Friends

"But then again, if we're not friends,
Someone else might love you too.
And then again, if we're not friends,
There'd be nothing I could do, 
and that's why
Friends should sleep in other beds.
And friends shouldn't kiss me like you do.
And I know that there's a limit to everything.
But my friends won't love me like you.
No, my friends won't love me like you do.
Oh, my friends will never love me like you." Friends by Ed Sheeran 

"Thanks for the ride." I said, flopping down on the couch in the den.

"No problem." Ramon replied. "Besides, it's the least I could do since we're crashing at your place. You sure you don't want your bed back? Aiden and Ricky can sleep down here."

"No, I'm good. I need to rest a little before I attempt the stairs. Thank you though." I said, laying down and propping my leg up on the arm of the couch. Ramon sat on the love seat across from me.

"So..." Ramon smiled.

"Sooo..." I repeated.

"What's up with you, Trevor and Jake?" Ramon asked.

"Nothing. We're just friend." I responded.

"Friends that you've slept with?" Ramon asked.

"I've never slept with Trevor! Jake is my ex." I explained.

"So you slept with Jake and now you literally sleep with Trevor." Ramon said, thoughtfully.

"Trevor and I always slept together, as friends. Jake and I are honing in on a post-relationship friendship. Nothing more than that." I informed him.

"Sure Lily. They were just arguing over your wellbeing." Ramon smiled.

"Good thing I can take care of myself." I responded.

I then asked him about Thanksgiving with the Carters. He told me how his mom was being her blunt, brutally honest self. Rocky was constantly trying to censor her mom. Mama Smith responded by telling her she doesn't have to put on an act for anyone. Rocky responded by telling her acting mature wasn't a role she should have to play. Mama Smith countered by saying she didn't have to act like a stuck up bitch to be mature. After that, embarrassed, Rocky said nothing else to her mom and drank instead.

"Brandon's parents literally ran out the door." Ramon chuckled, shaking his head.

I laughed. "I'm sure. What did Brandon and Ethan say?"

"Brandon just tried to joke it off. Ethan didn't come." Ramon answered.

Interesting.

When my phone rang, I looked down at it. It was Trevor.

"Hey. You made it home ok?" He asked,

"Yeah, I did." I said, simply.

"Ok." He sighed. "I'm sorry for that situation with Jake."

"What was that?" I asked him, more curious than upset.

"I don't like him. I don't like how he treated you. I don't get why you would wanna be friends with him, but that's your decision."

I thought about that over the phone.

"Lily?" Trevor asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"How's your foot?"

"Still sprained." I replied.

"Do you need anything?"

"No. I'm good." I said.

"Ok Lily. Call me if you need anything." He said.

"Will do." I hung up as there was a knock on the door.

Ramon went to answer it. Riley, Allison, and the boys came in and headed upstairs. I was surprised to see Jake walk into the den.

"I'm gonna help upstairs." Ramon said, leaving us alone.

I nodded at him, before turning to Jake.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him, sitting up on the couch.

"Making sure you're ok. I brought you some cake too." He replied, sitting down next to me, handing over a plate of desserts.

I groaned. "I don't need any more calories. Especially since I can't workout with my ankle."

Jake smiled. "You can work out with a bad ankle."

"Nothing that will burn enough calories."

"I can think of a few horizontal exercises." Jake said, suggestively.

"I'm sure you can." I grinned, picking up a small bite of strawberry cake. I few crumbs fell on my top. Jake slowly stroked them off me. When his fingers grazed my breast, I gasped.

"Thanks." I said, pulling away from him.

"Cariño, stop fighting us." Jake said, bluntly.

"There is no us." I said, matter of factly. "Not anymore."

"We still have feelings for each other." Jake argued.

"We had feelings for each other before, look how well that turned out." I said.

"I fucked up. I won't this time." He promised.

"Jake, we're better as friends-"

"Just like you and Trevor are friends? Cause you keep saying you want to be alone, but it just seems to me like you want to be with Trevor." Jake stated.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I have no reason to lie to you. We're not together. Thank you for reminding me why we're not."

His face fell. "You're right. I'm sorry. I know what we had was real. I fought so hard for something that wasn't there. I can't just walk away from you without trying."

