Rather Be

Hey Everyone! I read all your comments. I'm not going to have time to respond to them all. Just know I loved all the feedback. Especially the theories on Jake's secret. I had to borrow a couple of them!

The Character page is back. I updated it but forgot to re-publish.

I decided to post the full post today as a bonus. Only one cliffhanger a week. As always, thanks for reading!



"We staked out on a mission to find our inner peace
Make it everlasting so nothing's incomplete
It's easy being with you, sacred simplicity
As long as we're together, there's no place I'd rather be..
If you gave me a chance I would take it
It's a shot in the dark but I'll make it
Know with all of your heart, you can't shake me
When I am with you, there's no place I'd rather be"Rather Be-Clean Bandit ft Jess Glynne


I sat up to look at Jake. He avoided my eyes.

My heart was racing now.

Oh God, what was it? He said the more he hung out with a girl, the less he liked her. Was that what was happening? Did he decide I wasn't worth the drama? Was he dating someone else too? I felt sick thinking about Ethan. Did he tell him about us? About the miscarriage?

"What is it? What do you need to tell me?" I asked, quietly.

"Well, it's more like ask you something..." He said, finally looking up at me. "Will you go out on a date with me?"

My body sagged in relief as I exhaled. I then picked up a pillow and hit him over the head with it.

"Fuck off!" I then squealed in the pillow.

Jake watched me, confused.

I moved the pillow from my face. "Seriously? What the fuck do you think we're doing? You scared the shit out of me. I thought you were gonna confess you had a love child or something." I explained, tossing the pillow aside.

Jake chuckled. "A love child? Really?"

"Yes, really. You said you had something to tell me. That's the kinda secrets I'm used to." I said.

He pulled me back down to him so we were laying sideways on the bed, facing each other. He pushed my hair out of my face and looked me in the eyes.

"I like what we're doing. I more than like it." He grinned at me. "That's part of the problem. I just got so caught up in... us. I forgot the basics. Like asking you out." Jake explained to me.

"So let me get this straight. You wanna ask me out? Like dinner and dancing and picnics and movies and bowling and all that lame stuff. Then you wanna be my boyfriend?" I smiled.

Jake smiled too. "Something like that. No lame stuff. Like bowling. What do you say?"

"Yes." I nodded. "But you should have asked before we had sex. I'm a lady. We don't have sex on the first date." I replied, running my hands over his hard chest.

"Good thing this is not a date." He cupped my face and leaned in close. "And the whole lady thing is questionable at best. Especially after you just begged me to fuck you." Jake quipped, brushing his lips against mine.

 I kissed him back as I reached over to grab the pillow.

He laughed when I attacked him again.



We made plans to have our first official date at the end of the week. Work was so busy trying to get caught up after I missed Friday. By the time I got off work that evening, I was so ready for our date. I had no idea what I was going to wear. I was planning to go shopping Tuesday, but I had to catch up on chores, fold laundry and go grocery shopping. I would normally borrow something from Sammy, (especially after I bought all that food!) but that felt super wrong. I tried to get hints from Jake on where we were going, but he wasn't telling.

I was in such a rush to get into my apartment after work, I didn't even notice Rocky pulling up outside my townhome. I was shocked when I heard her call my name.

I walked towards her car.

"Lily, can we talk?" She asked, turning off her vehicle.

"I can't. I'm busy. I have to get ready to go. Jake is taking me out. I have no idea what to wear." I said, blowing her off.

"I can help you get ready." Rocky offered.

I could use her help. Especially since I didn't want Sammy's help. She said she was cool with Jake and me, but still, Winstar kinda made me question that.

Besides, Rocky could talk all she wanted to, I wasn't ready to talk to her yet. That's why I avoided her all week. Trevor hadn't reached out. I wasn't surprised nor disappointed. It seemed like I was the only one trying in our relationship recently.

"Fine." I said, turning to head into my apartment.

She followed me in. Sammy was in the kitchen cooking and talking on the phone. I waved at her before heading up the stairs.

"Any idea where Jake is taking me?" I asked Rocky.

"No, but I can find out." Rocky volunteered.

"Cool. I'm gonna hop in the shower."

When I came back, Rocky already had an option on the bed for me. A royal blue chiffon high waisted high low skirt, a nude midi length crop top, with my nude wedges.

"Is that dressy enough?" I asked. Only a sliver of my stomach would actually show, but still. I didn't wanna look out of place.

"It's perfect. And comfortable. We can dress it up with some gold jewelry. And we'll curl your hair. Come sit." Rocky instructed.

