Avoiding Commitment (Avoiding 1)

"Obviously you were going to Clark's room," Sandy said making the most girly giggle Lexi had ever heard.

"Oh." Lexi breathed out a sigh of relief. Of course that was where this girl would think she had been. Most sane women would have gone to see their boyfriend in the middle of the night while they were on vacation. That would have been the logical thing to do. She scolded herself.

"Don't worry," Sandy said conspiratorially, "I won't let anyone know that you guys were up all night."

Oh God, Lexi didn't know it was possible to feel this bad. This little innocent girl was being so kind to her, and reminding her that she had a loving boyfriend only a floor above her. Lexi bit her lip to the point of pain and then began to push her hair behind her ear. She did not want to cry right now. But Clark was so damn smart. He would know. He would see Jack all over her. He'd be able to piece everything together and realize what had really gone on last night. She stared wide-eyed at Sandy in terror. This was going to be one long vacation.

"But when I saw you were gone, I snuck upstairs to the master bedroom." So maybe she wasn't all that innocent. Lexi nodded along anyway. Really, she should have figured as much. The two had been all over each other since they had arrived. "Well Seth was very persuasive, and I…well…I stayed most of the night. I didn't sleep much though," Sandy said feeling as if she were confiding in a friend. "I know you and Clark are together, but have you and Seth ever?"

Lexi quickly shook her head no. There was no way in hell. Seth was such a pig. Her terror temporarily subsided she answered. "No. No. No. No. No."

"Oh well, you should maybe give it a try. He's…wow…amazing."

Lexi had never been a take-a-guy-out-for-a-spin type of girl. Actually, that kind of made her nauseous. "Yeah I don't think so."

"More for me then," she said contentedly. "He just made me swear not to tell anyone. It's our little secret. So if you could just keep it between us that would be great."

Lexi smiled at the girl. Not innocent…no, but naïve. Obviously Seth wouldn't want Sandy to tell everyone that they were sleeping together. That way he could sleep with the other two girls he had brought with them without any of them knowing about it. How did Sandy not see that? Lexi didn't really care to find out. As long as they were both under the impression that they were keeping each other's secrets that would work out just fine for her.

She was exhausted, but still she was unable to let sleep take over her long enough to really help her out any. Tumbling noises from upstairs informed her that the guys had woken up. From that point on, it was going to be impossible to sleep. Lexi grabbed her Vera Bradley toiletry bag and hobbled into the empty bathroom. She gasped when she saw her reflection in the mirror. No wonder Sandy had thought she had been up all night doing the nasty. She was a wreck.

Her hair was tangled and windblown from a night on the beach. Her cheeks were plump and rosy; her lips cracked and chapping. Two large circles had formed under her bloodshot eyes from sleep deprivation. Luckily, Sandy hadn't noticed the sand covering her body or else she might have asked more questions. Despite physical exhaustion and renewed fear that Clark would notice a difference in her, she was ready to start the day. She was ready to see Jack again.

After a shower, Lexi figured she at least looked presentable, and was ready for some breakfast. As she exited the room and began to climb the stairs to search for something to eat, the smell hit her. Pancakes.

She turned the corner and found Clark already in the middle of whipping up a fresh batch. Smiling brightly as she entered the room, she walked up to him and grasped him around the middle.

"Well good morning to you too," he said leaning down and giving her a kiss. "You look fresh this morning."

She blushed. "Thank you, dear."

"Go have a seat, and I'll get you some pancakes. Orange juice, yes?"

"Uh...yeah. Sounds great," she said turning away from him. Her gaze rested on the breakfast bar that she hadn't noticed the first time around. When she recognized who was sitting there looking smug, her cheeks reddened further.

"Mornin'," Jack said tilting his head at her as a welcome. She watched as he poured an exorbitant amount of maple syrup on his pancakes.

"Good morning to you," she said cheerfully, taking the seat next to him and glancing back up at Clark. After pouring several pancakes onto the griddle, he turned around and was staring at her intently.

"Sleep well?" Jack asked between mouthfuls of the oozing goodness.

Lexi leaned back in the chair and prayed she didn't blush. "Sure," she said unable to keep a mischievous smile from creeping onto her face. "You?"

"Nah. Slept like shit. That couch is full of lumps. Feels more like sand," he told her forcing down another bite, but still not looking up at her.

Clark looked between the two, and seemed genuinely pleased that they were having normal conversation. Every other time they were in a room together, Lexi was fleeing the premises or they were locked in a tight, spitfire conversation for several minutes then Jack would storm off. It wasn't pretty. He was happy that perhaps his discussion with Lexi yesterday had paid off. Maybe they were finally going to be able to just relax around each other.

"Man, that's because it probably is full of sand. Think about how many times people sit on that couch after coming in from the beach," Clark said shaking his head.

A brief knowing look passed between Jack and Lexi. She tried to hide her delight at Jack's playful comments. It felt nice being able to discuss their night together without anyone…even Clark really knowing what they were talking about. To anyone else, all the comments Jack just made would seem completely neutral. It was exhilarating.

"You're probably right," Jack agreed scraping the last remnants of his breakfast from his plate. "I probably should have thought about that before I let it keep me up all night."

Lexi accepted the plate of pancakes and orange juice from Clark, and tried not to look anymore impish than usual. Just as she began to dig into her plate, Kate walked in.

While they had been up all night, they had confided in each other about their relationships; the ups and downs about being with their significant others. At first, Lexi had found it strange to discuss these things with someone who had been feverishly kissing her only minutes before, but after they began their discussion, neither could seem to stop. It was refreshing to be able to speak with someone so openly about your relationship, knowing that they didn't mind…actually reveled in the bad qualities that were mentioned.