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peanutpinet · 3 days

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Hello!! I have been a fan of all your work and your writing is so captivating!! 🥰 May I request for you to write another mafia one, but this time Jisung x fem reader who is younger than him by a year/same age and she is also part of the mafia? Maybe something happens when they are on the field or a particular mission together and something transpires. A bit of angst but also more fluff please!! Thank you so much 🩵🩵

Memories Together - Mafia! Jisung x Recruit! Fem Reader

Warnings: brief mention of human trafficking, kidnapping, overall a more fluff/laid-back mafia fic (coming from me)

A/N: hello anon!! How are you? I'm so sorry it took me so damn long to create your request and hello to my tumblr peeps, I am alive. I'm so sorry for not updating for so long. Trust me, I want to write but life really took a toll on me and I'm not mentally feeling okay but I'm trying my best. I AM FINALLY GOING TO SEE NCT DREAM THIS SATURDAY. AFTER FAILING SO MANY TIMES, I FINALLY AM GOING TO SEE THEM.

OKAY ENOUGH RAMBLING. ONTO THE FIC!!

NCT HQ - 1:27 pm (3rd POV)

“Wait, you’re actually going to let everyone have not only a whole day but the whole weekend off instead of switching shifts?” Doyoung asked in the meeting room where all of the NCT members were in

“Tell me who on earth in this room has had a proper holiday since we first basically became a well-known established brand both as a mafia and in daily life” Taeyong asked and no one in the room raised their hand at all

“You see what I mean. No one is going to die when we all; and I mean this whole entire HQ go on a break for the whole weekend from this Friday” Taeyong argued. “Even if there’s something, I would know about it and broadcast it to the rest of you first”

“I mean, unless all of you don’t want a break then….”

Taeyong didn’t even finish his sentence before everyone broke off and complained, some bullying Doyoung because he’s one of the only members who worries about what would happen if the whole NCT HQ would go on a few day of break.

Johnny and Haechan even complained about how they were already planning to spend the whole weekend with their girlfriends and even go on a double date. “Look Hyung, we know that you are worried but some of us have girlfriends whom we are so lucky that are patient with us and we really want to take them out, right Johnny-hyung?” Haechan teased Doyoung while Johnny agreed with him

“Really? You guys are teasing me at this kind of time?!” Doyoung complained and he was about to go on another debate with Haechan and Johnny until Taeyong stopped them first

“Enough!!” Taeyong announced, banging his head on the table, grabbing all of his members’ attention. “Everyone is going to have this weekend starting from Friday off. Should anything happen. I will personally contact you all myself. Do I make myself clear?”

Everyone in the whole room nodded without uttering anything.

“Good. You’re all dismissed. Just finished up whatever deadline you all have for the week. As for your personal deadlines, they’re your own responsibility. You’re all dismissed then” Taeyong announced and everyone stood up then bowed before leaving the meeting room.

“Jisung, what are you going to do during your break?” Shotaro asked as he and Sungchan were heading out side by side with Jisung

“Nothing much. I was going to ask Chenle if he wanted to go to the amusement park that just opened but Renjun-hyung mentioned that he and Chenle were going back to China to visit their family”

Jisung, Shotaro and Sungchan were talking together, about to head back to their dorm when someone bumped into them and several papers were flying on the ground. Immediately, Jisung turned to apologise and was about to help the person when he saw someone who he hadn’t seen in a while.

“(y/n)…” Jisung whispered, looking at the girl who was his age. The girl that he spent a lot of time with before he was promoted to NCT

“H-hi, Jisung, Sungchan and Shotaro oppa. Sorry for bumping into you” you bowed at the three NCT members and quickly gathered the paper that was scattered. “I’ll be heading out now”

You were about to leave the scene but Jisung’s large hands held you back. “A-aren’t you also going to be on break throughout the weekend?”

You nodded. “We are, actually”

Hearing your answer, the next words to come out of Jisung’s mouth were so sudden that it caught everyone off guard. “Do you want to go and hang out this weekend? There’s a new carnival in town and I was planning to go there with Chenle but he’s heading back to China with Renjun-hyung and…”

Realising what he had just said, Jisung immediately stopped talking and actually thought his words this time. “I mean. It’s been so long since we hung out. I know that I’ve been busy since I was promoted to an NCT member but. Damn. I just wanna know if you want to hang out like we used to? With Shotaro and Sungchan-hyung too?”

You looked over at Shotaro and Sungchan who both gave you a smile which made you remembered of the times the four of you along with Eunji would always sneak away during weekends just to hang out together.

You were just about to answer Jisung but Doyoung called out to the three young members first. “Jisung, Shotaro, Sungchan, Taeyong need you guys to go check up on some things in town with the others”

Jisung for once was about to interfere with his hyung’s request until you opened your mouth first. “Looks like you guys need to finish up some things before the break. I also need to finish some things as well. I’ll see you guys soon”

You gave the three a light smile before bowing at Doyoung and leaving the four NCT members in the hallway.

When the weekend rolled around, you still weren’t sure if Jisung meant what he said and when you didn’t receive a text from him, you thought that you were foolish to think that Jisung, Shotaro, and Sungchan would actually want to meet up with you.

“They’re all part of NCT now, what were you even thinking? Even if they’re on break right now, they’re still an essential part of the group and you’re not really in that picture” you thought to yourself but then you suddenly got a text message from Jisung himself

Jisung: Hey (y/n), I’m so sorry that I have only gotten your number

Jisung: I know it would be better to ask you directly if you changed your number but instead I asked Haechan-hyung to sort of dig up your number

Jisung: I also know that it might be quite late to ask you but if you’re still up to meet up, Shotarto, Sungchan-hyung, and I will come over

Jisung: If not, I’ll bring over your favorite food, sushi with boba

Jisung: Actually, I’ve already bought it and am heading to drop it off

Reading all the text that Jisung spammed just made your heart swell and you immediately texted him back while also getting ready to head out.

You: I’m getting ready, we’re eating the food you brought before leaving. Also, you’re the one that’s paying for the whole day

Immediately, within a few seconds, Jisung spammed your text again which made you giggle knowing how he is when it comes to texting you. How he would text you short messages but immediately one after the other.

Jisung: REALLY?! OKAY

Jisung: you don’t have to wear anything fancy

Jisung: not saying that you don’t look good with fancy clothes

Jisung: but we’re planning to go to the new amusement park

Jisung: also is it alright if Chenle comes with us?

Jisung: well, that was just a statement

Jisung: he’s forcing himself to come with us

Jisung: we’ll be there soon

Jisung: but take your time, don’t worry!

Not long after Jisung texted, he arrived in front of your apartment door and you quickly opened to welcome him and the other 3 NCT members into your small unit.

“Make yourself comfortable. I’m sorry that it isn’t as big as your guys’ unit but I’m content with the small space since it’s more manageable this way” you mentioned, letting the four boys in as you headed to your room to grab some things

“Always the minimalist, aren’t you? You barely changed anything in the place�� Sungchan stated, looking around

“We got several of your favourite sushi” Shotaro added, placing the bags onto your counter as Jisung headed to your kitchen to grab some utensils

“The three of you looked like you’ve lived here before” Chenle pointed out as you came out of your room wearing a plain beige T-shirt, denim shorts, and puffer jacket with a shoulder bag

You were about to comment on Chenle’s statement but Jisung countered him first. “Because we did. The four of us along with Eunji were all in the same group. (Y/N) and Eunji used to live together whereas the three of us lived right next door to them”

“Ah, so she’s the roommate that you were talking about that one time” Chenle commented which made you wonder what has Jisung talked about with the NCT members

The five of you then ate the food that Jisung brought before heading out to the amusement park just opened. Of course, being the NCT members they were, they managed to get the whole day free pass before anyone else.

The five of you started to do some window shopping, went on a few easy-going rides here and there. By noon, you and Jisung were seperated from the other three and just walked around the amusement park with ice cream in each of your hands.

“Are you having fun?” Jisung asked, looking at you which made you look back at him

“I am. Thank you for inviting me out. I really appreciate it. I thought that you’ve forgotten about me ever since the three of you became part of NCT” you tried to joke but instead, Jisung stopped in his tracks which confused you

“What’s wrong?” you looked at Jisung who had an expression you couldn’t quite guess until he actually talked. “I, I didn’t mean for you to feel that way. I swear. I won’t forget someone like you. Especially when Taeyong-hyung brought the two of us together at the same time”

“Don’t remind me of that day. It was scary but you convinced me and I don’t regret it honestly” you admitted which instantly made Jisung look more cheerful than usual

“Really?! I mean, I’m glad. Trust me, I would never forget about you. Not me, not Sungchan or Shotaro or even Eunji. It’s just that we’ve been busy and I know that’s a lame excuse for not contacting you that much but we promise that we’ll definitely try to make time for you. I’m sure Eunji would also love to hang out but you know, she’s caught up with Taeyong-hyung and….” Jisung rambled on but you grabbed his wrist and just dragged him with you

“Can you shut up and enjoy the moment while we can? It’s not everyday we get to have a day off and for this long at that” you mentioned making Jisung smile and intertwining his fingers with yours which caught you off guard for a moment

“What are you waiting for then? Let’s go!!” Jisung exclaimed and this time he was the one dragging you with him

Amusement Park - 09:02 PM

Right before the amusement park closed, Chenle, Shotaro and Sungchan wanted to go to the escape room attraction but Jisung didn’t want to join because he saw that you were a bit tired but you told him that you were fine and that you just wanted to enjoy the last bits of the day with your teammates.

In the middle of the escape room, you didn’t know what was happening but Chenle told the rest of you to stop in your tracks and that something was off. Chenle then asked Sungchan to help break down one of the walls which confused you but you noticed that the other three men including Jisung followed through with Chenle’s instructions and sure enough it led to another tunnel elsewhere.

Chenle immediately asked Shotaro to contact one of the hyung-line from NCT while he went to investigate. You were worried at first but Jisung reassured you that you would be okay with them. “Trust me, you’re safer with us than going out on your own. I don’t think I’ll be okay with you going out on your own as well”

You looked at Jisung and only now did you realise that while his looks haven’t really changed, he did look and act more mature than usual which made you trust him. “Okay, I trust you”

“Okay young lovebirds, come on. I think that there’s some people in here” Chenle stated, sending shivers down your entire body

Walking into the tunnel itself took some time because it was narrow and there was barely enough space for the five of you to walk side by side. But the five of you knew that you were closer to where you needed to be when you heard muffling sounds.

When you did reach the end of the tunnel into another room where there were several bodies around the room. Some looked to be unconscious whereas others looked distressed. Most of them were young girls that seemed to be around your age.

You saw Chenle and the others help each of the people there made you go around to help them as you heard Shotaro telling Chenle that the hyung members were on their way. “They’re coming so the place will be on lockdown soon”

“Alright. Clearly we all can’t bring this amount of people with us. Some of have to stay and some will go see they hyungs” Chenle mentioned as the others heard him. “(y/n), you and Sungchan stay here. Jisung, Shotaro and I will….”

“I’m staying here with (y/n)” Jisung stated, cutting off Chenle’s words which was a first because the current maknae of NCT almost never cuts his hyungs’ words making Chenle look at him with a stern gaze that you don’t think you’ve seen before

Chenle who now stood in front of Jisung gave of a strong vibe despite being shorter than Jisung. “Let me remind you, Park Jisung. Despite this being our day off, when push comes to shove, you have to stand up. Can’t you see the people around you? Sungchan can stay here because Shotaro and I need you to help us just in case the ones that did this is around”

Walking closer, Chenle decided to whisper his next words to Jisung so no one would hear them. “I know you have feelings for her but there will be times where both of you have to put aside your personal feelings. It’s for the best”

“At least let me make sure that she’s okay with being with Sungchan here” Jisung whispered back as the older member signalled him to be quick

Jisung turned to be in front of you which made you confused for a moment. “Jisung…” you let out but Jisung stopped youf first. “You’re okay with being here with Sungchan to look out for….”

