The next morning Rafaela woke up to find Kelly all alone in the living room trying to close her packed backpack.
"Need help?" She asked her friend as Kelly punched avidly her clothes inside so she was be able to close it.
"This damn thing is so full I can't close it..." Kelly complained looking up at Rafaela, who was crossed arms around her chest looking at her.
"Want to borrow mine?" Rafaela offered.
"You don't mind? I won't be able to zip it, I have been here for twenty minutes and nothing." Rafaela nodded and went back to her room to grab hers. Then she returned and handed it to Kelly.
"Is James gone?" Rafaela asked acknowledging he was no longer there.
"Yeah...he is." Kelly answered a bit too dryly while taking her clothes from her backpack and putting it in the other. "He just bailed once he woke up. He was strange as he had been lately." A sound of complaint in her tone.
"And are you ok? You don't look fine..." Rafaela state.
Kelly looked up at her. "He's been weird, distant. He was never too tender...after sex he just turns around and sleeps, like he is satisfied with it, but he stayed there with me. I guessed it was just his way you know...usually I fall asleep too right after...last night, I just pretended I was asleep and he left...now he leaves right after...he was talking to you..." Rafaela shuddered a bit hearing her friends words.
"Kelly..." She said her name stuttering a bit because she didn't know what to say.
"It's ok Rafi...I see the way he looks at you...the way he talks to you...ever since you got here it's all about you. Hell...he even talks to me about you. In the beginning, I thought he was just pleased he'd found a new friend, but now..." Kelly shook her head and there were tears in her eyes ready to fall but she cleaned it before she would show her weakness.
"You're wrong Kelly. You're imagining things...it's not like that. He talks to me about you too." Rafaela tried to change her friends mind.
Kelly smiled then. "It's ok Rafi... never mind. Well mind! I mean...remember he is my boyfriend and that I am your best friend. We've been friends since kindergarten." She said. Rafaela felt that was a warning and she had the right to do so. James was her boyfriend and she was indeed her best friend.
"I would never do something like that!" Rafaela exclaimed. "Are you crazy?"
"It's not you Rafi. I know he's not your type of guy, you would never get involved with someone like him. I have told him that many times just randomly..." Rafaela felt her heart beat fast.
"You told him that?" Rafaela asked her a bit horrified with her statement. That was not true!
"Why, would you?" Kelly asked back.
"That's not it, but how is something like that suppose to make him feel? You put things like he's not good enough, you don't say that to people! Kelly, Christ! What crossed your mind to tell him something like that? He's been wounded enough, you know his past as well as I do...God! That was fucking mean!" Rafaela felt her rage taking care. She wanted to yell at her so much that moment. What did she know?
"Why are you so worried about him?" Kelly confronted her. " You're my friend, you should worry about me. Look...you're not stupid nor blind...you know perfectly well that he's into to you. I caught him smiling all alone watching you dance last night. I don't know what to think of that. He never looked at me that way, he never laughed with me the way he laughs with you, nor has he spent so much time hearing about my stuff in college as he does with you. Now fucking tell me how is that suppose to make me feel?"
"I don't know..." Rafaela whispered putting her gaze on her feet. There was Kelly confronting her with the obvious. She caught herself in a shitty situation. "I promise I won't let him come close to me anymore." Rafaela said in the end. That would break her heart but it was the right thing to do.
"Would you do that?" Kelly put both hands on her shoulders in a desperate attempt. "Rafi...I really love him..."
Rafaela felt her heart breaking into million pieces that moment but she nodded. "But Kelly forcing someone to be with you just because you love him is not the right thing to do. If you feel he's not into you anymore you should let him go, you're gonna get hurt sooner or later."
"I don't want to lose him." She argued. "Why are you telling me that?" She asked then more aggressively. "Are you into him too?" Kelly's gaze pierced on hers searching for an answer, then she smiled. "Nah...I know he's not your type..." Rafaela took a mental deep breath. Sure he was not her type, but that was before, before she met him, before they got close, before she melted every time he smiled at her.
"No, he's not." She said then firmly to end that uncomfortable conversation.
Kelly grabbed the backpack and kissed her friend on her cheek. "I need to go now. Have a great weekend. I'll be back tomorrow night." She said. Rafaela nodded and walked her friend to the door, to close it when Kelly disappeared on the stairs.
She had breakfast and then went for a refreshing shower. She put on a white dress, as the day was terrible hot and rolled a towel around her hair. When she was getting out of the bathroom the phone in the house was ringing.
