Avoiding Decisions (Avoiding 1.5)

“Yeah, he lives in my dorm.”

So, she was a freshman. He wouldn’t have guessed that. Something about her confidence and the sexuality she exuded had made him think that she was his age or older, not that he minded the age difference in the slightest.

“Nice. Those guys over there.” Jack pointed at the bar where his roommates were sitting. “They lived on my hall last year in the dorms. Which one are you in?”

“Um...Russell.”

“That’s where we were. Fifth floor east. You?”

“Five north,” she told him.

Fuck. If she were a year older, they would have lived on the same floor together.

“Small world.”

“Yeah, it is,” she said, tucking another lock of hair behind her ear. “How exactly did you hear about the band? I mean, if you don’t really listen to the music.”

Jack reached into his back pocket and pulled out the folded piece of paper. “I believe a friend of yours gave this to me.” He pointed the girl out in the crowd.

Her eyes were brimming with happiness as she became all giggly. “Well, yeah, that’s Olivia for you,” she said, shrugging. “Oh, I’m Lexi, by the way.” She extended her hand to him.

“Lexi...hmm...I like that,” he said, taking her outstretched hand firmly in his. “Jack. It’s nice to meet you.”

Jack let the silence stretch between them as all hope of conversation died with the increasing volume of the hip-hop beats. When the duo’s set ended, everyone started to leave the venue. Lexi filed out of the room with the rest of her friends, and he followed. He caught Seth’s eye and nodded his head toward the door.

They made it outside and past the townie that had stamped his hand. As Lexi’s friends all turned and started walking to the backstage door, she stood with Jack off to the side and waited. His friends stood on the sidewalk a short distance away.

Now, he had to figure out what the f**k he was going to do. The show was over. He knew her name. Wasn’t that all he had come for?

Her friend, Olivia, exited last. She was swaying on her feet, humming loudly to herself. “Hey, sweetie.” She kissed Lexi on the cheek, and without another word, she stumbled along after the rest of the group.

“I guess she’s a bit drunk,” Lexi said to him.

“A bit?” he questioned with a smirk. “Hold on one second.” Jack walked over to his friends standing in a clump on the sidewalk. “Hey guys, I’ll meet you at Chamber. I think Chasity said she was working.”

Seth winked at him, and the other guys chuckled like they thought he might bang the girl right then and there. They departed down the street, happily leaving him alone with Lexi.

When he turned back to Lexi, she was glancing around the corner toward her friends. “I’m not sure what my friends are doing. But by the look of things, I’m going to have to carry half of them home.”

Even in her high heels she was more than a handsbreadth shorter than him. It would have been interesting to see her try.

“I should go catch up with them before they get into any trouble.”

He didn’t know if she was actually interested and playing it off or if she was just ready to be rid of him.

“My friends are probably lost without me, too,” Jack said. It surprised him that he wasn’t ready for her to leave.

“Are you working tomorrow?” she asked.

“Are you studying tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

“Then, I should be there.”

“Guess I’ll see you there.”

“Sounds good,” he said, knowing she was going to leave and he wouldn’t see her again until the next time he worked.

She turned and started down the alley.

He should let her leave. He should. Honestly, he really, really should.

What good could come from him stopping her? He had a girlfriend back at home. Sure, he could become friends with Lexi. She could hang out with Seth and the guys. Maybe even meet Danielle sometime. That might be feasible…maybe.

He knew that letting her go was the smart thing to do. If he wanted anything from this, then he needed to be smart about it. Leave her alone…watch her walk away…figure things out with Danielle…

That was what he should have done.

But he couldn’t.

They got along, and they had some kind of connection. He would be an idiot to not do anything about it. Even if absolutely nothing came from it and they just became friends that would be okay with him. Her leaving without him knowing if he would ever see her again…that wasn’t okay with him. He couldn’t see that ever being okay with him.

“Lexi!” Jack called, jogging down the street to catch up with her.

She turned to face him, those big brown eyes swallowing him whole. He had to see her again.

“I know you have to study tomorrow, but what are you doing Friday?”

She didn’t respond right away, as she seemed to be thinking about her schedule. He waited impatiently, wondering what she could be doing.

“I don’t have any plans,” she finally responded.

Jack blew out a breath. Good. “Do you want to hang out?”

Lexi nodded. “I thought you’d never ask.”

CHAPTER 4

THE DATE

He should call the whole thing off.

Jack stared down at his phone, wavering back and forth. He knew that if he broke off the date right before the event, he would look like a total dick. Not a good first impression. But if he didn’t call it off and it ended up being a real date…then he’d feel even more like a dick.

In the end, it was this backward way of arguing with himself that led to his decision. If he were going to look like a dick either way, then he would rather spend time with Lexi. He was probably overanalyzing this anyway. This probably wasn’t even a date.

Seth, Luke, and Michael had left to pick up Hunter and Clark. Jack knew that Seth was trying to get out of his hair. Despite the fact that he and Seth had gone to dozens of parties, bought drinks for girls, and then danced and flirted, Jack had never done anything like this before. There was always a point where he was like…well, time to get back to Danielle. Seth would bring a girl or two home, and Jack would go to bed alone. There wasn’t even a moment when he’d thought it would be any other way. He was pretty sure that Seth believed that would change tonight, so he had left Jack alone.