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Eleven: Let the Soap Commence
Xochitl
She should kill her brother. But then maybe this was a good thing. Everything she’d felt since Lex had walked into her dorm was far from normal in Xochitl’s otherwise usual indifferent demeanor when it came to things of this nature. Izel had been right. This semester was going to be so much harder than she was trying to make it out to be and maybe them clearing the air from the get-go was for the best. Obviously, Lex was feeling as unprepared for this as she so mistakenly thought she could at leasttryto pretend to be. There were a few minutes of awkward silence as they walked toward the park area where Bentley could do his business. Though he had already showered, several bushes on their way there. When he took yet another stop to mark his territory, Lex finally spoke up.
“Did you read any of the texts I sent you or listened to any of the voicemails I left in the past two years?”
“Nope,” she said without a hitch, as she stared out into the falling sunset. “Didn’t see the point. I started to read the very first one you sent way back. The one about what IthoughtI saw, or something to that effect.” She glanced up at him. “I don’t play games, Lex. I know what I saw that night and your sisters had told me enough about you that I should’ve known better—”
“She was drunk out of her mind, Xochitl.” He spoke with conviction. “My mom caught some guy trying to take advantage of her and tried to stop it. Then his drunk ass hit on my mom. My dad walked in on the guy trying to put his hands on my mom and went nuts. When I got down there, things were crazy, and my mom asked me to take Angela outside, and call her an Uber, so I did. Gordo helped me but when she started getting all touchy feely and emotional on me, Gordo went back inside. When you saw us, I was just trying to calm her and keep her ass from falling, until her ride got there. She could barely stand and kept going from crying to giggling then trying to kiss me. Even though in hindsight I’m know now she was faking being as drunk as she appearedjustso I would have to hold her up. As soon as the driver got there she sobered quick enough. I explained this to you so many times via texts since you wouldn’t answer my calls and obviously weren’t listening to my voicemails.”
Xochitl stared at him taking in everything he’d just said even as Bentley tugged his leash. Vannah had mentioned the brawl that night having to do with her notoriously overprotective dad not liking the way someone had spoken to her mom orsomething. But since Vannah hadn’t actually seen it, she’d never given Xochitl specifics. “Anyway, I know you’re in a relationship now,” Lex said glancing around looking as intense as he had when he first walked into her dorm tonight. “And at the risk of making things a little awkward, I need you to know I meant what I said that night. It wasn’t bullshit, and it wasn’t what my sisters put in your head about me and Gordo either. You really did make me feel things I’d never felt before, and I’d never told a girl she was beautiful before that night. Haven’t since.”
Having to move along because Bentley was tugging at his leash again, they started walking as Xochitl felt her heart swell. “I’ll admit I was hurt.” She stared ahead not wanting to look him in the eye after admitting that. “And I can be stubborn.”
He scoffed though it sounded more amused than derisive. “I’ve heard.”
Now she turned to him with a purpose. “Okay, you tell me how you would’ve felt if after the night we’d had you would’ve walked out and seen some dude kissing me? Someone I’d told you I’d previouslymessed aroundwith?”
The smirk flattened instantly. “I would’ve been pissed.” He glanced away, jaw clenching. “I’ll admit it too. Fuckinglivid. But I would’ve confronted you that same night and I sure as fuck wouldn’t have held out as long as you did to hear you out. I would’ve read all your texts no matter how mad I was. You never even gave me the benefit of the doubt.”
“After what I saw and had heard from yourownsisters about you.” She shook her head lifting her chin insolently. “No. I’d never feltsostupid in my life.”
“I’m sorry,” he insisted as they came to another one of Bentley’s bush watering stops and she turned to him. Those eyes spoke to her with such genuine angst. “You have no idea howbadlyI wanted nothing more than to rush back upstairs and find you and possibly get the chance to kiss you goodnight. But it was chaos. My dad was onfire. “You gotta understand something about the men in my family, Xochitl. Youneverraise your hand at a woman or even touch her inappropriately unless it’sabsolutelyconsensual. Most importantly, they’ve all been pounding into our heads since I can remember that nobody messes with the women in our family. Hell, I’ve been ready to kill if anyone just looked at mybrotherthe wrong way since grade school. Don’t get me started on anyone messing with my sisters. And this was his wife this asshole put his hands on. It tookallof us to calm him down. Then I got stuck babysitting Angela. I was this close to asking my brother to stay with her so I could run and get back to you, but when she started getting all emotional, Gordo’s coward ass, when it comes to girl’s tears, was out of there.” Xochitl suppressed the urge to smile as big as she wanted to. Especially since her heart was still fluttering from hearing that she wasn’t the only one who’d hoped for a goodnight kiss to end the otherwise perfect night. Good Lord, he’d been here less than a day and she was already getting sucked into his smooth talking. Though admittedly his explanation did make sense, and just like that night, the sincerity she saw in his eyes, heard in his words, was palpable. She took a deep breath but had to glance away. Xochitl had always been adamant about not playing games and being completely honest. Particularly if someone was being as honest and upfront as Lex seemed to be doing. But she’d bebeyondcautious about her rapport with the guy moving forward. He’d be living with her now and after less than a couple of hours of being around him, for Christ’s sakes, her insides were already a hot mess. So, while she’d be upfront and honest about this too, she was terrified of ever feeling the hurt and mortification she’d felt for too long after thatonenight with him.
