Aimed At You

Chapter 7

Leo, Louis, and Joe were passed out on the floor, drunk. After watching The Exorcist, Lexie suggested for them to watch The Shining, which Nate surprisingly never seen before. Lexie continuously complained about how and why on Earth Nathan never decided to watch her favorite movie, and Nathan couldn't help but laugh at the incredulous look on her face. 

4 hours and several drinks spilled later, Nathan and Lexie began cleaning up. The two of them were the only ones left awake, so they decided to be great guests and clean up the mess they made. As opposed to the unconscious and comatose-like state of the 3 boys, Nathan and Lexie were wide awake, blasting music as they pick up the trash.

Lexie bent over Louis on the floor to grab the chip wrapper beside him, when she heard an inhumane sound come out of his mouth. That was the loudest snore she's ever heard. She cupped her mouth with wide eyes, trying her hardest not to loudly laugh in Louis' relaxed face. She looked up at Nathan, who was widely grinning and shaking his head.

"Is he always like that?" Lexie asks as she stood up, passing the trash bag to Nathan.

"Trust me, he gets so much louder than that."

After picking up every litter in the living room, Lexie glanced at the clock, realizing that it's almost 2 am.  Nathan noticed her watching the clock and plopped down on the couch.

"You can stay here till morning." 

Lexie turned to him, smirking as she pointed to the unconscious Leo sprawled out on the floor. "I don't think that's your decision to make."

"Okay, can I walk you home then?" 

She stared at his hypnotizing green orbs for a minute, thinking. Nathan stared back at her without saying anything. After a minute, she grabbed her bag and motioned towards the door. 

"Let's go then."

********

Once outside Leo's building, they walked synchronously with a hint of smile on their faces.

"How was it?" Nathan asked, turning his head to face Lexie who was looking straight ahead. 

"It was terrible."

Nathan stopped walking, eyebrows furrowed. Lexie began laughing at the look on his face and shook her head.

"It was amazing. I think it was the most fun I've had in a while." She said, softly. Still not walking, Nathan stared at Lexie who was already looking at him. They didn't utter a word, only staring at each other's eyes. They were both magnetized to one another like a nail to a hammer. 

Lexie cleared her throat after what felt like an hour, and Nathan immediately looked away. They began walking again, silently thinking about what just happened.

"So, how long have you guys been friends?" Lexie asks, clearing the tension in the streets of New York.

"Since middle school, I guess."

"Mmm." 

"How long have you been shooting?" Nate asks in return.

"Since middle school, I guess."

Nathan chuckled at the use of his own words. He was quite surprised that Lexie answered him quickly, unlike how she would usually take a minute before responding. 

"Why since middle school?" Nathan inquires. Lexie looked at him, slightly smiling and shaking her head. She didn't answer the question and chose to ask another one back. 

"How long have you?" 

"Hmm," Nathan hummed, pursing his lips to think. "High school. My dad and I hunted for a while." He glanced at Lexie, who was nodding, "You hunted too?"

"No, it was more complicated than that." Lexie surprised herself this time. Confused as to why she answered that question with no hesitation. It started to happen quite often whenever she's around Nathan. She felt...comfortable.

"What's your other job?" She perks up, referring to their previous conversation at the diner.

"I'm a cook at the diner, the one where we met for the second time. I work the night shift."

"Night shift," Lexie mutters to herself.

"How 'bout you? Where do you work?"

"I don't," she pauses. "At the moment."

They turned left towards the less busy part of New York and continued on.

"Why are you always at Vance when you don't even compete?" 

Lexie smirked, not answering. "It's my turn. Do you ever get tired of the game?"

"All the damn time. But it pays a lot, so I guess it's worth it." Nathan answered instantly. "My turn, what's your number?" 

Lexie chuckled and stopped walking. "Oh, look! We're here."  She grabbed her keys from her bag and unlocked the door.  Once opened, she turned to face Nathan, who had his jaw dropped in shock of her response.

"Thank you for walking me home. I had a great time."

"I told you, you won't regret it."

"Oh, I really want to take it back now." Nathan laughed, making Lexie smile. 

"I'll get your number soon enough. You'll see."

They stared at each other again, this time, they were standing face to face. Nathan parted his mouth as he studied the multitude of colors surrounding the iris of Lexie's eyes, then his own eyes traveled to Lexie's lips. 

They were both startled when something started to loudly ring inside Lexie's bag. She opened it and pulled out her phone. Before she got to answer it, the ringing stopped and a ping was heard, signifying that someone had just sent her a message. Nathan was about to say his goodbyes when he saw the look on Lexie's face as she read the message. Her eyes that were previously filled with joy and humor were now tainted with fear and anger. 

"Are you okay?" Nathan's voice was filled with genuine concern, snapping Lexie out of her state.

"Yes.  I- uh, I have to go." She patted Nathan's left arm and hurriedly ran inside her house. 

And there stood Nathan outside the red-headed girl's house, holding his left arm that she had just put her soft, delicate hand on. His head was full of questions he wanted to ask her the next time they meet, but the only thing he could focus on was the burning sensation Lexie left on his arm that made him yearn for more.