I face towards Jake, and say "This is getting depressing. Let's go do something less... morbid."

"Let's, and I know the perfect thing to do." Jake says before walking back down stairs. Leaving me at the roof.

I am I supppsed to follow him or...

"You coming?" Jake calls popping his head out so I can see his face

I guess I am

"Sure." I say before following him down the stairs.

I walk downstairs to see Jake raiding the fridge, and then his pantry. "I could have sworn we just ate." I state.

"I know we did, smart ass, this is a little snack." Jake says before turning around and holding up kit kats and a pre made bag of popcorn.

"Señor Russo, would you like me to make you something?" A new petite voice says. I turn towards the voice to see a old woman, she looks like a classic grandma, short, and looks warm and friendly.

"For the last time it is just Jake," He explains while waving her off, "And no thank you, you have done enough already. The house looks fantastic."

"Just doing my job." She smiles a kind of grandmother smile.

"Oh how rude of me, Ava this is my personal maid, Dai this is my friend Ava." Jake introduces us. I smile and put my hand out to shake, but am surprised when she chuckles, smacks my hand away, and squeezes me in what can only be known as a bear hug.

"Oh, a hugger." I smile while returning the hug.

"Why of course dear. Jake won't stop talking about you 'Oh she is just so wonderful, she is like a doll, her eyes-'" Ms. Rodriguez rambles on, and I can't help but laugh.

"I think she gets it Dai." Jake shushes her while grapping my hand and leading me to what I think is his room.

"Well I don't want to leave just yet," I grab my hand back and turn back to Ms. Rodriguez, "So a doll huh?"

"Alright that's enough, let's go." He grabs a hold of my wrist again

"No, come on, I was kidding," I get my wrist back again, I sit down as I ask her another question, "What was Jake like growing up?"

"Oh mi chico was muy perfecto, uh you should have seen him as a child he was the fatest little kid, but his brother would get him into sports. He is a great soccer player. If his parents won't teach him his Mexican background then I will. I taught him how to make papusas, tamales, quisadilla, tortillas, and a whole bunch of stuff." I smile at the thought of Jake helping out Ms. Rodriguez for a home-made meal.

"What about you dear, what where you like as a child?" She asks.

"Well before my family, uh broke apart, my mom would teach me how to dance very young. We would dance in the kitchen, the living room, and in my room. She taught me basic desserts, and actually taught me spanish 1st, and then English." I explain

"Oh, you speak Spanish?" Ms. Rodriguez asks in Spanish.

"Yes, but I am having difficulty with the writing so I am taking rosetta stone, yeah it helps a lot." I reply in Spanish as well.

"No, no, no one is speaking spanish." Jake intervenes at last.

"So I take it you don't know Spanish?" I question him.

"No I don't." Jake huffs out a reply.

"Aww it's okay, you'll get there." I say as a pat his head.

"Dear, what do you mean before when you said your family broke apart." Ms. Rodriguez asks all sweet like.

"Well," I shoot Jake a pleading for help kind of look, "You see -"

"Well would you look at that, we should go upstairs now." Jake intervenes.

He intertwines are hands together and tugs me closer to him. Using my free hand I wave goodbye.

"Bye Ms. Rodriguez." I say as I walk with Jake to his bed room.

"Oh, please, darling, call me Daisy." She waves back with a smile.

***

We enter his room and examine it. It isn't messy but I assume that was Daisy's work.

The first thing you see is a huge window with a window seat. To the left is a built in bookcase, and the wall next to it is a door. A little after the door is a desk, with all his school books. To the right of the window is a king sized bed. A little after the foot of the bed is another door. Then after the door their is a couch with a TV in front of it.

I jump onto his bed and kick off my shoes.

"You sure made yourself at home." Jake says while smiling. I just shrug my head in response. "Well I must say this is a very comfortable bed." I feel my way around his plush comforter. He then sits down and also takes off his shoes.

"Oh belive me it is," He states while lying down, "You know you are the first girl I have ever brought up here."

I lie down before I respond to his statment. "Really? What about Daisy, or your sister, or your mom?"

"Well Daisy, of course, my sister is in Uni, and my mother has never been here before." He states while looking at me.

"Well then I feel a hell a lot comfortable knowing no sexual interactions were taken on this bed."

"Well we could always change that..." He leans closer, his hot breath fanning againist my collar bone. He moves his head so his lips, are brushing dangerously close to my mouth.

"You can, I will do no such thing." I say before sitting up,

"Hey uh, thanks for before, with the whole parent type thing." I whisper as I look down at my hands.

"Hey, I know how hard it was for you to tell me. And you just met her, and if you stick around long enough, you can tell her yourself." Jake explains, as he sits by me.

"I know, but still." I get up from his bed, and walk towards his stereo. Before I play the music, I turn around and ask, "So, a doll huh?"

"Oh shut up, but I happen to think that you can easily be compared to a doll, so perfect yet can be so scary. I mean have you seen Chucky?" I can't help but laugh. "But I am not going to lie, you can look better."

I am just about to punch him, when he leaves the room. Leaving me utterly confused.

So he calls me a doll, then chucky, and now I can look better. Sounds like a real gentleman

He comes back into the room, with a package. I am just about to ask him when he grabs me and slings me over his shoulder.