I did. While she curled my hair, I worked on my make-up. When we had a rhythm going, I began talking.

"So, where did Brandon say we were going?" I asked.

"He didn't. He really is staying out of this. I called Jake."

"Really?"

"Yeah. He was hanging around this weekend asking about you. I told him he better tell me where he was taking you or I'd tell you what a creeper he was being." Rocky grinned.

"You just did." I smiled.

"Whoops" She laughed.

After a moment, I started again. "So you heard what happen at my brother's place?"

"I heard from Trevor and Becca .Trevor is really-"

"I don't wanna talk about Trevor. Let's talk about you and how you feel I'm going through a rebellious phase." I cut her off.

"For a while there, especially with how you handled things with Ethan, I just didn't understand you. You just... weren't yourself." Rocky started.

"I've changed. I'm not the same person I was in college. I don't want to be. If that's the person you wanna be friends with, then I'm sorry." I explained.

"I understand that. I do. I feel like you're holding your own and you're making choices for yourself. That's what I want for you." Rocky backpedaled. She was making no sense. So I asked again, bluntly.

"So why did you say all that stuff to Trevor then?" I asked.

"Cause that's what he needed to hear." Rocky said simply.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Exactly what I said." Rocky said stubbornly.

"Not good enough."

"Well that's all I have right now."

"Well then we don't have anything else to discuss. Thanks for your help." I said, dismissively, pulling away from her to finish my eyelashes. At least my hair was curled. I admired the sleek waves.

"Lily, you don't wanna press this...at least not tonight. Let's talk again tomorrow."

"No. Now. You've been blowing up my phone. I'm giving you a chance to speak, so speak. Cause right now, all I'm hearing is that my two former best friends were talking about me behind my back. So explain. You said it's what he needed to hear. Why?" I snapped, looking Rocky in the eye.

"You act as if Trevor and you haven't talked about me." She pointed out.

"True. But never anything that I haven't already talked to you about. I thought you were attempting to change-"

"I have!" Rocky defended herself.

"I thought so too until last week." I responded.

Rocky got up to leave.

"If you leave, we're done." I threatened.

Rocky eyes widened.

"I'm serious. I'm done having the same conversations with people. I'm cool not having friends. Especially ones that can't tell me the truth." I looked Rocky in the eye. I didn't flinch. I hated it when Jake pulled the same stunt on me but it worked. I celebrated on the inside when she deflated in front of me.

 "Because he needed a reason-" She started, struggling to choose her words. That was not like Rocky.

"A reason for what?"

She sighed. "A reason why you would date anyone but him."

I had to think about what she said. It didn't even compute until I saw her sad face.

"Trevor... likes me?" I asked, softly.

"Yes. He doesn't know that I know-"

"How do you know?" I interrupted her.

"Bilal." Rocky said.

What? She's been talking to Bilal???

"Not really." She answered when I asked. "He called when y'all went to Austin that weekend. Trevor was going to tell you how he felt but you said something to Bilal, about Ethan. He talked Trevor out of it."

I thought back to that weekend. I remembered having fun at the bar, drinking, laying down in bed waiting for Trevor, but he never came. The weirdness in the morning, our talk on the way back and all the little things. The fucking little things I ignored. The constant touching. The flirty jokes. The presents. The way he smiled at me...

Oh Fuck. I'm so fucking stupid!

"Lily." Rocky said, grabbing my hand. I didn't realize it was shaking till she steadied it. "Stop. Don't beat yourself up over it. Trevor had every chance to talk to you. He chose not to. He chose to date Becca. Don't worry about him right now. You need to worry about Jake. If there is one thing you take out of this conversation, it's to focus on Jake. The guy who spent all weekend stalking your Facebook, Instagram and best friend trying to find out more about you. Give him a chance. Lord knows Trevor had plenty."

I nodded as the door rang. I looked at the time. 8:00PM. I hopped up and finished dressing. Rocky picked out my gold hanging earrings and a gold matching spiky necklace.

I sprayed a little body spray on before we headed down the stairs.

 Sammy was telling Jake about her first night as a Honey B and how it was a swingers party. I heard the story. She was telling it more animatedly for Jake, flipping her hair, using hand gestures and laughing. Jake looked up when he heard us coming down the stairs. His smile (that dimple!) melted any concerns away. I knew I would have no problem focusing on this sexy man. His facial hair was neatly trimmed, his hair perfectly tousled. He was wearing a gray button v neck with a black collar and dark denim jeans that couldn't hide the perfection of his muscular body. I knew we said we needed to date, but I was already over the date. I wanted him. Upstairs. Now. But I guess I should prove I could be a lady.

