Boxed Set:Taming the Rocker - Vol. 1-5 (6 page)

“I don’t think you’ll be going out with him anymore.”

“No way.” I replied. I knew that I couldn’t. My father would shit enough bricks to build another University but there was just no way. I went to my room, got my phone out, and looked for Chase’s number. I sent him a text saying I wanted to meet at the park tomorrow, that I needed to see him. I couldn’t do this anymore. I needed to discover who I really wanted. And he had lingered in my mind too long to ignore. 

Chase

It was hard to stay focused at the meeting. As I looked around, my phone buzzed. It was Lila. When I opened it, I got a dirty look from one of my band mates. They could suck my dick for all I cared. I wanted to see what Lila wanted.

Hey. Can we meet at the park tomorrow - around one? I have a break during that time and I don’t want to wait around trying to kill time. I feel like we need to talk. 

I immediately texted back
yes
. I wanted to speak to her too. The span of time since that night was starting to seem awkward to say the least. I knew that she would definitely get the response that she wanted; I missed her. I was not afraid to say that. The meeting started to move a bit faster. All I could think about was the time I would spend with Lila tomorrow. She was perfect, and I didn’t plan on losing her. 

Lila

The next day, I woke up excited to see Chase once again. I didn’t even know why. I felt like this was the start of something new and I couldn’t wait to see what it would entail. Things were going to be great. I definitely wanted to get to know the real Chase. I couldn’t help compare him to Alec. There was no way I was going to go out with that loser again. I wanted Chase, and I was ready to tell him so.

When I got to the park, I saw him hanging out. He wore a disguise, but I knew who he was immediately. He probably got stalked by so many women that he needed to find a way to hide himself. Maybe it meant something that I actually knew him for who he was; that I could easily see through this disguise.

“Hey there,” I said. I was a bit nervous. The butterflies in my stomach were moving around, making me feel a tiny bit uneasy. I actually loved the feeling. Chase immediately smiled back at me with the same warm smile on his face. 

“Hey there. I’m happy to see you again.”

I blushed. He really did care. I already felt more cherished in the first couple of seconds of our meeting than in the three painful hours I had to spend with Alec. He got up and we walked over to the swing set. Both of us took a spot on the swing for two people. We sat there, content and happy with a pleasant silence between us. I wanted to say something. After all, I was the one who initiated this. I didn’t want to cause an upset between us for calling him out here when it wasn’t needed.

“I’m sorry about the other night. I was stupid. I can’t hold my liquor very well, and I did something very foolish,” I started.

He smiled and gave me a hug, holding me tightly. “It’s all good. I’m sorry that I took advantage of you. You were just so gorgeous and sexy…but I didn’t intend to make things go that way. I’m sorry for jumping the gun. I wish I would have stopped.”

I smiled. I couldn’t believe he was so chivalrous. If any other guy was with me right now, I knew that they wouldn’t say anything like that. They would think I’d called them for more sex. I really liked him. He definitely made me feel like I was worth his time.

“Thanks for that. Shit happens. But at least you still want to see me.”

“That I do. So…what is this really about, Lila? I mean, I know shit happens, but I can tell you’re feeling sad.”

I immediately tensed. I was pretty shocked that he knew exactly what I was really thinking without even saying a damn thing. 

I opened my mouth and then closed it before rushing on, “Well, my family is pushing me to follow their footsteps. Yesterday, I was forced to go on this horrible date with a guy I don’t even like. My parents are making me do this because they want us to get together. I hated it. From the moment I said hello, he wouldn’t shut the fuck up about
his
life. I mean, seriously, I get that he’s rich and crap, but so is my family. That isn’t an excuse for being a fucking conceited asshole the entire time.” I was afraid to tell him about the whole Alec thing.

He smiled patiently. “I understand, Lila. I’ve been there before, trust me on this one.”

That surprised me. I asked, “What do you mean?”

“Well, when I was younger, my parents wanted me to go into the family business. I have a brother, and he’s the one who took over. They tried to set me up on some of these retarded blind dates, and I hated them with a passion. I just wanted to get out of there. I finally did. I became a rock star. I was happy about that for a while. Now, all of the women seemed to be fickle and stupid. That’s what I hate the most about my job. I could never find a real woman… until I met you.”

I felt so thrilled that he liked me. I almost giggled. I felt the same way about him and admitted. “I really didn’t want to date until I met you. But then I have to think about my father and what he’ll think when he finds out I’m no mood to date a guy like Alec. He’s not my type either. I’m a girl who likes a friendly guy who has personality. He’s got the personality of a rock.”

“I think you just insulted the rocks.”

I laughed and he joined me. He was so sweet. I was giddy around him. He really seemed to understand the crap that I was going through. He seemed to want to be there for
me
instead of a family tie or money. He grasped my hand and squeezed it, causing me to blush.

“Don’t worry about it. Our parents always have very high expectations for us. They’ll never stop wanting us to do well. But sometimes you just have to live a little and throw caution to the wind. You’re a very beautiful girl and I’m not going to tell you how to live your life. But I do like you a whole lot. Even if people get mad at you, they won’t stay mad forever. They’re your family. If they’re going to hate you because you want to make life choices, you really don’t need them. You’re smart enough to make those decisions. You don’t need them bringing you down.”

I knew that he had a point. It made me happy in a way. Just by hearing these words, I felt relieved. I knew I wasn’t a failure. I just expected my parents to tell me as much when they discovered I didn’t want to date Alec. Sometimes, I needed to be reminded that I didn’t always have to listen to what my parents said. Even so, I was a bit worried about going out with Chase.