You didn’t let Jisung finish his sentence. “Jisung, I know. We’re both part of the mafia. But more so to help our people. Go Jisung. I can fight for myself. Sungchan is here too”

Smiling at your words, Jisung promised that he’ll be back soon. “Take care. Sungchan, take care of her and the others”

“Park Jisung!” you called out for him before he completely left. “Don’t go against your older members!” Jisung chuckled at your reminder and waved at you

After Jisung, Chenle and Shotaro left. You and Sungchan decided to untie all the others’ restraints. Noting to yourself the treatments that are needed for the majority of the people here. You were helping one of the young girls when they gripped your hand, pulling you downwards to them. “Leave while you still can”

Caught off guard, you decided to question the girl. “What are you talking about?”

“Take your friend and leave. They’ll come for you and when they get you. They’ll…”

“They’ll what?” you asked and before they could answer, you heard something metal was thrown to the ground and Sungchan tried to grab you and make a run for it but the smoke spread out and both you and Sungchan noticed that the smoke smelt differently from usual.

“Poison” you thought to yourself, trying to not inhale any of the smoke

Both you and Sungchan tried to navigate through the smoke but the smoke itself got thicker and eventually covered both your eyesights.

Jisung’s POV

Once I headed out with Chenle and Shotaro-hyung, I couldn’t help but feel that something was off. Sure it was late and there were barely any other visitors in the amusement park this late at night but it was too quiet when we entered the escape room.

Chenle was on the phone with Mark-hyung when I noticed some people were surrounding and were watching us. Shotaro-hyung must’ve noticed it as well because we looked at each other but none of us were going to say anything. Instead, it was Chenle-hyung who stopped and raised his voice.

“Are you all just going to stare at us or are you waiting for do you want to wait for our entire squad to come?” Chenle stated, turning off his phone when we saw a group of people coming towards us and both Shotaro and I were on guard but Chenle signalled us to relax.

“Care to explain to us what you did to our teammates?” Chenle questioned, making me and Shotaro-hyung look at each other but we still tried our best to remain calm even though I was internally worried about what happened to (y/n).

“Why don’t you explain to your teammates? It seems that they look a bit lost there” the guy at the center stated, the other men surrounding them were laughing

“You’re testing our patience here. I may not look like it but I’m quite a patient man. Either you play nice, tell us what you did, and turn yourself in or we’ll do this the hard way” Chenle calmly threatened, putting his hands in his pockets which to them might seem that he looks chill but to us, we know that whenever Chenle does this, he’s clearly annoyed already

“Brams” the center man let out, making Chenle raise his eyebrow as I realised who they were talking about considering it was a big case in NCT as it involved Johnny-hyung and I immediately figured out what they were going to do

Stepping next to Chenle, I decided to see if my theory was true. “Don’t tell me you plan to continue Brams’ plan of human trafficking”

“Looks like the youngest member isn’t that dense. Plus, the addition of your two team members would be nice considering you NCT took away all those other people. We were so close to being rich and making our own mafia that would be better than any of you” one of their members mentioned

His words made me feel sick as I imagine both Sungchan and (y/n) were being held captive and being tortured or who knows what other things they’re going through. But Chenle somehow took notice of my uneasy self but he took his hand out, signalling me to stop myself from doing something that I might regret later on.

Despite Chenle’s signal and eye contact, I was tempted to move forward and tackle them but when I heard someone’s voice, I refrained myself. Instead, I turned to see if my ears were deceiving me but they weren’t.

It was (y/n), Sungchan, along with Mark, Jaehyun, and Johnny-hyung. Plus several others of NCT’s trusted police force. Within a few minutes, everyone of the opposing group was immediately secured as I rushed to (y/n) who looked like she was going to pass out anytime soon but Mark-hyung held me back for a moment.

“Jisung” Mark-hyung called out to me as I turned to see him. “Hyung…Can we talk later? I, I want to make sure that…”

“I know, Jisung. She and Sungchan inhaled quite a bit of poisonous gas but still managed to get out of that prison” Mark-hyung mentioned making me grow even more worried

“They’re being treated. They’re going to be fine, Jisung. (y/n) is going to be alright. I just want to tell you that I’m proud that you managed to compose yourself and listen to Chenle even though I know that that probably took everything in you to do” Mark-hyung praised me right as Chenle came to us

“I know right? He rarely listens to me” Chenle joked as I smacked him

“I do listen. Sometimes. But Mark-hyung, how did you manage to come here so quickly?” I asked which made him and Chenle chuckle

“It was your girl, (y/n). Why do you think I made you come with me and let her and Sungchan deal with those who were captured?” Chenle mentioned, making my eyes widen

“She’s witty and everyone including Taeyong was impressed by her skills” Mark-hyung added on when Johnny and Jaehyun-hyung came

“So impressed that he’s considering of promoting her. Though, after she’s treated and gotten better” Johnny-hyung mentioned

“Really?!” I asked as my hyungs chuckled at my reaction

“Taeyong will let you know next week. You should go back, check up on (y/n) then have several rest days after today” Jaehyun-hyung mentioned and I looked at Mark-hyung who nodded to let me go

“Thank you!! I’ll see you all soon!!” I exclaimed and rushed to go see (y/n)

NCT HQ - 02:05 AM (Jisung’s POV)

Back at the HQ, both (y/n) and Sungchan were immediately being treated by Kun and Jaemin-hyung. After 2-3 long hours, the treatment was done and I immediately stood up, waiting outside of the room while Jaemin and Kun-hyung came out together.

“They’re going to be fine, Jisung” Jaemin-hyung mentioned

“Our treatment helped them recover faster so they should be awake soon or around later in the morning. Why don’t you go get some rest?” Kun-hyung suggested but I shook my head and insisted to see (y/n)

“I’m okay, hyung. I’ve showered, I’ve rested up a bit. I just want to see how she’s doing” I mentioned

Jaemin and Kun-hyung looked at each other before letting me into the room where (y/n) and Sungchan was. Inside the room, I saw (y/n) laying down and sleeping peacefully whereas Sungchan was in a separate room.

“Don’t take too long and let us know if they wake up or if there is anything that happens” Kun-hyung mentioned as he and Jaemin-hyung left me in the room.

Grabbing a nearby chair, I sat next to (y/n)’s bed and brushed some of her hair out of her face before starting to talk to her. “Hey, you did so well today”

“I’m so sorry that our outing turned out the way it did. I promise that we’ll have more time to hang out. Especially with Taeyong-hyung planning to promote you!!” I exclaimed, chuckling at myself knowing that I was only talking to myself

“Even now when I’m already part of NCT, you still amaze me and somehow you would always be a step ahead of me which I don’t mind at all because as your friend, it makes me so proud” I continued my ramble

“But even so, you made me so worried you know. The day I became part of the NCT member, I was so worried about you and I know that I don’t show it but I promise you I do and still am worried about you. You mean more to me than just a friend but I’ve always been a coward to tell you about it. You should know that Chenle would always tease me about it” I rambled on again but stopped when I heard a muffled sound which I turned to see (y/n) starting to wake up

“G-glad to know the feeling is mutual then” I heard her chuckle as I rushed to help her sit on the bed. “A-are you okay? Do you have a hard time breathing? I’ll go get Jaemin or Kun-hyung…”

I rambled on, about to leave because truth be told that I was nervous and embarrassed to face (y/n) after my little confession but (y/n)’s next words stopped and made me rethink. “You’re going to leave me again like last time?”

Immediately, I stopped to turn and look at (y/n) who looked at me with a tired look. I then went back and sat next to (y/n), taking her smaller hands in mine. “Never. I never left you. I always look out for you even from afar. I was a coward for not being real with my feelings because I don’t know. We’re both still young and I’m worried that it’ll ruin our friendship. I know I should’ve been honest earlier”

“Jisung…I’m joking. I know you always watch over me. I know how you would always try to steal glances whenever we passed by each other. Or even the additional snacks that I suddenly got. I know that they were all from you. I’m grateful and happy that you still try your best to look out for me” (y/n) explained

She knew. She knew all of the little things I did for her. “Me too. We’re good right?” I asked, which made (y/n) chuckled

“Why are you so awkward Jisung? I just mentioned that the feeling is mutual. Unless you’re still unsure of your own…” I cut (y/n) off by denying my unsure feelings. “No. Of course I’m not. Maybe I was in our early training days. But not now”

“I’m glad then. So, let’s not worry so much. You said yourself. We’re still young. Let’s just go make more memories together” (y/n) mentioned, making me smile and bringing her hands and kissing her knuckles. “Definitely. Especially since Taeyong-hyung is planning to promote you”

The two of us just giggled and talked the night away until Jaemin-hyung came and scolded me for keeping (y/n) and practically Sungchan-hyung up. “YA! PARK JISUNG! SAVE YOUR RAMBLING FOR NEXT TIME! SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO REST. YOU’RE MAKING A RUCKUS AND EVEN WOKE SUNGCHAN UP”

A/N: next on my nct mafia list is going to be the Mark request (which I have never done a fic of Mark but I will try my best). I hope I'll be able to write a bit more and not leave you guys hanging for so long :') as always, stay safe and be happy xoxo vinet

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lambtotheslaughterr · 7 hours

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One Way Or Another

A Rafe Cameron Oneshot

[THIS STORY WILL CONTAIN THEMES OF NON-CON/DUB-CON, MENTAL-EMOTIONAL-PHYSICAL ABUSE, ETC. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK. 18+. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT]

WC: 16.5k (just for a second, holy fuck. spent all day writing this. from 10 am to 8pm. i am feeling good & feel like i'm on a writer's high. thank you to all of you who made this happen: 62 pages of pure dark fiction)

Dividers provided by @firefly-graphics

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Summary: Reader's life couldn't be any better. She's working her dream job, living with her best friend, & may have met the one... but none of those things matter when her bestfriend/roommate begins seeing a volatile man from reader's past...

It was Coyote Ugly night at your work, & you made sure to request the night off weeks in advance. There would be nothing to stop you from singing your heart out to the soundtrack of the movie as it played in the bar or dancing on the bar with your friends, not even having your coworkers & boss witnessing it all unfold. Ever since you were a little girl, you wanted to be a bartender all because of the film. It inspired your fashion choices, your music tastes, & most importantly, your attitude.

As soon as you turned 21, you applied to every single bar in your area. And before that, you practiced your cocktail making, just enough to at least get hired. You knew without experience, it was difficult to land a job as a bartender. If you had to accept a position working at a hotel bar or fine dining bar, you’d take it, anything to get the experience, but your long-term goal was to find a bar with the same energy & vibes as your favorite movie. Your wish came true a year later.

The Garage was just that. It was inside an old auto-shop with three large garage doors. During summer nights, those doors would be raised & they led out into the enclosed patio area where a stage had been built for nights when live music would be happening. The owner, as much as you wanted it to be a tough-as-nails woman like Lil in Coyote, was an older man in his 50’s named Rosie. Yes, Rosie. His full name Roosevelt but he had been going by Rosie since he entered the bar business. It was your first favorite thing about him.

Rosie ran a tight-knit crew at The Garage. He was a no-bullshit haver but knew how to have a good time. It was him who trained you behind the bar, switching you up from making prissy, fancy shit & teaching you how to make a real drink, as he said. You loved him. And you loved your family there. Everyone accepted you & welcomed you with open arms & cold beer. It was all you could have ever dreamed for. And now, you were going to live out your ultimate fantasy.

It thankfully didn’t take a whole lot of convincing on your part to get Rosie to agree to a Coyote Ugly night. You advocated for how it would bring in a good crowd, good money, & good times. Moreover, you promised to do all the leg work. You would take it upon yourself to work alongside the social media handler, Rosie’s daughter Angie who worked in the office alongside her father, to get word out & generate interest. A week before the event was supposed to happen, you had a guaranteed 100+ people wanting to attend. There was no RSVP, but just an event page on Facebook, & your work had paid off. The night was happening, & you would be at the center of it all.

At your apartment that night, you got ready for the night. You admired your look in the mirror, scenes from the bar film playing through your mind. You smiled proudly at yourself. You look damn good.

