Aimed At You

Chapter 14

Lexie stepped out the taxi, taking a deep breath in before she entered the building. She really didn't want to go inside, but she had to go see and apologize to Nathan. Esmeralda greeted her with a wide smile, "Lexie! I haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been?"

"Just out and about." She smiles back. "Anyway, have you seen Nathan?"

"Yes, dear. Last I've seen him, he was outside at the back. Shall I call him for you?"

"No, no it's okay. I'll just go to him. Thank you, Esmeralda."

"Of course, dear. Have a great day!"

"You too."

She walked to the very back of the building and opened the wide glass doors. She stared at the tall trees outside for a second and took another deep breath in before stepping outside. She looked around and heard Nathan's laugh. She smiled and followed the sound of his voice to the side of the building. There were several chairs and tables on the side, it's the place for players to get some fresh air before competing. This area is usually always packed, yet no one's there at the moment, except for two men.

Nathan noticed her, surprised that she came. He stared at her for a moment, then smiled. The man he was talking to turned to check what shocked Nathan, and looked at Lexie as well - equally surprised. Lexie didn't notice the other man. Her heart started to pound as the reality of confronting Nathan came face to face with her. 

"Lexie." He says breathlessly.

"Hi."

"Hi," he stared at her for another moment, then cleared his throat. "Uhm, this is Vance. I don't know if you two met already."

Lexie broke eye contact at the mention of the name and glanced at the man sitting in front of Nathan. He was about 50-something years old with brunette hair that turned gray in some areas. He smiled at her, which Lexie didn't return. She stared at him with her brows furrowed - mouth pressed into a thin line. 

"Good afternoon, Lexie." The man greeted.

Lexie nodded and faced Nathan again. He was smiling, happy that she came. "Vance and I were just talking about the game later. Apparently, the competitor's a very serious player. Nothing I can't handle though."

"Can I talk to you, Nathan? Alone?" 

Vance looked at the two back and forth, trying to puzzle their relationship. After a couple of seconds, he stood up and shook Nathan's hand. "Alright, Nathan. I'll be seeing you later. Goodluck." He faced Lexie with a sad look on his face. "Do you have time later, Lexie? I'd like to discuss some important matters with you."

Lexie didn't make eye contact with Vance whatsoever. She shook her head while still staring at Nathan's confused face. "No, sorry. I'm busy." 

Vance nodded and walked away, not saying anything else. Lexie and Nathan stared at each other again, about 6 feet apart. Nathan stood up and walked to her, smiling softly. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Are you and Vance close?"

Nathan paused, "That's what you wanted to talk about?"

Lexie didn't say anything. She seemed preoccupied - like her mind was somewhere else. Nathan was confused, to say the least. When he saw Lexie, he had hoped that they'd talk about what happened and why Lexie suddenly acted indifferent, but all hope evaporated when she asked her question. 

"Uhm, I wouldn't say close. We often talk because of the competition and all that."

"How much do you make per win?"

"What?"

"How much?"

Nathan stopped. "Lexie, I don't see how that's relevant to what happened earlier."

"Just answer the question, Nathan."

He sighed, feeling defeated. "2k, sometimes 3."

"You get all that?"

"Well, I usually have to give a thousand to Vance."

"A thousand?!" She asks unbelievingly.

"Uh, yeah. That's the deal we made."

"Why the hell did you agree to that?"

Nathan was taken aback at the intensity of her voice. He didn't want to, but he started to feel irritated. "Is there a problem?"

"That's stupid, Nathan. That's not fair."

"I know that, Lexie. I signed the contract when I was 18, I didn't know any better. The contract ends next month anyway, so it's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal." Lexie muttered.

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not as smart as you." He says with an edge on his voice. 

Lexie froze, realizing that she's gone too far. She opened her mouth to apologize, but nothing came out. The speech she prepared an hour ago was completely forgotten, like the admiration they had for one another.

"Sorry." They said at the same time. They both stared at the pavement instead of each other's eyes. For the first time since they've met, they didn't want to look at each other's eyes, afraid that they'll start to argue again. Lexie started second guessing her decision to move in with Nathan, and as if he could read her mind, spoke up.

"I'm sorry. It's just a heated argument, okay? Let's not do anything we'll regret in the future."

Lexie peered at him, scowling. "Okay."

They didn't say anything for a few more minutes. The silence was deafening, and they felt like they could hear the clock ticking as each second passed. Lexie wanted to walk away - to avoid the problem they've created and the possible heartbreak this relationship could bring. 

A man went outside to tell Nathan that the game will start in an hour. Nathan nodded and turned to Lexie again with a frown. Neither of them said anything for a moment, then Lexie cleared her throat. "Goodluck, then. I'll be there."

Nathan smiled and felt lighter, "Thank you. I'm counting on it."

With that, he turned away and entered the building, not glancing back at Lexie. She watched him walk away and felt her heart grow heavy. They've only known each other for almost a month, yet she felt like her whole world would fall apart if they fight again. She wanted to just sit on the living room floor with him, while watching a movie, and eat every kind of pasta until their stomachs explode. She sighed and told herself that no matter what happens, this time she'll actually try and apologize. They'll go back to teasing each other and not act like children fighting over petty things. She didn't even know why she acted the way she did, but she didn't want that to happen again. Not anymore.