I was stunned silent by the vulnerability in his voice.

"I'm not asking you to get back together with me. I just need a chance to show you how we could be." Jake stated.

"Nothing has changed Jake. Whether you believe it or not, I feel the same way as before." I said, stubbornly.

"Ok. Give me a chance to change your mind."

"Not likely" I said.

Jake smiled. "Better than no chance at all."

I yawned. "Alright Jake. I need to get some sleep." I said.

"On the couch?"

"Yep."

"You know you can stay with me. As friends." Jake offered.

"Nice try." I smirked.

Jake smiled as I walked him out.

-------------------------

Late the next morning, I woke up to the sounds of Allison and the boys rummaging around and the smell of coffee from the kitchen. I groaned and stretched out on the couch, picking up my phone. I had a missed calls from Sammy, Amber and Forrest. I called Forrest back first.

"Hey, happy late thanksgiving!" I told him, cheerfully.

"Yeah, you too stranger. What happened to us hanging out?" Forrest replied.

"You never got back to me." I laughed.

"Well I am now." Forrest replied.

"Let me know. Rocky has family from out of town. I'm sure they're more than willing to go out tonight."

"Ok. I'll text you later."

I read the text Sammy sent me.

Sammy: Do you want to notarize the lease agreement today?

I texted her back.

Me: Sure. My bank at noon?

Sammy: see ya then.

I then got up to head to the kitchen. My foot was still sore, but at least I could put weight on it with little pain.

Allison was cooking, but I joined them with a bowl of cereal. I asked them how they were liking Dallas so far. Ramon joined us and I asked him about going out. He agreed and I texted Rocky about going out too.

I made my way upstairs and changed into jeans and a shirt. By the time I was ready to go, Riley had joined his family in the kitchen. I waved goodbye as I left to meet Sammy at the bank.

When I arrived, Sammy's car was already there. I walked in to see her waiting in the lobby. She looked amazing, her hair a true black, pushed over one shoulder in soft waves. Her makeup was dramatic, as always, but looked nice paired well with a blazer over a mini dress. The little smile on her face made a world of difference. I don't remember the last time I saw her genuinely smile. At least not at me.

"Hey." I said, returning her smile.

"How was your holiday?" Sammy asked.

"Umm, good. Not too crazy. How bout you?"

"Bout the same." She didn't elaborate, so I didn't ask. I went to the bank teller and requested a notary. When she told me it would be one moment, I joined Sammy sitting in the lobby.

After a moment of silence, I turned to her.

"How are things?-"

"How's work?-" We both started. We both laughed nervously.

"Works good. I hurt my foot yesterday, so it should be interesting Monday. Hopefully it'll be ok. How bout you? Any gigs this weekend?" I asked.

"Not really. I'm transitioning into management, so I've been focusing on the business end more than bartending."

"What?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah, Ron is opening a branch in Miami. He wants to be there by the end of January. He has a ton of contacts out here, but to ensure we keep them and grow the business, he wants a management team in Dallas." Sammy explained.

"Oh wow. That's huge. What is your title? How much are you getting paid? How long has this been going on?" I asked.

"A few months and everything is still getting worked out. I just know I have the job if I want it." Sammy answered.

I instantly felt like shit. That would explain her long hours and the extra money. Maybe not the lies, but I could have asked instead of assuming the worst.

"Sammy... Do you wanna talk before we do this? Maybe lunch?" I asked, hopefully.

"No. We're here. Let's get this done." She said, as a woman approached us. Sammy stood and I followed her, disheartened. "We can do lunch afterwards."

I nodded before Amy, the notary, greeted us and led us back to her office. We signed the papers, basically stating I was taking over the lease, independently of Sammy. Afterwards, we went to Chili's. We ordered chicken enchilada soup and quesadilla explosion salads with chips and salsa to start.

When the waitress returned with our drinks and chips, I turned to Sammy.

"I'm so sorry Sammy. Why didn't you tell me the truth? Why did you hide this from me?" I asked.

