face. "I don't even want to imagine."
"Do you want to head back in with the others now?"
"I don't feel like dealing with them. Plus, thanks to someone wearing bright fucking red lipstick, we look like absolute idiots right now."
We both laugh together.
"You're right. If only one of these boats were unlocked and we could fix our faces in the bathroom."
Rafe reaches forwards and pulls the pin out of my hair that was keeping my hair pinned behind my ear. "You ever picked a lock before?"
I pull the pin out of his hands and put it back in my hair. "I was joking. I don't feel like getting into any trouble tonight. For the first time in a while, life feels kind of normal."
"Define normal."
"As normal as life can get here in Obx. Like when we were kids who were so carefree and unaware of all the chaos our parents were dealing with."
"Yeah, I guess you're right."
*
Rafe and I walked back to his house. Matteo let us through the gates and Rafe and I talked for a couple hours in his room until he eventually fell asleep. I was mid-sentence explaining how I taught myself to drive back on the farm, when his eyes shut and lips parted. A few moments later, quiet snores escaped between his lips. I was sat beside him, sitting cross-legged on his bed.
When we first got there, he invited me to stay the night and he would sleep in the spare room, but I told him that I would head home. We got chatting and time passed so quickly. After he fell asleep, I pulled the blankets over him properly and kissed him on the cheek before heading out.
"Goodnight Matteo." I call out as I walk through the gates that were wide open. That's weird, I swear Matteo closed them after Rafe and I came in. I glance over at Matteo's little booth and see the door wide open. It is dark in there, but when I get closer I see a body on the ground.
I sprint over to the booth and almost scream when I see Matteo lying in a pool of his own blood. I hear him groan in pain when I crouch down to his level. I use the flashlight attached to his uniform to see where the blood is coming from. There is a stab wound on his lower abdomen.
"Oh my goodness Matteo, what happened?" I take off Rafe's jumper that he gave me and old it against the open wound to stop some of the bleeding.
"Scarlett, go." He whispers to me in the midst of agonising pain.
I shake my head and apply more pressure to the wound. "No, I'm not leaving you." Holding one hand on the wound, I use my other hand to reach into my bra where my phone is. "I'm calling an ambulance."
"I don't think that's a good idea." A deep raspy voice says from behind me. It isn't a sexy rasp either. It is laced with vile repulsion. Before I can turn around, the person grabs me harshly and yanks me backwards.
"Scarlett." Matteo calls out my name and grabs onto my shoe. He is weak and can't even move his own body up from the floor. My converse is ripped from Matteo's grasp as my body is pulled backwards again.
I scream as loud as I can in hopes that someone will hear me. I scream out to Rafe and Miranda next door, hoping someone around the area will hear me.
The man puts a white cloth over my face and I feel my body growing tired and my vision starting to blur.
"You asshole." I mumble into the cloth that is vigorously being held to my face. That is the last thing I remember before my body turns completely numb and my mind goes completely blank.