Accept

Chapter 2- Chris

The neon numbers on the clock beside my bed had not changed since I last checked. The king-size bed seemed massive as I tossed on the cool sheets beneath me. Lexie captivated me with her innocent, angelic face and hypnotic eyes. She was the answer to my celibate drought and should have been sharing my bed with me. Her appearance was of a typical college girl in a bar; her lean, gangly physique dressed in denim shorts, a red tank top, and a plaid cover-up.

 As quickly as she appeared she vanished. Was she real or was she an angel as the psychic had predicted? Ever since mom had persuaded me to visit a casino psychic, and hexed me with insignificance in sex. Lexie was the first to arouse me since the psychic's curse. I was unprepared for my psychic encounter and expected a gypsy with a magic ball predicting my future; instead, a middle-aged woman sympathetically informed me I was a lost soul searching for love and acceptance. I laughed at the assessment and assured her it wasn't true.

 Her cold hand patted mine and answered, "Dear son, sex is not love, as you will soon discover."

She predicted an angel would guide me through the darkness and into the light. "This angel is going to test you," she informed. "You will see not only your brightest days but your darkest in the next year. This angel will need your guidance as much as you need her, be patient".

I laughed at her prophecy and replied, "It sounds like I'm getting a broken angel. How do I get a different one?"

Not amused by my comment, she chanted something before dismissing me. Life changed after those hexed words in many ways.

I couldn't wait to share the humorous encounter with my mother and dashed back to tell my story. Instead, I overheard my mother and her best friend Eva reminiscing about their past college love affair with each other. The conversation validated any suspicions I had about their unusually close connection. I had nothing against lesbian relationships, even with my mother, but as a recipient of a sexual molestation encounter by Eva as a child, I thought differently. 

Eva had been a part of our family since I could remember. She had never been married and was always with my mother. They seemed harmless with their drinking and spending so much time together. I thought her presence compensated for the time my father was away on business trips. I tended to avoid their time together, one evening I was not so fortunate. Eva confronted me after a late-night swim and initiated oral sex to me at the age of 14. Most boys would have enjoyed the experience, but I was uneducated and naïve in the sexual world. The experience was traumatizing as I had never even kissed a girl, it was dirty and wrong.

 I wanted to tell my parents but knew it would destroy my mother's friendship with her. I kept it secret, letting the anxiety build, and avoided similar activities. 

After discovering my mother's secret life and the psychic encounter, I flew back to Minnesota. Eager to forget my family situation, I sought women to engage my mind with my sexual energy. However, the psychic's chant cursed my lifestyle. My philandering mentality had changed and I was unable to find women appealing.

As I spotted Lexie's enchanting eyes, the hex disappeared. I had to have her and to my surprise, she was Kate's roommate. I knew we were destined to be together. Immediately, I was captivated by her clear and melodic voice; her hair smelled like sunshine, and her skin was as soft as her eyes. There was something in her demeanor that was unforgettable and addictive.

Her poignant and enchanted look intrigued me the second our eyes met. There was an inner magnetism I never knew existed with her so, I was devastated when she declined to see me again. All of my relationships had ended badly, which didn't discourage me from having sex so, I had no sympathy for her excuse for a bad relationship. However, an unknown feeling of rejection impelled me to push for her acceptance until she fled the bar making me feel lifeless and alone.

After she left, I searched the bar for a substitution to take home, but no one intrigued me. My sexless nights prevailed and I knew Lexie was the solution. I was impassioned to have her in my life and knew Matt could help.

The clock read 7:30 as I headed upstairs to wake him for our daily run and drill him for information."Come on, we don't have all day," I said pounding on his door.

"It's not even 8:00 yet, go back to bed," he mumbled answering the door in boxers.

"Come on, it's going to be hot today. We'll be miserable if we wait any longer." 

I knew Matt hated running in the heat giving an excuse to get him out of bed.

"Give me 10 minutes," he replied realizing I had a point.

Josh, our newest roommate, was sitting at the table eating a massive bowl of cereal as I sat down to wait for Matt. "You came home early," he said shoveling the spoon into his mouth.

"Yes, I think the heat got to me at practice yesterday," I lied.

"I saw you were talking to Lexie," he said nonchalantly. "I am glad she came back to school."

I looked at Josh at the mention of her name, "How do you know her?'

"I lived at the frat house last year when she was dating Ben."

I wondered if this was the guy she had referred to last night. "What can you tell me about her?"

"I don't know her personally, but saw her coming and going late at night mostly. Ben was engaged to some girl out east and wanted a sidekick when she wasn't around. I knew Lexie wasn't aware of it because she seemed like a sweet girl. He had her wrapped around his finger. I was uncomfortable with some of the degrading things he said to her, but Ben was popular no one dared to speak up, except Lester."

"Who's Lester?"

"He was the lone wolf of the house and didn't want to be part of the fraternity. Ben, always made fun of him, especially when he discovered Lester had a crush on Lexie. Lester threatened to tell Lexie everything and Ben was worried he would have to give up his fake life. He would mock Lester to scare him away, but Lexie defended Lester. One night Ben and Lexie had a huge fight, and the next thing I knew, she was standing naked in the hallway crying."

I wasn't sure if I wanted to hear more, but Josh continued.

"It appeared like a simple breakup until Ben started bragging about Lexie stalking him. He claimed she waited outside the house, followed him to class, and hid in the shadows at bars, begging for one more chance. We believed him at first but eventually saw he was making it up. His innuendos set her up until she broke into his room and destroyed it. Ben called the police and issued a restraining order on her, claiming he feared for his life after she tried stabbing him. That was the last I saw Lexi. I heard she had a nervous breakdown and quit school, but she looked pretty good last night."

"Thanks for telling me," I said, slapping Josh on his back.

I understood why Lexie had been so hesitant about going out with me. I didn't have a lot of female friends, but after Josh's story, I was more determined to change the sadness in her eyes even if it meant becoming her friend.

Matt meandered out of his bedroom as he pulled a shirt over his head, "I'm ready, let's go."

I grabbed the pair of sunglasses Lexie had left and hung them on the collar of my t-shirt.

"What do you think about making a stop along the way? I need to return a pair of sunglasses to an angel."