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Harry woke up the moments he hit the floor, the impact making a loud thud. He rubbed his head and pushed himself up and off the floor, looking over to where he was before. A black leather couch, and he didn’t recognize it. Startled, he looked around more only to become calm once he realized where he was. Rafe’s apartment.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time as he took a seat on the couch. It was almost nine in the morning. Last night he’d gotten a text from Rafe asking if he wanted to come over for dinner and drinks, and of course he accepted. After some time, Harry realized there was no way he would’ve been able to go home. He and Rafe then decided to watch a movie, and then at some point he must’ve fallen asleep. That’s all Harry remembers.
However, wherever Rafe is remains a mystery. Probably upstairs in his own room Harry thought to himself. Then, almost as if he had known Harry was thinking about him, Rafe walked into the room.
“Good morning,” he said. His voice was scratchy, telling Harry he had just woken up moments ago. “You want some coffee?”
“I’d love some,” he told him while getting off the couch. “And good morning to you too.” They both walked into the kitchen and he took a seat at the counter while Rafe brewed some coffee for the both of them. It was awkwardly silent between the two of them, but Harry broke it in a matter of moments. “So what time did you go to bed?” he asked
“I don’t know,” he replied, placing the filled mugs on the table. “Shortly after you fell asleep on my shoulder I think.”
“Oh.” His face flushed pink from embarrassment as he took a sip of his drink. He didn’t have too much to drink, just enough that it wasn’t safe enough for him to be on the road. So why couldn’t he remember that?
Rafe let out a quiet laugh. “Don’t be embarrassed, it was actually really cute in its own way. I would’ve taken a picture if my phone was in reach.”
The comment caused a smile to form on Harry’s face. “Am I to assume you slept on the couch as well?”
“I didn’t have the heart to move you,” he admitted. “Besides, it wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but not the worst.”
To no one’s surprise, the subject of business came up. It always seems to come up. They were contacted by a group of people who wanted a rare art piece from a museum in London. They had a plan in motion, all they needed to do was figure out when they were going to leave and how long they would stay.
While talking, Rafe’s phone began to ring. Pulling it out of his pocket, he let out a groan and a frown formed on his lips.
“Who is it?” Harry asked concerned. He got up and picked up the two mug to place them in the sink.
“It’s my father. Excuse me.” He too got up and walked away, leaving Harry alone.
Harry only knew very little about Rafe’s family. His father was the CEO of his own business and his mother was a marketing manager. He also has a sister who’s on her way to becoming a surgeon. Honestly, it was a typical family for someone of their wealth. Other than that he knew that the family had dealings with underground businesses, which is what got Rafe into this lifestyle. Though, Harry did know that Rafe and his father don’t always see eye to eye and head-butted on many issues.
Hopefully that isn’t the case for this unexpected phone call.
He checked his phone again, bored out of his mind. While he knew he could’ve left, it seemed wrong to do so. Through the walls he could hear the muffled sound of Rafe’s irritated voice. He was concerned for him.
“Fine! Fuck you too then!” Rafe yelled, causing Harry to slightly jump. Without a second thought, he left the kitchen and walked in on Rafe throwing him phone to the ground. “I’m so done with that man.” His voice was strained, almost as if he was about to cry.
“What happened? What did he say?” He placed a hand on the other man’s shoulder, but it was shrugged off in a second.
“Don’t worry about it,” he attempted to shrug off. “It’s nothing. Just my father being a complete asshole.” It was obvious he was holding back tears, not wanting to let them fall. However, at one point he would break, most likely in a matter of minutes.
Harry guided a compelling Rafe to the couch. While he had seen him angry before, this was different. Instead of wanting to scream and shout, this time he was on the verge of tears. He couldn’t just leave him like this. He needed to somehow fix this, even if it wasn’t exactly his place to do so. “We’re friends Rafe, you can tell me what happened. I hate seeing you like this.”
“It’s just some of the things he said. It isn’t anything I haven’t heard before,” he told him. His voice practically cracked, and a single tear rolled down his cheek. Harry used the pad of his thumb to wipe it away.
“Tell me.”
More tears fell from his eyes as he tried to compose himself. “Remember the city in Switzerland? The Bern job?” Harry nodded. “I made a shitty mistake, one that almost costed us the job. My father had to pay a hefty sum to fix it, and it pissed him off. I knew it would, but I had no other choice.”
"It was just a mistake, we all make them,” Harry told him. He wanted to calm him down, let him know everything was okay. Yet, he didn’t know exactly how too. There was only so much talking a person could do to help another, and he’s not even sure if it is working at this point.
“It’s not even that,” Rafe explained to him. “It’s the fact that he had to call me just to degrade me about it. Calling me names, telling me he’s never pulled a stunt like this, and reminding me that Ava would never do something like this. He acts as if I meant for this to happen, that I wanted to piss him off.”
Against his better judgement, Harry got up and took a few steps towards Rafe. However, he did keep some distance between them. This must be why he never seems to want to talk about his family he thought to himself. There was a silence surrounding them, neither of them knew what to say. There was much that could be said, yet none at the same time. Before Harry could say a word, Rafe spoke in a soft voice.
“I just don’t understand why he thinks calling me a fuck up or a stain in the family will help. You know Harry,” he turned to face him. His eyes were red from irritation, and his face was a light shade of red as well. “One time he told him he would disown me, but it would reflect bad on him. He’s even dangled my inheritance in my face, telling me I’m nothing without it.” Once again, tears started to fall.
Something stuck in Harry, and he took swift steps over him. He pulled him close and wrapped his arms around him. Rafe let out a soft cry, wrapping his arms around him as well.
“I just don’t get it,” Rafe said through the cries. “Nothing I do is ever good enough for him. The littlest mistake I make sets him off. I’m sorry I’m not perfect, but I fucking try. Why can’t he see that?” He mumbled more, but Harry couldn’t make it out. All he did was pull him closer.
“You’re not a fuck up Rafe.” He pushed him back slightly, allowing them to look face to face. Again, he wiped a few tears that were falling down his face. “You’re far from it. Listen love, don’t listen to them. Don’t you ever listen to them.”
“I know I shouldn’t. Yet when you hear it so much, it’s hard not to believe it.”
“Then listen to me,” Harry told him. “You’re one of the smartest person I’ve ever met. And you got that on your own, not because of your family’s money. There’s only so much your inheritance can do, and you’ve surpassed that. You are more than your inheritance Rafe Adler, you’re far more.”
His tears have finally stopped, and he closed his eye while taking a deep breath. “I’m so lucky to have met you,” he softly stated.
“And I’m lucky to have met you.”
Rafe took a seat on the couch as Harry went back into the kitchen to get them something small to eat and drink. When he came back, Rafe was flipping through the channels. Harry took a seat next to him, placing what he brought on the coffee table in front of them. Even though neither of them spoke in this moment of silence, both knew they were going to spend a lazy day together. They each deserved it in their own way.