Hi everyone! :) I've been wanting to write another Keith fic, and here it is! (Even though Keith himself actually isn't featured in here, haha.) This is a little different take on Natalie leaving Rafael, set after high school and focusing mainly on Rafael. Inspired by the song "What I Know" by Parachute. Centered italics are song lyrics.
I own neither the characters from Keith or the song. Enjoy and please leave a review if you do :)
Rafael slammed his foot on the brake pedal as the stoplight screamed red above him, his body shifting forward in his seat until the car came to a complete stop. The vehicle behind his blared their horn at his sudden braking; he had been so distracted by his own thoughts that he was only seconds away from running the red light before he noticed it.
I take the car and drive at night
The white stripes blur and ease my mind
When all that's left is a single line
Instead of this confusion
The bottom circle of the stoplight flashed green, and Rafael stomped on the gas pedal, his car lurching forward and then rapidly picking up speed as he zoomed down the highway. He wasn't heading anywhere intentionally, just driving; he had stormed out of his apartment earlier that evening after yet another argument with his girlfriend Natalie, knowing he needed to get out and grab fresh air on his own, without her.
She had disappeared the night before and then returned that afternoon, wearing the same sundress with her eye makeup smeared and her face flushed. She denied accusations of cheating, her cheeks burning red in anger as Rafael fired questions, all of which she refused to answer.
Until she finally threw her hands up in exasperation and uttered the sentence that had seemed to change his life.
And I'm not certain of the way it was
And I'm not sure what I could have done
He sped past a stop sign, not even bothering to slow down. His fingers tightened around the worn steering wheel, his knuckles white and the veins in his hands popping out from underneath his tanned skin. How had he lost control of their relationship, of himself? They had spent the last year together, seemingly happy—graduating high school, buying an apartment, and smiling every day, enjoying the company of the other.
But then suddenly, just weeks ago, Natalie had begun to change. She claimed to have to work overtime, but she'd stay out all night and return home in the wee hours of the morning, before the sun had even rose. She rebutted his questions, brushing them off and ignoring them. Her kisses were fewer, her goofy grins appearing less than usual. Her hazel eyes were no longer full of love when they focused on his face; instead, it was indifference or even annoyance, like she was irritated that he even existed.
Oh, but I wonder if it had been enough
To stop her from leaving
Over the past week, she had only been home twice, and tried to avoid Rafael as best as she could in the tiny apartment. He tried to control his temper and ask her where in God's name she had been going, but even when his voice was gentle and carried a loving tone, she flew off the handle, picking fights with him and locking herself in their bedroom for hours.
He had no idea why his beautiful, fair-haired Natalie would be unhappy with him—he tried his best to keep her spirits high, bringing her flowers after work and kissing her at least once every hour. Her smile was the only thing that had ever melted his heart, and though he hated to admit it, the thought of not seeing it ever again, of not being the cause of it ever again, was becoming to seem real and it killed him inside. She was the one woman he had fallen in love with, and he had never been a bad boyfriend at any moment.
So why was she so disinterested in him now? What had he done?
And I realize the only thing I know is…
He smacked the palm of his hand against the steering wheel as the memory from a few hours before flooded his mind yet again.
Natalie had jumped up from where she sat perched on the edge of the couch, throwing her hands in the air and growling like an animal. "Do you want to know, Rafael? Do you really want to know what the hell I've been doing?"
He stared at her with a hardened gaze, though his stomach churned inside of him. "Dammit, Natalie, yes! I deserve to know!"
She said, I'm in love with someone else, she said
I fell in love with someone else, and I,
I'm in love with someone and that's all that I know for sure
Her voice became soft, her hazel eyes no longer glittering like they used to, like he loved. She forced herself to look him straight in the face and say the words that would shatter his heart.
"I fell in love with someone."
A blanket of unsettling silence fell over the room, nearly suffocating the both of them. Rafael sucked in his cheeks, chewing on the insides to keep himself from screaming and throwing a fit. He was overwhelmed with emotions of rage and sorrow, his heart so confused he didn't have any idea what to do. Natalie stared at the carpet, her skinny arms crossed in front of her chest and her teeth digging into the skin of her lower lip. Guilt washed over her, but it wasn't enough for her to stop her actions; she was in too deep, and quite frankly, she liked it.
After what seemed like an eternity, Rafael rushed passed Natalie and snatched his car keys off the kitchen counter, slamming the door behind him and running down the stairs to the apartment building's parking lot. A million thoughts were buzzing through his head, so fast that he didn't have time to focus on just one for even a second.
What was there to do now?
Another stoplight blinked red, and he slowed his vehicle to a gentle stop this time, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He was never one to cry, but he almost felt like it tonight.
Who was the other man she was in love with? Or was she even in love with Rafael anymore?
He knew the answer, and it sickened him.
He closed his eyes and laid his head against his car seat, Natalie's face glowing in his mind: her light brown hair that held a reddish tint in the sun, her sparkling eyes that gave him goosebumps when he looked into them, her plump lips that stopped his heart when she kissed him.
The thought of their relationship ending was enough to make him cry, and he shamelessly let the tears fall as the light turned green.
I stop the car and close my eyes
I can see her face, but it takes a while
And it feeds it like the morning light
Slow and unfocused, so I go home
The blinking clock on the car's radio indicated that it was nine p.m. Rafael made a sharp turn onto a feeder road and pressed his foot harder against the gas pedal, the aged car squeaking in response before picking up speed. A part of him didn't want to, but he knew he needed to go home and at least try to fix things with Natalie. He struggled to convince himself that there was a chance that everything would end up alright, but a chunk of his heart told him otherwise.
When he arrived home, he climbed the stairway with heavy, slow footsteps, anxious at what he would see when he opened the front door. Natalie's dull gaze and tear-streaked face greeted him in the doorway, her fingers clutching the handle of a beaten, old suitcase.
Rafael could feel every organ in his body begin to shut down, one by one.
And she's sitting on the kitchen chair
Oh, a suitcase waiting by the stairs
Oh, they're both worn out from all the years
He blinked several times at her before opening his mouth, his hands flying up to pull at his dark hair in desperation. "Natalie, what are you doing? Please, don't—"
"I'm sorry, Rafael," she whispered, swallowing thickly. "I'm sorry things ended up this way."
They're ready to let go
And I realize the only thing that's sure is…
She said, I'm in love with someone else, she said
I fell in love with someone else, and I,
I'm in love with someone and that's all that I know for sure
They stared at each other with blank faces, neither one really knowing quite what to say. Every cell of Rafael's being screamed at him to beg for her to stay, but his mind told him that no matter how many tears he shed or words he said, Natalie's choice had already been decided.
He lowered his brown eyes to his feet, his voice low and almost inaudible. "What's his name, Natalie?"
"Keith." She hiccupped as she suppressed a guilty sob. "His name is Keith…"
And I'm on my knees
Yes, and I realize the only thing I know is
She said, I'm in love with someone else, she said
I fell in love with someone else, and I,
I'm in love with someone and that's all that I know for sure
Natalie took a step toward the door, standing beside Rafael just for a second and sighing heavily. "I'm sorry. But I have to go; I can't stay here anymore."
He said nothing; he didn't acknowledge her, only continued to keep his eyes on the floor while his heart splintered into pieces inside of his chest. Her goodbye was quiet, and as she closed the door behind her, Rafael could feel the walls of his world caving in around him.
It was really happening. She was really gone.