In Love With a Stripper

(Jynx’s POV)

I watched as Robbi and Syn walked off toward the elevators. I envied the fact that I had been the one against the whole dancing idea and I was the one who was having the most trouble. It was all her idea and she gets to walk off with Syn as though nothing were wrong. Then I started to get mad at myself for thinking that. She was just as or more worried about things as I was.

“Gerard please calm down.” I said as he continued to come up with new and innovative ways to kill Jared.

“Do you realize what he did?”

“No, its totally lost on my how my mother and everyone back home in Indiana might just pick up one of these in a grocery store and see me with my ass out.” I yelled at him. He looked down at his hands and I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Then I felt his arms wrap around me and I let my body relax against him. I heard him take a deep breath.

“Look, lets just try not to think about it okay. If they find out we’ll work it out.” he tilted my face up and I opened my eyes. “We’ll figure something out,” I just nodded. I really wanted to cry but I wouldn’t give Jared the satisfaction. He pushed my hair behind my ear. “So what did you want to do today?”

“I had some apartments to look at, do you want to come?” he got this unhappy look on his face, but quickly covered it up with a smile.

“Sure we can go look at them, then how about dinner?” we walked out to his truck and I read off the address of the first apartment. It was located in the Bronx. As we pulled up we realized that it was located over top of a bodega. I smiled as the owner showed us around the tiny two bedroom apartment.

“And the bathroom you will be using is down the hall to the left. Everyone uses it so be sure to clean up after yourself. Everyone else does a pretty good job of doing that. We don’t allow pets and rent is 1200 a month.” my smile fell. Most of this wasn’t even worth 20 dollars and while me and Robbi could afford that working at the club. I wasn’t going to pay all that for a place that didn’t even have its own bathroom. “So when do you want to move in?”

“We’ll have to get back to you on that one. My roommate would want to see the place before I made a decision,” I lied. We left that place and headed to then next apartment. We toured four more apartments all over New York and all off them were either crap and too expensive or beautiful and too expensive. I walked from the last apartment with my head down. The day had gone from bad to worse and I had accomplished nothing. Gerard wrapped his arm around me pulling me close.

“What are you hungry for?” he asked.

“Bed, I just want to go to bed.”

“But babe you haven’t eaten all day,” my stomach growled confirming what he’d just said. I smiled up at him.

“Well I guess I could eat.” I said. “This time I’m going to show you something,” I smiled as I pulled him to the car and made him get into the passenger’s side seat and I drove off. I pulled up to this small Caribbean cuisine restaurant. It didn’t look like much at all but the food was like heaven. Robbi and I had discovered it the first week we were hear looking for a cheap place we could eat and this place was the best. They didn’t have tables you just walked in ordered and took your food with you. I ordered Jamaican beef patties for both of us and mango salsa, along with sour cream on the side. We both got sodas and took our food out to the car. I smiled as he took the first bite.

“Jynx these are amazing,” I smiled.

“Yeah they are my comfort food. When everything seems screwed one of these never fail to bring a smile to my face.” I explained.

“Look, Jynx I want you to come live with me.” I almost choked on my food.

“Gerard we talked about this…”

“Yes I know and you said you didn’t want to cause you didn’t know me well enough, I’ve known you long enough to know that I’m falling in love with you. I’ve known you long enough that I know I want to wake up with you in the morning.” I looked over at him. “I want you to live with me. I want to be the one you cook breakfast for or for me to cook you breakfast. I wouldn’t recommend you eating what I cook, but I would try for you. Jynx I have more than enough room for you and then you could cut back at the club. Do the one day instead of the two days. Then you can work down till you can quit. It will be easier for you to go to class and you’ll be safer,” he kept going. Giving me reason after reason why I should move in with him. I knew Gerard cared for me, but I couldn’t just leave Robbi, I needed to talk to her first.

“Gerard!” I said interrupting his speech. “Just give me time to talk to Robbi,”

“I said she could come with…”

“I know, I just I don’t want her to think I’m abandoning our original plan. I don’t want her to feel left behind or anything.”

“Is that a yes?” he said with a smile.

“It’s a yes if Robbi’s okay with it,”

“I’ll take that, when are you going to talk to her?” I thought about it.

“Maybe tonight when we get back to the hotel.” he leaned in and kissed me I could still taste some of the spices from the food. He pulled me closer and I climbed over to his lap. Both of us had finished our food and were ready for dessert.

“Jynx, I love you.” Gerard said. I pulled away and looked into his eyes. “I love you and you don’t have to believe it or say it back. I know how I feel even in this short amount of time.” I was stunned. “Let’s get you back to the hotel and after you talk to Robbi we can go to bed.”

“I go back to work tomorrow,” I said solemnly. I knew I didn’t want to go back there and dance and smile at the men, but I still needed the money for my tuition even if I was moving in with Gerard.

“You don’t have to,” Gerard said as I moved back into my seat.

“Don’t Gerard, just don’t,” I said. “I’ll talk to Robbi,” he sighed and pulled off toward the hotel. It didn’t take long for us to get back and once we did I went to Robbi and Syn’s room and knocked on the door.