Avoiding Responsibility (Avoiding 2)

She knew Ramsey was a tall and really, really well built. Then again she also knew that deep down that bulk didn't characterize him. He was as a general rule very calm natured, at least around her. She wasn't sure how well Seth and Ramsey knew each other, but did Seth actually believe that Ramsey would hurt him? She had seen him become physically violent before, but never to someone that he knew. She had to admit though, he did look pretty frightening. When he wanted to look threatening, he certainly could. He had the height and mass to dissuade anyone from wanting to get in a fight with him.

His personality just never fit him being this kind of guy. She always found it strange when he played the tough guy. Even that night nearly a year ago when he had walked into Jack's apartment and threatened his life if he ever hurt Lexi or his sister, she had never thought of him as scary…as if he might actually follow through with it.

When he was with her, he always tried to be the most comforting person possible. He was cute, funny, and charming. He could string words together like a poet one minute and ramble like a nervous fool the next. She knew he wasn't this guy that he was putting on the act to be. Thus, it was too strange to see the fear reflected in Seth's eyes. Ramsey would never hurt him, right?

"Don't play games with me," Ramsey said releasing his shirt and pushing him backwards.

Seth ran his hands along the black button-up he was wearing to smooth out the wrinkles from Ramsey's aggressive behavior. "Chill out, geez."

"I'll chill out when I get a straight answer from you. You called me in a panic, made me leave everything I was doing." His eyes shot to Lexi's for a brief moment. "I want to know what is going on now, Seth."

"Wait what was that look?" he asked pointing between Lexi and Ramsey. A slow smile crept up onto his face and instantly turned into Seth's characteristic smirk. "Was something going on between you two? Is something going on between you two?"

Lexi's face instantly turned beet red. She couldn't help herself. She hadn't intended on going that far with Ramsey, not that it should matter to Seth one way or the other, but she still felt kind of silly. After all, they had been about to have sex when they were interrupted with Seth's stupid phone call. She could feel the warmth of her skin heating her face and her heart raced ahead before her at the thought of having sex with Ramsey. She knew her mind shouldn't wander there while she was standing before Seth, but she couldn't help it. And she was very thankful that the room was dark, and Seth couldn't tell how bad she was blushing. She would have certainly given herself away.

"Stop changing the subject," Ramsey said pointedly changing the subject.

"I'm not changing the subject," Seth interjected smoothly. "I just know that look. I know it so well that I could have picked it out anyway."

"What does it matter Seth?" Lexi squeaked out.

"It's just I can tell that's what has been going on. You guys were together all night when you were supposed to be here with the guys right?"

"Seth it doesn't matter, God," Lexi muttered shoving a piece of hair behind her ear. She didn't know what Seth was getting at and it was really annoying to have him badger them about their relationship. She didn't want to have this conversation at all let alone with a drunken Seth. He was one of the most vulgar people she knew, and if he got talking about sex, if he thought for one moment that they had been about to have sex, the conversation would be endless.

"Oh, but it does matter," he said contrarily.

"It really doesn't matter," Ramsey agreed with Lexi. "Just tell me what happened here," he said exasperated and ready to get the hell out of the strip club.

"But don't you know?" Seth asked his eyes shifting to Lexi's. He winked at her causing her blush to deepen.

She really had no idea what he was getting at now. What didn't Ramsey know that Seth thought he could tell him? He had to know that they had been together. He was, after all, Jack's best friend. He was the person he had been friends with the longest. And if she had to guess, he was probably the best man at his wedding. Jack had been his best man. They had a bond unlike any other. And if Jack knew that she had been with Ramsey, then Seth did too. Which brought her back to having no clue where Seth was going with all this.

"Know what? I don't have time for these games," Ramsey growled.

"She's Jack girl."

Lexi's mouth dropped open in shock at his words. Her ears were ringing and all else was blocked out. It was as if the strip club had instantly gone silent. The pain of those words shot through her like a knife through her heart. The nonchalance of the statement hit her to the core. She didn't even have words. She couldn't even correct him. She was just utterly shocked by the easy way he threw around those words.

She had worked a year to get him out of her life as much as she possibly could. He always had a place in her heart since she had loved him so obsessively for such a long time, but she had been able to extract herself from him to an extent. But Seth's easy placement of her belonging to Jack catapulted her to a different place in her life. And she had to forcefully remind herself to be angry that he had placed her with Jack. After all it was pretty f**ked up that he would say that at all about someone who was about to be married. Let alone say those kind of things to the man she had been dating who happened to also be Jack's future brother-in-law.

As the proper emotion filtered into her system, anger bubbled up from the pit of her stomach. She wanted to smack him across the face for ever uttering something that had always been such a complete and total lie. She wasn't Jack's girl. She had never been Jack's girl. Jack only cared about himself. He was happy to leave her behind while he married someone else.

"Jack is marrying my sister," Ramsey stated each word carefully. Lexi saw the same raw anger that she was certain reflected in her eyes in Ramsey's own demeanor. "Perhaps you should think about that before you speak again."

Seth's easy smile was something Lexi was extremely accustomed too. He was in his element. For some reason, even drunk, he was having fun with this. "He might be marrying her, but it's not like he's going to get rid of Lexi. I mean have you seen her?" he asked gesturing towards Lexi who was still in her sexy red dress from their night out. His eyes crawled her body hungrily, the alcohol getting rid of the last bit of inhibition that he had. Not that he had had much to begin with. "She's fire hot! And anyway, they've been together forever."