But your night would only be complete if you convinced your best friend, & roommate, to come with. As far as that morning, she was still on the fence. But the time was now. She was either coming or not, & if you had anything to say about it, she would be forced along.

Leaving your room, you skipped down the hallway before turning a corner & entering the living room. Jules’ room was just off the living room, kitty corner from your room on the other side of the apartment. You were grateful for the distance, but only because you both were sexually active women & didn’t need to hear each other get your kicks in.

Jules’ door was open & you swung around the frame, poking your head in.

“Tell me you’re coming!” You hollered, noticing the door to her en suite bathroom was open & the light on, but she was out of sight.

“Uhhh.” Jules laughed awkwardly, “No?”

No? N O ?Well. You wouldn’t be having that.

Entering her room, you marched up to her bathroom entryway, prepared to bribe her into coming, but before you could get a word out, you felt your jaw drop onto the floor.

Jules stood in the center of her bathroom, posing with her hand on her hips & hiding her coy smile behind a lifted shoulder.

“Wow.” You grinned, impressed, “You look fucking hot.”

She was wearing a torn cropped lack crop top, the sleeves & hem shredded, & a mini, mini black leather skirt. To bring the whole look together, she wore a pair of black cowgirl boots & a black cowgirl hat. You giggled at the bolo tie around her neck.

“Do I look like someone not to be fucked with?”

“Hundred percent.”

Jules scrunched her nose cutely, turning to look at herself in the mirror, “Good.”

You joined her in the mirror, double checking your own look. You definitely didn’t look as man-eater as she did but you were still happy with what you wore. The two of you would undoubtedly be some of the hottest women there tonight.

“Ready?” You questioned as you applied some of her lipstick to your mouth.

Jules winked at herself in the mirror, “As I’ll ever be.”

The night was in full swing as you danced among people. Dirrty by Christina Aguilera vibrated the room as you swung your hips & ran your hands along the length of your torso. Never before have you felt more like yourself than you did in that moment. Everywhere you looked there was women in backless tops, leather pants or denim skirts, a plethora of country rock fashion choices, & plenty of good-looking men. The only thing that would make this night better was bringing a stranger home for the night.

Sweat coated your skin as you moved off the dance floor between songs. You had curated the playlist for the night. There was over 150 songs on the queue, all of which were either from the soundtrack or had a similar, fitting feel for the night. You knew that any moment Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard would come on & you were determined to drag Jules onto the bartop with you.

Sliding between the sea of people, you eventually spotted Jules standing at a tall table near the patio entrance. She was facing you but hadn’t noticed you yet as she spoke flirtatiously with the man standing across from her. He had his back to you & was leaning over the table to hear what your roommate was saying. Jules laughed, smacking him gently on his arm. You knew that you wouldn’t be the only one bringing a man home tonight.

As apologetic as you were to break up their conversation though, you had a goal in mind, & no potential suitor for your roommate was going to stop you.

“Jules!” You greeted happily as you jumped towards her, “It’s almost time.”

“Oh, hey, _____.” Jules smiled at you, “_____, this is Rafe.”

But before she had even said his name, you were already looking him over & felt your world slow down at the familiar face standing before you.

It had been a couple years since you last saw Rafe Cameron. You two were in the same grade in high school & attended a lot of the same parties, but you two never spoke to one another. He had a reputation in the halls as a cokehead & was known to snap at a moment’s notice & get into a brawl over the smallest of things. Definitely wasn’t the kind of person you wanted to hangout with. But you had to admit he knew how to throw good parties.

“Rafe, this is my roommate _____.”

Rafe smirked at you before offering his hand, “Nice to meet you.”

You took his hand, ignoring the static shock you received when touching your palms together, “Likewise.”

Jules was about to say more but the opening instrumentals to your most-anticipated song of the night began playing over the speakers.

“Sorry, Rafe. I gotta steal her for a couple minutes.” Before Jules could resist, you began dragging her towards the bar.

“Hey! I was talking to him!”

“Talk to him later, this is way more important.”

Jules then realized what was happening & started shaking her head knowingly, “You’re lucky I fucking adore you.”

“The luckiest.” You smiled back.

The two of you were quick to climb onto the bar where a few other women were already dancing to Pour Some Sugar On Me. Jules & you were naturals at dancing, having many dance nights in your living room. You danced sensually to the song as it blared over the speakers. Your cheeks hurt from smiling as hard as you were, enjoying the ooh’s & awe’s of men & women alike as they cheered all the women on. You spotted a few of your coworkers behind the bar filming you on their phones. You’d be sure to get those videos sent to you before the night was out.

Jules slowly fell to her knees to whip her hair around her as she bumped & grinded the air to the music. You reached behind the bar to grab a pitcher of water & did the honors of pouring water on her as the first chorus blasted. Jules’ dancing & your pouring elicited an eruption of cheers. When the first chorus was over, Jules returned to her feet & the two of you danced seductively against one another. All eyes were on the two of you as you stole the show. Your lifelong dream of being a Coyote was coming true before your own eyes.

The song continued & by the time the final chorus came it was your turn to have everyone cheer for you. Jules’ was handed another pitcher of water & as the famous Pour Some Sugar On Me chorus began, you modeled yourself atop the bar. Your butt was down & your legs extended out the length of the bar. You were facing up, your arms holding you up behind your back, your legs bent at the knees. Then as the titular moment of the song happened, Jules poured the ice cold water over you.

A wave of cheers & enthusiasm erupted throughout the bar. When Jules finished pouring the water, you repositioned yourself to crawl along the length of the bar, catching eyes & stealing hearts. You spotted one man sitting at the bar, his eyes never leaving your own. He was cute, more than cute, he was Kevin O’Donnell cute. Your Coyote Ugly dreams were demanding you to end your performance in his lap.

The man grinned to himself as you swung your legs around to dangle off the bar on either side of him. He leaned back in his seat to stare up at you, a closed smirk across his handsome features. As the song closed, you slid off the bar & into his lap. With no introductions needed, you tangled your fingers in his hair at the nape of his neck & brought his mouth to yours, sealing the night with a kiss from a perfect stranger.

His name was Jack. He was new to town. You were happy to be his welcoming committee.

“What you did up there was…” He laughed, raising his brows in knowing.

“I know.” You giggled, nursing your drink.

After your kiss, Jack insisted on buying you a drink & you couldn’t say no. Jules’ hugged you once before returning to her object of desire. You were too distracted by your own man to question her own.

“So, you work here?” Jack asked, looking around the place.

You nodded proudly, taking in the environment, “It’s my second home.”

“I like the energy. Seems fun.”

“It is.” You confirmed, “Couldn’t have asked for a better place to work.”

The two of you talked for a bit longer before you were interrupted. Jules slid in beside you at the table you & Jack were sat at, & her man for the night, the reputable bad boy from your high school, took the spot opposite her. You didn’t miss how his eyes lingered on your face for some time. You frowned internally but ultimately ignored it as you turned to your best friend.

“Are you drunk?” You asked incredulously. It took a lot to get Jules drunk, she was a prime time heavy weight, & she was fine when you saw her only ten minutes ago.

Jules pressed her lips together, smiling knowingly up at you, “Maybe.”

“What the hell did you drink?” You chuckled as she rested her head on your shoulders.

“We took a couple shots at the bar.” Rafe added to the conversation. You flashed your eyes towards him, taking in his appearance.

“You look fine.” You pointed out, yet your heavy weight best friend was growing more drunk by the second.

“I just hide it better.” Rafe smirked. His face was flushed. And after working in the bar industry for the last two years, you did know men’s bodies handled liquor better than women’s. So, you let it go.

“Do you wanna head home?” You shook Jules.

She shrugged but her eyes were fluttering closed.

You felt disappointed but didn’t show it. The night was still young, you had yet to even partake in the karaoke aspect of the night, but Jules wasn’t going to last much longer, chugging water be damned.

“Jack,” you glanced across to him, “I’m sorry, I’m gonna have to get her home.”

“I understand.” He nodded, pulling out his phone, “Let me at least get your number. Maybe you can give me a tour of town.”

You smiled at that, sharing your number to him out loud. Once he entered it into his phone, you told him you looked forward to his call & began to get out of your seat. But as you did, your world began to spin.

“Whoa.” You mumbled, catching yourself on the table. You must’ve had more to drink than you thought.

“You alright?” Jack asked, rising to his full height to help stabilize you.

You nodded but you weren’t, “I’m a lightweight. Guess I drank more than I thought I had.”

Jack grabbed your jacket, “Do I need to order you a Lyft?”

You shook the offer away. But you couldn’t drive. Jules didn’t have a car so it was you who got the two of you there tonight. You glanced over your shoulder at the bar, wondering if maybe you could convince one of your coworkers to give you a ride but they were still slammed. The bar wouldn’t die down for a couple more hours.

“I’m sorry, Jack. Would it be shitty of me to ask you to drive my drunk ass & my roommate’s drunk ass home?”

Jack chuckled at that but ultimately shook his head no, “I don’t have a car. Don’t really need one here, ya know.”

You nodded at that. It was true.

“Fuck.” You moaned. Your head was growing dizzier by the second.

Most times you would bite the bullet & cough up the money to pay for an expensive Lyft, but with rent due in two days, you didn’t have the funds. And you didn’t work tonight so no tips would help.

“I can drive you.” A voice sounded from the other end of the table. Both you & Jack looked towards Rafe as he pulled out his keys.

“I thought you had a lot to drink, too?” Jack questioned. You were relieved he wasn’t too trusting of Rafe immediately either.

“Not really.” Rafe returned, his eyes on you though, “You want the ride or not? She looks like she’s gonna be sick any minute.”

At that statement, you bent over to look at Jules. He was right. Her skin was looking ashen & she was frowning in her sleep. The last you wanted to worry about was her puking before you got her to her bed with a bowl on the floor.

“Okay.” You nodded, accepting your jacket from Jack’s hands. “Thanks.”

Jack helped you gather the rest of yours & Jules’ things. He attempted to help you carry her outside but your legs were beginning to grow weaker, your strength quickly dissipating.

“I got it.” Jack reassured you as he lifted Jules into his arms cradle style.

“Hey, uh.” Jack looked towards Rafe.

“Rafe.” He shared his name. Jack nodded then gestured to where you stood leaning against the wall, “Wanna help her?”

You raised your head at that. Rafe approached you, offering his hand.

“I got it.” You faked, forcing yourself to stand up. Rafe made an unimpressed face but you ignored it. Just outside the door to the parking lot though you felt your knees buckle. Before you could hit the ground, you felt a strong & firm arm catch you around the waist.

“Just lean on me. My truck’s right there.”

As much as you didn’t want Rafe’s help, still unsure why you were feeling hostile towards him, you knew you needed to. Accepting his help, you leaned into his side as he kept you on your feet. A truck a few feet away beeped & the headlights flashed. Jack was ahead the two of you, waiting for Rafe to help him get Jules’ into the back seat.

Rafe first brought you to the passenger side, helping you up into the cab. Your movements were slow & languid, like you were already half asleep. You shook your head, trying to clear your mind enough to fasten your belt, but before you could, Rafe reached across your front to secure the protective strap.

“Thanks.” You mumbled, avoiding his eyes.

“No problem.” He shut your door gently before joining Jack on the other side. You vaguely listened as the two men got Jules into the backseat before the door shut.

By the time they finished, Rafe was quick to hop into the driver’s seat. You were holding your head in your hands, trying to keep your vision from swimming. Fuck, you really needed to keep better track of your drinking, but you were just having too much fun.

The door to your side opened & Jack was there, “You gonna be okay?”

You hummed in response, not trusting yourself to speak, worried that your speech would be slurred.

“Okay. Text me when you make it home safely. I’ll text you right now.”

All you could manage was to give him a thumbs up.

“Alright.” Jack nodded then he looked towards Rafe, “Make sure they get home safe, man.”

“Yup.” The engine roared to life as he pressed a button on the dashboard.

“I’ll see you later, _____.”

You wanted to return the parting but Jack closed the door. The truck jostled beneath you as Rafe drove through the gravel lot.

“What’s your address?” Rafe asked.

