Aimed At You

Chapter 19

15 minutes later, and Nathan still hasn't returned. Lexie continued to train by herself, while frustratingly thinking about him. She was shooting the last set of targets when she heard footsteps moving towards her. She turned around hoping for the footsteps to be Nathan's, so she could maybe apologize for being an ass, but was met by Joe's voice.

"How's everything going?" he asked, standing beside her.

"Fine, I think?" She reloaded the gun and cracked her neck. 

Joe raised his left brow at her and narrowed his eyes, "Lovers' quarrel?"

Lexie stopped shooting and briefly glanced at him. She chuckled, "You all should really let that ship sink."

"Excuse me?" He dramatically held his chest. "That ship, my dear, will remain sailing even if it hits an iceberg."

"I don't think your ship is as strong as you think it is."

Joe's eyes saddened at her playful words. He sat on the table, crossed his arms like her father did every time she disappointed him, and stared at Lexie with utter seriousness. "What happened?"

As if Joe casted a spell on her, Lexie started to explain everything that happened between her and Nathan - which is barely anything. While explaining, she wondered why she's suddenly opening up to him. She told him how sweet Nathan's been to her, and how much of an ass she's been in return. She told him about the one-sided deal they made, and how she's slowly regretting it. She explained almost everything, minus her fear of abandonment and trust issues when it comes to love and everything that revolves around it. 

"Lexie," Joe sighed after about a minute of processing her words. "I can tell that you don't want your heart to break, but what you and Nathan could have is worth at least the try. If it doesn't work in the long run, then at least you know that you tried. You won't have to live with the constant regret and the nagging "what ifs?" that your brain will make. I'm telling you though, you two are made for each other."

She stared at him as if he was a wise philosopher who published 50 books regarding love and all its glory. She tipped her head and genuinely smiled at him. "So, how are you and Shane?"

He rolled his eyes at the desperate attempt in changing the topic, but he conformed. Lexie noticed the way his eyes sparkled and how his face visibly glows when he's talking about Shane. He talked about him as if he's the stars, illuminating his world. As if he's the ocean, the mountains, the moon, and the sun. As if he's his oxygen. Lexie was smiling the whole time Joe talked about how him and Shane went on a picnic late last night, and that Nathan made all the food they ate. She felt a pang jealously hit her when he said they stargazed all night. That was her dream date.

***

Lexie spent the rest of the afternoon training by herself. Louis checked on her at around 3pm and stayed for about 30 minutes. They played a little game of "who can shoot the most targets within 10 seconds", and obviously Lexie won. Nathan went outside to see how she's doing at around 5pm. The sun was shining brightly, making Nathan's sculpted features glow. Lexie couldn't read him - couldn't tell whether or not he's angry at her. If he was, he did a damn good job at hiding it. They exchanged a few words regarding the competition, and that was all that happened during Nathan's visit. The tension was clear, and the pair could feel it.  Nathan told Lexie to come back inside after 10 minutes - saying that she's been out for too long, and she had to rest. 

 The next day, the whole gang walked in a horizontal line toward Vance's entrance - Nate and Lexie on the opposite ends of the line. Joe was chatting with Shane; Louis was on his phone, grinning; Leo looked excited; Nathan was unreadable; and Lexie's heart was hammering against her chest. Lexie noticed a girl with long, wavy, black hair standing in front of the entrance. She was wearing a yellow dress with a short black jacket, and she appeared to be looking around. 

"Can we help you, miss?" Leo asked politely, starling the girl.

She turned to face the group, scanned their faces, and landed her eyes on Lexie. She smiled cheekily, "I'm Laine." 

Realization was clear on Louis, Joe, and Nathan's face. Nathan pointed towards her, "Oh, you're-"

"Yes," Laine cut him off before he could finish his sentence. She glanced at Nathan for a second, then returned her sight to Lexie. 

"I'm not sure if Luke's here yet. He's usually late." Louis said, grimacing at the mention of Luke's name. 

An imaginary light bulb lit up above Lexie's head as she realized who Laine was - Luke's ex-girlfriend.

"I know," Laine nodded. "I came here for Lexie."

Lexie's brows shot up, "Oh, how may I help you?"

"Just beat Luke. I know you can. I've been hearing about you for the past month - you are incredible, by the way - and I'm certain you can beat him." 

"Uhm, yeah I'll try."

Laine grinned, "I just want to see his ego shatter once you beat him. I'll be there."

This time, it was Lexie's turn to grin. She nodded and shook Laine's hand, "I'll beat him."