Avoiding Commitment (28 page)

She reached for the nearest door which opened
to a rather large walk in closet. The clothes were organized by
style and color. It was almost terrifying how neat the closet was
in comparison to her own mishmash of clothing stuffed into the tiny
space at home. She shut the door behind her and walked achingly
across the room to another door. This revealed a short blank
hallway with several other doors and a staircase. She shuffled down
the hallway, down the staircase, and around the corner into a
familiar kitchen area.

Sighing heavily, she realized she had spent
the night at Ramsey’s apartment. Panic hit her. Had she slept with
him? Had anything happened? She put her hand to her head and
trudged over to the sink. Fumbling with a glass she produced from a
cabinet, she poured herself some water, refilled the glass and
downed another. That helped, but not enough to ease the gnawing
ache at the pit of her stomach.

The front door crashed open and she swiveled
a little too fast for the headache that had taken residence in her
temples. Ramsey flanked by the two roommates she had met the night
before paraded into the room together not taking any notice of
Lexi. She became increasingly aware that she was wearing men’s
sleeping clothes with no bra, she had not seen a mirror, and she
had the feeling she would be hungover until the next day at least.
This all added up her looking terrible and wishing she had tried
another door to get to a bathroom. Knowing they were all about to
look at her in her condition made her already angry stomach lash
out at her.

Ramsey didn’t even miss a beat when he looked
at her. She looked like she had been through hell and back last
night. Her long brown hair was tousled and tangled, and she looked
a green tinge to her skin. But it did nothing to detract from her
beauty. It was quite apparent that she needed nothing to make
herself look good.

“Oh good, you’re awake. I was afraid you were
going to die up there.” His roommates gaped at her before smirking
at each other and venturing upstairs leaving her and Ramsey
alone.

Lexi hadn’t worn a watch so she had no idea
of the time. Apparently, this was starting to become a trend around
Ramsey. “What time is it?” she croaked hating the way her voice
sounded all throaty in the morning.

He could have listened to her speak all day
with how sexy her voice was in the morning. “Nearly two.”

“Oh my God!” she yelled too loud for her own
ears. She pushed her palms to her temples and cringed. “Two in the
afternoon?” she moaned.

“Yeah, we would have brought you back lunch,
but we weren’t sure what you wanted. So, I just got you coffee,” he
said holding up a brown Starbucks cup. She stared at it like it was
her lifeline.

“Uh…thanks,” she said awkwardly reaching for
the glass. “How did I end up in your guest bedroom last night and
not at a hotel?” she meekly asked the question that was on her
mind.

“You weren’t in my guest bedroom. You were in
my room,” he corrected her taking a step into her personal
space.

It was as she had dreaded. She had slept with
him. God, she just wanted to bury her face in her hands. She didn’t
even remember sleeping with him. Had he been good? Had they been
careful? Ugh…she felt like such a slut.

“I dragged you up there after you passed out
on my couch last night. I got you awake enough for you to change
into this,” he gestured to her clothing. “Then tucked you into my
bed where you proceeded to pass out again. And now here you are,”
he muttered quickly.

“Wait, we didn’t sleep together?” she asked
blushing furiously as the question tumbled out of her mouth.

“I didn’t know you wanted to,” he chirped
smiling down brightly at her. How did he look so good in the
morning…oh wait, afternoon?

“Oh, I didn’t say that I did. I just
assumed…” she trailed off.

“No, I did exactly what I said I was going to
do except the part where you slept in a hotel. I thought you would
like better accommodations than that.”

“Where did you sleep?”

“Couch.”

“Oh, well, thank you.” So she had been wrong.
She liked knowing that her judgment was still intact. Jack had been
completely misguided...just jealous ramblings of an ex-lover.
Fantastic.

“Anytime,” he said still not leaving her
personal space.

“I know that you did a great thing by letting
me stay at your place, but we really need to work on your manners
Country Club boy,” she quipped.

“
My
manners?” he inquired.

“Yeah. Personal space,” she reminded him
sticking her hand out and pushing him back a step.