Pulling out your phone, you languidly types in your address into the maps app. You hit ‘start’ & handed your phone to Rafe.

The ride was mostly silent until the final couple minutes of it.

“I remember you, ya know.” Rafe commented. You forced your eyes open at that. It wasn’t that you thought he would remember you or not, but you didn’t want to have one of those walk-down-memory-lane conversations with someone you knew was problematic in high school. Times changed everyone, you supposed. You weren’t always the confident & extroverted woman you were today. Perhaps Rafe had changed, too.

“Yeah?” You responded. Thankfully, you didn’t sound as drunk as you felt.

“Yeah, you dated that Junior kid for a while.”

“Mm.” You had forgotten about Junior. You weren’t one of those people that considered high school boyfriends as real relationships. After all, the two of you only dated for two months your senior year.

“What I remember most is your guys’ dramatic breakup at Phil’s prom after-party.”

You frowned at that. That whole night was a messy blur in your memory. You remembered prom fine but the after-party was another story. You had always been a lightweight, but as you thought on it, you vaguely remembered catching Junior dancing with another girl that night.

The memory resulted in a light chuckle from you, “Oh, yeah. Well…he was an asshole.”

Rafe shared in your chuckle, nodding in agreement, “Yeah, he was.”

“So, Jack, huh?”

His sudden change in conversation made you finally look at him in the dark. The streetlights you passed under were doing little to light his face.

“Jack?”

“Think he’ll be any better than Junior?” Rafe questioned.

What did that even matter?

Searching for the right words through your addled brain proved difficult, but you eventually found them, “I don’t know… not like I’m going to date him seriously.”

“No?” Rafe flicked his eyes to yours, “Why not?”

Okay, you were not going to have this conversation with Rafe of all people.

Ignoring his question, you were relieved when Rafe pulled into the parking lot of your apartment complex. But the night wasn’t quite over. You knew you wouldn’t be able to get Jules upstairs & into your apartment on your own.

But as if he was reading your mind, Rafe switched the truck off & unbuckled his belt. He hopped out & you watched through the windshield as he rounded to your side. When he opened the door, you moved to get out but was stopped by the belt you still wore. Oh, right.

Rafe beat you to it though, reaching around your front for a second time to release the buckle. You felt a chill riddle up your spine when his thumb grazed against your front, just above the top of your shorts. Rafe then placed a hand on your hip & guided you out of the truck. Even though it wasn’t a lifted truck, it sure felt like it as Rafe helped you climb out & down.

“Good?”

You nodded in response, wanting to keep your words few & far between.

Next, you followed him around to the other side of the truck. You noticed that you weren’t as drunk as you were when you left. Your head was still pounding & your vision was still swimming, but at least you could hold yourself up now.

Rafe swung open the door to the back & began gently pulling out Jules. She mumbled in her drunken sleep as he slung her over his shoulder.

“If you want to lead the way, I can carry her.”

“Thanks.” You sighed, desperate to get inside & crash into your bed.

Inside the secure building, you used your key fob to alert the elevator of your presence. When the three of you loaded on, you pressed the lit up button for 5.

“Thank god for elevators, right.” Rafe joked as he shifted Jules to piggyback him. Fortunately, she hung on.

Once you reached your floor, you sped walked ahead to your door & swung it open. Rafe passed you by.

“Take a right at the corner & her bedroom is at the end, off the living room.”

Rafe followed your directions in the dark. You turned on the lights behind him as he went, hoping he didn’t bump into anything or accidentally drop Jules because of it. He managed to swing her door open & enter her room, you were right behind them.

Rafe turned to face you before bending his knees to lower Jules closer to the bed. Once she was close enough, Rafe let her go. Jules groaned again at the sudden drop, her eyes fluttering open briefly before closing again. You entered her bathroom to dampen one of her hand towels.

When you re-entered her room, you paused, watching silently as Rafe tucked Jules’ legs under the covers of her bed. He glanced up, likely having feeling you watching him, & shrugged.

“I can’t sleep without a blanket of some sort when I’m drunk.”

You nodded, mustering a smile. Approaching Jules, Rafe moved out of the way. You placed the damp rag on her forehead, hoping it’d help her feel less sick if she did end up throwing up in the middle of the night.

“Would you mind doing me a favor?” You asked Rafe, glancing at him over your shoulder.

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Above the fridge in the kitchen are big bowls. Can you bring one?”

Rafe nodded & left the room. You listened intently until you heard him in the kitchen.

“Grab a glass of water, too, please!” You hollered.

The faucet began running in the distance, so you took the time to lift Jules’ sheets. You overlooked her body, ensuring that Rafe didn’t do any weird shit when you were in the bathroom. But nothing looked out of place. Even her cowgirl boots were still on. Chuckling lightly to yourself, you quickly removed them from her feet before tucking her legs back under the covers.

It wasn’t that you were a man-hater, you loved men. But recalling all the rumors surrounding Rafe in high school, & how even despite that he was a stranger, you didn’t want to take any chances. So far he had been helpful & friendly enough so you didn’t want to be quick to stuff him into a box labeled ‘creep’, but you’d certainly keep your eye on him.

You heard his footfalls coming nearer so you stood up. When he entered the room again, he carried a large bowl in one hand & a glass of water in the other.

“Thank you.” You offered him a small smile when taking the objects from him.

Once you got Jules settled, you turned to face him, gesturing for the two of you to leave the room. You closed the door quietly behind you. In the living room, you eyed the kitchen on the opposite end of the space.

“Did you want anything to drink? It’s the least I can do for helping.”

Rafe sighed, contemplating your offer, “An energy drink if you got it. Feel like I’m gonna fall asleep behind the wheel if I keep going like this.”

“I don’t have any of that, but I can make you a coffee?”

“Yeah, sure, thanks.”

You nodded, walking towards your kitchen. Rafe followed behind you, taking a seat at your small two person table in the corner. You felt him watching you as you pulled out the coffee grounds & began putting them into the coffee maker.

“Thank you again.” You repeated, tossing him a look over your shoulder, “For helping.”

“No problem.” He repeated, “Again.”

You laughed quietly & softly at that. Once the coffee began brewing, you pulled out two mugs & left them by the pot. Then you turned back to face him.

“How are you feeling?” He asked.

You felt your brows crease, “What do you mean?”

“Well, you couldn’t walk at the bar, but now you seem totally fine.”

“Oh.” You straightened up that, also then realizing how much better you were beginning to feel, “Better, yeah. Must’ve just been a wave.”

Rafe nodded at that but said nothing.

“So.” you began, shrugging your shoulders. Small talk wasn’t your forte. It made you feel awkward.

“So…” Rafe repeated.

The two of you shared an uncomfortable laugh.

“You looked really hot on the bar tonight.” His sudden & unsolicited comment surprised you. There was no hiding the shock on your face.

“What?” You laughed, really believing you misheard him.

“You heard me.” He smirked at you, his eyes trailing the length of you. You shifted under his gaze, shaking your head, “Thanks? I guess.”

Fortunately, the coffee pot finished & you were able to distract yourself with pouring the two of you a mug of coffee. You brought Rafe’s his before returning to the fridge to pull out some French vanilla creamer.

“Want some?” You shook the carton. Rafe waved his hand in dismissal.

After flavoring your coffee, you joined him at the table.

“So, what have you been up to since high school?” You finally asked, forcing yourself to partake in a dreaded topic of conversation.

“Not a whole lot.” Rafe blew out air, “Working for my dad mostly.”

“And what’s that?” You blew on your coffee before taking a sip.

“Business. Real estate development. That sorta shit.”

You nodded, “That’s good money though, right? You rolling in dough?”

“Why? Want me to take you out on a date?”

He was teasing but you still laughed uncomfortably, “Not exactly.”

“No? Not the dating type?”

Shrugging, you made a face that confirmed his suspicions, “Not really, no.”

“Why’s that?”

You sighed, leaning back in your chair, “No reason, really. Just haven’t met the right person, I guess.”

“Having too much fun stealing & breaking hearts at the bar?” Rafe smirked.

You rolled your eyes, “Something like that.”

“You stole mine. Watching you up there…”

The way he looked at you made your skin erupt with goosebumps. You bit your lip & Rafe’s eyes flicked to the movement. You shook your head, unable to hide your embarrassed smile, “You’ve always been a flirt, ya know?”

Rafe’s eyes widened at that, “What does that mean?”

You shook your finger at him, “We may not have talked in high school but you had a reputation. You were ‘the bad boy’. Breaking hearts and faces.”

Rafe scoffed at that but chuckled nonetheless, “I won’t confirm nor deny.”

A silly giggle left you but you immediately reeled it in the second you heard it. Were you…flirting with Rafe Cameron? Jesus. If someone had told you earlier that day that you’d end your night flirting with Rafe Cameron in your own apartment you’d say bullshit. It was funny though sometimes how the world brought people in & out of your life.

“Oh, c’mon.” You shook your head, “All the girls wanted to date you & all the guys wanted to either be you or beat you.”

Rafe laughed at that, nodding in agreement, “Maybe.”

You lowered your eyes, memories of high school passing you by.

“What about you?”

You raised your eyes to meet his, “What about me, what?”

“Did you want to date me?”

There was no helping the sudden burst of laughter at his question. You bit your lip again, shaking your head, “Actually, no. If anything, I was scared of you.”

Rafe’s eyes glinted playfully, leaning across the table, “That so?”

“Mm.” You nodded, “I saw a few of your fights. You’re pretty hot-headed, ya know. All I wanted to do was not piss you off.”

“You couldn’t even if you tried.” Rafe eyes lingered to your lips.

A part of you was undeniably enjoying his apparent attraction to you. You didn’t care if it was the alcohol or whatever it was that was sexually charging the energy in the room. After all, you did want to take a man home tonight. Rafe isn’t who you had in mind, especially since he started out as Jules’, but Jules’ was lax. If you did end up sleeping with Rafe, she wouldn’t care. All she’d be interested in was how he was in bed. And now, you couldn’t help but wonder yourself.

Inhaling sharply, you pushed your coffee to the side so you could place your elbows on the table, leaning forward so there was only a few inches between you.

“But I’m sure I can make you happy.” You flirted suggestively.

“I think you can, too.” Rafe stared at you through hooded eyes. Yeah. He wanted you, too.

That being the only confirmation you needed, you rose from your seat, offering your hand to Rafe, “C’mon then. Let’s go to bed.”

Rafe grinned up at you with that. Then he rose to his full height, but he ignored your hand. He towered over you, your head only reaching his shoulders. Before you could say or do anything, Rafe suddenly had his arms around your butt, lifting you until you were forced to wrap your legs around his middle.

“Let’s.”

A week passed before you saw Rafe again. And you honestly never expected to see him again. After the night you two spent together rolling around in your sheets, you passed out. When you woke the next morning, Rafe was gone. It wasn’t the first time, & likely wouldn’t be the last, that one of your hook-ups escaped into the night, but you’d be lying if you thought Rafe would be different since you two went to high school. But alas, Rafe only proved to be like most men. You weren’t miffed though. You moved on fast.

As far Jules, her reaction to learning about you two hooking up wasn’t what you quite expected. She laughed it off at first but you could see that she felt something about it. You eventually got it out of her. She said that she actually liked Rafe. Unlike most of her conquests, she felt a natural draw to him & had thought that perhaps Rafe could be someone she’d date. It all surprised you.

Jules, of course, didn’t blame you whatsoever since she had only met Rafe that night, & after you explained your history, or lack thereof, with him, she understood. But you could tell that she was disheartened to not get to know him more. But as the week passed, she got back into her usual good spirits.

As for you, you heard from Jack a day after you met him. He started out giving you a hard time for not letting him know you made it back home safely that night, & you thought it best to lie & say that you passed out as soon as you got into bed rather than telling me the truth. The two of you texted for the whole day & before you knew it you had scheduled a date.

The date itself was fun. You took Jack to some blacklight mini golf then the two of you had a couple beers at one of your favorite bars. The night ended with a hot make-out session in your car. After that, you two saw each other practically every day. Tonight would be no different. In fact, Jules was going out to the bars & you were staying in, wanting Jack to come spend the night with you. It wasn’t like you to wait to have sex with someone you were interested, so Jack was a rare case.

