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THERE WAS STILL no sign of JJ by late-afternoon. No texts, no phone calls...nothing.

Charlotte and Kiara were both on the verge of going crazy. They'd called him so many times, Charlotte was pretty sure her phone company was going to call and ask her if she was okay after dialling the same number close to a hundred times in a few hours.

But alas, the phone was held to her ear once again as she struggled to carry a box of inventory up the stairs of the shop. The two sisters had taken the opportunity to make sure everything with the surf shop was in order before shit hit the fan, because surely it would.

"Hey, it's JJ─" Charlotte let out an exasperated groan as she rested the box on her hip, hanging up the phone with her free hand. She shoved it into her back pocket, resisting the urge to pitch it across the room.

She knew JJ had been going through some shit, she wasn't entirely sure what, but he'd seemed off for a while. She wasn't even sure if he knew what he was going through. But this, this was yet another careless act that jeopardized all of them. He couldn't run off on his own like that, causing everyone else to split up. Charlotte was immeasurably angry at him, but she was also pissed off.

A deep exhale fell from her lips as she neared the top of the steps, prepared to ask Kiara if she had somehow miraculously got in touch with JJ. But before any words could leave her mouth, Charlotte froze. Someone was in the shop, and she recognized the voice instantly.

"I'm just lookin' for my sister, alright?" Rafe stated dismissively.

Charlotte quietly set the box down, leaning up against the wall so she was further out of sight. She knew she shouldn't eavesdrop on her sister and Rafe, but part of her couldn't resist.

Kiara was quick to respond. "She doesn't want to see you, Rafe."

This time when Rafe spoke, there was a hint of defensiveness in his tone. "Well, she's my sister, okay? I can come have a little chat with her if I want." Charlotte inwardly cringed, signs of the old Rafe slipping. He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "You know this place is on the chopping block, right?"

"You don't say," Kiara answered, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Let me guess, you're behind it."

A small laugh came from Rafe. "Uh...I...I could be, but no. It's not me." Relief flooded through Charlotte at his words. She knew that if it was Rafe behind all of it, he would have taunted Kiara with the fact. "You know, I came to give you a heads up, actually." Rafe continued. "Do do you a solid, to try to be a good brother, and a good friend to Charlotte. And I wanna...I wanna be better. But I already got you snapping at me as I'm trying to help, as usual."

Charlotte couldn't see them, but she could imagine the scowl on her sister's face. "Charlotte isn't your friend, Rafe." She bit out. "I know what angle you're working with her, and you need to stop. Leave her alone for once in your damn life."

Rafe was silent for a moment, and Charlotte could feel her heart pounding in her ears.

"You know what, Kie? I get it. I've given you a million reasons to hate me, and after what I did to your sister last year I don't blame you." Rafe responded, his voice more level.
"But like I said, I'm doing better, better for her specifically. So put away the claws, Kie. I'm not hurting your sister ever again." He let out a breath.  "And I did actually come to talk to her as well. Is she around?"

Knowing Kiara was about to lie, Charlotte picked up the box and finished climbing the stairs. She greeted them as if she hadn't been listening to their conversation the entire time.

Instantly, she noted the way they stood across the counter from each other, Kiara's face written in anger, and Rafe's surprisingly calm.

"Oh, hey." She breathed, smiling gratefully at Rafe as he took the box from her hands. "What's up."

Kiara clenched her jaw as Rafe smiled at Charlotte, setting the box on the counter next to Kie. "I was just stopping by to see if you were free right now. There's, uh, something I wanna show you, as friends of course." He emphasized the word 'friends' shooting a look in Kiara's direction as he did so.

Charlotte felt her face drop in disappointment. She wanted to go with him, she really did, but she hated the thought of leaving her sister. "Rafe, I'd love to, but—"

"Go," Kiara asserted, surprising everyone. "I'll text you if I hear anything from JJ or the others." She busied herself with something at the register, not looking Charlotte in the eye. It was a silent reminder that she wanted her sister to be happy, but that she herself wasn't going to necessarily be happy about it.

