Be With Me

Chapter 7

Late that night, and after crying for some time, Rafaela sat on the couch to watch some TV. She knew her friends would be at the usual bar but she didn't feel like facing James, so, after having dinner, she changed to shorts and a top and curled on the couch to enjoy a solitary night just with the TV and her wrecked soul. She couldn't stop blaming herself for what she had done, for not being strong enough to stop James. Though she told him to leave her alone, her body was saying yes all the time, her heart was yelling at her not to stop, to let it happen, but then, her consciousness was now punishing her severely.

Some movie was about to begin, it had been around 10 o'clock, but her quietness was interrupted by a knock on the door. Her head turned to the door as she heard it, her instinct was telling her not to open it for she had the gut James was the one knocking and she didn't want to talk to him. Then, another knock, more like a punch, stronger on it. Rafaela took a deep breath and got up to open it, she didn't even bother to ask who it was, she just opened it. James was standing there as she predicted, their eyes locked in silence and then he cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck. She could tell he was slightly embarrassed and nervous. So was she... flashes of that afternoon ran in her mind and she shivered lightly.

"May I come in?" He asked rather in a low tone. She stepped aside silently to give him space and he went inside the apartment while Rafaela closed the door behind him.

"Why are you here?" She asked then.

"We need to talk Rafi." He told her with pleading eyes.

"We don't have anything to talk about, you know that. I've told you everything already." Rafaela began to walk up to the couch again and James sat by her side.

"You can't be serious...not after what happened..." He told her.

"Exactly because of what happened I am serious" She shook her head like denying to herself all the events. "My conscience is killing me. I feel like shit now." She looked at him.

"Did I leave that much of a bad taste in your mouth?" He asked her raising his tone. James didn't sound mad, maybe just frustrated.

"It's not that!" Rafaela also raised her tone. "And you know it..."

"I'm sorry..." He shook his head in regret. "I know it is about Kelly...I'm sorry..."

Her eyes watered a bit glittering even more, sending shivers down his spine at how green they turned. He cupped her soft face between his hands and rested his forehead against hers. "Don't cry..." He whispered deeply touched by her pain. "Look...I don't know what to do...I don't..." He said looking deep into her eyes and she listened quietly. "What I do know is that I spend my days thinking about you and counting the minutes to see you, and when you're not there, it's not the same...it's not..." James stopped surprised at his own words, at how he opened up that way with her. Rafaela still stared at him. "It's not fun when you're not around Rafi, I want to be with you all the time...I don't know what the hell happened to me...all I know is that my life is a good place when we're together...so please...don't turn your back at me. Don't..." He begged her.

Rafaela sank in every single letter of his words looking in the stare of his blue eyes. There was truth in them she could tell. Slowly her hand rose from her lap and rested on his cheek making him close his eyes enjoying her shy caress. Then she came closer, brushing her lips in his, stopping and feeling his hot breath against them. James inhaled deeply as he felt she was going to kiss him, but didn't move, he let her do it at her own pace. Then, she kissed his lips softly and he returned the kiss to her.

It was just a small soft peck first, then she kissed him again, more intensely and their lips united in a slow kiss. James felt his hands tremble as the kiss evolved and parted his lips to touch hers with the tip of tongue. Rafaela parted her lips ready to receive him inside her mouth and finally his tongue met hers. At that point James felt his world stop turning around like nothing else existed but them and that moment. His stomach churned as if butterflies were flying around. His hand tugged on the back of her head pulling her more to him, their bodies glued and the kiss parted for she gasped.