Always There

Chapter Eighty-Six

Chapter Eighty-Six:

Lexi's POV

I blink several times.

Why the heck does Vanessa want to talk to me?

Despite my confusion, I take a deep breath in and then turn to face her.

"Advice? What sort of advice?" I ask her, bewildered.

She chuckles, and I could've sworn that I heard a little bit of nervousness behind her laugh.

"Come sit down. Let's talk for a little bit. I feel like we still don't know each other at all," she then replies with a smile.

I let out a breath that I didn't realise I was holding before forcing a smile onto my face. "You're sure? Matt and Bryce are waiting for us outside."

Vanessa laughs again, her smile growing even wider. "Yeah. I'm sure. They can wait. Mateo won't complain, and Bryce is so obsessed with you that he'll just be overwhelmingly happy to see you when we do go outside."

This manages to make me snort, and so as simply as that, I make my way through the kitchen and into the living room.

I sit down on the same couch as Vanessa, leaving a little bit of space between us. I finally get a chance to really look at her since we've gotten home from the wedding, and it seems that my earlier suspicions were correct because she looks just as gorgeous in loungewear with a makeup-free face as she did at the wedding.

Her dark hair is pulled back in a low ponytail, and she's wearing a simple white camisole and a pair of short cotton shorts. Despite her basic, comfortable attire, she still somehow looks flawless, her clothing hugging the curves of her body in the most flattering way.

I instantly feel insecure as I sit beside her, wearing oversized clothes that I'm borrowing from Bryce for the night that definitely don't do anything to flatter my body.

I shake my head slightly, trying to rid my mind of that thought. It doesn't matter what either of us are wearing, and I really need to stop letting my insecurities get the best of me.

I take a deep breath in, smoothing out a nonexistent wrinkle in the white T-shirt that I'm wearing before looking back to Vanessa. "That's fair enough. What do you want to talk about, Vanessa?"

Vanessa tilts her head to the side, her smile never faltering. "Please. Call me Nessa. Everyone does, except for my little brother. He calls me Van, which is atrocious, but I could never be mad at that little guy."

There's a sudden sparkle in her eyes as she talks about her brother, and I can immediately tell that she's extremely fond of him.

"How old is he?" I ask her.

"He's six. His name is Owen, and he's the sweetest, most loving person I know. He absolutely adores Mateo, by the way. I think Matt may be his favourite person in the world," Vanessa says, chuckling to herself.

"So Mateo has met your parents already?" I then question.

Vanessa nods. "Yes. I live at home and since Mateo and I study together often, he's over at our house a lot. My parents really love him."

I smile at her. "Well, Leo and Elena love you, too. I think that's definitely a sign that you and Matt's relationship will work out."

That sparkle in Vanessa's eyes dulls the slightest bit. "Leo and Elena love you far more than they love me. Bryce obviously loves you the most, considering you're his girlfriend, but Mateo and his parents love you too. They all talk about you constantly, and Bryce and Mateo have made me watch a million videos of you singing. You have a beautiful voice, by the way. They have nothing but nice things to say about you, which is why I was so excited to finally meet you. I'm very glad to see that you're just as wonderful as they said you are."