"Perfect," Rafe clapped his hands together before motioning to the door. "Charlotte, after you."

Feeling the ever-nagging conflict, Charlotte cast a look at her sister who still wouldn't meet her eyes. "I'll be home soon."

This time yesterday, Charlotte wouldn't have dreamed that she'd be following Rafe to his truck for the second time in two days. This time a week ago, Charlotte wouldn't have believed that she was even talking to him.

But for the Charlotte now it all made sense. She knew one way or another she'd never be able to stay away from him.

"Everything okay?" Rafe wondered as he opened the truck door for Charlotte. "You and your sister look a bit stressed."

Buckling her seatbelt, Charlotte looked over at Rafe as he slid into the driver's seat. "Fine," she lied, not yet at the point where she could trust Rafe fully with everything going through her head.

He didn't seem offended by her reservations, again, a sign of a new Rafe.

"So," he wondered, after a few moments of silence. "How long are you home for anyway?"

Charlotte glanced over at him again, marvelling at the sight of him. Somehow he was even more striking now than he had been a year ago. She couldn't help the flutter in her stomach at the sight of him. Every time she looked at him he made her heart skip a beat...the whole 'friend' thing was going to be harder than she thought.

"I'm not sure yet." She answered, this time honestly. She hadn't been sure how long she would be staying when she came here with Carson a week ago, and she was even less sure now. "As long as I need to."

Rafe's Adam's Apple bobbed as he gave a small nod, as if deciding right then and there that it would be his mission to spend as much time as possible with Charlotte until the time came that she left. But this time when she left, maybe it didn't mean that she left him behind. Maybe she took a part of him with her this time. 

Feeling her emotions creeping in, Charlotte looked out the window. The sun was just beginning to set, the sky at its most beautiful. This was always Charlotte's favourite time of day. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?"

Rafe grinned, "It's a surprise."

Charlotte couldn't help but grin back at him. It felt like it used to between them. It was almost too easy how quickly they'd gone from no-communication back to two people who meant more to each other than anything else in the world. 

After another ten minutes of driving into the sunset, Rafe finally came to a stop. They had pulled up to the edge of the water, the sun still hovering above the horizon. The whole sky was a mixture of reds, pinks, and orange. 

"Beautiful," Charlotte marvelled as they stepped out onto the grass. 

Rafe wasn't looking at the sky. "Extremely."

Charlotte caught him staring, her cheeks tinging pink like the sky at the idea of being perceived by him. She'd done it for six years, so why did it feel so different now?

"Do you know what we're looking at?" Rafe wondered, refocusing on the scenery around them. 

"Not exactly," Charlotte answered. She probably could have paid more attention to where they were driving, but she was too busy staring at Rafe. 

Rafe smiled, "Goat Island," he explained, causing something to shift in Charlotte. She'd been to Goat Island a total of two times in the past week, and both of them left her feeling more uneasy than she thought possible. Not noticing her apprehension, Rafe continued, "I─uh, I've been in talks with a realtor. She wants to make a deal with me to develop the island."

Charlotte turned to him with a shocked expression. This was a big deal. A big deal for Rafe's career, and perhaps a big deal in whatever the hell was going on on that island with the Genrette family. "Rafe, that's..." she trailed off, giving her head a small shake. "I'm proud of you."

And she was, but there was a nagging feeling that she couldn't quite shake. 

Rafe took a small step forward, his proximity sending Charlotte's heart pounding. "I know I've said it before, but I...I want to be better. Every day I wake up with that one goal in mind, do better...prove to you that I am better." He pushed a fist into an open palm. "I want to get the family back together...I want to prove to my sister that I've changed, too. This deal, it's the first thing I've done in a while that really feels like I'm actually doin' something right." He shook his head, "I'd be lying if I said you didn't have everything to do with it."

A shaky breath fell from Charlotte's lips as she stared back at him, her heart inching its way up her throat. Fuck, she wanted nothing more than to close the distance between the two of them. Friends be damned. 

