Mood: swipe left and tap the media box above to listen to Shopping Spree by Equalz.

- - -

Lydia

The day after I asked Jake to babysit, I noticed a small blister above my left lip. I had never had one before, so I panicked and thought of all the worst-case scenarios. I made a quick appointment with one of the doctors at the university's medical clinic. Jake called a few hours later.

"Hey, Missy, what's up?"

"I'm not all right. I think I've got herpes. There's a blister on my lip."

"I'm sorry, Missy. Anything I can do to help?"

"Come with me to my doctor's appointment tomorrow?" I asked.

We went to the clinic together the next morning, and the doctor believed it was herpes simplex, HSV-1. The cold sore type. She ran some tests to confirm and also to check for anything else.

In the following week, I came back for a follow-up appointment. The results confirmed that I had HSV-1. I was given a booklet and some good advice on living with it and avoiding transmitting the virus to others. After the follow-up appointment, Jake and I sat on the lawn and rested. We had a few hours before our next class, so we had a bit of time.

"You know, my mom gets cold sores too, now and then," Jake explained.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, sure. She's OCD with toothbrushes and stuff like that."

Jake patted my back.

"You'll be fine, Missy," he said.

"Jake, I need something to cheer me up," I responded.

He raised an eyebrow at me, and I raised mine back.

Jake got up and patted me on the back.

"C'mon, get up."

"Where are we going, Jakey?"

"Shopping."

---

Jake and I took a train into the city and went into one of the department stores. I had a blast picking out dresses, but he looked a little drained. He sat on a chair and waited while I was in the changing room. He played a game on his mobile phone. Each time I had a new dress on, I went out to him and asked for his opinion.

I loved the way he wrinkled his perfect, tan nose when he didn't like something I put on. Or when he nodded his head, but his face lacked expression when he thought an outfit was okay.

His favorite outfit on me was a salmon-pink, low-cut, strapless party mini-dress with a slender, gold belt. His eyebrows raised to the roof of his forehead, and his eyes grew as big as saucers.

"Wow!" Jake drawled excitedly.

When we arrived at the cashier's counter, I fished my wallet from my bag to fetch my bank card. Jake stepped in front of me, and his caramel-tan, muscular arm gently pushed me aside.

He took out his Visa card and handed it over to the woman working at the counter. She noticed he was a good-looking guy and eyed him from top to toe. She smiled widely, flashing her white teeth against her heavily made-up face and red lips.

"Jake, you can't do this for me," I hissed.

"I sure can," he said. He had a confident smile on his face.

"We have a special deal this week where you can buy select lingerie for half the price if you spend fifty dollars or more," she said, winking at me.

"Oh, no, that will be fine," I responded. I could feel my cheeks growing warm.

"That sounds like a good deal," Jake said, his eyes scanning the lingerie section right next to the counter. "That lacy black number right over there would look good on you, Missy."

I nearly swallowed my mint and made a choking noise.

The 'lacy number' Jake was pointing at was nearly entirely see-through! My nipples would show for sure, and the G-string underwear left very little imagination to what I was hiding down there.

There was no way I'd wear that.

"No, no thanks," I stammered. "Just the dress, please."

"C'mon, Missy. I'll buy it for you. If you try it on for me," Jake grinned. Idiot.

"No! Absolutely not." I looked at the saleslady, and I could see she was trying to hide a smile. Her lipstick was red. I mean, really red. She had applied it perfectly, and it suited her.

"We also have a special deal for shoes, if you want to buy something for your girlfriend," Red Lips said.

"No, thanks. Just the dress," I said again.

As we headed out of the department store and back towards the train station, I grabbed Jake's arm and stopped him.

"She thought you were my boyfriend, Jake," I said.

He laughed and kissed me on my forehead.

A few hours later, we arrived at Professor Richland's class. We were a few minutes late.

"Somersby. Coleman. Nice of you to join us today," Richland said.

"Sorry, sir. It won't happen again," I replied.

Jake and I shuffled along to the nearest available seats and sat down.

"I have a question for the class. In which year was the Rosetta Stone written?" Richland asked.

There was a deathly silence in the class.

"Anyone?"

The awkwardness of the silence was hanging in the air.

"Anyone bothered to do their readings?"

Jake looked up.

"Around one ninety BC," he said.

"One ninety-six BCE," Richland corrected.

The rest of the lecture droned in the background as I thought about Jake's comment earlier today. At some point, I would have a serious chat with this guy. I've given him a second chance with this friendship, and he shouldn't be leading me on. Not like high school.

Later that evening, I called Marc to tell him about my cold sore. I suggested he should get checked out too. We kept the conversation short.

---

On Saturday night, Jake and I decided to hang out at a local music cafe and restaurant. The place was packed, but we managed to get a small table inside, overlooking the busy street. Jake and I both ate ramen noodles. I had a Diet Coke, and he had a Coke.

"Carrie didn't want to join?" Jake asked.