"Hello?" She said picking up the call, some horns were heard.
"Rafi..." She heard James' voice, he was yelling to be heard. "Are you coming today?"
She went silent, just thinking about how she promised Kelly she would stay away from him. "I don't know..." She finally said.
"What do you mean?" He asked rather disappointed. Then Rafaela thought she couldn't just get away without explaining to him why, he deserved an explanation, or she thought he did.
"Look...ok...I am going." She said then, thinking she would take the chance to talk to him.
"Do you want me to pick you up or will you drive. Think you can get here already?"
"Yes I can. I will take my car, don't worry."
"We're waiting for you. Well...I am waiting for you..." He let out in the end. "Better hurry up, some meat is already barbecuing."
"I'll leave in five minutes."
She did left in the next five minutes after his phone call. She opened the window of her car to let some fresh air come in. The air inside was almost unbearable to breathe as the car had been parked under the sun, and also she was gasping for air feeling nervous. How would she tell him they need to be away from each other? Due to weekend, she didn't catch much traffic and twenty minutes were enough for her to park in front of the Metallimansion.
James came running the second he saw her walking in their front door, a huge smile on his lips receiving her and she smiled back.
"Glad you came." He said kissing her cheek as he always did but grabbing her hand in his at the same time. He was so sweet to her that her heart ached knowing what would happen that day.
She decided not to bother him right away, so they joined the others on the backyard. The usual guys were there with their girlfriends, only James and her weren't a couple. Meat and beer were distributed and they ate talking and laughing and having their fun. Later in the afternoon, she called James aside.
"I need to talk to you." She told him. James looked down in her eyes inquisitively and then shrugged.
"What is it?" He asked curling an eyebrow as he felt she had a concerned look on her face. Sure the subject wasn't a pleasant one. Rafaela had lost part of her spontaneity and part of her natural joy. He noticed that since the minute she got there. That should be a serious matter.
"In private if you don't mind." She told him.
James motioned his head to go inside and she followed him, going to the living room, but Lars was there with his girl and James took her up to his messy bedroom. It was the first time Rafaela was there. She noticed all the dirty clothes scattered on the floor and on the bed. Beer cans near the window, records scattered on the dresser. James began to take the clothes off the bed and putting it on a pile to give them some space to sit, then he tapped on the mattress like telling her she could sit. She did, she sat by his side and her heart sank in pain as she thought about the right words to tell him without hurting him, only she was already hurting herself and she was going to hurt him for sure which was the last thing she wanted.
"Tell me what's the matter...you're not alright." He instigated her to talk.
"I don't know how to begin this conversation..." She said shaking her head.
"Was it something I did Rafi? Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry if I did...it wasn't on purpose." He told her.
Her heart ached even more hearing his words. It hurt her to know he was willing to take the blame for something it wasn't his fault. She hadn't even told him what was wrong and he was already apologizing to her. It seemed like the conversation was going to be even harder than she thought. She looked in his eyes.
"We need to stay away from each other..." She shot the news just like that because she didn't find an easy way to tell him that. He stared at her in shock and confused.
"Why?" He asked.
"Kelly..." She simply said. She knew just her name would be enough to make him understand.
"We're friends Rafi, she has to understand that. Did she ask you to stay away?" James asked her.
"Kind of...she's right...she pointed out a couple of things and I think it's right. She's my friend. She has been my best friend for years and I don't want to hurt her." Rafaela explained.
"But you'll hurt me." He told her taking a hand to his chest. "You'll hurt me and you know that. Let's stop pretending like nothing is happening. Something is happening and you know it." He cupped her face between his hands as she looked away. "Look at me Rafi..." He pleaded. "Do you really want to stay away? We haven't done anything wrong...we just talk..."
"I just think it's the right thing to do...she's hurting you know...she loves you...James..." She called his name in the end unable to say more.
"But the world doesn't evolve around miss Kelly!" He exclaimed. "What is this? She asks you to stay away from me and we have to go with that because she wants it to be that way? What about what I want and what I like? What about what you want?"
Rafaela shook her head and got up. "But she has a point!" She exclaimed. "You know she has a point! You know why she's asking this...it's obvious for both of us James. We're just pretending nothing is happening but we know perfectly well what's happening...it's not right...it's not. You have to agree with me. None of this is right."