"You're the reason I even considered this deal, Lottie," Rafe continued, unaware of Charlotte's mental battle with herself. "Hell, everything I've done this past year is because of you. And if this deal goes through with Hollis, I thought that...I don't know, that maybe I'd keep a little piece of it for myself...and that this could be, this could be for us. For you and me."

"Rafe," Charlotte whispered, voice catching slightly. She didn't know what to say next, didn't know what to do next. "Fuck," she muttered, turning from him as tears stung her eyes. 

How could she tell him that that was exactly what she had been wanting to hear, but at the same time it was the last thing she had needed to hear? She couldn't give into her impulses. She couldn't give into him yet. Because he'd destroyed her...and she still needed proof that it would never happen again. 

A sob tumbled from Charlotte's lips as Rafe pulled her toward him, his arms encasing her in comfort as she melted into him. "Hey," he whispered, his voice as comforting as coming home after a long day. "This isn't...I'm not trying to force you into anything you're not ready for, Lottie. I just want you to...I want you to know that this will be waiting for you when you're ready. I'll be waiting."

Charlotte broke away from him, hastily wiping at her tears. "No," she argued. "I can't ask you to do that, Rafe. I can't ask you to wait. That's not fair at all."

Frustration twinged at Rafe's expression as he ran a hand over his head. "Don't you realize that's what I've been doing for a year, Charlotte? I haven't even looked at another girl since the day you walked out. And I'd spend the rest of my fucking life alone if it meant I got to spend even one more day with you."

"And how is that fair!" Charlotte fired back. She had quickly come to the realization that Rafe was not frustrated with her in the slightest, he was frustrated with the fact that she couldn't see how much he loved her. How much he was willing to give up for her. But Charlotte did see it, and she couldn't let him do that to himself. 

"You don't even let yourself look at other girls but I went and dated someone else for three months," she argued. "How is that fair, Rafe?" She pleaded for an answer, pleaded for him to be angry with her. Maybe she was pleading for the old Rafe, pleading for a sign that she shouldn't jump right back into things with him. 

Rafe maintained his composure, much more than he would have in the past. "Did you love him?" He wondered, voice teetering slightly. 

Tears slipped down Charlotte's cheeks as she shook her head. "How could I, Rafe? How could I when I knew he'd never be you?"

All restraints had been demolished. They'd both fought for so long to resist the other, but how could they now when they were back in each other's lives. Charlotte Carrera would always be Rafe Cameron's weak spot, just as he was hers. 

Rafe had Charlotte's face cupped in his hands before either of them could think better of it. It was unclear who fully closed the gap between them, but soon enough their lips had found each other, two souls reuniting. There was a certain hunger in the kiss, one whole year of deprivation. But there was also patience, revelling. 

Charlotte let everything go. All of her apprehensions, all of her worries. 

A day ago she'd told Rafe Cameron they could only be friends. How stupid she had been. 

Rafe's hand dropped to her waist, his fingers digging into her hips as he held her close. Charlotte brought her hands to his face, her fingers lightly running over his jaw. 

God, this was the most alive she'd felt in forever. 

It was as if their bodies had been craving this, as if this was the oxygen they needed to survive. 

Neither of them wanted to stop, and if they had that option they might not have. 

But conscience soon reared its ugly head, and Charlotte felt herself taking a rearing step backwards. 

Rafe stared at her, his lips swollen, face flushed. Charlotte imagined she looked just as dishevelled. 

"Fuck," Rafe muttered, exhaling deeply as the realization of what he had just done struck him. "Fuck, Lottie, I'm so sorry. I should not have done that."

"No," Charlotte shook her head, voice gravelly. "It wasn't just you," she assured, knowing she'd been as guilty in that as anyone. She placed a hand on her chest, trying to steady her breathing. "I think you should take me home now," she declared, knowing if she stayed with him any longer they'd be doing much more than kissing. "Please."

Rafe's face fell ever-so-slightly, but he nodded nonetheless. "Yeah," he agreed, his eyes soaking up her appearance as if to remember it forever. "Good idea."

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