If You Were Mine | Rafe Cameron x reader
Pairing: Rafe Cameron x pouge!reader
Summary: you meet up at a bar, and he confesses his feelings but you just canât let yourself give in
wc: 1,543
~ inspired by the song âIf You Were Mineâ by Morgan Wallen
The neon sign outside The Wreck buzzed like it was clinging to life. Purple and blue light splashed across the parking lot, casting your shadow long on the cracked concrete. You were supposed to be inside with Kiara, and the rest of the pouges. It was rare that the group went out to actual bars, but after a particularly rough day, we decided to spend the night high off alcohol and that carefree attitude. Dancing alongside Sarah and kie while the boys played darts.
It was easy.
But it didnât last. The noise got too loud and the air too thick, so you stepped out for a minute.
You werenât alone.
Rafe Cameron leaned against his motorbike, cigarette unlit between his fingers, staring at the moon like it had personally offended him. He didnât see you at first.
Or maybe he did, and he just pretended not to.
You looked up at the sky, almost asking it to save you.
A neon moon, yeah, itâs gettinâ lateâŚ
You swallowed, fighting the instinct to turn around. Every part of your life warned you against him. Pogue vs Kook, Sarahâs drama vs Rafeâs violence, your heart vs his reputation. You werenât just opposites. You werenât supposed to exist in the same frame.
But your feet didnât move.
When you looked at him, you couldnât think straight.
Like a horse to the water, prolly shouldnât drink.
âDidnât expect to see you here,â he said without looking over, like he knew it was you.
His voice was rough like he hadnât spoken in hours. âSeems to be having fun in there,â he added.
Of course he was watching you, cause you were also watching him.
âAnd I didnât expect you to be sober enough to stand up,â you shot back.
He huffed a small laugh. âFunny.â
You crossed your arms. âI wasn't joking. Why are you out here, and not inside?â
âFresh air.â
âRafe Cameron doesn't need fresh air.â
His eyes flicked to yours then, sharp, ocean-deep, startlingly clear. You hated how they made your breath stutter.
âMaybe he does when heâs trying not to think.â
Your eyebrows rose. âAbout what?â
But he didnât answer.
Instead, he pushed off the bike and stepped closer, slow, like he was testing if youâd flinch. You didnât. You kept your chin high, refusing to give him the satisfaction.
He smirked. âYou look nervous.â
âIâm not.â
âYou should be.â
Because the truth is, we both wanna tasteâŚ
âSo,â you said, lifting a brow, âyouâre not drunk, not high? No rich-boy rage? No punching people who breathe too loud?â
He smirked a little. âNot tonight.â
âThat's a promise?â
âNo. But itâs the truth.â
The waves rolled in, washing over the bank, and for a moment the two of you just listened. It felt wrong. Dangerous. Like standing at the edge of something you couldnât back away from.
âYou shouldnât be alone out here,â he said.
âIâm fine.â
âDidnât say you werenât. I said you shouldnât be.â His voice dropped, quieter. âBig difference.â
You scoffed. âYou donât get to care about what I do.â
âYou think I donât?â he said, a little too fast.
Your breath hitched.
His gaze dropped to your lips for one dangerous second before he pulled back just enough to breathe properly.
You could feel your phone buzz in your back pocket, you reached back to push it down more.
âYou donât gotta hide your phone,â he added, voice low. âI know you got people waiting for you back there. People whoâd lose their minds if they saw you talking to me.â
âYeah,â you whispered. âAnd for good reason.â
He gave a humorless smile. âProbably.â
He wasnât wrong. JJ would throw himself between you and Rafe like a guard dog. John B would drag you back inside. Kie would cuss Rafe out on principle.
âAnd what?â you snapped softly. âYouâd enjoy that? Watching everyone freak out because you cornered a Pogue?â
His voice dropped lower than youâd ever heard it.
âI didnât corner you. You stayed.â
You opened your mouth. Then closed it, because he wasnât wrong.
Another wave crashed. You shouldâve walked away. You shouldâve run.
Instead you stayed, letting the neon glow from the beer sign spill across the shore, painting everything in impossible colors.
âWhat do you want from me?â you finally whispered.
His throat bobbed. âIf I ever got you aloneâŚâ
He paused.
âJust so you know⌠I wouldnât rush it.â
The ocean wind gusted across the parking lot, cool and briny. For one moment, everything felt suspended. Like the world was waiting.