But with Jules being out of the apartment for most of the night, you thought it an opportune time to have him over & you two could be as loud as you wanted.

It was almost nine at night when Jules finally left. Jack was supposed to be there around that time, as well. But before she left, she poked her head into your room. You did a little spin for her as she tried to pick her jaw off the floor.

“Damn, _____. Jack isn’t gonna know what hit him.”

You smiled happily at that, admiring your lingerie in your full length mirror.

“I hope so.” Jack was quickly becoming your Rafe. By that, you meant that you enjoyed his company beyond more than just the sexual tension. He made you laugh, carried a conversation, showed interest in your life but also wasn’t afraid to share details of his own. Plus, he was hot as fuck. The more you hung out with him the more he reminded you of a young James Franco. And Franco was always cute to you.

“So, I wanted to talk to you about something really quick.” Jules revealed, stepping further into your room.

You tossed her a confused but wary look, “…Okay. Everything alright?”

“Yeah, at least, I hope so.” She laughed sheepishly, “I’m going to bars tonight, as you know, but…I’m not going alone.”

You reeled back at that, but were smiling nonetheless, “Okay, babe, if it’s a date you know we trade info incase the guys are creeps.”

“Yeah, I know.” She sighed, avoiding your eyes, “That’s kind of why I didn’t say anything to begin with. You already know him…”

Done admiring yourself in the mirror, you sat on your bed, staring up at her in waiting.

Jules moved forward to join you on your bed, “It’s with Rafe.”

Oh.

The revelation wasn’t what you expected but you nodded hesitantly, “Okay… that’s okay?”

“I don’t know, is it? We’ve never really navigated these waters before.”

You rolled your eyes at that, “Oh, my god, Jules, it’s okay! I have no claims to him. If you want to see him then see him.”

She frowned at that, not entirely buying what you were selling, “Are you sure? I know we have a pretty lax friendship, but it’s not weird. I’ll admit, I did feel weird after you told me you guys hooked up last weekend.”

A pang of guilt hit your chest, but you dismissed it with a forced smile. You had no interest in Rafe. He was a decent fuck, but that’s all he was. If Jules was serious about him, the last you wanted to do was have her thinking you were standing in her way.

“God, I’m sorry. I’m such a slut sometimes.”

Jules giggled at that but shook her head, “That’s not what I’m saying. I just want to make sure that you & I will be okay. And, obviously, if it gets weird or messy having Rafe around then I won’t mind kicking him to the curb.”

You laughed at that, “It won’t come to that. Besides, I have my own man coming over tonight. Rafe…feels like it was ages ago at this point.”

“Okay.” Jules grinned, her dimples appearing. You could tell she was really excited about this date. You only hoped that Rafe didn’t disappear in the middle of the night on her like he did you.

“Okay!” You exclaimed, standing up. Jules stood with you. You hugged her, “Thank you for telling me. I’ll make sure Jack & I are all finished by the time you get home.”

“No worries.” Jules pulled away, grinning at you, “If we do end up wanting to hook-up I’m going to try to get it done at his place, that way you two can be alone all night.”

“Well, thanks, I appreciate it.” You smiled, letting her go, “But if you do go there, you know to text me where the address is.”

“Yes, mom.” Jules rolled her eyes.

With that, you exited your room & walked with her to the door. Jack would be there any minute & you still wanted light some incense & candles.

You were unlatching the door & swinging it open, preparing to wave Jules off but a yelp escaped you at the tall, looming presence just on the other side.

“Rafe!” Jules shrieked. The both of you were not expecting him on the other side, let alone anyone.

Rafe’s eyes danced amusingly between the two of you as you both recovered from the jump scare but when his eyes stopped on you, staring at your chest, you glanced down. It was then that you realized you were still only wearing your lingerie.

“Oh, fuck.” You muttered, quickly standing just behind the door out of sight as you tied the thigh length silk robe around your body. Jules realized what was happening by the time you finished & glanced up.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” You laughed sheepishly as Jules stepped out.

Rafe said nothing but was staring at you like he was trying not to respond.

“Oh, jesus, let’s just get this over with.” Jules finally spit out, “You guys fucked. It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before. Right?” She looked at you to which you nodded quickly.

“Right?” She focused on Rafe. He only mustered an awkward smirk.

“Great. Now that that’s over with, _____...” Jules eyed you, “Have fun with Jack. I’ll see you either tonight or tomorrow.”

At the mention of Jack’s name, you felt Rafe’s eyes flash to yours in curiosity. You blatantly ignored his wonderous gaze & waved at Jules, “Bye, have fuuun!”

Then you hurriedly slammed the door. As much as you loved Jules for her direct nature, you sorely wished she hadn’t mentioned the two of you hooking up while you were standing there in practically nothing. But, fortunately the moment was over & you could focus on the task at hand: Jack.

It was nearly three in the morning when you tip-toed into the kitchen to heat yourself up some leftovers. Jack had passed out. You had tired him out. You had always considered your endurance your best quality in the bedroom. It wasn’t often when a man could keep up with you. Jack was no exception, but he was fun, nonetheless. The sex was rushed at first. The second he saw you he couldn’t keep his hands off you. The after having sex that lasted for roughly fifteen minutes, you two relaxed & laughed about it.

Then you ordered the two of you some food & while waiting for the food to come the two of you hung out on the couch watching an episode of The Boys. After eating & another episode, Jack gathered you in his arms & carried you into your room for second round. The second round was a lot more sensual. Now that the two of you had had sex in a hurry, you two were able to slow down & really learn each other’s bodies. You were winded by the time that session ended. You fell asleep as he scratched your back & when you woke up an hour later, he was still awake watching videos on his phone. You knocked his phone out of the way & straddled his lap. The third time was even more mind-blowing than the first two—being the perfect mixture of animalistic & intimate.

After that, it was Jack’s turn to pass out. He had commented on your skills in bed & you kicked your feet about it. It wasn’t that you felt validated by hearing a man’s thoughts about what you could do but you also wouldn’t deny how good it still felt to hear.

You tried sleeping yourself, getting only ten or so minutes when your stomach growled you awake. There would be no good night’s rest until you ate. So, that’s when you decided to go heat up some leftovers from yours & Jack’s order.

Your apartment was quiet save for the metallic hum of the microwave. You stared at Jules’ closed bedroom door, & it was only then that you realized you hadn’t checked your phone whatsoever since Jack arrived. There was still a minute left on the microwave. You decided you’d go snatch your phone from your room really quickly then give Jules a call while you ate. But just as you entered the hallway, you heard the familiar sound of her keys in the door.

As quietly as you possibly could, you backed up back into the living room then raced across the room to the kitchen, trying to look as natural as possible. But as you listened for Jules’ footsteps, you picked up on another.

She wasn’t alone.

You glanced down. You were in your robe but only your robe. Jack made quick work of discarding your matching bra & underwear. There was a throw blanket on the back of the couch. You made to move towards it, hoping to get it wrapped around you since the robe did little to really cover you, but just as you did, two figures appeared on the other end of the room.

“Jules?” You frowned. She was slumped against Rafe.

Your eyes flashed to his, your state of dress forgotten, “What the hell happened?”

“Yeah, I don’t think she’s much of a heavyweight anymore. She was falling asleep at the bar.”

Shaking your head, you approached the two of them. Rafe still held her up as you patted her cheeks, “Jules, babe, wake up.”

But she only moaned & swatted your hand away, “Sleepy.”

“Okay, okay.” You couldn’t help the glare you threw at Rafe. Whether or not it was his fault, she had only gotten this drunk in the last week while in his presence. You hoped it was just a coincidence but you wouldn’t settle on it quite yet.

“Can you get some water, I got it from here.” You told Rafe before slipping her into your arms. Jules managed to use her feet to assist you in assisting her as you brought her back to her bed. Jules sighed happily at the sight of her bed before throwing herself down on it.

You knelt beside the bed, tucking her hair behind her ear, “Did you drink a lot again?”

“Mmm. Probably.”

You sucked on your lip, “Jules, you can’t be drinking like that. You gotta be safe.”

“Safe…very safe.” She mumbled, turning her head away from you as she curled into herself.

The air in the room shifted as Rafe entered behind you. You stood up, taking the glass of water from him none-too-gently & putting it on her nightstand.

“You can leave.” You told him without looking at him, “Thanks for getting her home.”

Rafe scoffed behind you but said nothing. You listened as you heard his steps leave the room. Releasing a breath of air, you stared at your best friend as she slept soundlessly.

“Jules…” You whispered to no one. Taking her shoes off, you threw one of her loose blankets over her & switched her light off. You’d be talking with her in the morning. You had to make sure that her getting so drunk was her doing & not Rafe’s.

A muffled gasp escaped you as you closed her door, not expecting to see Rafe leaning against the wall just on the other side.

You had your hand over your mouth to keep from waking Jules or Jack, but you glared hotly at Rafe over your hand.

Closing Jules door, you stepped closer to him, hissing, “I told you to leave.”

Rafe frowned, “Okay, sorry. I thought you just meant the room.”

“You knew exactly what I meant.”

You turned away from him, quietly stomping towards the kitchen. Rafe followed behind you.

“What’s your problem? I thought you’d thank me.”

“And I did.” You bit back. You were struggling to contain your anger. You had no proof that Rafe actually did anything, after all, he was helpful just last weekend & brought Jules back home tonight, but it still didn’t sit well with you. And your mom always taught you to trust your gut.

“So why the hostile attitude? Did I do something wrong?”

Inhaling sharply, you yanked open the microwave door. The food was steaming. But you had lost your appetite.

“No.” You replied shortly, uncaring if you sounded convincing or not.

You touched the plate but as you did, you hissed in pain. You were too caught up in your frustrations to remember to grab the plate of food with a hand towel.

“You okay?” Rafe moved closer, peering down at you as you stuck your thumb in your mouth, sucking on it.

You grunted in response. But Rafe just stared at you in disbelief.

“If you run it under cold water it’ll help better.” He told you, his voice flat.

“I know that.”

Instead of approaching you, he backed up to the sink, flicking the faucet handle. Then he gestured to the sink, “Well.”

Biting your lip in mild irritation, you neared the sink & stuck your thumb under the water. It wouldn’t burn, not visibly anyway, but it still hurt like a bitch. The cool water helped though.

As the water cooled the sensation of your pulsing thumb, so did your anger. Shaking your head, you finally looked at Rafe over your shoulder, “I’m sorry. Thank you for helping her home.”

“You’re welcome.” He returned, but the nicety has left his voice. He was as irritated as you had been.

“It’s just, she doesn’t get drunk like this.” You told him, “I mean, she does! But it takes a lot. Like a lot, a lot. So, seeing her get this drunk twice in one week, just has me concerned.”

“Well, I was there, & I’m telling you, she didn’t drink a lot. I don’t know, obviously, what her ‘a lot’ is, but it wasn’t a lot to me. A beer, three cocktails, & two shots.”

You thought on it. That was still excessive, at least in your opinion. Jules could normally handle a bit more than that but perhaps Rafe was right. Maybe her tolerance was just changing for some reason all of a sudden.

“Guess it makes sense.” You mumbled. Your thumb felt better at that point so you turned the faucet off.

“So, what’s a lot to you?” You asked him, wanting to shift the negative energy between the two of you.

Rafe glanced at you in momentary confusion before shrugging, “More than that.”

“Guess that makes sense, too.” You chuckled softly, “You were a big partier in high school.”

Finally, Rafe’s stone expression cracked as a smirk tugged on the corner of his lips, “Yeah, true.”

The room was silent for a beat until your stomach growled. Your appetite had returned. Turning your back on Rafe, you went to the microwave & tapped the plate, testing the heat. It was grabbable now. You removed your food from the appliance then took your plate to the table. Rafe watched you silently before slowly approaching you.

“So, you & Jack, huh?”

“Hmm?” You flicked your eyes to his, before realizing what he had asked, “Oh, uh, yeah.”

Rafe nodded, slowly dragging out the chair opposite you before sitting down.

