Never Tear Us Apart (Trevor's POV)

“Don't ask me
What you know is true
Don't have to tell you
I love your precious heart
I
I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never tear us apart
We could live
For a thousand years
But if I hurt you
I'd make wine from your tears
I told you
That we could fly
'Cause we all have wings
But some of us don't know why
I
I was standing
You were there
Two worlds collided
And they could never ever tear us apart" Never Tear Us Apart by INXS

Trevor's Point of View

***FLASHBACK***

In college, my mom always asked if I was dating anyone. Every girl she saw in a picture with me she thought I was serious with. One night stands became potential wives in her eyes.

After I graduated and got a job in Dallas, she constantly asked when I was going to settle down and bring a girl home. The only girl I even considered my girlfriend was Becca. I knew she would never pass the test, so I never brought her home.

Anyway, I never had any desire to bring a girl home other than Lily. I was thrilled when she agreed to come home with me for Thanksgiving. She wasn't my girlfriend, but I wanted her to be.

After Thanksgiving, my mom stop asking about me settling down and bringing a girl home. The" girlfriend" thing didn’t come up again until I told her I was taking Lily with me to Japan. She didn’t understand the website or why Lily was coming with me.

“Because she's my girlfriend mom. Why wouldn’t I take her with me?” I informed her.

I assumed my mom kinda knew already because she stopped pestering me about a girlfriend. I didn't tell my mom before our trip to Japan because I wanted to give Lily time. She wasn't ready for the test and I didn't want to scare her away.

I should have known by mom's response something wasn’t right.  She was too calm. I expected her to be more excited about it; maybe even throw a parade. Instead, she told me to have a safe trip.

On Easter, she was a little quiet, but I figured it was just her way of dealing with my granny. Truthfully, I was too caught up in Lily and making sure she was comfortable and ready for the test, everything else took a backseat.

On Mother’s Day, I brought Lily with me because I didn't want her to be alone thinking about her mom or the baby she lost. Mostly, I wanted her to feel like a part of my family. I promised to give my mom all of my attention. It was Mother's Day.

That’s when I started to notice the little things. Like how quickly mom changed the subject away from us buying a house; how she never asked Lily to call her by her name; or the way she pushed aside the gift when she found out Lily helped picked it out.

I was going to wait until after Mother's Day to ask my mom about everything. That was until I saw the email that Lily sent with the coconut cake recipe in the trash bin of her email account. I felt bad snooping through my mom’s account, but I knew if Lily said she sent it, she did. For the first time, I was disappointed I was right.

Everything in me was hoping it was an honest mistake. At first, I believed my mom when she said she must have overlooked it. When I questioned her on the other things, she sighed.

“Trevor, I understand if Lily is a… phase, but I'm not going out of my way or get excited over a fling.” My mom said flippantly. I would have laughed at the fact that she did it all the time before if she wasn’t talking about Lily.

I put my fork down and stopped eating. “What makes you think that? It’s not a fling. ” I opposed  her.

"You cannot be serious about her." My mom declared.

"I am. We’re moving in together Mom." I reminded her.

"I understand it you want to settle down. Quite frankly, it's about time. That doesn't mean you do it with whoever's around." She continued.

"She's not whoever's around. I love her. She loves me-"

"I bet she does." She said, snidely, while taking a sip of her wine.

"What does that mean?" I asked, confused by the way she said it.

"I bet she loves you- trips to Japan and a house with a breakfast nook. What's going to happen when you can't give her everything she wants? Lisa told me about her; I know her family has money and she's trying to latch on to you."

"Is that what this is about? Dad's money? I still don't want it and Lily knows nothing about it." I said, clenching my hand into a fist under the table. I didn't know what Lisa told her, but Lily wasn't like that at all. "Mom, just forget what you think you know and get to know her. You'll see-" I started before she interrupted me.

"I've seen enough. You two are from different worlds. I don't like how's she's trying to change you-"

“She’s not trying to change me!” I cut her off, knocking my fist on the table.

Mom's eyes widen at me in surprise. "Your behavior has changed. You've never raised your voice at me before."

 "Sorry." I said, ashamed. I told myself I would never act like my dad. And here I was, ranting at her.

"When you left for college, you said you were going to move back, freelance and help your uncle with the store and the land. What happened to those plans?" Mom continued.

"I was 18. My plans changed." I said, calmly.

"Your plans didn't change until Baylor and Lily." She said harshly. "You can't even come home without her."

"I chose to stay in Dallas, even when Lily moved back to California. I want Lily here with me because I want her to be a part of my family. Our family." I confessed. I was hoping that if she knew how serious I was, she would give Lily a chance. All she had to do was get to know her, then she would get it.

"Trust me. I know women like her. She'll use you til you have nothing else to give; then she'll leave. You'll never fit in her world." My mom said, unmoved.

I made a face but didn't argue with her. Lily's dad made similar comments, so maybe there was some truth in their words. But it wasn't true for Lily and me. We would have to show her, just like we would show Lily's dad.

"And Lord knows she would never fit into ours." My mom continued.

