Crashing Into Who I Belong To

Rafael padded barefoot to his front door. He had just been about to settle down on the couch and get lost whatever he could find on Netflix when there was a knock at his door. He glanced at the clock, curious because it was pushing half-past eleven, but he approached the door all the same. That had happened a time or two when someone was making a late-night Chinese or Pizza delivery. It wasn't a bother, but tonight, he really hadn't been in the mood to deal with anyone. So he hoped to get this over with quick.

As the door swung open, his voice became trapped in his throat at the sight of Olivia. She had been drenched from the rain, and she wasn't even wearing a raincoat. He quickly stepped back, but he reached to pull her into his apartment at the same time. "Liv, what are you doing here? Why aren't you home on a night like this?"

Olivia couldn't make the words form on her lips as she stepped into the room. She didn't even know why she had shown up at his place, but she was here now, so that didn't really matter anymore. Her hands shook as she tried to push her wet hair from her face. Her tears mixed with the rain on her face. Her eyes were red from crying.

Her inability to form words had terrified him. He gently wrapped his hands around hers, meeting her eyes. "Hey, Liv. You're okay. You're here now." He felt how cold her hands were from the rain and immediately led her toward the bathroom so she could strip out of her wet clothes. "Let's get you dry, okay?" He quickly pulled a towel free from the small bathroom closet and handed it to her. "I'll just get you some dry clothes, okay?" He didn't know what possessed him, but he stopped before stepping out of the room and giving her privacy to kiss her temple and assure her, "It's okay. I won't let anything happen to you." He stepped out, shutting the door behind him, pausing for a moment to get himself together before he went to get her a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.

It was in that instant that she knew why she had let her feet bring her here. She felt safe and warm with him, not like she had felt with Brian or with Ed. Rafael was the first man in a long time that made her feel as if she was enough just the way she was. She stared at the closed door as her trembling began to slow. She slowly started to strip out of her wet clothes, leaving only her panties as she dried herself as best she could with the towel that he'd given her. She managed to get her hair to stop dripping before she reached for another towel and wrapped it around her body.

That was when she looked at herself in the mirror for the first time and took a deep breath. Her eyes were puffy and red, but she felt better than she had. She gathered her clothes in a pile, not wanting to make more of a mess of the bathroom before she opened the door and went in search of him. She found him stepping out of what she assumed was his bedroom carrying something gray and navy colored. "Thanks," she breathed as he handed the clothes to her, and their hands touched for a long moment.

He nodded. "Take your time. Would you like some tea or coffee?"

"Tea would be nice," she admitted as she pulled the dry clothes to her towel-covered chest. She turned, heading back into the bathroom and quickly pulled on the clothes. She loved how they smelled like him. She wrapped her arms around her body as she headed toward his kitchen. "Thanks, Rafael. I know, I know you didn't expect to see me..."

He turned from the Keurig machine and met her eyes. He shook his head. "I didn't, but it's not a bad thing that you're here." He reached out, closing the distance between them and touched her arm. "Are you okay?"

She took a deep breath, covering his hand that lay on her arm. She wanted him to keep it there always. She opened her eyes and met his. She felt her throat constrict, but she forced the words out anyway. "Ed, Ed and I broke up." She could feel the change in his body at the mention of his name, and for a moment, she was terrified that he'd pull away. "It's not what you think. I mean, it is, but it isn't..."

She immediately grew annoyed with herself as she kept tripping over her words. She moved into his space even further, forcing their hands to drop from her arm. Now she could feel the light breaths of his slightly elevated breathing. "I'm mad at myself at how much time I wasted." The tears threatened to fall again. "All this time I've been looking for someone that completed my life. And Noah's. And he's been here all along."

She knew she was taking the biggest risk of all by pouring her heart out to him. To her best friend. To the man that she hoped that wanted to be that and more. So much more. She moved her hand to touch his face, gently touching his cheek. "Right here."

The words that he so desperately wanted to say back to her disappeared as she touched him. He leaned into her palm, turning his head just enough to barely kiss a whisper onto her wrist and then his mouth found hers. The kiss was one of absolute desperation. His hand moved into her wet hair, tangling in her locks as if his life depended on it. His other hand wound around her waist, pulling her flush against him. Everything else melted away.

When the need for air surfaced, he pulled away slowly but kept his head pressed against hers. He met her eyes, giving her a shy smile. "Waiting patiently," he responded. "Well, trying to. Ed Tucker was never going to be good enough for you, Liv." He kissed her again, harder this time before he pulled back and took a shaky breath.

Her head fell forward, forehead pressing into his chest. "I don't really want any tea," she admitted. All she needed was him to make her warm. And he had her burning up from that kiss. She felt his arms go all the way around her, holding her gently against him. "What I would really like is to lay in your arms."

"What about Noah?" he whispered, dropping a kiss to her head. He already knew he would give her whatever she wanted.

"Lucy's staying with him tonight. I called her after, and she offered. So, so here I am." She lifted her head, meeting his eyes. "Will-will you just hold me?" she whispered, allowing herself to be even more vulnerable and open with him. She wasn't ready for anything more than that, but she needed that most desperately.

He turned, switching off the coffee machine and took her by the hand. "I can't think of anything I'd rather be doing right now." He led her toward his bedroom, not bothering to turn off any of the lights as they went. The light from the other rooms would give them just enough lighting that they could find the bed.

He pulled back the covers, encouraging her to slip beneath them and quickly followed after her as soon as he pulled off his t-shirt. He had always dreamed of what it would be like to hold her in his arms. Now he would get to experience it first-hand. He let her settle against his side and lay her head on his chest before he slipped his arm around her back and gently began to stroke her lower back gently.

He kissed the top of her head as he wrapped his other hand around hers and laid it gently against his stomach. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze before he settled back on his pillow. "Just let me know if you need anything else."

"Promise."