“And you & Jules.” You added, not wanting you or Jack to be the focus at that point in time.

“Mhmm.” Rafe pursed his lips, cocking his head as he peered at you, “And you & me.”

You scrunched your nose in discomfort, but offered an awkward smile nonetheless, “Yup.”

“Does Jack know?” His question surprised you.

You glanced away to cut into your enchilada, blowing on it, then placing it in your mouth. You chewed, staring back at Rafe. Then you shrugged.

“I take that as a ‘no’.”

“Well, it’s not like we’re together, him & I. He doesn’t need to know about my hook-ups. I don’t ask about his.”

“But you want to date him.” It wasn’t a question but you still treated it as such.

“Um, no? I don’t know. Why do you ask?” You took another bite, a lump forming in your throat at Rafe’s invasive questions.

“Ah, well, Jules was saying that she thought you really liked this Jack guy, more than normal. Said you guys have been seeing each other pretty much everyday since last weekend.” For some odd reason, you felt like you were being interrogated, like a parent trying to get to know their teen daughter’s boyfriend before ultimately deciding that they weren’t good enough for her.

You shrugged, “Yeah, I guess. But, same could be said about you & Jules.”

Rafe raised his brows at that, “Yeah?”

You nodded, “She almost lied to me tonight. Didn’t tell me who she was seeing. She’s never done that before. Plus, she admitted as much that she liked you more than just for hooking up.”

“Hmm.” He looked away, deep in thought.

“How does that make you feel?” It was your turn to interrogate him.

“Not a lot.” Rafe returned quickly. His cold response had your earlier anger become lightly reignited.

“And that means…?”

Rafe leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he gazed at you, “She’s nice, hot, fun. But…she’s not you.”

The sound of your fork clattering against the plate as it slipped from your fingers made you jump slightly. Your body felt tense at Rafe’s confession. But you had to play it off. Quickly snatching the fork back up, you brushed off his comment with a sheepish chuckle, “Funny.”

But Rafe didn’t share in your amusement. His unwavering stare was only evidence of his seriousness.

“What are you trying to say, Rafe?”

He sighed, his eyes dropping to the opening of your robe. You glanced down & quickly snatched the fabric closer to your chest. He smirked at that.

“I’m saying that I know you’re wearing nothing under that & I want to see what you’re trying to hide from me.”

You sputtered in shock, staring at him wide-eyed, “Are you fucking serious?”

Rafe raised his eyes to yours, “Deadly.”

“Alright, okay.” You stood up, your half-eaten food forgotten on the table, “I don’t know what the hell you think—’

But Rafe stood too, quickly invading your space as you stood there attempting to talk him down. He pressed his chest against you & you didn’t have time to create space before he gripped one of your hips. A surprised hiss escaped your lips at his abrupt manhandling.

“I think that dumbass in there can’t please you like I can.” Rafe spoke lowly, his voice even but firm.

You swallowed, putting your hands on his chest in an attempt to push yourself away from him, but Rafe was quick to snatch both your wrists in his other hand.

“What are you doing?” Panic flooded you. If Rafe was fucking with you, you weren’t finding it very funny.

“I told you.” Rafe then quickly yanked on the ties of your robe & your robe fell open.

You gasped as cool air suddenly brushed over your exposed front. You instinctively made to cover yourself help but Rafe still held your wrists in his hand. You were breathing heavily, watching in a daze as Rafe’s eyes darkened, staring at your body.

Then, just as quickly as it happened, Rafe looked back up at you & smirked. Then he let you go.

“Have a good night.”

Like whiplash, Rafe was there one second then gone the next. You stood there in the center of your kitchen staring into the direction of the hallway where Rafe disappeared to. The front door to your apartment closed in the distance & you finally released a breath of air you had been holding.

Then everything that just occurred finally hit you.

“What. The. Fuck.”

The next couple months were weird, to say the least. After Rafe revealed yourself to him he was around way too much. He & Jules began spending a lot of time together & before you knew it, they were dating. DATING.

You sat on what he had done for a couple days before you finally told her about it. Or least, a little bit about it.

First, you started by asking her if she was really serious about Rafe, like had real feelings for him. When she admitted that she did, you felt torn on telling her the whole truth or just a version of the truth. You eventually settled on just telling her variation of it.

What you ended up telling her was that he came onto you again but you had rejected him & then he left. That was basically what happened, but you didn’t mention him undoing your robe, & you weren’t sure why. Rafe was no friend to you so you had no need to protect him, but Jules was your friend, & you had never seen her hung up on someone the way she was about Rafe.

You had seen Rafe multiple times in the window between his harassment of you in the kitchen to telling Jules about it, & in that time he never said or tried anything again. He hardly even looked at you. You reminded yourself that he was an asshole in high school & that he likely viewed what he did as just a humiliating prank. But it wasn’t. Had you not already hooked-up with him you likely would’ve told Jules the whole truth, but since Rafe had already seen you naked & was just pulling one of those idiotic Alpha moves on you in the kitchen, you figured as long as it never happened again you could deal with seeing him & Jules together all the time.

But it still ate away at you. It bothered you that he had the audacity to not only do that but then move forward & decide to date your best friend. But Jules was happy, more so, she was drinking less. It was the least you could ask for in her questionable relationship with Rafe Cameron.

On the bright side, Jules wasn’t the only one to enter into an official relationship. After a few weeks of hanging out with Jack & having some of the best sex of your life, you & Jack progressed into a relationship. It felt like ages since you last had a boyfriend, but it felt nice. He was quickly becoming one of your favorite people. Even better, he & Jules got along great. She’d often join you guys on the couch when you watched a movie or show or even help out in the kitchen as the two of you made dinner. They were all good times, but they were often soured by the presence of Rafe.

Now that you & Jules were in relationships, there was an ungodly amount of times when all four of you would hangout. It was like double dating all the time. If Jules & Rafe wanted to go out to the bars, they’d always convinces Jack to convince you. And then on nights when you worked, Jack would sometimes come in to see you, & right behind him would be Jules & Rafe. Your apartment with Jules was quickly becoming a home to your respective boyfriends.

Your relationship with Rafe was interesting, too. Though he never made comments or did anything like he did that night in the kitchen, he still always found a reason to talk to you. It was never about anything especially important or engaging, but always just enough to have you two at least carry a conversation for some time.

Jack still never knew about you & Rafe hooking up the night you all met & you wanted to keep it that way. In fact, you made Jules promise that she would tell Rafe to keep his mouth shut because if ever said anything, even eluded to it, you would make sure he’d regret it. And so far, Rafe never peeped a word about it. The only downside to Jack never knowing about your tryst with Rafe was that they too became good friends.

Oftentimes, you’d see them laughing loudly with one another, like slapping each other laughing, & always having each other’s back on nights out if for some reason they came across a belligerent asshole. A small part of you was relieved that everything was seemingly working out, but a majority of you knew everything was too good to be true. It’d only be so long before the other shoe dropped. And what kind of shoe it would be had you constantly on the edge…

But that was the least of your worries as you rushed to get ready. That morning, your mom called you to remind of the charity gala that was being hosted in her name & how you promised to be there. The event had completely slipped your mind. So, all day you were frazzled with that now being your mission. You were forced to call Rosie & explain everything to him, apologizing that it slipped your mind & you would be able to come into work. Fortunately, Rosie said he’d take care of it & that he would see the following night.

After that, you drove to the shopping district hoping you’d find a dress that would be appropriate enough for the gala. These gala’s your mom attended were high class. No ball gowns or anything extravagant like that (though some people did wear stuff like that), but it was definitely an excuse for those in attendance to show off some of the nicer items in their closet. You had none.

You got lucky when you found a dress that you could keep & wear again. It was equally elegant as it was just the right amount of sex appeal. Unfortunately, due to the short notice, Jack would not be able to come with you. You learned early on in your relationship that Jack moved to town to open his own café. It had a rough start but once the warmer months came it became a huge hit so he was spending a lot of his time there to help out. And tonight they were having an open mic night for comedians, poets, musicians. It was their first one so he couldn’t miss it.

You were going to ask Jules next if she wanted to be your date but when you went to her room earlier that day, you could hear her throwing up in the bathroom. She had come down with the flu. So, she was a no go. It bummed you out that you wouldn’t have a date but it was your own fault for completely forgetting about it.

It was thirty minutes before the gala started & you had just finished getting ready. You still had to drive 20 minutes to the venue so you would be cutting it close but at least you’d be on time. Before you left, you sped-walk to Jules’ room to check on her. She was sound asleep in her bed, a humidifier next to her bed billowing warm, wet air. You quicky stepped into the room & kissed your fingers before placing them on her forehead. You couldn’t afford getting sick after bailing on Rosie tonight.

Then, you were out the door.

You recognized the address as being somewhere in the industrial district on the north side of town. That thought made you groan, you hoped they had valet parking.

Traffic was a bitch but you made it with two minutes to spare. Thank you, Valet.

Once you were inside, you sought out your mom. You found her in the middle of greeting guests as they entered the building.

“Oh, honey!” She exclaimed, “I’m so happy you could make it.”

“Of course, Mom. Is there an open bar?” You asked once she pulled away.

Your mom rolled her eyes knowingly, “So much of your father in you. Yes, yes. The venue is up those stairs there, the bar portion is in a separate room across from it.”

“Great, thank you.” You kissed her on the cheek, antsy to at least get a glass of wine in your system.

She waved you off to continue welcoming guests while you went to go retrieve a drink. After you succeeded in getting your wine, you entered the gala. You nodded impressively. There were a few faces you recognized as close friends of your mom’s & forced yourself to make small talk as you mingled your way over to a table by the windows. Once you made it through, you took a moment to yourself to relax. Your whole day had felt rushed & chaotic so you were happy to finally be off your feet with some sort of alcohol before you to keep you going.

The charity event started soon thereafter, & before you knew it, you were enjoying your drink, watching as a couple hundred middle aged rich folk raised their hands for the auction portion. Once the auction was through, the host announced that dinner was served & to help yourselves & to enjoy the night while it was still young. You checked the time on your phone, noting it was only 8 in the evening. Your mom begged you to stay at least until 9 that way she can finish making her rounds then she could focus her time on you. You begrudgingly promised you would.

When she disappeared, you decided to get your glass refilled. You were snaking your way between bodies, aiming for the doors that would lead you to the bar when you abruptly ran into another person.

“Sorry!” You exclaimed, feeling embarrassed for not watching where you were going. But when the person you ran into turned around, the apologetic expression on your face fell.

“Well, well. Fancy seeing you here, huh?” Rafe grinned, clearly not expecting to see you either.

“Fancy.” You deadpanned, turning away to continue on your way. What the hell was he doing there?

Once you made it to the edge of the room though, you felt a slight tug on your elbow, deterring you from your destination. A curse died on your tongue as you glared at Rafe dragging you through a set of glass doors & onto a patio. You didn’t even know there was a patio. Had you, you would’ve hidden out there all night to avoid Rafe,

“What are you doing here?” He asked, admiring your outfit.

“You first.” You battled.

Rafe chuckled but answered, “Networking.”

“For?”

Rafe rolled his eyes, sighing, “My dad’s business?”

You pursed your lips. You supposed it made sense. But Jules hadn’t mentioned it.

“Why isn’t Jules here then?” You knew well enough that she was sick & resting at home, but since she had never mentioned it, you wondered if Rafe had even bothered to mention it to her.

“Because I didn’t ask her.” Rafe responded like it was the most obvious answer in the whole world. But you wouldn’t accept.

“God, you are such an asshole. She’s crazy about you, ya know. And you treat her like crap.”

Rafe bit his lip in though, narrowing his eyes at you, “You sure about that? Pretty sure I actually spoil her. More than she’s worth.”

“Oh, you—” All the possible offensive terms you could think of threatened to spill out but this wasn’t the time or the place, “That’s it. When I get back home, I’m telling her everything.”

You spun on your heel then, prepared to go find your mom & apologize but you had to leave early. You couldn’t stand to be here for a second longer knowing Rafe asshole Cameron was present.

