AN: Hey y'all. I hope everyone had great holiday with family and friends. I know I did. As always, thanks for the reviews/comments. Much appreciated. I'm happy to know that everyone is enjoying the story so far. Here's more for you. Enjoy!

Also, a few of you are getting restless about the story "living up to its rating". I won't make you wait too much longer. I promise!

Chapter 21: Tell Me What You Want

Rae went to school the next morning on cloud nine. She couldn't stop smiling. She walked to study hall and sat down taking out her AP Calculus homework. She hadn't gotten home from her date with Olivia until almost eleven so she only did the homework that wouldn't take too long before going to bed. Ashley noticed her friends unusually happy demeanor. She leaned over and whispered in her ear trying not to draw attention from the teacher.

"What are you smiling about?" Rae looked at Ashley and tried to get rid of the smile but it wouldn't go away. She didn't want to get in trouble for talking so she ripped out a piece of loose leaf and wrote down her response.

That "friend" I told you about...not just friends anymore. She finally said she's ready to be in a relationship with me so we're official now. We went on a date last night.

What's her name?

Ashley wrote back. She was a little disappointed that Rae and this mystery girl were officially together. Yeah, she had Scott, who's a great a guy, but he was no Araeyah. Nobody was. She was hoping that with time she and Rae would be able to get back together. But Rae looked really happy and she didn't want to get in the way of that.

Olivia. She's so great. She's beautiful and smart and sweet and funny. We just talk and laugh nonstop when we're together. It just feels right.

Ashley gave her a thumbs up and they sat quietly and waited for the period to be over. As soon as the bell rang Ashley started talking. "So Halloween is next week and I've already talked to some people. There will definitely be parties in our neighborhood. You're still going with me right? You won't flake on me for your new girlfriend?" Ashley said as they walked to Rae's locker. "No, I'm not gonna flake on you. I'm going."

"Good." Ashley saw Maureen approaching and she rolled her eyes. "Ugh. What does she want?" Rae turned and saw who Ashley was talking about. She quickly turned back to her, "Don't say anything to her about me and Olivia, ok?" The last thing Rae wanted was to hear Maureen's disapproval of them being together. "Why would I ever tell her?" Rae rolled her eyes and shook her head. She was annoyed by how Ashley and Maureen treated each other but at least she didn't have to worry about her telling Maureen. She turned back around just as Maureen reached them. "Hey. What's up?" she said. "Nothing. Ashley and I were just talking about what we're doing for Halloween. We're gonna go to some parties. You wanna come with?" Ashley scoffed and glared at Rae for inviting her but she quit when Rae jabbed her with an elbow. "On a school night?" Maureen asked. Halloween fell in the middle of the week so the chances of Maureen being allowed to go out were slim. "Yeah Rae. If her parents let her go, and that's a big if, she'll definitely have a curfew and then we'll have to leave and drive her home and..." Rae turned around and stopped Ashley in the middle of her rant. "Shut up Ash. We'll definitely be doing some trick or treating but the parties are on the Saturday after Halloween. You can stay with me again."

"I'll ask my parents." Maureen said ignoring Ashley's glare. "Great." The bell rang and the girls went their separate ways to class. The day went by quickly and Rae headed home. Maureen and Ashley were still avoiding hanging out together so Rae said she would just go home by herself. She almost threatened not to hang out with either of them until they worked out their issues with other. It would mean she could spend more time with Liv without having to answer too many questions. She decided against that though. She had told Maureen and now Ashley that she wouldn't disappear on them just because she was dating someone and she'd meant it. She just hated that she couldn't spend time with both of her best friends at the same time. Their act was getting really old. Her mom called her around five and asked if she wanted to go to dinner and a movie. Of course she said yes. Rae loved spending time with her mother just the two of them. Their relationship had come a long way since its decline after her father died. It took some time but they were finally back on track.

The rest of the week went by quickly. Rae and Olivia talked on the phone every night. Even if Liv was working, she'd call and they'd talk for as long as they could before she had to get back to work. Olivia had come to Rae's twice that week to spend time with her. They talked about everything and nothing. They really went well together. They had agreed to keep their relationship private for now; at least until she graduated high school. She'd agreed without hesitation. She didn't want their relationship to cause Olivia any problems at work. She knew how much she loved her job and she didn't want it to come down to Olivia having to choose. If that happened she told herself she'd walk away. She didn't want Liv giving up what she loved to do, what she was born to do, to be with her.

It was a Friday night and Rae was at home. She went out with Ashley and Maureen after school but that ended disastrously. Ashley and Maureen of course ended up in a huge fight. Rae had enough and took them both home. It was now seven thirty and she was sitting on her couch doing homework. Even though it was the last weekend of the month, she figured since she didn't have anything else to do she might as well get her homework done. Plus Halloween was next week so if she gave up her time now she could pay herself back by doing what she wanted next Saturday. She was just finishing her the last of her homework when her phone rang.

"Hey", she said answering the phone. "Hey there beautiful. What are you doing?"

