Smooth Sailing ☆ Jane The Virgin 》Rafael Solano

SIX

The next day Rosalinda was returning from the rescue center, the construction was done and now all she had to do was get all the equipment shipped in and tell her workers it was okay to move. Walking back to the Marbella, she caught sight of Rafael sitting alone on a bench with papers in his hands.

"Everything alright?" Rosalinda asked, plopping down on the bench next to him to rest her feet.

"Yeah, it's just - I've gotta make a press release to distance the hotel from Zaz and I don't know how to make this seem nicer."

"You want to make "that your college roommate was a troubled young man who you and the hotel have nothing to do with" nicer? I don't know if you can. Look, you have always said you don't want to be anything like your dad, but actions are what counts. Besides, distancing the hotel would be the wrong thing to do. Supporting his son through the murder of his friend? Now that's good press all around."

"You always were better at this stuff than me."

"Well what can I say, I'm a woman of many talents." She smiled, standing and looking back at him before continuing up to the Marbella.

"Yes you are." Rafael hummed to himself, looking after Rosalinda as she walked away.

~

It was time for Romans memorial, and with how extravagant it was you could tell that it was very Zaz. Rafael came over to her suddenly, giving her a hug. "How'd you get your dad to agree? I thought that he wanted to distance the hotel."

"Because he didn't want bad press. But then he realized he'd get even worse press if word got out that he forbid his own son from throwing a memorial for his college roommate." Rafael winked at her, before smiling.

"Nice work." A beautiful song came on, and she had started swaying just the tiniest bit. "I love this song..." Rosalinda trailed off, watching all the happy couples dancing with a smile.

And maybe it was the music, or the moment, or the vodka cranberry he had downed too quickly, but suddenly Rafael was extending his hand. "Dance with me."

"Are you sure you can keep up?" Rosalinda smirked, before taking his hand.

"Oh, I'm sure. If there's one thing I remember, is that you love to dance. I remember one night, we had been out all night dancing. I practically had to drag you out to the car because you didn't want to stop."

Rosalinda didn't know what it was that drew her to say it. Maybe it was the sensual-ness of the song, or the way their bodies danced so closely, or maybe it was the way he was looking at her as he reminisced. "Do you ever think of where we would be right now, if we had gotten married, if we never would've met Petra?"

"I don't know. I know I wasn't a good man then, I didn't do right by you and I should have. I'm sorry." Rafael sighed, shaking his head. He leaned his head down and his forehead touched her own. "If I were a better man back then I would have married you. I would have stuck by you. We would have kids, and have the family we had always wanted."

"Don't forget the dog." Rosalinda giggled, bringing up the dog they had argued about early in their relationship.

"Oh, how could I forget the dog!" Rafael exclaimed, laughing. "We could've had a whole farm of animals, I wouldn't have cared."

"It's a nice dream isn't it?"

"The best dream."

That night, after everyone could return back to their rooms once the fire alarm had been dubbed a false alarm, Rosalinda laid in bed thinking about her feelings for Rafael. It wasn't right for her to be having these feelings. It felt wrong, especially with him being married to Petra. She knew how it felt to be in that position, and as much as she didn't care for Petra anymore, she couldn't do that to another woman.

But as she slept, even her dreams betrayed her.

Because that night she dreamed of Rafael. The things she wanted to do to him, and the things she wished he could do to her. All night it kept her up, and the only thing she would do was get it out of her system.

So at five in the morning she had decided to write down everything she had been feeling for Rafael down in a letter, one which she would never send. It was better than the alternative of letting her emotions bottle up until she inevitably exploded. She could only hope it helped ease her feelings for Rafael.

Boy, was she wrong.