"Wow Lily." He said, when I walked over to him and gave him a hug. "You look beautiful, I was going to take you to the drive thru, but that's definitely a sit down type of outfit. So I guess we're eating inside McDonald's tonight."

Sammy laughed and I smiled at Jake. "As good as chicken nuggets sound right now, we both know that's not where you're taking me." I winked at Rocky obviously.

Jake turned to Rocky. "Did you tell?"

"No. She just knows if you said McDonald's, I would have told her to lose your number." Rocky replied. We laughed before I said goodbye to Sammy.


He turned the radio to his playlist on his phone. Trumpets by Jason Derulo came on. I grinned. A few weeks ago, I posted this song on Facebook as my motivation song for the working out. I said it keeps me motivated to keep in shape cause Jason wrote it about me. Trevor teased me that he never met anyone who was inspired to be a groupie. I laughed thinking about it.

"What's funny?" Jake smiled at me.

"Nothing. I just love this song." I said.

Our date ended up being dinner and dancing at a nice restaurant called Gloria's. It was Salvadoran and Tex-Mex place that had live music and salsa dancing. As soon as we walked in, the aroma from the kitchen hit us. It smelled so good.

We were seated quickly inside versus the patio. The waitress came over immediately to start our order.

I looked over the drink menu before ordering a Spicy Mango Margarita.

"It is really spicy." She said, in a warning tone.

I nodded. I figured it would be...

"I'll take the Patrón Fresco." Jake order.

" Excelente{Excellent}"

"Gracias.{Thank you}" Jake smiled at her.

"De nada. {You're welcome}" She said, before turning away.

I picked up my menu to go through it. Jake stopped me.

"Let me order for you." He said.

"Are you and that waitress conspiring against me? Like I don't know how to order?" I accused him, playfully.

Jake chuckled. "No. I've been here a lot. There's a few things you have to try."

"Sure."

The waitress came back with our drinks.

" Muy bien, aquí están las bebidas ¿Ya están listos para ordenar? {Alright. Here are your drinks. Are you ready to order?}" She asked.

"Thank you" I said, when she sat the drink in front of me.

Jake then ordered a ton of food in Spanish.

I sipped on my drink while he ordered. When he was finished, he smiled at me. "Like it?"

"Oh yeah. Nice and spicy. " I answered.

"Muy bien. En seguida regreso entonces.{I'll be right back then.}" Our waitress said.

When she left, I asked Jake, "Think you ordered enough food?"

"Did you understand what I ordered?" Jake asked me.

"Pupusas, black bean soup, tamales, carne asada, and enchiladas." I listed. "I'm fluent in food."

"That's nothing to brag about." Jake said.

I smiled, weakly. That reminded me of Trevor. That's how our friendship started with him teasing me about my food choices.

"Are you ok? You've been so quiet. Is everything ok? Is this ok?" Jake asked, concerned.

Now I felt like a jerk. I was ruining our first date. I took another sip of my drink.

"No. This is perfect. I'm sorry. I guess I'm a little ... nervous I guess." That was the truth. I was nervous. I didn't need to elaborate on why.

"Will it make you less nervous if I tell you how tonight's going to go?" Jake asked.

"Absolutely." I smiled.

"We're going to have dinner. And dessert. I'm going to let you win our bantering war, cause I know I'm going to kill you on the dance floor." Jake explained.

I laughed. "First of all, you can't just say you're gonna let me win something, I always win."Jake laughed at that. "And second, what makes you so sure about the dancing?"

"I've seen you dancing. Remember? One less problem without you? You booty bumped the car." Jake brought up the time he caught me dancing outside of Rocky's house. Yes, I did booty bump the car but in my defense, I didn't think anyone was watching.

"Whatever. I was loading my car and dancing."

"Sure.... And I'm latino. It's salsa."

"So? I'm at least a quarter Dominican. No telling what other fun ethnicities enhance my dancing abilities." I defended. Our appetizers made their way to the table.

"Wasn't your grandmother white on your mom's side?" He pointed out.

"No. French-Canadian." I corrected.

"I wasn't aware of their great dancing abilities."

"Shut up!" I said, stirring up the black bean soup.

"Did I just win that?" Jake grinned.

"I just let you win because I plan to upset you on the dance floor." I replied.



Dinner was simply amazing after that. I had no problem pushing Trevor far out of my mind and focusing my attention solely on Jake. Which apparently, was the theme for the night. Our waitress did the same thing: focused solely on Jake. After she brought out our dessert of flan to share, she asked Jake, in Spanish, if there was anything else she can do for him. Not us. Him.