"HEY, WOAH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" I ask/ demand as I pound on his back.

"You'll see in a minute." Is all I get back as a response.

He sets me down in a new room, and a cool smooth surface. It takes me a few moments to realize that we are in the bath room.

He gently cups my face and smiles. He leans in ever so slightly and lightly kisses my forehead.

He opens the package, and pulls out a wet towelette, and rubs it against my face.

"My make-up-" I begin as I put my hand over his.

"Isn't important." He finishs for me and looks me in the eyes.

I don't stop as he continues, rubbing even gentler on my eye lids. And lingers a bit on my lips.

"Almost done," He states while my eyes flutter open, adjusting to the sudden brightness.

He fixes his gaze on my hair now. "I'll be right back, don't look behind you just yet." And then he leaves again.

He arrives back a few moments later with a brown paper bag.

He gets a plastic bag out of it, then grabs my bandana, and puts it in the bag.

He glides his hand through my hair until he reaches my pony tail, and softly unties it. Then puts the rubber bands into the bag as well.

He produces a plain black hair brush, and begins to brush my hair. I would be lying if I said this wasn't relaxing.

He is very gentle and focused on not hurting me. Once done he puts all my hair in his hand, on my right side. And starts to braid it. He then grabs a small elastic rubber band and ties it off.

"Change into these pants, your shirt looks pretty comfy." He pulls out a pair of red flannel pants. I grab them wordlessly and change.

Once done I walk out to see Jake on the counter where I was once sitting.

"This is how you could look better." He jumps down, grabs my hand, and leads me to the mirror into front of the sink.

He moves behind me, his chin in the crook of my neck, his chest against my back, and his arms around my waist.

I look at my self to see a make- up free Ava. My hair is how it normally is.

"I don't get it." I state in confusion.

"Ok, well you have this gift, as do all woman and girls, where you are naturally beautiful. You don't need the make up or the hair fixed. I like the Ava with no make-up with the comfortable clothes. This is a doll to me, so flawless."

He explains, never once leaving my eyes. Once he is done with his speech, he kisses my neck, light enough to know it's there, but heavy enough to leave me wanting more.

"And you said you didn't have a way with words." I say smiling.

"I only do when it is something I am passionate about." He says with a corner of his lip curved.

***

"Let's see what type of music you got going on around here." I grab his Ipod and just hit play. Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony blasts through his stereos filling his room with people singing the words.

"Ohhh I love this song." I move my hips with the rhythm, and clap along like the inner dance geek I am. I sing along proudly.

I turn around and face Jake to find he is already standing up.

"Daisy showed me how to dance to Mexican music, something along the lines of it being important someday." He shrugs.

"And that day is today," I restart the song, and then walk Jake to an opening where we could dance, "Dance with me."

"Well I can't resist that, now can I?"

I let the music fill my ears as my body goes into dance mode. But this time with someone I trust.

We dance along together, the entire time he has this real smile. Like this means so much more to him than he is willing to admit. I know because I feel the same way.

Most the time I think that this guy can dance. He has strangely perfect rhythm.

He twirls me when it is appropriate, and we are just laughing having a good time.

Silence fills the room signaling that the song had ended. We are panting, and are chest to chest, me looking up at him while smiling, and him looking down at me with that goofy smile.

"Oh My Goodness that was beautiful!," we break apart to see a smiling Daisy walk in and cup Jake's face, "Oh mi niño! See important day has arrived."

Jake grabs ahold of her wrists and lightly detachs them from his face.

"Dai..." Jake shushes her.

"And You," She points at me, then gives me another hug, I laugh before I return, "You are making mi niño happy again, Thank you. You are saving him."

I let go of her after I whisper "No, he is saving me."

She pulls back, and beams at me with happiness.

"You changed?" She noticed my new outfit.

"I was just showing her the doll side of her beauty." Jake answers.

***

I walk back into the room with Alex on my trail. I see Ava on the window bench, gazing outside.

"Look who decided to stop by." I say as I move out of the way to show Alex.

"Well I couldn't imagine not dropping by and seeing my favorite couple." Alex says with pure enthusiasm.

"Ha ha very funny but as you see no couple, or date type of activities going on here." Ava says walking off the bench and onto the bed.

"I'll say you are not wearing any make up. Usually girls wear cake fulls of it." Alex says, "but however, if he brought you here I assumed he told you about James, and -"

"I'm sorry who is James?" Ava acts innocent. But it works for Alex, because he's, well Alex.

He looks at me in panick, and I decide to have some fun. I shoot him a glare, "I didn't tell her any such thing but thanks for that."

"Oh, hah you see-" Then he's gone. I hear laughter and look up at Ava.

"Wow, at what part will he come back?" Ava asks.

"I don't really know." I answer, "He is a different kind of child."

"I'll say." Ava mutters.

"What should we do know?" I ask sitting down next to her.

"I don't really know. OH WAIT I LIED!" Ava shoots up and grabs the remote.

I sit up and lean against the head board, and get comfortable.

"All-time favorite show hands down." Ava says sitting back down next to me.

"Friends?" I ask.

"Shush!" Ava turns up the volume.

She some ends up in between my legs with her back against my chest, and the pop corn in her lap.

And we just sit back and relax as we watch TV.

***