“Right. I forgot.”

“Oh, black coffee. How did you know?” she
asked after guzzling a good quantity into her system.

“I paid attention at brunch yesterday.”

“Oh God, was that yesterday?”

“Yeah, hey, do you want to go get some
lunch?” he couldn’t help asking.

Lexi stared at him amazed. Was he asking her
out? No way was that happening. Sure they had kissed and he had let
her stay at his place, but that probably happened all the time. He
was just being kind. And besides that she looked and felt terrible.
He had to see that on her. Was he just humoring her?

“Uh...I don’t have any clothes. They were in
Jack’s car.”

“He left them,” he said evading her first
excuse.

“I still feel kind of shitty,” she
admitted.

“Alright then, how about dinner?” he asked
prepared for this.

“Oh,” she began chewing on her bottom lip and
pushing her hair behind her ears. What was she supposed to say? He
had been very generous and all she had been was rude to him. She
figured she at least owed him that much. “Well, I guess we could do
that.”

“I mean you don’t have to go,” he said
misinterpreting her hesitation.

“No, no, we should go. I appreciate what you
did for me last night.”

“Hey, it’s no problem. I’m letting you pay me
back by allowing me to take you to dinner,” he said smoothly
scratching the back of his head thoughtfully as he looked at
her.

She smiled for the first time that morning.
He had decided that he liked her smile much more than the frown she
normally sent his way. He wasn’t sure how he elicited such anger
from her, but he would work much harder from now on so long as she
continued smiling like that.

“Alright. Sounds like a plan.”

“Like a date,” he corrected sending her his
most charming smile he could muster.

CHAPTER 12

NOVEMBER TWO AND HALF YEARS EARLIER

“
You busy?”

Lexi read the text message she received from
Jack and smiled. She relaxed back against Clark’s passenger seat.
They were on their way back to his place from eating at a quaint
downtown deli before finals.

“
Not sure. I’m w/ Clark. What’s
up?”

“Who’s that?” Clark asked his eyebrows
furrowing as he watched her fingers slide against her beat up
phone.

“Oh,” she said her head snapping up as she
pressed the send button, “Jack’s just seeing what we’re doing
tonight.”

“
I want to see your sexy little
body.”

Lexi’s grin widened at the message.
“You
miss me?”

“What did you tell him?” Clark questioned
her, taking the turn a little faster than she had anticipated.
Lexi’s shoulder slammed into the doorframe, and she readjusted in
her seat glancing nervously at her boyfriend.

“That it was up to you,” she told him
returning to her text message.

“
It’s been five fucking long
days!”

“
Well, in that case, maybe I can get
away.”

“Did you want to do something?” Clark asked
attempting to read the message over her shoulder.

“Doesn’t matter to me. We can if you want,”
she said her head still buried in her phone. “Did you want to?”

“
Do that. I can’t wait another minute
without you.”

“I mean, I was planning on going home,” he
said checking her reaction.

She snapped her phone shut and turned to face
him in her seat. “You want to leave?” she gasped. “I thought we
were going to do something together this weekend. You were gone all
last weekend with MBA stuff. Don’t go.” Clark had been accepted
into their school’s prestigious Business graduate program at the
end of last year. It had been extremely beneficial that he had
received the offer since that meant that he wasn’t leaving for
Atlanta to find a job. Instead, he would be able to stay in town
for her senior year.

“
I’ll try. No promises.”

“
Lex, I’ll make it worth it.”

“I haven’t seen my parents in a long time
though. You know that.”

“I know, but Thanksgiving isn’t even until
Thursday. Do you have to leave so early?” she asked. They had
originally planned on going to their parents separately on
Wednesday and staying through until the next weekend.

“You could come with me,” he offered.

Lexi crinkled her nose. Lexi loved Clark’s
parents. They were caring and loving and always wanted to take them
out, but she had thought they were going to spend some much needed
alone time together. Guess he had a different agenda. “You know I
have that big paper due.”

“
Oh I know you will make it worth
it.”