"Somos excelente. La cuenta, por favor. {We are excellent. The bill please.}" I told her, sweetly.

"Muy bien. {Alright}" She said, before hurrying off.

"Carino, do you speak Spanish?" Jake asked, surprised.

"I understand a lot more than I speak. I know the basics though." I explained.

Jake shook his head as the waitress brought back the check.

"Have I said anything you didn't understand?" He asked.

"A few things were a little muddled, but for the most part, nope." I grinned at him.

"That's embarrassing." Jake muttered, picking up the bill. I smiled. Normally he was the one causing me to be flustered. I was loving the reverse.

I decided to put him out of his misery. "You haven't said anything I haven't felt or wanted too." I said.

He looked me in the eyes. "En Serio? {Really}

Now it was my turn to blush. "Si."

After we paid the bill and left a generous tip to Miss Friendly waitress, we went to the dance floor. I never salsa danced before. At least not with another person. In public. But I followed Jake's lead, and after a few songs, I felt like I had it down. Neither one of us were trying to outdo the other. We just focused on the music and rubbing our bodies against each other seductively.

"One more drink then we'll call it a night?" Jake asked, leaning in my ear.

I nodded. I needed to cool down but not just from the dancing. More from being so intimately pressed against Jake. Every place he touched me sent heat through my body. It was driving me crazy.

When we got to the bar, he pulled me protectively in his arms, holding me from behind. I loved it. We moved together as we waited to be served. Jake secured my sangria and his beer and I led us to a little lounge area. I sat on the end of the couch, closest to the wall. Jake sat right next to me. There was a group already sitting on the couch, so we cuddled as close together as possible.

 I sipped my drink as I watched Jake down his beer. The way the bottle sweat and how his lips caressed it made me thirsty for a taste. I didn't know for which one I wanted more: him or the beer.

When he put the bottle down from his lips, he watched me, watching him. He lowered my drink from my lips and leaned in close to kiss me. It was gentle and sweet. Or it was until I tasted the beer on his mouth. I kissed him harder wanting more. His taste combined with the beer was just so authentic and rugged and pure manly... just everything I found sexy about Jake. Everything I loved about him...

I gasped at that thought.

"What's wrong Carino?" He murmured, breathlessly against my lips.

"Nothing babe." I said, struggling to catch my breath. "You didn't put public making out on the itinerary."

He laughed at that. "No. I forgot something else too. The part when I take you home. You have to decide whether your gonna invite me in," he explained.

"Ok." I replied.

"Ok, I can come in?"

"Ok I'll decide when you drop me off."

We left after finishing our drinks. And of course, I asked him to come in. I struggled to put the key in the door as he wrapped his arms around me, grinding into me from behind. His lips caressed my ear as he whispered.

"Todo sobre ti me calienta. Necesito hacerte el amor. Comprendi?{Everything about you turns me on. I need to make love to you. Understand?}"

I nodded. His words were making my knees buckle and my body tremble with desire.

He grabbed my hand and steadied it, pushing the key into the lock. I breathed a sigh of relief when the doorknob turned.

My relief turned into pure shock when I saw what was happening on my couch. Sammy and Trevor, Fucking. On. My. Couch. Time stood still until Trevor and I made eye contact. I grabbed Jake's hand and pulled him out the townhome.

"Your place." I said, as I led him to his car.

"Did you know?" Jake asked.

"No." I snapped. I silently fumed on the way to his apartment.

"Lily. It's ok. I'm sure they're just fooling around." Jake said.

"He has a girlfriend!" I exclaimed.

"It's not right, but it happens." He replied. I said nothing.

We went inside his apartment. I laid on the bed.

He got undressed and joined me. He spooned me from behind.

"I'm not in the mood Jake."

"I know." He said, kissing my shoulder. "I really dislike your roommate."

And despite everything, I laughed. Even upset, there was no place I rather be than in his arms. I rolled over, and pulled him on top of me.

"Todo sobre ti me calienta. Necesito hacerte el amor." I whispered to him.He kissed me on my lips before he complied.



Spanish to English

Excelente- Excellent

Gracias-Thank you

De nada- no problem

Muy bien, aquí están las bebidas ¿Ya están listos para ordenar- Alright. Here are our drinks. Are you ready to order?

Muy bien. En seguida regreso entonces- I'll be right back then.

Somos excelente. La cuenta, por favor.- we are excellent. The bill please.

En Serio- Seriously

Si- Yes

Todo sobre ti me calienta. Necesito hacerte el amor.- Everything about you turns me on. I need to make love to you.

Comprendi?- Do you understand?