I shoveled food in my mouth, hoping to end the night as soon as possible.

"I get you want to experiment. Have all the fun you want, just be safe. I would die of a heart attack if she trapped you with a mixed breed kid. Can you imagine me with a mutt grandchild?" She asked, with a little snicker.

I barely swallowed down the food in my mouth as I watched her, in shock. I wasn't even sure who the woman was sitting across from me. My dad said some really horrible things. Every time my mom would ignore him or make excuses for him, but she never dropped to his level. Now, here she was, saying the most horrible things I heard about my future wife and kids. There was no calming the rage building inside me.

"Lily and I are going to get married and were going to have a litter of mutt kids. When you drop dead, you can say hi to dad in hell for me." I said as I pushed my plate away, disgusted.

I felt bad for when her eyes filed up with tears. I knew I would apologize before I said it. She just needed to take back what she said first.

"So that's it? You pick her over me?" Mom asked, tearful.

"I don't feel like I should have to pick but you're not giving me much of a choice if you talk like that." I said, not apologetic yet.

Her eyes dried up and turned cold. "Take me home Trevor. We'll talk when you come back to your senses.”

Any guilt I felt disappeared. It was replaced by anger. I was seething as I took her home. I made sure to stop by my Granny's house first to leave the recipe. My mom stared out the window the whole time like I did something wrong. That just fueled my anger.

It also fueled my determination: To prove my mom, Lily's dad, and anyone else against us wrong. We were going to be a family. The ones we came from wouldn't matter. The sooner it happened, the better.

***PRESENT***

I regretted proposing to Lily out of spite, but it was times like these I wanted my ring on her finger. Everyone got back on the humongous boat, or yacht like Lily corrected me, and we were heading back to shore. After I dried off and got some food, I sat down beside her. In between stealing the mushrooms I pulled of my slider, she was talking and laughing with everyone.

She was more covered up than must of the girls in a tank top and pleaded skirt covering up her bikini. Her hair was blowing in the wind, and she occasionally flipped it out of her make up free face. She looked both carefree and beautiful. The looks she received from both guys and girls made me want to put a ring on her finger.

"Tinashe is my favorite right now. Her voice is so sexy." Sammy said, nodding her head to the music.

"She's a cool girl." One of Christian's friend said.

I offered Lily a piece of my brownie. She shook her head no, but gave me a smile.

FUN by Pitbull started playing and Lily, Sammy and few others started dancing in their seats.

"Did y'all watch the Billboard Awards?" Brooke asked everyone.

"Yes! I was so mad when Chris Brown didn't dance." Angela pouted.

"That was a custom suit. No way he was dancing in that." Noelle pointed out.

"I wouldn't mind if he took it off..." Jordan commented.

"He danced. Salsa. Show em Sammy." Lily nudged her.

"Why you gotta call me out? I'm not Cuban!" Sammy smiled.

"Close enough! Bailas!" Lily ordered her.

Everyone cheered, "Bailas!" until she got up and danced. After, we all cheered her before she took a little bow.

"I have a request." Sammy said to Christian.

Another song I hadn't heard, "Stuck on a Feeling", came on.

"Show us how it's done Lily." Sammy challenged her.

"And do what?!?" She asked, with a smile.

"He's Dominican. You're part. Do some Dominican shit." Sammy exclaimed while we laughed at her.

"Babe, language." Corey said, nodding to the kids. They weren't paying us any attention.

"Bianca, will you dance with me?" Lily asked Bianca, shaking her head no at the same time.

"No?" Bianca answered.

"Sorry, I can't. Bachata and Merengue are couple dances. I have no one to dance with." Lily said, with a smirk.

"Bullsh- Bull." Sammy censored herself.

"You don't do that Trevor?" J-Mike asked me, with a grin.

"I don't even know what she just said." I joked back.

"I know those dances." Christian said. He pretended like he didn't see me staring at him. Jerk.

"Really?" She asked.

"I'm from New York. I talked to a few girls that were Dominican." Christian explained, standing up and holding out his hand.

 Lily looked at me and I pushed away my irritation and just gave her a smile. She took Christian hand. They danced for no longer than 30 seconds, but the sight of Lily rolling her hips into his made the irritation come back with a vengeance. When I saw Sammy watching me, I relaxed and calmed down.

When Lily returned back to my side, I wrapped my arm around her. Christian returned my look this time with a smile, but I turned away from him and whispered in Lily's ear.

"Will you teach me that dance later? Naked?" I teased.

She giggled sexily. "Why do we have to be naked?"

"I learn better naked. Absorb more information." I persuaded her, brushing my lips over her face.

"If it's for educational purposes, of course." She agreed, before kissing me on the lips. Just like that, my irritation was gone.



When we got back to Christian's house, we decided to make a bonfire on the beach and roast marshmallows and hotdogs. While Sammy and Lily took care of the grocery shopping, I looked over the stands and souvenirs vendors were trying to sell me.

"What are you looking for?" Bilal asked me.