"I'm sitting on my couch. What are you doing?" Rae hoped Olivia was calling to ask her to go out. With her homework done, she was free for the rest of the weekend. "I'm leaving work. I was calling to see if you had any plans." Olivia said hoping Rae would be free. "Well isn't that a coincidence. I was hoping you would ask me that. It just so happens that I am free and clear...all weekend." she said smiling. "Great. I'm on my way to pick you up. I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Ok. Great." Rae hung up the phone and got off the couch. She was already wearing black jeans and a blue sweater. She went in her room and put back on her blue winter boots. She ran a brush through her hair trying to straighten out some of the curls but it didn't do much. She decided to leave on her glasses and forgo any make up. She grabbed her jacket, put her phone, wallet and keys in her pocket and headed out the door. When Olivia pulled up Rae was waiting outside for her. She hopped in the car with a big smile on her face. "Hi" she said as she put on her seat belt. Olivia didn't say anything. She just stared at her. "What?"

"Nothing. You look beautiful" Olivia said. She was always taken back by how stunning Rae looked; even in the simplest of clothes with no makeup on. "Olivia, I'm just wearing jeans and a sweater." Rae said. She couldn't imagine what was so beautiful about her in that moment. "Yeah, and you look beautiful."

"Ok. Stop." Rae said trying to keep her smile. "Why? It's true. You do look beautiful."

"Ok but you don't have to say that all the time. I know you think I'm beautiful." Sometimes Rae was insecure about how much Olivia complemented her. She knew she was pretty but for some reason she didn't like it when people pointed it out. "Well, I just don't ever want you to forget it."

"I won't. Ok? Can we go now?" Rae turned and looked out the window. Olivia didn't understand why Rae was so upset. She just let it go and pulled out into traffic. They went to an ice cream shop and got one big bowl to share. Olivia insisted on paying again which just made Rae even more upset. She still hadn't told Olivia about her money and she was thinking that maybe it was time she did. They were sitting in a booth and the tension was thick between them. Olivia couldn't stand it anymore.

"What's wrong? Why are you so upset?" she asked genuinely concerned. "I'm not upset" Rae said scooping a spoon full of ice cream and eating it. "You are. You're sulking." Olivia was getting frustrated. She just wanted Rae to tell her what was wrong. "I'm not sulking", Rae snapped. She immediately regretted her tone. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you."

"Ok. Talk to me. Tell me what's wrong." Olivia waited for Rae to respond. "What do you want from me, Olivia?" The question caught her off guard. "Uh...I don't...I...What do you mean?"

"I mean...you keep telling me that I'm beautiful. Why?"

"Because you are. Do you not think so?" Olivia wasn't sure where Rae was going with this.

"No...I mean yes, I do. I just...You rememeber that I told you about everything I used to do to help Charles when my mom was working? All the entertaining and benefits? Olivia nodded her head yes. "Well it was mostly men who would strategically separate from their wives at one point or another during the party so that they could talk to me. They would small talk about what a good hostess I was and how Charles was lucky to have such a helpful daughter. And then they would say how beautiful I looked. That was how I knew what they'd really come to talk to me for. They were all the same." Olivia got angry at the idea of Rae's stepfather using her to win over clients. Her blood boiled as she imagined Rae trying to ward off men treating her like a prize they could win over with cheap flattery. "Nobody ever tells me I'm beautiful just because it's true. They always want something. So tell me what you want?"

Olivia reached across the table and took Rae's hand. "I want you. I want to talk to you, and laugh with you, and hold your hand. I want to know you; who you are and where you come from. I want to know everything you're about. I want to know what your hopes and dreams are and then I want to help you make them come true." Rae avoided looking Olivia in the eyes as she talked. She didn't want to get too emotional. She hated emotional. Olivia noticed she was avoiding eye contact and she squeezed her hand. "Look at me." she said waiting for Rae to meet her eyes. "Rae. Look at me." She finally looked up. "I'll never hurt you. Ok?"

"I want to tell you something", Rae said not even bothering to answer Olivia. She instantly became nervous thinking of the possibilities of what Rae had to say. "Ok. What is it?"

"You don't have to always pay for things. I can pay for things. I can pay for everything...anywhere we go." Olivia let go of the worried breath she was holding. "Rae, you don't have to do that. I know you're not working and you shouldn't. You should focus on school and..." Rae shook her head. She was gonna have to be straightforward about this. "Olivia, I'm rich", she said cutting her off mid sentence. "I have a lot of money so...you don't always have to pay for things. You don't ever have to pay if you don't want to." Olivia was caught off guard once again. She wasn't expecting for Rae to say anything remotely close to that. "What do you mean you're rich?"

"My father was a musician. He wrote music. When he died I inherited all of his royalties." Rae waited for Olivia to say something. "Oh, ok", she said like it was no big deal. "Ok? That's it? That's all you have to say?"

"Rae, I don't care about that. I'm here for you. Only you." Rae smiled and shook her head up and down telling Olivia she understood. The tension between them relieved they talked more and finished their ice cream. They left the ice cream shop around ten thirty and headed back to Rae's apartment. Olivia pulled in front of her building and put the car in park. Rae took off her seatbelt and turned to face Olivia. They had yet to have their first kiss and Rae was hoping that tonight would be the night that it would happen. She waited to see if Olivia would make the first move. After a moment of waiting she realized she'd have to take the initiative. She leaned over the center console and closed the space between them. Just as she was about to meet her lips, Olivia turned her head.

"Uh, Rae. I..." Olivia paused trying to find the words to say. Rae leaned back into her seat. She couldn't believe Olivia didn't want to kiss her. "Good night Olivia", she said as she opened her door to get out of the car. "Rae, wait!" Olivia yelled after her but she ignored her, slamming the car door and going inside her building.