Southern Gulf University Series: Book 2 | Sequel to Finding Our Way | Not a stand alone
When Mason breaks Lexi's heart and her trust, she takes the job offer in LA and leaves him in her past. Or so she thinks.
Fast forward five years and Mason is t...
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Lexi presses a couple of numbers on her apartment's keypad and waits for the lock to turn. She opens the door handle, almost smacking herself in the face and heaves it open. I grab it from her and allow her to enter and watch her stumble through the red carpeted hall to the elevator. I put my arm around her waist to keep her from face planting into the floor while she slaps my shoulder, mumbling incoherent sentences. Nate comes up behind me but averts his eyes from me and Lexi.
He leans over and whispers lightly, "Do you want me to come in or just stand outside the door."
I look over at Lexi who I'm pretty sure still has no idea who Nate is. I shake my head and say "You don't have to stay. I don't think anyone followed us here. You can go home."
He nods and holds open the elevator door for Lexi and I to get in. "I'll text you in the morning to see when you want me to come back."
"Thanks, Nate. I appreciate it." I say, nodding then hitting the floor button. Lexi looks at me, her eyes getting glossier by the minute, and says "How did you know I'm on the 7th floor?"
Shit. Thinking quickly, I reply "You told me at the bar when I asked you to let me get you home safely."
She nods as if this sounds reasonable and I thank God she took that extra shot that sent her over the edge of tipsy. The elevator dings, signaling we've arrived on her floor, and I follow her down the hall to her dark brown door. She puts her code then, waits for the green button to light up, then pushes it open. She throws her purse and keys on the counter and kicks off her shoes before walking to the fridge. I shut the door and kick off my shoes because I'm courtesy like that.
"So you want to talk." She says, grabbing her signature favorite snack, white cheddar popcorn. I smile at the memory of her downing an entire bag during midterms in college until I realize she's waiting for an answer.
I clear my throat and move to sit on her oversize dark blue sofa. Where do I begin? The night she promised me we could make long distance work? The night I lost her? Or how everyday without her has been a nightmare I can't wake up from.
"I'm sorry for the way things ended, but I promise you it wasn't what it looked like." I say, running a hand over my buzzcut.
Her hand stops in mid-air, popcorn falling out of her clutches, and turns towards me.
"Oh really? So Julianna just happened to fall into your bed naked?" She seethes, her voice rising.
I wince. Okay not the best night to start with. "I didn't sleep with her.." I start but she cuts me off with a scream.
"So I'm supposed to believe she just got naked and jumped in your bed! What do I look like a fucking idiot?" Her nostrils flare while her lips curl in disgust while the popcorn crumbles under her clenched first.
"I was still in my baseball uniform Lexi. I swear I just got back from a game and I didn't know she was there. My roommates thought you were her."
She tenses her jaw and stares at me before yelling, "I hate you" and throws the closest thing around her at me. An apple comes flying for my head and I duck at the last second while it smashes into the hardwood floor. I jump up off the couch while she throws another one screaming, "I loved you." I side step it and put my hands up in defense as she hurls a banana next.
Her chest heaves up and down as she continues to scream at me and I hurry over to her to stop her from throwing something worse. I come closer and I can see reality's setting in as she realizes what she's done. Her eyes shut as she tries to compose herself to look at me.
"Why would you do that to me? I loved you. I gave you a second chance." She says, her voice breaking. Her bottom lip begins to quiver as her shoulders tremble.
Oh no, here come the tears. My defense crumbles as her eyes begin to fill with water.
"Let it out." I say, wrapping my arms around her and she gives in, sobbing uncontrollably. My heart breaks a little bit after each choked sob surfaces and I rub small circles over her back, trying to calm her.
"I'm sorry." She cries and begins wiping away the tears violently.
"You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, I should be the one saying sorry."
She nods then sniffles and reaches back for her bag of popcorn. I guide her over to the couch and sit her down, then move to clean up the dented apples and smashed banana off of her floor. She stuffs handful after handful of popcorn into her mouth, watching my every move as I clean up her living room and kitchen.
This night is not going how I thought it would when I saw her at the bar. I imagined us talking it out, catching up on each other's lives, and hopefully making plans to see each other again. Instead I've got a sad and pissed off drunk girl sitting on the couch, making a major dent in a bag of popcorn. One wrong word and I'm either getting a screaming match or a waterfall of tears.
I finish arranging the fruit back in the red basket then walk over to the couch and sit down. Lexi looks at me, gives me a soft smile, and says, "Want to watch Lost?"
I smile back and nod while she gets the show set up. An hour later, I glance over at her and she's curled up into a ball, sleeping soundly. I reach for the remote, turn off the show, then move to pick her up. Her body snuggles into me as I walk down the hall and look for her room. The door at the end of the hall is slightly opened, so I peek inside and am met with a beautiful master bedroom. I set her down on the bed and move towards her bathroom for makeup wipes. I grab one and begin to wipe her face when she swats at my hand and tries to roll over.
"Let me help you baby." I whisper, and roll her back towards me to finish the job.
She squirms but finally I get every last bit off. I debate changing her into something comfier but I don't want her to wake up tomorrow morning and wonder how she got out of these clothes. Deciding against it, I move her under the covers. I fill her a glass of water, set two Advil on the nightstand, and grab a trashcan, just in case. I take one last look at her before shutting the bedroom door and letting myself out.
My mind is running a million miles a second. How could I let things get out of control so quickly? I should've known better than to give in to her shot request. I should've known she wouldn't be as happy to see me as I was to see her. I knew she wouldn't forget about seeing Julianna naked in my bed but I didn't think she'd still be just as pissed about it. I begged and pleaded with her that night that I wasn't sleeping with Julianna and that she caught me by surprise too. But the hurt in Lexi's eyes told me that we were over.
Sighing, I call a cab to take me back to the team hotel. Once inside, I call the one person who will help me figure out what to do without judging me. The one person who knows Lexi better than I do. The only person who knows Lexi will give me another chance that I don't deserve. The phone rings and I think he won't answer until the line connects.