Rafe exhaled, and the sound was almost a confession.
âLookâŚâ he muttered, glancing away, âI know this is messed up. I know we donât work. I know Iâm not⌠your usual type.â
âYouâre not my type at all,â you said quick.
But it came out too soft.
His jaw clenched.
âYeah. I know.â
He stepped closer again, slower this time, like he was giving you every chance to walk away. When you didnât, he lifted a hand, stopping inches from your cheek. Not touching. Just⌠wanting.
âDamn,â he whispered. âIf I ever got you aloneâŚâ
Your breath hitched.
ââŚjust so you know? Iâd lay you down. And Iâd take my time.â
Heat rushed up your chest, your throat, your cheeks. You shouldâve walked away. You shouldâve said no. You shouldâve slapped him.
But you didnât do any of those things.
You stared at him, at the boy who was everything you shouldnât want and whispered, âYou canât say stuff like that.â
He studied you carefully. âWhy? Because itâs wrong?â
âYes.â
He stepped even closer. âOr because you donât hate hearing it?â
Your stomach dropped. âRafeââ
âTell me Iâm imagining it,â he said. âTell me you donât feel it.â
You couldnât.
And he saw the truth in the way your breath shook.
Would you let me drown in your ocean eyes?
His gaze locked on yours like he could fall straight into them if he wasnât careful.
âYou have no idea what you do to me,â he said quietly.
You swallowed hard. âRafeâŚâ
âAinât a part of you my hands wouldnât wanna find,â he added, so quietly it was practically a prayer.
Your knees weakened. âYouâre not being fair.â
He laughed softly, tired, lonely. âIâm being honest.â
âWhy now?â you demanded. âYouâve hated me for years.â
He shook his head. âI never hated you.â
âCouldâve fooled me.â
âI hated the way everyone else looked at you,â he said.
âFree. Happy. Safe. Everything I wasnât allowed to be.â
You blinked, surprised by the rawness in his voice.
âAnd I hated,â he added, âthat you looked at me and saw someone dangerous instead of someone⌠who wanted you. Badly.â
Silence stretched between you like a live wire.
Inside, music thumped faintly. Laughter spilled outside when the door opened. The gravel crunching under cars pulling in and out of the parking lot. But none of it reached you. Not in the way Rafeâs eyes did.
He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.
âIf you want it to happenâŚâ he said quietly, ââŚIâm gonna let it.â
Your breath caught.
âRafeââ
âI swear,â he murmured, stepping so close you felt the warmth of him, âin a second⌠Iâd take you home. Lay you down. Slow. Careful. Like you deserve.â
It was too much.
Too honest.
Too intoxicating.
âStop,â you breathed.
He didnât touch you. He didnât push. He just looked at you like he was memorizing every detail.
The ocean wind in your hair, the neon light on your skin, the rise and fall of your chest.
âIn another life,â he whispered, âI think youâd be mine.â
Your heart twisted painfully.
God. Why did it feel like you believed him?
âIn another life,â you murmured back, âmaybe.â
âAnd in this one?â he asked.
You hesitated but only for a moment.
âIn this one,â you whispered, âwe just wouldnât work.â
His lips parted.
He leaned forward, forehead gently brushing yours, the lightest contact, but it felt like electricity.
âBut we could try,â he whispered.
You closed your eyes, breath trembling.
He didnât kiss you.
He didnât touch you.
He just stayed there, letting the moment stretch until it hurt.
But he knew it would never happen, he knew you were too stubborn, too loyal to your friends to ever let something like that happen, with him.
Finally, he pulled back.
âYou should go back inside,â he murmured. âBefore they notice.â
You nodded, trying to breathe.
He lingered one second longer, taking you in like heâd never get another chance.
Then he stepped back.
Letting you choose.
And somehow, walking away felt harder than giving in.
But you did it.
You pushed open the door.
You slipped inside.
And halfway through, you looked over your shoulder.
Rafe Cameron stood under the neon moon, hands in his pockets, chest rising unsteadily, watching you like you were the one thing in his life that wasnât poison.
Like if you were his, truly his. Heâd treat you like you were holy.
Like if you were hisâŚ
Heâd never let you go.
The swing of the door slammed behind you. And suddenly you were pulled away by Sarah who was so drunk she barely noticed your absence.
And Rafe? Well he had enough of tonight.
He got on his bike, and went home.

















