Rafael Barba Imagines

Stars

Rafael was a frequent customer of a coffee shop near his apartment. Not only was the coffee a family business cafe, he also had a certain eye for a beautiful barista. They exchanged flirtations every morning, but never advanced more than that. Anyone could tell that they had chemistry. Yet, it seemed like he was going to take his time to make the move. That morning was usual, except, she made the first move and asked him out. Maybe it was the caffeine high that morning, but he agreed without hesitation.

She clocked out early that night, met him for a casual night out for dinner. There was this food truck around a couple of blocks over that was quite popular and she wanted him to try it. Since he met her straight out of the office, he was the only one donned in a suit, eating a big Cuban sandwich on the side of the street. She found it quite endearing, especially when a bit of mustard dripped from the corner of his mouth. She giggled at his goofiness, as her thumb wiped the corner of his mouth of the dribble of mustard. He bashfully chuckled and flashed her a grateful smile, all while his cheeks were stuffed with a big bite of the sandwich. She couldn't believe this side of the counselor, it contradicted the dashing demeanor she was used to. If this was all part of an act, considered her charmed.
His cheeks were flushed and a big smile that would peaked the curiosity of his coworkers, especially the detectives. She was laughing at all his stories. He couldn't tell if she really did think he was funny, or if it was the alcohol. He didn't care, he was hopeful for the connection between them. After a couple of beers, he invited her up to his apartment for a night cap. Rafael rarely brought people back home, due to his late night work hours. At the moment, he didn't want the night to end, not yet.

While he scurried off into the kitchen, she explored the many rooms. From what she could tell, he was impressively neat and organized, even more than her. Curious of the likes of his bedroom, she quickly tiptoed to the bedroom. What she found was astounding. He had a gorgeous large window by his bed, with the most gorgeous view of the night sky. Beneath them was the twinkling lights coming from the city.

That wasn't what impressed her the most. They were so high up that she could see the stars. It wasn't so easy to see the stars in New York, yet he had a great view of the night sky every night.

His feet lightly danced around the kitchen as he grabbed two clean glasses and a bottle of his favorite wine. The deep fruity aroma filled his nostrils after he takes the cork out of the bottle. His heart raced, hoping that his favorite wine is of her liking.

After pouring some wine into the glass, he set out to find where she had skipped off to. He peeked into a couple of the guest rooms and found them empty. Finding it odd that there wasn't any sounds to indicate where she was, he called out to her.

"In your room!" She called out.

He quietly chuckled. He wasn't surprised that she ended up in his room. One's room can be quite telling of one's personality. He headed in and found her staring out into the city from the large window. He cleared his throat to make sure he didn't startle her. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled warmly at him. With the waxing gibbous moon glowing brightly behind her, she looked breathtaking. As he approached her, she stepped forward and accepted the glass of wine he handed over.

Their eyes never left each other, not even when they took their first sip of the wine. Her eyes lit up when the first drop of wine graced her taste buds. It had the right amount of sweetness and a body of light syrup, it was certainly a delight.

"You have great taste in wine." She complimented.

He was glad the only light was from the moon, because he could feel his cheeks heat up. She stepped closer; she was so close that she could feel the warmth radiating from his body. She took another sip of the wine and set the glass down on the bedside stand.

"You have such an incredible view of the night sky. You must look at the stars often." She said.

He set his glass of wine aside. His mind was racing with desires. His body was screaming at him to make a move, but feared it was all too soon. To divert his desires, he stepped around her and stared out into the night sky. He needed some willpower to distract his mind from the thought of kissing her.

"I don't usually notice the stars." He admitted.

She stood beside him and made the first move. Her hand slid down his arm and entangled their hands together. The affectionate gesture caught him by surprise, but he liked it. Her head leaned against his arm. He hoped that she couldn't hear or feel how hard his heart was beating.
"Why not? You have such a gorgeous view." She asked.

He casually shrugged, "I don't usually have the time, I guess." He said.

She glanced up at him and flashed a sweet smile, "Then let's make time for it tonight." She suggested.

He peered down at her with a curious gaze. His eyebrows furrowed, creating a tiny wrinkle in the space between his brows. She lightly tugged his arm toward the window. He chuckled timidly but followed along.

This wasn't something he had done before. In fact, before he met her, he thought doing these type of things were cheesy and childish. How could he resist with her excited smile beaming up at him? Following her lead, he grabbed a couple of pillows and laid them on the carpet floor. He invited her down by patting the pillow. Pleased to see him humor her, she lowered down. They laid side by side on the soft carpet floor with their feet resting on the edge of the windowsill.

She snuggled close to his chest, while his arm slid underneath.

"This is nice. I could get used to this." He said.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"I'm always in a rush and sometimes I feel like I miss out. Tonight feels different and I have you to thank for that." He smiled, gratefully.

"I'm glad I can slow things down for you a bit." She said.

A satisfied smile spread on her lips. She was giddy with joy by the warmth in his eyes. She pointed to a couple of stars, using her finger to draw the stars together. She explained the constellations she drew with her finger. He was impressed by her extensive knowledge on the stars and the constellations. He found her voice soothing, like he was slipping into another world. It felt like time was slowing down, and he felt calm, even though his heart was racing from the intimacy.

He turned his gaze away from the stars and down at her. When their eyes met, he felt right. Like this was the pace he wanted to live his life. He was done missing out on what life could give him. He was done missing out on the little things that make people happy. He wasn't sure how this would affect his fast-paced life, but he was willing to try.

In the next few days, Rafael's demeanor changed and people at work began to notice. It was uncharacteristically of Rafael to smile. It was especially odd, when he was smiling after the detectives told him that they couldn't find a creditable witness for his case. They almost thought he heard them wrong. The detectives couldn't figure it out, and honestly the ADA's good mood was making them uncomfortable.

"Hey Barba, what's got you in a good mood? Unless I'm mistaken, I think we just told you we don't have anything useful for you." Olivia said.

Olivia cringed at the ADA's attempt to wipe the smile off his face. He just couldn't control his expression, especially with the thought of her last text message to him. She always had a way of making him laugh with silly jokes.

"I can't be in a good mood once in a blue moon?" He chuckled.

He started backing away, but not before he flashed a grin. Olivia watched him as he practically skipped out of the precinct. She could barely process what had just happened.

Whatever was making the ADA happy, she was happy for him. This was a Rafael they could all get used to.