"Nothing really. I was hoping I'll find a little charm for Lily's bracelet, but I don't know what to get her." I shrugged.

"Awww, he's gotta get her a souvenir, even though she's here." J-Mike made fun of me.

"Look, isn't that your wife over there? Selling off the jewelry you brought her?" I pointed out a gray haired lady.

"I'm sick of you and Lily. It makes perfect sense now; y'all are both assholes." J-Mike pointed his finger at me. I laughed as I looked over the jewelry the women was selling. She had a small collection of charms, but nothing stood out to me.

"You can't buy Lily anything from here." Christian commented.

"I know what Lily likes." I told him, walking around him.

"Yeah, till she realizes she can do better." Christain said.

"What?" I asked, turning around to face him.

"She's been obsessed with the idea of you since you two met. I never understood why, but it'll wear off eventually." Christain shrugged.

"And what? You think she'll want you?" I asked, my patience running thin with him and his dumb statements.

"Just someone who has more in common with her and can buy her jewelry that won't turn her skin green." Christian smiled at me.

Before I could reply, Lily joined us.

"What are y'all doing?" She asked, looking at us, curiously.

"Just looking at souvenirs." Christian answered, quickly. "What do you think?" He asked, gesturing at the display.

Lily made a face. "That I don't need souvenirs. I brought my friends back gifts from Japan. They're just getting pictures of me because I gotta save money."

"How bout something for you?" Christain continued.

Lily shook her head. "I don't see anything special."

Christain gave me a cocky look. I grabbed Lily's hand and we went back to the beach house.



We spent the rest of the night drinking champagne and snacking on hotdogs and smores. Lily was smoking again and was chatting animatedly with everyone.

I watched her, conflicted. The Lily in college would have sat off in a corner, waiting on me or Rocky to include her. Now she was funny and smart and so beautiful.  And yeah, she'd been all those things before, but now she had the confidence to show it.

I was proud of her at the same time I was worried. Maybe I wasn't good enough. Maybe she would realize she could do better. We didn't have a lot in common. Our background, upbringings, families; they were different. Maybe too different. Maybe we couldn't see it because we were obsessed with the idea of each other.

“We should just stay here.” Lily sighed as she sat between my legs and leaned her head against my chest.

“Yeah, how much do you think Christian rents this place for?” I asked, knowing there was no way I would rent anything from him. He wasn't my friend and I doubt I could afford the rent anyway.

“Not here." She snorted. "I cant live in his house. The only place I feel comfortable is on the patio. Let’s just stay in Mexico.” She smiled.

“And do what?” I humored her.

“You can freelance from anywhere. I could use my savings to buy a little boat. Take people on cruises.” she said excitedly.

“And what about your doctorate you worked so hard on?”

“I can buy a first aid kit and be the on board doctor.”

“I think that’s false impersonation of a doctor.”

“Whatever. I didn’t say what type of doctor.” Lily laughed.

“One little problem: where would we live?”

“The boat. Or the beach. We can fish and have bonfires and be nomaids.” she listed.

“And that’s the life that you want?” I asked, seriously. I knew she was joking, but I really needed to know the life she envisioned for herself. I needed to know if I fit in.

She looked up thoughtfully. “The life I want for me… is you. Eveything else is just details.” She declared."I can live off a boat, and fish. It might get crowded with the kids, but we'll manage."

I laughed at her, relieved ”How bout we go home, find a house, with a pool big enough for a boat for you? Maybe it's because I'm from Texas, but I need dry land, and steak. Our kids need their own room too.”

A smile spread across Lily's face. “I love that idea… Although I think it's just you making sure we get a pool."

“Best of both worlds, baby.” I said, gathering her in my arms. Maybe we were obsessed with each other, but why was that a bad thing? I would do anything for her and she would do the same for me. Even better, we both wanted the same thing: each other. That's what made us make perfect sense together, despite our differences.



The next morning, I woke up early and slipped out the hotel. When I came back from my trip, Lily hopped up and threw her arms around me.

"Where have you been!?!" She exclaimed.

"Shopping." I said, holding up a bag.

"What was so important you left in the middle of the day, in a country you don't speak the language in, when there's drug cartel...what is that?" She broke off suddenly, as I held a little jewerly box in my hand.

"A gift. More like a question." I smiled at her stunned face.

"Trevor, what is it ?"

"Just open it."

She did slowly. Her stunned face turned into a pleased smile. She handed me the world charm and held out her charm bracelet for me to put it on.

"You're questioning if I want to take over the world? Of course I do, Pinky." Lily smiled, happily.

I gave her a kiss before I put the charm on her bracelet. "No baby. I can't get you the entire world. There are parts of it that I don't even want. You can have my world. The one I want to make with you. My question is do you want it?"

She smiled, her hazel eyes glistening. "Trevor, of course I want it. Fuck the world. You are my world."

I pulled her close and I knew that she meant it. I meant it too. Maybe no one would understand us. It's like she said, fuck the world. Our worlds collided and we'll build our own. Nothing could break it apart unless we let it.

I knew I never would.