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Nine: Eye Opener
Xochitl
Bloody fucking hell!
Xochitl’s parents were forever complaining that she didn’t come home often enough. She hadn’t planned on going home this week because she knew they were still busy wrapping things up at their summer camp and wouldn’t even be home most the week, but when Vannah called to let her know Lex would be driving down today instead of next week, she’d scrambled. She needed to buy time to ready herself for this. She was still so pissed at herself for not having the nerve to just come clean with her bestie. She should’ve just admitted that first day Vannah suggested this, no matter how excited her friend had been, that she wasn’t comfortable with this.At all. So, her first thought yesterday when Vannah called to give her a heads up that Lex would be there a week early, was torun. She’d run home and hide there for the next week even if her parents wouldn’t be there much. Then just as she got off the phone with Vannah yesterday, there was a knock at her door. Her brother Izel surprised her because unbeknownst to Xochitl, her parents were having their house exterminated this week, and he needed somewhere to go. Her parents would be staying at their summer camp campgrounds, but Izel didn’t want to, so he’d driven down to hang with her for the night. His boyfriend was out of town last night, so he’d be going back to spend the rest of the four nights the family home would remain unoccupiable with his boyfriend. Starting tonight. Xochitl would be stuck here all week, with no classes or any real reason to leave her dorm—with Lex. Only thing that pulled her out of the despair of knowing that, was that Izel had brought her beloved Bentley with him. She’d only been around her sweetheart a handful of times all summer. It’d be the highlight of her week, considering everything else she had to look forward to now. As much as she’d tried to prepare herself for seeing Lex again after all this time, nothing could’ve prepared her for how much he’d changed in just two years. Holy Christ! How was it possible for him to look so much bigger? While she could agree with his sister that despite his size the guy still had a baby face, everything else about him seemed to have grown aton. The only difference, and it stood out quite a bit, was given how smugly playful he’d always come across before, his hardened expression nowwasn’tmissed. Maybe Vannah’s worry about him being more stressed about this last-minute transfer than he was admitting, hadn’t been too off the mark. Those hardened eyes, so lacking the good humor they’d been full of all the times she’d been indulged with them before, went from Bentley, to Izel, then seemed to bore into her.Thathadn’t changed.
The way his eyes searched hers in question with such intensity was still the same as she’dneverforget. If anything, just like his size, the power behind that gaze had grown too. She’d never understand it, but there was something about the way he could suck the air out of her with just one look—smiling or not—that left her reeling each time.
“Didn’t think anyone would be here.” That ominous stare went from hers, back to Izel. “Vannah said you were going home.”
“I thought I’d be gone.” She cleared her throat. “But I didn’t realize my parents were having the house exterminated this week. So, I’ll have to stay put instead.”
He dropped his stuff just inside the door and barely looked at her now. “I have more stuff I need to bring in.”
Exhaling in a big way, after Lex walked away, she turned back to her brother who sat on the floor now petting Bentley, half on his lap. Doing her best to make less of what seeing Lex after all this time did to her, Xochitl sipped the last of her iced coffee and smiled. “Crazy how big he is considering he’s Vannah’s little brother, huh?”
“Damn, Chichi. He’s hot asfuck,” Izel chuckled, looking up at her. “Hope Cade can deal with you living with that dude. If that guy were moving in with Josh, gay or not, I’d totally be like, oh,hellno!”
Lifting her chin, Xochitl walked her cup to the sink. “Well, Cade doesn’t have anything to worry about. I already explained the situation to him, and he knows, not only is this Vannah’s little brother—”
“Little? Get the fuck out!” Her brother laughed. “Sorry, honey but there ain’t nothing little about that guy.”
She squeezed her eyes shut as she rinsed off her cup. “You know what I mean. Not only is he my best friend’syoungerbrother and it would be just too weird for me to think of him in any other way, but this is just temporary because it was too late for either of us to get single room dorms this fall.” She dried the cup, put it in the cupboard, ignoring her still racing heart, then turned back to her brother as nonchalant as she could. “Come winter semester, we can transfer to single bedroom dorms. At least I will. There’s a waiting list to get into these, so if he wants to stay here, he can easily find a replacement.” Lex walked back into the dorm carrying two more totes, as Xochitl’s insides went crazy again, just glancing at his impressive forearms. Her St. Bernard lifted his head again and did a cross between a bark and a yawn before putting his head back on Izel’s lap. Xochitl focused on her dog instead, squelching the infuriatingly heart sputtering memories of being held in those arms. She smiled as sincerely as she could. “Are you protecting me, Bentley?”
“Didn’t realize they allowed dogs in the dorms,” Lex said as he walked through the front room with his totes.
“They don’t, actually.” She looked Lex straight in the eyes continuing to smile as if talking to him again after all this time wasn’t doing all kinds of things to her exasperatingly crazed insides. “He’s just visiting today.” She pouted feeling genuinely saddened by this. “He leaves in a few hours.”
Just then, Bentley yawned loudly as he did thatlongstretching thing he’d done since he was a puppy. Izel laughed watching him. “Why does he always do that?”
“Because he’s just thesweetiestthing ever.”
“Chichi, he could fart, and you’d say the same thing.”
Xochitl laughed turning back to Lex who’d stopped in the middle of the room. He was eyeing Izel with that same hardened look he’d first walked in with. Those eyes were back on her now devoid of so much as a smirk, despite her brother’s silly comment. “Which room is mine?”
Motioning to the bedroom she could hardly believe he’d be sleeping in this entire semester—right next to hers—she did her best to act as if that fact wasn’t going to be the end of her. “One on the left.”
She had to wonder now if maybe he was as uncomfortable with this situation as she was. The sullen ambience he exuded from the moment he’d first walked in the door today, was a complete contrast to how lighthearted most of their once-upon-a-time exchanges had been.Izel eyed her weirdly, as Lex walked into his room. Her brother had always been too damn perceptive and if she wasn’t mistaken, he’d already picked up on her unease over this whole thing. Despite her desperate attempts to mask it. So, she gave him a look, as if to say don’t youdaresay anything.
Lex walked back out of his room barely glancing at her. “One more trip to my car and I’m done.”
“Need any help?” she asked as cool as she could. He didn’t even turn to look at her. “I’m good.” The moment he was out of the dorm again, Izel got off the floor from where he’d been sitting with Bentley. “What in thehell?”
“What?” She glared at him because her heart didn’t need any more of the drama, she knew her brother could add to this already awkward situation. He waved his finger from side to side in front of her. “No, no, no.Something’sup here. Did you and him . . .” His jaw dropped open. “He doesn’t know I’m your brother.”
“Stop.” She hissed glancing out the window in a panic.
“How could he? He didn’t think you’d be here today and not once did he even bother to say hello to me or introduce himself.” He brought his hands to his mouth. “Does he know about Cade? Does he thinkI’mCade? Oh my God, somethingsohappened between you and him. You lucky bitch.”
“Stop, stop, stop, stop, stop!” She urged glancing out the window again. That thought hadn’t even crossed her mind. There wasno way. “Seriously, Izel. I can’t talk about this right now. Not while he’s within hearing range.” His eyes went even wider. “So, somethingdidhappen between—”
“Nothinghappened!” Glancing out the window she saw Lex was on his way back. “Okay maybe something miniscule, but that was like two years ago—”
“Chichi, whatever it was, he ain’t over it.” Her brother shook his head and laughed glancing out the window. “Icy!This guy thinks he just walked in on you and your boyfriend.”
“No, that’s not it.”