"And staying away is right? Do you think that will solve things? Do you think that is going to make my relationship with her better? Well it's fucking not...I thought I represented more to you but then you're willing to step back just because your friend asks for it..." There was so much disappointment in his voice it made Rafaela's heart shatter.
"Put yourself in my shoes. Imagine I am you and Kelly is Lars...wouldn't you step back if he asked you to?" James looked at her unable to answer. Lars represented to him what Kelly represented to Rafaela, they were best friends.
"I don't want to do it." He said firmly. "I refuse to do it."
"Well, it's not your choice. I am telling you I am doing so, that's all." She argued back.
James caught her wrists and pulled her down on the bed. She fell on it and he rolled his body over hers, sending her heart high up to the sky. His chest came up and down franticly and he breathed fast and their eyes locked. They stared feeling their bodies heat immensely and strangely fast. His hands got hold of hers pulling them above her head, imprisoning her, his head came lower, just at the distance of noses touching. Rafaela gasped.
"James...get off me..." She said with trembling voice. She felt his bulge growing against her belly and she felt herself getting her panties wet acknowledging that.
"Get off me..." She asked him again whispering for her voice couldn't come out stronger than just a whisper. That moment his lips just got hold of hers shutting her sentence down in a mind blowing kiss. He let go of her hands while the kiss evolved and tugged it behind her knees, pulling her legs up, allowing his aching member to rub against her crotch. Her hand took hold of his hair, tangling on it just as at the same time their lips parted to allow their tongues to meet as well. The kiss became frantic, the fire rising between them and Rafaela tugged her hands inside his shirt.
In a rush he began to unbutton his jeans and then unzipped them and pulled his jeans down just bellow his ass. His hands tugged once again at the back of her knees to adjust her legs better and she gasped as she felt his free stiff member rubbing against her panties. He didn't even cared to take it off, he just pulled it aside and entered her with desperate need.
No words were shared, just hungry kisses, kisses they had been avoiding since they met. Her body shook as she felt him inside of her and his hips began to pump her franticly. James had his mind blurred by the explosive sensation he was getting that moment. His heart raced like hell, he was having her. He was having her the way he had been dreaming since he met her, he was having her the way he always pretended when he was with Kelly. That time it was her, it was her lips on his lips, it was her gasps and moans in his ear.
Her nails rammed on his back as she began to build up for her orgasm. He moaned in her ear sensually as he felt her tightening. He knew he was close too, it had been too short, but he had been waiting for that moment for far too long and now she was there. Her lips opened in a O and her body contracted, Rafaela moaned shyly but enjoying every moment of their rant, her mind coming back to normal as her orgasm was subsiding, she was doing something wrong.
His head came down to hers and he kissed her unaware of what was going on her mind that moment, still she got lost in the blue of his eyes and kissed him back tenderly, soon he broke the kiss to groan and he seizure. She felt him coming inside of her, her body running wild in emotions. The pleasure she got from that moment and the guilt of betraying her friend.
When he was completely done, he just stayed there looking down in her eyes waiting for his breathing to stabilize. That time he didn't feel like turning around, he didn't feel like going away. He wanted to stay there, like that, still inside of her, with her legs wrapped around him and feeling her belly coming up and down as she breathed. When he looked back into her eyes, hers showed horror.
Rafaela took her hands to his chest and pulled him away violently and got up. She pulled her dress down and adjusted her panties, feeling it getting wet as his cum dripped.
"Rafi wait..." James got up pulling his jeans up too and zipping it while running after her. "Wait..." He said catching her hand.
"This is why we need to stay away...look at what we have just done!" She said with tears in her eyes.
"I like you." He said. I love you seemed a bit too much for him and nevertheless he had never said it to anyone.
"You can't like me James....you can't..." She freed her hand and ran to her car. He ran after her, he was not willing to let go. It had been short, but he felt his body responding to hers in a way he hadn't experienced with a girl before, that must have meant something or he thought it would.
"Wait...please...hear me." He begged her, but her tears were falling and she shook her head franticly.
"It is as simple as that...you can't like me and I can't like you and what happened today should have never happened." She got in the car and started the engine, stepping on the gas right after. James stayed there watching the car disappear down the lane, his hands rested on his waist and his eyes hit his feet.
It had been intense. He remembered her touch, how it felt to have her hands her hands touching him and hear her quiet moans in his ear. His body shook and he felt his heart beating that fast again. That wasn't something he had felt before.
"I won't let go Rafi...I can't let go..."