| Imagine Being Quiet and Nerdy and in Love with Daveed and Rafa Since Childhood and Not Realizing Rafa Liked You All That Time (Part 3)|
Fr/N = Friend’s Name | F/N/N = Friend’s Nickname
Your homie's words rang in your head. Rafael Casal sprung? Over you??? That heffa had a real flair for the dramatic. It might've been easy, and typical, for her to say. She and Davs had been on and off for years, the chemistry clearly there. They were flirting even now, Davs sending her texts that made her snort obnoxiously next to you.
Which you loved. They were kinda like magnets. Meant for each other, just really damn slow to call it anything. They just enjoyed each other, and as much as she wanted that for you and his bestie, it just wasn't that.
You didn't have the juice she did. She was chill with everybody. You were. Well. You.
"C-D-E-F-G-A-B. Those are the basic notes," you instructed, hands showing him how to do it, then pulling them back to let him try for himself. The last thing you wanted was for your hands to brush. You could barely register the fact that he'd asked you to show him how to play in the first place. Much less make him think you were trying to hold his hand.
"I got it," he said, hitting the wrong key. "C, right?"
"Well-No...That's E, the other one is C," you tried to instruct, but he kept interrupting and pressing the wrong key.
"Will you just show me?" he said finally, holding his hand out over the right keys again, waiting patiently for you to do so. You eyed it, shaking of your nerves and placing your hand over his.
His hand was surprisingly warm, which made you a little embarrassed when he said something about your cold hands under his breath. Your mind had barely registered your own voice as you showed him the notes once again.
You knew he wasn't wrong. But you thought you'd play it off with a laugh. "No, I'm not."
He held your wrist so your hand was dangling. Proof. You tugged your wrist from his grip and looked back at the keys, feeling like an idiot. He must've known. He was just teasing you.
"Aight, aight, I wanna try again. C'mon."
You were petrified, but you tried to put your hand over his again.
This time he flipped his hand to catch yours, his fingers weaving between your fingers. You looked at him and he smirked.
"Scared I was gonna do that?" he asked, moving closer for what really felt like a kiss. No. It was a prank. Davs was gonna jump out at any time, laughing at how Rafa had got you good.
It wasn't until you felt his lips pressing against yours, that you realized it was for real.
"/She was my third kiss, but my first love/Simple, on a bench, but it was all that I could dream of/", Rafa rhymed, as the beautiful melodic beat accompanied him. You watched him from your booth, your chest pounding as he recalled that moment vividly.
Your lips parted slightly as your bestie eyed you briefly before giving you a sharp nudge.
You were grateful the music was too loud for anyone to hear her shrieking at you. "Yeah, F/N/N. He did, okay?"
"NO. It ain't okay! Why didn't you tell me?! How you gon' do me like that?! You know what? You shady," she said, eyeing you with a pleased smirk that melted into a grin. She was never gonna let you live this down. For the decades to come, this was gonna be down in history as the juiciest bit of tea ever spilled.
"/Didn't think I had a chance when we met again/Shawty lookin at me like 'baby we can't be more than friends'/Shoulda told her how many stupid rhymes I wrote bout those pretty brown eyes/ Feelin' right now how I was feelin' then.../"
His eyes met yours and you felt the same way he did, transported to that piano bench all those years ago.
This was a confession. He was telling you everything he ever felt since the two of you had known each other. You had no idea he was this gone over you. You were too busy thinking he was too cool to even know you existed.
Yet there he was. Asking:
"/Can we be more than friends?/"
The song ended with the chorus and the lights went out, signaling thunderous applause. Your ears were ringing, your heart doing backflips. Was he for real? Or was it classic Rafa being Rafa, having fun making you flustered. You absolutely couldn't let that pass by without speaking on it.
You waited behind the set, for when he was done hyping Davs up and jogged off for some water.
"Woooow," you said, voice cutting through the bass pounding from the speakers onstage. He cut his sip and dribbled a bit as he turned to answer, which made you laugh. He truly was a bigger dork than you'd realized. He breathed a laugh and shrugged it off.
"So...I'm gonna guess you remembered?"
You laughed with him, eyes rolling to the side. "Remember what, exactly?"
He slapped a hand over his chest with a dramatic gasp. "That's coooold, but I see how it is."
You hooked your fingers in his and pulled his hand off his chest, swinging it idly between you both. "Maybe I need a refresher? I dunno."
His dumb, cute smile grew and it made you laugh like an idiot too. If he could shoot his shot onstage in front of a wholeass crowd, you could right now.
"Okay, aiight. I see you," he laughed, tugging you closer and sliding a hand around your waist. His lips took yours, softly and sweetly, but melting into a hungry possessiveness that pulled a pleased hum from you. You could swear you could hear your homie shrieking somewhere. Maybe it was just you.
A familiar tune caught both your ears and he groaned out a laugh. "I think that's my cue."
"Looks like," you laughed, pulling back. He tugged you back for one more greedy peck and you laughed louder, moving him towards the stage.
"You gonna watch me do my thang, right?" It was more a demand than a request. You rolled your eyes.
"Get ya ass up there! I'll be around," you called with a wink. Your chest fluttering with excitement as he bounded up the steps.
"You better be. Don't make me pull you up onstage," he taunted, blowing you a quick kiss before rounding the speaker.
You wanted to burst. It was really happening. After a decade of quiet pining and--ironically--finally giving up, he swooped in and made himself yours.