“
Then what’s stopping you?” Jack
asked.

“It’d only be for the weekend. You’d still
have the rest of the break to work on your paper.”

“Yeah, maybe. I just feel really behind. With
applications, LSAT, and everything, I’ve just had no time to work
on this paper, and it’s due as soon as we get back.”

“Maybe I’ll just go tonight and be back to be
with you tomorrow. Would that give you more time to work on
it?”

“
Clark.”

“…”

“
I shouldn’t. I can’t.”

“
You won’t. It’s different.”

Lexi stuck out her bottom lip. “I’ll miss
you.”

“I’m sure you will.”

“
What if he’s in town? I can’t get
away.”

“
You’ll figure it out.”

“So, what’s Jack doing tonight?” Clark asked
eyeing her suspiciously. “I didn’t think ya’ll were still talking
that much.”

“We’re not really. I guess he’s just bored.
He’s talking about going out downtown.”

“
What about Kate?”

“
What about her?”

“Is he trying to get a group together?” Clark
asked curiously.

“I guess so.”

Clark pulled his phone out of his pocket and
lit up the screen. “Hmm…I’m surprised he didn’t message me
too.”

“We come as a match set. There’d be no reason
to send messages to both of us,” she informed him.

“
How are you going to get away from
her?”

“
I don’t know. I’ll just tell her I don’t
want to hang out tonight.”

“
That simple?”

“
Yes.”

“I suppose you’re right. Maybe after you’re
finished with your studying you could go out tonight. Hang out with
the crew and all. You’ve been too stressed lately.”

“Maybe,” she stated uncertainly.

“
Clark thinks we’re all going out
tonight.”

“
Why did you tell him that?”

“
He was asking a lot of
questions...”

“You should text Seth and see if he’s going.
That way you’re guaranteed a good time, and plenty of girls to
diffuse his advances,” he said chuckling to himself. “Want me to
text him?”

“Oh, no,” she said quickly. She was pretty
sure Jack hadn’t messaged anyone else about it. “I have his
number.”

“
You’ll leave early with me if we go
out?”

“
Of course. Don’t invite Clark.”

“
Like I’d want to.”

*****

Hours later, after kissing Clark good-bye and
getting all dolled up, Lexi waited rather impatiently in her
apartment. She had refused Jack’s offer to pick her up for
proprieties sake. If they were going to be out in public, she would
rather not make it look like a date. She had planned on driving
herself. However, Olivia had decided she wanted a night out and had
insisted on driving. That was fine with Lexi, but Olivia was pretty
much the slowest person on the planet. It took her at least thirty
minutes longer than anyone else she knew when it came down to
getting ready to go out.

“Geez, Olivia could you take any longer?”
Lexi asked pacing in front of Olivia’s bathroom.

“It could,” she muttered.

“You don’t even have that much hair,” Lexi
pointed out.

“Which is why I have to make sure every tiny
strand is perfect,” Olivia said pulling her flat iron through her
bleached blonde pixie cut again.

“No one is even going to be in town,” she
whined.

“Lexi, darling, that is the reason I
should
take so long. I’ll spend more time with each person
individually. This inevitably means I should spend more time on my
hair,” Olivia said taking pleasure in Lexi’s growing
discomfort.

Lexi groaned loudly. “I don’t see why you
have to take so long.”

“I don’t see why you have to be so impatient.
Your boy isn’t even going to be out,” Olivia said letting her brown
eyes flutter to Lexi’s face.

A small blush crept onto Lexi’s face.
“So…”

“So chill out,” she cried.

“Let’s just get out of here.”

“You can’t rush perfection,” Olivia explained
placing the straightener on the off-white counter top. Her hand
reflexively reached out for the tall hairspray bottle.

Lexi groaned again. “Honestly, how much of
that stuff do you put in your hair?”

After spraying on another layer, Olivia snuck
a glance at Lexi. “Alright, fine. Are you going to tell me
why
you are being so impatient?” she asked raising one
eyebrow inquisitively.