But when you left the patio & entered the hall, where there was conveniently no one was around, Rafe snagged you by the waist before shoving you into a bathroom.

“Rafe, goddamnit!” But Rafe shook you to your core when he pressed your back against the wall & covered your mouth. His hand going to the handle on the door & locking it.

“I’m gonna take my hand off now, think you can shut the fuck up for two seconds?”

You glared at him but nodded once. Rafe removed his hand but only stared at you.

You slapped your hands together, waiting for him to get it over with.

“I don’t know what the fuck you want, _____. You’re so annoyingly confusing. More than most women.”

You frowned at that. What was he talking about?

“You come onto me the night we meet then you suddenly want nothing to do with me. I never asked you out on a date because you said you weren’t interested in dating. I was fine with that, though. I could live with just hooking up. But then come to find out you’re dating Jack, fucking him, too. So, now I look like an idiot because you told me you don’t date. And that’s a lie. So, when I found out & tried coming onto you again that night in your apartment, you rejected me. All for that dumbass in your bed. I mean, what is a guy supposed to think? I’ve been very patient, waiting for you & Jack to get through whatever it is you guys think you’re doing but nope, nope, Jack’s here to stay, Jack’s such a good guy, Jack’s the one.”

All of his words were becoming jumbled together in your brain. You could do nothing but stare at him wide-eyed & in shock.

Rafe was huffing, his lips in an upside down smile as he stared through you, “What do you have to say, huh? Because now, all this time, pretending to be into Jules, I’ve just been trying to get close to you. To show you that I’m who you want. That you regret rejecting me. And you can’t say I haven’t been good because I have been. I don’t touch you, flirt with you, make it obvious that I want to fuck your brains out, that I want to beat Jack to a pulp every single time I see him put his hands on you. It should be me, _____. You know that.”

A surprised but unamused sigh left you. Everything you thought about Rafe was true, but just much worse. He was only dating Jules because of you. Only hanging around because of you. You needed to snuff this man out.

“Rafe…” You licked your lips, struggling to find the words, “I don’t know where, at any point, you got into your head that we were something more than just a spontaneous, convenient hook-up but that’s all it was. Okay? That’s it. There was sexual tension & I acted on it. Simple as that. I mean, you were gone the next morning! We had nothing more than just casual, one-time sex.”

Rafe’s eyes narrowed as you spoke.

“And as far as Jack goes, that’s none of your damn business. I meant what I said when I told you I don’t date but things change, & I don’t care how fast they change, I don’t owe you anything. I’m not some fucking prize that you are competing against Jack for, & even if I was, let me tell you, he is by far a better man you will ever be. A real man doesn’t use a woman to get closer to her roommate, to try & make her roommate, I don’t know, fall for him? That’s some psycho sociopathic shit, right there. Okay?! So, what you’re gonna do now, is you’re gonna call Jules & you’re gonna break up with her. I don’t care how you do it, but you’re gonna get it done. I would love nothing more than to tell her myself about how much of a piece of shit you are, but she’s my friend. My best friend. And I don’t want to hurt her. So, the least you can do is soften the blow.”

It looked as if he wasn’t listening anymore, his eyes glazing over, but you knew he was. He was hearing every single world.

“Man up.” You stepped forward, “And give her what she deserves.”

His eyes finally shifted back to yours, “Careful what you wish for.”

The look in his eyes sparked a bout of fear within you.

But then Rafe was unlocking the bathroom door & next thing you knew he was gone. Your heart was racing, the interaction an explosion of emotions. But with him gone, you were finally able to relax against the wall. You placed your hand on your chest, willing your heart to slow down. Jesus. This day just wouldn’t give you a break, would it?

Unfortunately, your night never improved. When you got home later that night, you could hear Jules crying in her room. As relieved as you were that Rafe called her, you were still disheartened to hear her sobs from the front door. Stopping by your room first, you kicked off your heels & tossed your keys on the bed. Then you hesitantly walked towards her room. Her door was cracked open.

You were about to enter her room but another’s voice stopped you.

“I’m sorry, Jules.” Rafe.

What the fuck was he doing here?!

Not waiting to get answers from Jules, you slapped her door open, standing angrily in her doorway. Jules & Rafe were on her bed & Rafe was holding her as she cried into his chest.

“What the hell’s going on here?”

Jules looked up then but her solemn face quickly turned to one of anger as she set her eyes on you. She stood up, looking you directly in the eye, “I should be asking you that! I trusted you!”

You stared at her in confusion before glancing at Rafe who sat smugly on the edge of her bed.

“Jules, look, I don’t know what that fuck told you but he’s ly—”

“Lying?!” Jules questioned, her voice growing louder, “Yeah, he said you’d say that. But he told me everything!”

You crossed your arms over your chest, glaring at the unapologetic look on Rafe’s face, “And what was that?”

“That you’ve been coming onto him for months!” Jules screeched, “I knew bringing him around was going to be weird but if you still had feelings for him then you should have told me! Now you’re telling him to break up with me so you can have him. I can’t believe you would do that!”

“What?!” You raised your voice, “No, no, that is not what’s happening. He’s the asshole, the creep!”

“Oh, shut up, _____!” Jules glared at you through her angry tears, “He has proof of you saying so!”

You stumbled at that, “Proof? What? What proof, Jules?”

She spun around, snatching a phone that wasn’t hers off the bed before raising it up between the two of you. She clacked on it & then turned the volume up. It was your voice that came out.

So, what you’re gonna do now, is you’re gonna call Jules & you’re gonna break up with her. I don’t care how you do it, but you’re gonna get it done.

“Motherfucker…” You whispered in disbelief. But then the recording stopped. Jules played it again.

You shot your eyes between the two of them before settling on Jules, “That’s all he recorded? You don’t think that’s weird, Jules? There’s nothing before, nothing after, it’s all out of context. Yes, I told him to break up with you but so I could have him! He’s a fucking psycho!”

Jules shook her head, chuckling darkly as she tossed the phone back on her bed, “I want you out of this apartment. Tonight. And then I never want to see you again.”

“Jules! No, what? Wait!” But she was shoving you out of her room & before you could get another word out, she slammed her door in your face.

“Rafe, you fucking asshole! Tell her the truth!” You beat against the door but all you could make out on the other side was Jules bitching about you before her room started blaring music.

You couldn’t believe this was happening. Rafe had gotten to her. Turned your closest friend against you. Well. Fuck him. He wasn’t going to win. Not that easily. Jules wanted to never see you again, that’s too damn bad. Because you weren’t going anywhere, not as long as Rafe was in her ear feeding her lies.

You walked into work angrily the following night. Your coworkers greeted you but you could only manage a grunt. Jules was far from happy to see you when you came out of your room that morning but you needed to show her that you weren’t going anywhere.

“My name’s on the lease. I pay rent. I’m staying.” You told her to which she sneered at you before grabbing her coffee & disappearing in her room.

Her door was closed but you told her through the door that you would never betray her like that. That the person who was lying to her was Rafe. She never responded, & you never saw her again before you left for work. But you wouldn’t give up.

You threw on your outfit for your shift then left in poor spirits. Working helped you distract yourself from the bullshit of your disastrous home life & potential friend break-up. It was busy & your regulars listened to you as you told a few of them about few details of your dilemma. They all held hope for you & Jules to figure things out. That left you feeling slightly better. But around midnight, an unexpected guest appeared at the far end of the bar. You smiled for the first time in 24 hours but your smile quickly fell at the furious expression on Jack’s face.

“Hey.” You said warily, flipping over a 16oz to pour his usual beer.

“I’m not staying.” Jack told you, his voice hard.

That wasn’t a good sign.

“I just came to tell you that Jules told me everything. The recording, everything.”

“Jack.” You sighed exhaustedly. After last night’s intense fallout, you didn’t think to call Jack & tell him what happened. But you never thought Jules would reach out to him herself.

“Save it.” He held up his hand, “I just wanted to tell you in person.”

Before you could try to defend yourself or even explain a little bit, Jack was out the door. You watched tiredly through the windows as he sped off.

Jack didn’t understand either. He would, but not yet. First, you had to get Jules to know the truth, get Rafe out of the picture, then after all that, you & Jules would tell Jack the truth together. You just had to be strong.

“You alright, kid?” Rosie’s voice sounded behind you.

You pressed your lips together, feeling them shake. You felt like crying but you forced yourself not to. Rafe couldn’t get away with this.

Turning around, your head hung low, you simply nodded to Rosie.

“Why don’t you take a ten. I can man the bar, start closing duties.”

You didn’t have the energy to debate it. You exited the bar & went to sit at the far end. Pulling out your phone, you hoped to see any messages from Jules but there was nothing. You tried calling her but your call went straight to voicemail. She likely blocked you. Good thing you lived down the hallway from her.

Holding your head in your hands, you thought about how you got here. How the fuck did you get here? Everything was fine & then suddenly it wasn’t. You realized you should’ve told Jules about Rafe from the beginning. Told her about how he came onto you in the kitchen that night. If you had, Rafe wouldn’t be in the picture, you & Jules would still be friends, & Jack would be drinking a beer less than 10 feet from you.

“Fucking Rafe…” You muttered out loud.

Could this night get any worse?

Unfortunately yes, yes it could.

You kicked at the tire of your car, frustrated that it suddenly wouldn’t start. Rosie had already left. He closed up The Garage with you & walked with you to your vehicles. But while he started his up & pulled out of the parking lot, you sat behind your wheel staring mindlessly out the windshield. You so desperately just wanted to talk to Jules, to just tell her everything. It had only been 24 hours & all you wanted was your best friend back.

So, when you finally broke out of your thoughts & went to start your car, it only added to your shitty night that the engine sputtered then died.

“Fuuuuuuck!” You screamed, beating your hands against the dashboard. Your hands were throbbing afterwards but you could barely feel it. And if you thought it still couldn’t get any worse, pulling out your phone & finding it dead only proved you wrong.

“’Course.” Tossing your phone back into your bag, you glared at the bar across from you. There was chargers inside, but Rosie had the keys to get in & you had no phone to call him.

Getting out, you locked up your car before rounding to the front. There was no point in checking under the hood, you would have no idea where to look first. You had always said that one day you’d learn car stuff for shit exactly like this, but you had yet to do it. It would be next on your agenda. After getting Jules back.

You glared into the darkness of the road. The Garage was on a long stretch of a two-lane highway. During the day it was used regularly, but as soon as night came, the only reason people were on it was to come to your place of work. There would be no one. It was then that you decided you were going to be forced to walk back home. It was only a mile or so walk, most of it being spent on the highway, but you weren’t stoked about walking down a dark, desolate highway in the middle of the night.

But what choice did you have?

Facing your car once more, you kicked at her tire, “See you in the morning, princess.”

You were only about ten minutes into your walk, your jacket wrapped securely around you as you stomped along the pavement, when you heard an engine in the distance. Now, you weren’t one of those girls who thought to yourself ‘oh, kidnapping wouldn’t happen to me, that’s only in the news’. So, you had no plans to put your thumb out & hitching a ride. Even if it was a nice elderly woman. You had seen too many true crime documentaries. It was better to be distrusting then it was to trust the wrong person.

Unlike Jules, you thought bitterly. But it wasn’t her fault. It was all Rafe’s.

When the engine grew closer, you moved off the highway. There were no streetlights on this stretch of the highway, so the driver wouldn’t spot you until they passed you. It also helped you were wearing darker clothes. Otherwise whoever it was might get some sort of idea. And if they did spot you whether before or after they passed you, you were mentally preparing yourself to launch yourself into the woods & make a run for it.

You glanced over your shoulder as you walked, spotting two headlights in the distance. You hoped they would hurry & pass you by so you could walk freely again without worrying about getting snatched off the road. You already had enough stress on your plate.

The engine grew closer but as it did you could hear begin to slow down.

Great.

Still walking, not wanting to let whoever it was get closer, you spun around expecting to see a middle-aged man giving you a toothy smile. But the lights were so bright you couldn’t make out anything. All you could see was the silhouette of someone sitting in the drivers seat. They didn’t move closer, they didn’t signal for you, they didn’t do anything. Just idled there in the middle of the highway.