“That’s true. Thanks for listening to me,” I said.

“No problem,” he replied.

I smiled, and we continued to talk for a little bit. Talking to him about the bullshit our families put us through felt great. There was a connection, a shared recognition with him. After we finished, I realized I had five minutes until class. I was about to run off when Chase grabbed my arm. 

I nervously looked at him. “What’s up?”

“I want to give you a proper kiss,” he replied. 

Before I could respond, he placed his lips on mine and softly kissed me for a second. When he pulled away, he grinned. The butterflies nearly beat themselves to death. I felt so happy. 

Happy to have someone there who cared about me, I ran off to class. I knew my decision and was sure Chase was the one I wanted more than anything.

The rest of the day quickly went by. When I got home, I went back to studying. The next few days were pretty boring. I sat at home, studying and texting Chase. We did see each other a few times, but it was mainly to talk. It was pretty innocent. I found myself shocked at unexpected moments when I thought how different he was than I expected. 

As I was studying one day, my phone rang. I looked at the caller ID, and I saw that it was my Dad. I picked it up, wondering why he was calling me. Normally he saved calls for one day a week. We had talked to each other two days ago. Something was up.

“Hello?” I asked.

“Hey there, Sweetie. How was the date with Alec? I bet it was a ton of fun.” His excitement hung between us.

“It was alright, I guess,” I responded. I felt bad. I wanted to tell him it was the worst experience ever. I was sure that a garden snail had more personality than Alec. I couldn’t tell Dad that. I knew that if I did say something like that, things would go downhill.

“Ahh. Is there something you’re not telling me, Lila? I feel like there is something else going on,” he said.

I swallowed hard
. How did he find out?
I thought I was keeping everything a secret
. This is a disaster
. I needed to figure out what to do fast before things got even worse than they already were.

I tried to sound normal, but I was terrified about what he would think. I remembered what Chase said about them not supporting me. I was a grown woman and knew how to take care of myself. I wasn’t going to let some stupid family tradition stop me from having the life that I wanted.

“Well…I’m seeing a rock star named Chase. He’s a good friend of mine. He makes me happy. We’ve been dating for a few days now,” I admitted.

Silence stretched through the line. I knew that my dad was pissed. Dread sank like a ball in my stomach. I hated thinking that he was going to skin me alive. I wasn’t ready for what was to happen next.

I heard his angry rumbling sigh and immediately grew nervous.
Oh…he’s mad.
 

After a moment, he responded. “Why don’t you like Alec? Why can’t you go with a professional man instead of some uncouth rock star? Didn’t we raise you better than this?”

“Well, Dad, he’s a great guy. And he’s a professional at what he does. And I like him. If you don’t understand that, then you don’t really care about
me
.”

“I can see why you would fall for a playboy, Lila, but you’re better than that. You don’t need a man who sees you as a flavor of the week. He’ll change ice-cream shops next week. You need a real man and Alec would be perfect for you. You two are on the same pathway, and you would work well together. I already know he has kissed you too. His father told me.”

My ears started burning. I didn’t like my father romanticizing Alec like that. He didn’t know the boring, creepy guy who wanted nothing more than to make me his trophy wife.

“Well, that’s not what I want, Dad. The date was boring as hell and he wouldn’t shut the hell up about himself. He never asked a damn thing about me. I was sick by the end of it. I don’t know if you’ve ever gone on a shitty date like that, Dad, but it sucks.” I hated going off on him, but he needed to hear the truth. There was no way in hell I would ever marry a creep or even think about dating a guy like that. 

“You shouldn’t go against my wishes.”

“
Whatever
,” I replied with more than a bit of attitude. 

There was silence before he cut the line, hanging up on me. I knew that I pissed him off royally. In a way, I was happy about it. I’d finally stood up for myself for the first time in…forever. I just wanted to be
me
. For the first time in years, I’d made my own decision. I had never been able to make my own life choices.

The last time I even ventured there, I got wasted at a party. Of course, that didn’t sit well with my Dad. I didn’t give a damn. I wanted to do what I want. This was the best way to do that. I liked Chase a lot. Despite my father’s ill wishes, I was going to stay with Chase for however long I wanted.

Fuck him.

I was done with trying to make everyone happy and cater to everyone’s damn wishes. I wasn’t a fucking waitress or some princess that didn’t have a say. I was a grown woman— 21 years old. If I wanted to live my life a certain way, I was damn well going to. 

And nothing was going to stop me. 

Lila

Graduation had arrived. I was excited to say the least. I was finally done with my undergrad degree. I knew my family was happy. I also told my family I was still deciding on law school. My father kept pushing me to go to Harvard like Alec. There was no way in hell I was doing that.

After the ceremony, my parents greeted me and told me that I was doing great. Chase was lurking in the corner. When our gazes met, my heart immediately fluttered. I looked at my family. They were busy talking to Alec’s family and praising him. It sickened me. What could I do? I had to get away from them.

Without even saying where I was going, I dashed off to meet up with Chase. He pulled me into a hug. I smiled and nuzzled into him. He felt amazing in my arms. It was such a different feeling than what I’d felt with anyone else. I wanted to talk about something. I knew that I had to do it now rather than later. It was very important. 

I’d thought about my life and decided that I wanted to go out on the road with Chase. I had told my parents I
might be
starting law school. I also said that I might have
other plans
. I’m pretty sure they were annoyed by that and wanted to know more. They knew immediately what those other plans were. They hated Chase for that, but I didn’t give a damn. 

It wasn’t like I would never finish law school; I just wanted a break. Besides, I’d done what they wanted up until now. They should be able to understand my personal desires. After all, I was an adult.