"Nah. She's with Johan at a Hawkes party."

"Oh."

I told Carrie earlier that week that I wanted a quiet night this Saturday night. The truth was that I wasn't ready to see Marc make out with someone else. She completely understood and made me promise to be at the toga party.

"So, the guy in the back of Richland's class asked me if you were single," Jake said with a cheeky grin.

"Which guy?"

"The one with the tongue T-shirt." Jake smiled even more. Oh, he was evil!

"Eww, gross, Jake! He's so gross!" I pulled a face. "Don't make me lose my appetite!"

Jake laughed.

"What did you say?" I was curious.

"What do you think I said?" Oh, he was playing with me, like a cat playing with a toy.

"That I'm taken? I sure hope you said something useful!"

"I told him you were single." The grin was still there.

"You what?!" I raised my voice in surprise. Then reality hit me.

"I must have been a bad person in a past life. I'm so unlucky in relationships," I said. "The kind of guys I'm doomed to spend the rest of my life with are guys like the tongue T-shirt guy. He's probably got some smelly dungeon in his basement."

Jake burst out in laughter.

"Where do you come up with this shit, Missy?" He was still laughing. "Do you hear yourself?"

"I must be a bad person. I end up with bad boys or weirdos," I replied. "Those are the kinds of guys I attract."

"You're not bad, Missy. Just unfortunate," Jake said. He grabbed my hand to reassure me.

We took a quiet pause to finish eating our noodles and drinking our drinks. After Jake settled the bill, I looked at him, wiping my mouth with a paper napkin.

"Wanna know a secret? Something real bad?" he had a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"Ooh, are you going to tell me a naughty secret?"

"Yeah."

"Did you steal something?"

"Nope," Jake smirked.

"What did you do?"

"Remember the sub in our senior year?"

"Yeah..." I watched his face. He looked guilty.

"NO WAY! You and her!" I shouted out of surprise.

"Shhh." Jake was looking away now and grinning like an idiot.

"You guys did the dirty! Was it while we were in school?"

"Hell no, Missy!" he yelped. "Pam was here for a teacher training course a few months back. We've kept in touch through Snapchat.

"You kept in touch with her?" I gasped.

"Sure. She added me as a friend. Besides, I'm in college now, and she's only five years older," Jake shrugged his shoulders as if that kind of thing was normal.

"How did it happen?" I asked.

"Simple. I'm a man. She's a woman. She taught sex education class if you remember anything." Jake stretched out his arms, clasped them behind his back, and smiled at me. That was the smile of a satisfied man.

"Oh, my goodness." I got up from my chair. I thought I was going to be sick.

"Lydia! Wait."

I walked away, and Jake followed me.

"Do you still... Does she...?" I stopped walking and turned to him.

"You mean, do I still fuck her? No. It's over."

Jake tried to touch me, and I gently pushed him away.

A minute later, I was standing outside the restaurant on the busy street. Jake had his hands in his pockets and was kicking imaginary stones on the ground.

"Jake, why aren't you spending Saturday night partying, making out, or being with a girl?" I was curious.

"Is this a trick question? Why the Q and A?" Jake asked back.

"I'm just wondering why such a hot stud like you would rather be with lil' ole me on a Saturday night. Our friendship must mean a lot to you," I said.

"Let's go somewhere else. Want to try the Katt cafe? Grab a coffee?" Jake suggested.

"That's rather mature of you," I said. I smiled at him and nodded. "Let's go."

We went to the Katt cafe and ordered two coffees. We found a spot to sit down and relax.

"I prefer your company, Missy," Jake replied.

"Oh?"

"That's the answer to your question." He looked satisfied with his response. "And before you ask why, I'll tell you something." Jake pulled himself closer to me. "I'm drawn to you. Always have been." He asserted himself with a satisfied smile.

"Jake, don't," I responded. "We can't do this flirt, tease and pull back again. It's messing with my mind and my heart."

I was met with a serious face.

"I don't see us in a relationship. If we do anything physical, even taking the flirting a step further, it will kill our friendship," I went on. "We need to stay friends. Do you think you can do that for me?"

Jake was staring at the ground, and his smile was gone. I almost felt sorry for him.

"Jake? Do you think you can do this for me? Stay as friends?"

I saw that his facial muscles flinched when he looked up at me.

"Yeah. Sure. Stay friends. I can do that for you. Anything for you, Missy." Jake glared at me.

We drank in silence. I tried to make small talk, but Jake wasn't up for talking. When our coffees were finished, Jake got up.

"C'mon, Missy. I'll take you home."

---

A/N: Was Jake trying too hard to impress Lydia? Why was he a cocky bundle of nerves?

Please vote and/or comment if you like this chapter. ⭐️

Professor Richland has a younger sister and her name is Vera. She's a pocketful of trouble, dynamite 🧨 If you're looking for mature erotic romances, like bad-boy billionaires, and you're 17+, please check out Wicked Seduction.