Unable to face him, she petted her big furry sweetheart and focused on that instead as she began to speak. “Maybe that’s why it felt like such a slap in the face. Because it’s what I’d begun to hope for that night too, and then I walked out to see you with her.” She glanced up at him but before he could respond because he looked ready to grovel, she went on quickly. “I get it now, Lex, and you’ve apologized when if you think about it, you really didn’t owe me anything more than an explanation at that point. I was too stunned that night and for a long time after, to even consider the possibility that there might be a better explanation for what I wascertainI’d seen. After the night we’d had, I felt completely duped. And as . . .” She paused to smirk. “Tenaciousas I can be, I was absolutely determined to never give you so much as the opportunity of pulling another one over me again.” She lifted her hand before he could protest like he looked ready to do. “I believe now that you were just doing what you were asked to do, and it put you in that compromising position. I really do. AndI’msorry that it took this long for you to even get the chance to explain. I guess it didn’t help every time your sister continued to quip about her incorrigible flirtatious brothers.”
“You know I’m gonna have to talk to her about that—”
“Don’t,” Xochitl said quickly. “She doesn’t say it in a bad way. She just can’t help be proud of how charming her twoadorablelittle brothers can be.” That didn’t seem to satisfy him so before he got any ideas about calling Vannah to complain, Xochitl added. “It’s not like she says it very often. I just meant it could be months since I’d given any thoughts to that night—” Liar – “When something would come up that might have her remembering and giggling about something silly either you or Gordo recently did or even did once upon a time. It’d just reinforce my resolve about not taking any of your calls or even giving into reading your texts.” Okay maybe at no time since that night had Xochitl gonemonthswithout thinking about it. She was lucky to go a few weeks without it somehow invading her thoughts. But that last part was true, and it wasn’t just Vannah doing the reminding either. Xochitl had even begun to think the gods, orsomeonemust be looking out for her. Just when she’d begin to rethink being so inflexible about hearing him out inanyway, something would happen. Vannah would either mention something out of the blue about her adorable brothers or Xochitl would watch a movie or hear a song about a chronic man whore. It always saved her from giving into the temptation of letting down her guard and getting caught up with Lex again. Until of course the day Vannah showed up just last week with her birria and those gods looking out for her, completely dropped the ball. Even once Vannah got off the phone with Lex, that day, she’d immediately called her mother. Before Xochitl could try to explain why her brother moving into her dorm was absolutely andcategorically, out of the question, Mrs. Moreno was on speaker thanking her profusely.“Xochitl sweetheart, you’re an absolute lifesaver. I can finally get some sleep. I’ve been so incredibly worried!”
The whole time Vannah held the phone up smiling hugely, clutching her chest, and nodding along in agreement with all the gratitude her mother was shelling out. Oh, it wasbrutal. There’d been no way Xochitl could muster the backbone needed to tell them both this would be the end to her.
Now here she was. Doing all the things that before him were so uncharacteristic of her. She could barely to look at him without breathing in deeply, and her heart hadn’t stopped thundering from the moment he walked into the dorm today.
“So, we’re good now? We can start all over?” He rubbed the back of his neck as they continued to walk. “I mean I know you’re back with yoursoulmatenow. I just mean because you cut me off the way you did, I was worried this would be one long awkward semester. Pretty sure only reason you agreed to this, was because my sister wrangled you into it before you could say no, like she did me.”
Xochitl chuckled. “How’d you guess?”
This semester might be a little less awkward now that they’d broken the ice, and she knew the real truth about that night. But Xochitl could already tell seeing those breathtaking dimples every day, sure as hell would make it painful.
Smiling big, he nodded. “I knew it the moment she said you’djustfound out and you were standing right next to her while she went on about it all excited. I figured she hadn’t even given you a chance to come up with an excuse for why this wouldn’t work before she had me on the phone.” He shook his head as Xochitl stared at him still mesmerized by those deep dimples and beautiful smile. “Then my parents got involved and I knew there was no way out unless you put a stop to it.” He tilted his head, the big smile softening a bit. “I’m glad you didn’t. At least now you know I’m not a total douche who tried to play you that night but didn’t get the chance to.”
“And I’m glad you were so quick to explain this because you’re right.” She reached for the dorm door as she turned to face him before they went in. “I’d already braced myself for the long, awkward, semester.”
They walked in just as her brother was walking out of the bathroom. “That took a minute.” He eyed them and she already knew she’d be getting a text or call as soon as he left. “I’ve already had my two trips to the bathroom.”
“Ew, Izel.” Xochitl scrunched her nose. “TMI!”
“What? It’s natural.” He bent over to tousle Bentley’s ears. “Isn’t it, big guy? Did you take care of business too?”
“Yes,” Xochitl answered for him. “And even he only went once.”
“So, then I think I shall be hitting the road.”
Lex’s phone rang and he let them know it was his mom. “I gotta take this,” he said but he reached his hand out to Izel. “Might be a while, so if you’re leaving, it was nice meeting you, man.”
“Pleasure was all mine,” Izel said shaking his hand then turned to Xochitl eyebrow arched as soon as Lex was in his room. “Walk me out,” he mouthed as he picked up his bags and took Bentley’s leash from her. Of course, her brother wouldn’t even wait to call or text her later. He wanted the scoop now. She caught herself about to yell out to Lex to let him know she’d be walking Izel out. He’d been here less than two hours and already she was feeling like she needed to check in with him about her whereabouts. She’d never felt that need with Gina. It was too weird, and she didn’t want him thinking this was her way of setting the precedent. She knew she was probably being paranoid but last thing she needed was for him to think just because they’d be roommates now, she felt entitled to him checking in with her. So, she walked out quietly with her brother and her big sweetheart, already feeling sad that she’d miss them both. “Let’s have it,” Izel said as soon as she closed the door behind her. “I heard him say you two needed to talk. I take it Sexy Lexy turned on the sweet talking for you again.”
