After walking up the stairs, she threw off all of her clothes, and burrowed under the mound of covers on her bed. Her mind was all over the charts, and she didn't know which thing to think about first. Should she be thinking about her boyfriend leaving her or the fact that another man had kissed her…even if it was just on the cheek? It hadn't been sensual, seductive or even lustful at all. It had been friendly. Nothing more and nothing less. Adam was Chyna's boyfriend, and he was just helping her out when she was down.
And she didn't feel guilty.
She had no reason to feel guilty. She had been in situations like that before and always given in. At least this time she had turned away from him. Even if it had been solely friendly, she had kept it at chaste as possible.
Adam wasn't Jack. She didn't have feelings for him. She didn't desire him. She certainly didn't get lost in him. Things were different. She would never be that person again.
He had just been helping her when her boyfriend had deserted her. Speaking of her boyfriend, she wondered where he was at that moment. Had he found an airplane that would take him home or had he bribed someone again to use their plane or take their seat. She wasn't sure what to make of him. He had been unduly cruel. This was a side of him that she had never witnessed.
Yes, he had been under a severe amount of stress and strain regarding the club, but it certainly hadn't been her fault. As much as she wanted to be angry at him, she couldn't bring herself to it. He had left her there all alone, but at least he had a reason. He hadn't just jumped ship. He did still want to be with her, and aside from his lapse in judgment and hiding the fact that he owned strip clubs, she hadn't found anything wrong with him.
They worked well together. She wasn't going to risk their entire relationship on one screw up on his part. She would wait to hear back from him and they could go from there. With those thoughts still filling her mind, she finally drifted off to sleep.
Hours later Lexi was awoken by a vibration emanating from her phone. She reached over to her night stand to silence the sound and plopped her head back down on the pillow. A second later the noise began again. Rubbing her tired eyes, Lexi reached forward once more and retrieved the cell phone. The bright light that flashed when she hit a button made her immediately close her eyes again to shield herself. Then as they adjusted to the screen, she realized she had two text messages.
Clicking on the first message it read, "Everything is fine here. You were right."
A smile crept onto her face. She loved those words. They were some of the best words in the English language. She knew she had been right. All along he had just been freaking out for no reason. In all likelihood, everything had settled down by the time he had arrived back in Hartsfield.
Remembering that there was one more message, she pressed the next button which said, "Sorry I screwed up. I'll make it up to you. Give you that New Year's kiss for real. Forgive me?"
Lexi yawned dramatically at the early hour before typing out a response. "Yes, what's the plan?" she asked before falling back into an easy slumber.
* * *
Thanks for all my reviewers: Cupid's Psyche (everyone should go check out her new sequel Effortless), helena33139, RandomBoringStuff, Spunkyorange, Chelsea, Karennn, musicalfishieXD, hayleytibbs, WyldeLoneStar, Kelly Rogala, ssolomon09, jennalizing, and Frozen . by . Sloth.
K.A. Linde
Weeping Willow
I hope the ring you gave to her
Turns her finger green
I hope when you're in bed with her
You think of me
- Kelly Clarkson "Never Again"
* * *
Chapter 11: Present
The next morning Lexi awoke to the sun beaming in through her windows. She smiled at the interruption of her slumber. Not that she exactly wanted to be awake just yet, but the weather had been so awful in New York the last month, it was intoxicating seeing the sun. She slowly crawled out of the bed she had slept in…alone, and peered out the window. The view was nothing especially spectacular since they were in the middle of the city, but it was still green. That was another thing that Lexi had been missing a lot of since being in New York, to get to greenery she had to go Central Park.
She crawled out of bed, threw on a pair of sleep shorts and a loose tank top, and mechanically stumbled down the stairs. Walking to the coffee maker in the kitchen, Lexi fiddled with the device until it started dripping out what she was craving. She stared at the machine hoping it would finish quicker, but knowing that if she watched it that it would take longer. She pulled two mugs from the cabinet just as the machine finished and poured the steaming brew to the top of each mug.
"This is the best part about you being back in the house," Ramsey murmured as he staggered bleary-eyed into the kitchen.
Lexi flushed and turned back to the coffee maker. She couldn't acknowledge that kind of comment yet between them. "Here," she said handing him his favorite mug.
"Thanks," he moaned chugging the steaming contents as if it were his life force.
Lexi giggled a little as he sputtered from the heat of the beverage. "Why do you drink it like that every time? You don't even like black coffee."
"If you can drink it that way, I can," he said between sips.
"I'm used to it. I've been drinking it like that for years."
"So give me years," he said wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her against his body.
"Uh…um," she stammered having no reply to that statement.
"Calm down. I'm just playing with you," he said nuzzling her neck as if everything were back to normal. It was a nice feeling. She missed this kind of thing. But she couldn't get caught up in it…not yet.
"I'm calm," she said pulling away from him and taking a sip of the coffee. She was thankful for the distraction.
His smile didn't falter though. He just proceeded to guzzle the remaining contents in his mug and pour himself a refill. "So are you ready for today?" he asked eyeing her carefully.
"Yeah…" she said slowly. "We're going to your…parent's house right?"
Lexi had never been to Ramsey's house. It had been a continual source of contention. She hadn't wanted to go because of the off chance that she might run into Bekah or Jack. And she wasn't certain that he had ever wanted to bring her home. His reputation preceded him especially with his parents. The first time she had been in the same room with them, his father had brought up Ramsey's past discretions.