"Cause I did sleep with Ron." Sammy started. "At the time, it was just something to do. I had no other motives other than it was fun. Before Corey, but not for money.  The other girls gave me hell because I got a lot of jobs. It was hard hearing that you thought that way about me too."

"I know and I'm truly sorry, but you lied to me. That's one of the reason I assumed the worst."

"How would you have responded if I told you I was quitting Dave and Buster's for a chance at management position? You never trusted Ron, you told me over and over that bartending is not a career, and how I needed to go to school."

"I don't know." I said, truthfully. That's how I was raised. You wouldn't be successful without a career. You couldn't have a career without a college degree.

"Exactly. Regardless of Ron, the job, and why he may have initially hired me, I'm good at it. I know the bar, I can manage the girls, and clients and bring in new business. Ron has been teaching me the accounting, only so I'm not completely clueless. I was really excited about the opportunity. I was thrilled when I got it. I didn't need you to shit on that."

I flinched. "I wouldn't have-"

"Yeah, you would have. Especially since you already believed something was going on with Ron."

The waitress brought our salads and soup. After we thanked her, Sammy turned to me.

"I'm ok where I'm at. More importantly, I'm happy. I spent a lot of time trying to keep up with you. When I couldn't, it made me jealous of you and mean. I did and said a lot of things I wish I could take back. I'm sorry for that." Sammy apologized.

"It's ok." I said, thoughtfully. "Why couldn't we talk before you moved out?"

"At the time I was angry, resentful and hurt. It took Corey to make me realize why." Sammy admitted. "Moving out was the best choice, if I wanted to save our friendship. And I do. If you wanna try." She said.

"I do." I nodded, before we started eating. I asked her about Corey. She told me they weren't official yet, but it was heading that way.

"You were so right about him being ice to my fire. At first I thought he was a pushover."

"Yeah, I saw that on Halloween. He's good for you."

"He really is." Sammy smiled. "What's up with you and Trevor?"

I coughed on the piece of salad I was eating.

Sammy grinned at me and I blushed. "Nothing." I answered.

"Yet?"

"Ever? I don't know." I groaned. I looked at her. "How do you feel about that?"

"Fine. Corey pointed out the stupidity of that whole situation, and I'm sorry for that too."

"Can we stop being sorry and just move forward?" I asked her.

"Yes! Just one more thing..." Sammy said. "Talk to Amber."

I frowned. "I don't know about that."

"We've all been friends for a long time. No matter what we went through, I knew your heart was always in a good place. You can't say the same about me, but you can for Amber." Sammy argued.

"Maybe, but where was her head? Would you have believed that if someone told you that about me?"

Sammy shrugged. "Probably not, but you know how easy it is to assume the wrong thing."

I sighed. "Touche."

---------------------

After lunch, we went our separate ways. I turned in the forms to the office of my apartment and they informed me to come back Monday to sign the new lease. Forrest texted me back the name of some lounge in Dallas that was hosting a hip hop holiday event. I texted it to everyone I thought would be interested in coming.

I then went home to an empty apartment and began to pick out an outfit. I started with my red converse first. My foot was still sore, I didn't want to make it worse. I picked out black lace leggings, a black skater skirt, and a white t-shirt with a picture of Ralphie from "A Christmas Story" with bold red writing that read: You'll Shoot Your Eye Out! I figured black Friday was the officially start of the holiday season and it fit the theme of the event, so it was appropriate. My black leather jacket completed my outfit. I put my hair up in a high ponytail and put on a full face of make-up, including red gloss, gold shimmer and long lashes.

I drove over to Rocky's place. I hung out with Trevor while we waited for everyone to be ready.

"Hip Hop Holiday huh?" He asked when I sat beside him. He pulled at the bottom of my t-shirt to read the writing. He smiled at it.

"Yeah! You're my dance partner right?" I asked him.

"You're planning on dancing?" Trevor laughed.

"Yeah, bum ankle and all..."

"As much as I hate to miss that, I already told Rocky I will watch Riley's boys tonight."

"Awww, ok. How'd you get stuck babysitting?"

"Did you think Grandma was gonna stay home with them?" Trevor grinned.

I laughed. "I don't know what I was thinking."

Finally, when everyone was ready, we left. I gave Trevor a hug before I rode with Brandon, Rocky and Mama Smith.

