Smooth Sailing ☆ Jane The Virgin 》Rafael Solano

TWO

Rosalinda hadn't gotten to her room before being sidetracked again, a flash of blonde hair grabbing her attention before dragging her into another room. Petra stood before her, blue eyes wide like she saw a ghost.

And to Petra, it had been like she'd seen a ghost. She hadn't seen Rosalinda in five years. They had become close friends before Petra and Rafael met, and the falling out between them had been the hardest part of the whole ordeal. But she had come at the wrong timing. Petra needed Rafael to stay with her until their five year mark in their prenup. Now suddenly Rosalinda comes back, the one person she knew Rafael had loved with all of his heart.

Rosalinda knew Petra better than most, and she was afraid that if she remained here she would be able to realize just what Petra had been up to.

"What are you doing here?"

"Hello to you Petra, nice to see you too." Rosalinda drawled sarcastically, rolling her eyes for emphasis. "I'm staying here in the hotel until I get my business settled and find a house."

"Oh...so you're not here to get Rafael back? I just thought-"

"I'm not here to get Rafael back. That ship had sailed a long time ago. Besides, unlike you - I'd never do what you and Rafael did to me. I'm not that low." With that, she ripped her arm out from Petra's hand and briskly walked out of the room.

~

It was a few days later when they talked. They met in a small cafe, and they talked for hours. Rosalinda had told him about her sister, and how she had been suffering from addiction among other issues. About how she felt a disconnect between her and her dad's side because of the falling out between her, her father, and sister. That because of this disconnect she has a nephew she's never met.

Rafael then told her about everything that had happened to him in the last couple of years. Despite how awkward it was when he mentioned Petra, he enjoyed opening up to her again. All about the miscarriage, and his cancer. And about the problems he and Petra had been having recently.

It was now two weeks after they had reconnected again. Rafael looked off, and as much as she would like to ignore it, she couldn't. "Raf, are you okay? You seem off."

He shook his head at first, clearly thinking about whether he really wanted to talk about it. "Petra used my last sample without asking me, to artificially inseminate herself. When we went to get the results today, we found out that my sister had accidentally inseminated the wrong person. Now my only chance to have a family is in the hands of a woman I have never met."

Silence.

Finally, after clearing her thoughts, she spoke. "Wow...that's intense. I mean, that doesn't even seem real."

"Yeah, wow. I just never pictured that this is what my life would look like by now." His voice broke, thinking of the life he had originally thought he would have. And who he would live that life with. But he ruined all chance of that.

"Well, what did you want your life to look like by now." Rosalinda asked hesitantly, not sure if she wanted to hear that answer.

Almost instinctual, his hand reached for hers over the table. "Happy marriage, a family...I don't know. You know how I grew up. I've always wanted the family I've never had."

Her hand gripped his, gazing sadly into his eyes. "I know Rafael, I know this isn't the life you pictured. But there's nothing you can do about that now. You want this child right? Fight for it. Show this girl Jane that you would be a good father, and be honest with her. But don't pressure her either, don't put your baggage on her because at the end of the day this will derail her in many ways."

"You always know what to say, don't you?" Rafael laughed, fingers intertwining with her own.

"Well, when you grow up in family's like our own you learn don't you?" Staring into his eyes, his hand in her own - she became much more aware of how her feelings hadn't faded as much as she'd originally thought.