“Alright…” You could feel panic begin to grip you. “That’s not a red flag.”

But it didn’t stop you. You just kept walking. And as you did, you heard the truck begin to roll closer. As it did, you moved further off the highway until you were forced to walk on the dirt along the tree line.

You breathing fast at that point. As subtly as you could, you reached into your bag, looking for your taser. You had never had to use it before but you always kept it charged in the off chance you’d need to. And now seemed like it would potentially be that time.

“_____.”

The sound of your name horrified you, but more than that, it was the voice that carried it.

You spun around on your heel, staring wide-eyed as Rafe hung an arm outside his window, his eyes dead set on you.

“What the fuck do you want?”

“Need a ride?” He asked, ignoring your question, but there was no sense of wanting to help you in his tone.

“Fuck no.” You spit, glaring hotly at him, “I am walking home. Carry on.”

“I’m heading there anyway.” Rafe smirked, “Booty call. You know how it goes.”

You made a face of disgust. He still had the audacity to talk poorly about Jules even after convincing her that you were the bad guy. But were you surprised? No, no you weren’t.

“Just fuck off, Rafe.” You dismissed him with a flick of your hand before marching ahead. Much to your chagrin, Rafe only followed alongside you in his truck. You made sure to keep a good distance between where you walked & where his door was. If he decided to jump you again like he had at the charity gala the previous night, you wanted a head start into the woods.

“We can talk.” He stated, “Work something out. I can get Jules to forgive you.”

You shook your head in disbelief, running your tongue along your teeth in annoyance. He was just egging you on, wanting to get a rise out of you. Like always.

“C’mon, you know you’re tempted.” His voice grew lower.

“The only thing I’m tempted to do is rip your fucking throat out & shove it up your ass so you can taste your own shit.”

“Well,” Rafe chuckled darkly, “I’d need my throat to taste it, wouldn’t I?”

Stamping your foot against the pavement, you finally stopped to face him again, “God, can you just leave me the fuck alone?! You got Jules, you won, she fucking hates my guts. I’m the bad guy in this story, I get it. Your narrative is working out great for you, Rafe. So if you’re done boasting, please! Leave. Me. Alone.”

He peered at you through heavily hooded eyes, an unimpressed smirk appearing on his face, “I didn’t win, _____. Jules isn’t who I want. You know that.”

His words chilled you to your core. It was then that you were reminded of where you were, or weren’t, which was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Just you & Rafe.

“I just want to walk home, okay?” You felt your voice shake with fear. Rafe smiled then. He heard it, too.

“Ad I’m offering you a ride.”

You felt your eyes begin to water as you stared past him into the cab. If you got in the cab, there was no saying what he would do to you. Your chances were better outside of the truck.

“Rafe—”

“I’m not gonna ask again. Get in the truck, or I’ll fucking make you get in the truck.”

You shook your head, taking a step back. His eyes flashed to the movement before flickering back up to yours. His gaze hardened, “Fine. My way it is.”

Before he could shift his truck into park, you were already diving into the trees & running at a full sprint. It wasn’t a second or two later when you heard Rafe’s door slam shut before the sound of foliage being crushed sounded behind you.

“_____!” Rafe yelled, “Get back here!”

His voice, full of anger & determination, bounced off the trees as you ran past them & further into the woods. You couldn’t see shit in the dark & you could feel your ankles stumbling & whining in discomfort as you tried to keep your feet ahead of you on the uneven earth. Scared tears coated your cheeks as you pumped your legs, begging to any god anywhere to please get you out of there. But no divine intervention intervened.

It was the worst feeling you could imagine when you felt a hand grip the fabric of your jacket & yank you backwards. The wind was knocked out of you when Rafe threw you to the forest floor.

“We coulda worked this out.” Rafe huffed as he stood over you.

You rolled onto your side, desperate for your lungs to open so you could breathe. But Rafe circled around you like a vulture getting ready for the kill. You weren’t sure you’d even get another breath of air before he stole whatever you had left.

“We coulda talked, came to some sort of agreement!” He yelled in frustration, “But you’re just so fucking stubborn, so fucking defiant. You like that with Jack?”

Rafe laughed darkly to himself, “Something tells me you’re not. You’re probably the most perfect woman with him.”

You gasped sharply, painfully, when your lungs finally opened. Then you were coughing. But as you were coughing, you were searching for your bag in the dark. The taser. If you got your hands on that, you may have a chance.

“Looking for this.” Rafe questioned.

In the dark, you peered over at him as he held your purse by a single finger. He shook his head knowingly before gathering it in the palm of his hand & chucking it into the forest. You heard it thud somewhere in the distance. Fresh tears escaped you as Rafe used his shoe to roll you over onto your back.

“Please, Rafe, don’t. I’m sorry for running.” You weren’t, but it was survival now to kiss up to him.

But Rafe just stared down at you, “It’s too late for your apologies.”

He bent at the knees then before grabbing a fistful of your hair & forcing you upwards into a sitting position. A pained whimper parted your lips, forcing you to bite your lip to stifle them.

“What do you want then?” You cried out, your hands clinging to the grip he held on your hair.

“Same thing as before.” Rafe responded, his voice flat & emotionless. You stopped crying to stare at him. He only gazed at you unfeelingly.

“No.” You shook in his hold. “No!”

You screamed & thrashed, trying to kick at him but Rafe easily overpowered you, forcing you back on your back as he climbed on top of you.

“No! No! No!” You screamed, cried, begged over & over again. But all of your fight was falling on deaf ears. You beat your fists against his chest & back as he wrestled with you to get your jeans off. The chill of the forest erupted your skin with goosebumps & you felt like your heart was going to burst outside of your chest.

Rafe was quick to remove his own jeans, shoving them down his thighs. Once he did, he focused on your upper half, yanking your arms out the sleeves of your jacket before pulling the top of your tube top down. You were practically fully naked in the middle of nowhere with Rafe Cameron on top of you.

But that didn’t matter. You never stopped resisting him, never stopped trying to get him off you or hurt him. Everything you did though, it was like it didn’t register to him. Like he didn’t feel any of it. You knew Rafe was scary but this was a new level. He was a fucking monster.

His fingers hooked around the fabric of your underwear & tugged on it until you heard the seams snap & tear. You desperately reached for the back of his hand, grabbing two handfuls of his hair before yanking as hard as you could.

It was the first reaction Rafe gave. He hissed in response, ripping his head out from under your grasp. It was a short-lived win before you saw him raise the back of his hand & whip it across your face. A sharp gasp left you at the assault, & you tasted blood on your tongue as your lower lip burned.

“This is what you said, _____.” Rafe snarled as he finished tearing your underwear from your body, “’Man up & give her what she deserves’. Those are your words.”

Sobs racked your body as he repeated back to you your own demand of him.

“That’s exactly,” He snatched you by the throat & raised you up enough until his face was only an inch away from your own, “what I’m doing. I’m giving you exactly what you deserve. What I should’ve done from the beginning.”

He released you, & your head smacked against the soft earth but it did little to comfort the blow.

You whimpered like a beaten & abused dog as Rafe wrestled your legs apart to fit himself snugly in between them. You placed your hands on his chest, using all your strength to prevent him from crushing you with his body but your strength was nothing compared to his. He forced your elbows to bend as he lowered himself on top of you until your chest were pressed against one another.

“Don’t cry.” He kissed you on the side of your mouth, forcing you to whip your face away from him, “It’s nothing we haven’t done already.”

A sharp pain shot up your spine as Rafe forced himself inside you. He chuckled darkly to himself as one of his hands caught you by your chin, forcing you to look at him. You desperately searched for anywhere else to look that wasn’t him but he was all you could see. That smug & evil smirk, the glint & prideful glow in his eyes. It only grew worse when he began to groan as he snapped his hips against yours.

Your fingers dug themselves into the earth as Rafe raped you on the forest floor. You were hyperventilating beneath him, unfeeling from the waist down, but it was a nightmare you couldn’t wake up from. You wished you could do what some women had reported happening when they were raped & how they were able to shut off their mind & go anywhere else, but yours wasn’t doing that. It was happening & you couldn’t stop it.

Rafe tucked his face into your neck as he moaned loudly & freely, like a predator having caught his unwilling prey in the world of beasts. No one was coming. No one could hear your cries. This was Darwinism at it’s finest. Only the strong survived.

Your tears had stopped but you were still panting, staring past Rafe’s head at the tops of the trees. You couldn’t make out the night sky beyond them. Everywhere you looked was pitch darkness, & you saw it most whenever Rafe forced you to look at him while he fucked you to his hearts content.

It felt like hours before he finally came. He growled like the beast he was as he thrusted himself inside you as deep as he could go. You groaned in pain as your hips flared at the stretch of them. Your body shook beneath him as he stilled completely above you. But you could still feel his cock spitting his seed inside of you. The fact of that made bile rise in your throat.

Rafe rolled off you a second later, hissing as his own body shook with the aftershocks of his orgasm. An ungodly burning & stinging pain originated from between your legs & you were terrified to see what he did to you.

Then he started laughing. It wasn’t the loud, jovial kind you often heard in your bar, but the snarky, cocky kind that reminded you exactly of who he was in high school. You had heard it plenty of times.

“God, that was good.” Rafe breathed out, “My imagination whenever I fuck Jules doesn’t even come close to that.”

Jules’ face flashed through your mind & you rushed upwards. You turned to the side, holding your stomach as you bent over & vomited. Tears returned to your eyes, blurring your already dizzying vision as you emptied what little contents were in your stomach. As you continued to only throw up stomach acid & a few bites of food, you felt a hand on your back.

A fit of fury came over you & you lashed out at Rafe as he attempting to comfort you. After he just raped you! It was a joke.

But Rafe yowled as you swung your arm at him. This stole your attention & you peered through your dirtied hair as Rafe held his face. When he removed his hand to inspect his hand, you marveled at the three scratch marks going from his forehead down over his right eye & ending on his cheek.

All you could do was start laughing. And then you couldn’t stop. You were laughing hysterically, pointing at Rafe like he was a kid on the playground who just got humiliated in front of everyone. He snarled at you, knocking your hand away & catching you by the throat.

“You think that’s funny?” He sneered.

You grinned, still laughing despite your air being restricted. Rafe growled before throwing you back to the forest floor.

“I’ll tell you what’s funny, _____.” He yanked on your shoulder, turning you over to face him, “Here’s the deal. And its your only two options so I’d listen real fucking close.”

You glared up at him, wanting nothing more than to finished what claws did & tear his skin completely from his face.

“You’re gonna get in my fucking truck, we’re going to the apartment, & you’re going to go to your room. I’m going into Jules & I’m either going to A. break up with her & tell her we’re together or B. do to her what I just did to you. And I’ll do far worse to her.”

The threat forced your panic riddled body to leap upwards, “Don’t!”

“I won’t, unless you make me. That’s your choice, _____. I either stay with her & hurt her every fucking day, or I get you & I’ll never lay a finger on her.”

You shook your head, staring up at him, “Please, Rafe, you got what you wanted. Just leave us alone.”

He sighed, kneeling down to be eye level with you, “I want you. All of you. All the time. And for everyday I go without that, Jules will suffer.”

Imagining Rafe doing to Jules what he just did to you forced fresh sobs from you. You covered your mouth to stifle the cries. You couldn’t let him do that to her. You didn’t care if it meant she’d hate you forever. You just couldn’t let him hurt her. No one deserved that. Not even you. But were strong. You may have been Rafe’s prey that night, but you were a survivor. But if you knew what Rafe was doing to Jules every day in & night out, you’d never be able to live with yourself. One way or another, someone was getting hurt. You knew it had to be you.

“So?” Rafe tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear, “We have a deal?”

You leaned away from his touch, but peered up at him through your wet lashed.

Rafe saw the resolve in your eyes. He grinned devilishly.

Only the strong survive, you repeated to yourself.

Only the strong survive.

i'm fuckin' whipped, babes. like whhhhhiiiipped. i cannot believe i cranked this out in less than 12 hours but fuck. i. did. it.

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