We met up with Forrest and Rachel who were already seated on a couch with some friends. I recognized Serena, Gabriel and Blake right away. Serena cut her eyes at me, but I ignored her in favor of hugging Rachel.

"You look so cute!" I gushed. She did in a purple peplum dress and killer heels. Forrest tried to hug me too, but I waved at him and quickly introduced Rocky's family. He gave me a weird look as we got settled and ordered drinks.

Mama Smith dragged Rocky out on the dance floor. I grinned at them as they dance to LL Cool J's "Jingling Baby"

"Are you gonna dance?" Brandon asked me.

"Maybe after a few drinks, numb up my ankle a little first." I smiled.

"What happened to your ankle?" Rachel asked me.

"I sprained it playing football." I told her.

"How'd that happen? Were you playing tackle?" Forrest questioned.

"No-" I started.

"She was." Brandon replied laughing. Forrest laughed too.

"Let me see." Forrest requested, patting his lap. I looked at him like he was crazy.

"No." I laughed him off, as Serena gave me a dirty look.

"I'm serious. Let me see your ankle. You might have torn somethin'" Forrest countered.

"I can walk on it. It's fine." I told him.

"Let me at least tape it up so you don't re-injure it." Forrest suggested.

"And you just keep tape on you?" I said, calmly, noticing the look irritation on Rachel's face.

"In my car." He nodded.

"Go ahead Lily. It won't hurt for him to take a look. It is his job." Rachel commanded me.

Both Serena and I looked at her, surprised.

"I'm fine." I assured them.

"I'm sure you are. Just let him tape it so he will be quiet about it." Rachel said, lightly with a smile.

When Forrest stood up, I looked at Rachel. She nodded, and I sighed, standing up to follow Forrest.

We walked out to his car and he grabbed his training bag out of the trunk of his SUV. He motioned for me to sit in the back, so I did.

After I took off my shoe and sock, I turned to him.

"Forrest, Rachel is not exactly comfortable with our relationship-" I started.

"I know." He said, beginning to tape my ankle.

"If you know, why are you making it worse?" I sighed.

"She should trust me. She never had a problem until her friends started gettin' in her ear." Forrest protested.

"Regardless, if she's uncomfortable, for whatever reason, you should fix it, not make it worse." I said.

"She doesn't talk to me. She talks to everyone but me. I'm just supposed to know? How can I fix something if she doesn't talk to me? That goes for you too!" He said, finishing my ankle. I flexed it. It did feel more stable.

"I've been correcting my behavior. I don't believe you did anything inappropriate, so I didn't need to talk to you." I explained.

"I don't plan on it either, but Rachel should know that. If she feels differently, she should be talking to me only." Forrest finished.

"Alright." I said, standing up. "Just, don't put me in the middle of it. I like you both too much. I'm cutting out drama in my life. Don't get cut off."

Forrest smiled. "Gotcha."

We went back into the lounge. I was pleasantly surprised to see Sammy, Corey, Lamar, Patrick, Jake, Jackie and Malik joined us. I greeted them and grabbed my drink.

"What happened to the 49ers?" Blake asked me as I sat down.

"The same thing that happened to your Cowboys." I smiled, glad things weren't weird between us.

We talked about our teams respective loses on Thanksgiving before I took up Jake's offer to hit the bar for more drinks. We had a great time drinking, laughing and dancing to 80's and 90's hip hop. I danced with anyone and everyone, including Jake. At the end of the night, I said goodbye to everyone with a hug.

"What are you doing this weekend?" Jake asked me as he held me close.

"Getting ready for my b-day." I said, letting him hold me longer than necessary.

"Call me if you have free time."

"Sure." I said, pulling away. We drove back to Rocky's house. The boys and Trevor were passed out in the den. Rocky told Riley to leave them at her house instead of waking them up to go to my apartment. I went over to Trevor on the couch and stroked his handsome face.

His eyes fluttered opened and he smiled at me. "Have fun?" He asked, raspy.

"Not as much as you apparently. You ready to go home?" I grinned.

"Yeah... Are you coming too?" He asked.

I didn't even think about it. I just nodded.