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“It was a ten and twenty,” Xochitl clarified with conviction, which only made his sister laugh even more and fall back again, fanning herself.
“Oh, my bad! I forgot what awindfallit was.” She sat up, eyes all overflowing with tears of laughter, turned back to Lex who was totally amused at this point. Not to mention curious about what thebestpart was, since she did say she bought thelovepotion. “So, because she wonsomuch money and this thing actually worked, the next day she doused herself with the love potion before going to the lab at school where there was a cute guy she’d been eyeing.” Xochitl slunk in her seat even though she was now laughing too as his sister proceeded to squeal in delight.
“Did it work?” he asked anxiously now, glancing from Vannah to Xochitl who shook her head.
His sister shook her head almost violently. No surprise she, who was now in hysterics, answered for Xochitl. “He wasn’t even there, but this adorable little five foot nothing, foreign exchange student who she could barely understand asked for her number.”
“I gave it to him too,” Xochitl said, surprising Lex as Vannah fell back onto her chair again wiping more tears away. “He was very nice, and we became friends until he had to go back to Nigeria.”
The laughter was endless as usual as they continued to chat and eat. Lex should’ve known his sister would come armed with enough food for more than just lunch. Throughout the day she made snacks and appetizers even a light dinner that included dessert to top it all off. Her husband was away on business for the weekend and apparently, she was in no hurry to get home. By that evening they’d been completely spoiled and stuffed with her cooking. Vannah finally announced she needed to get going but promised that she’d be back often to cook for them. Her goodbye was as long as her greeting to both of them. Finally done, she started out the door. “You guys can be my guinea pigs for some new stuff I’ve been wanting to try.”
“Girl, you can experiment on me all you want.” Xochitl smiled as she and Lex walked her out. “Anything you make is always to die for.”
They just walked out, when they heard it, and all turned. “Hey, you,” Annette called out smiling big as she walked toward him. “How’s that pillow working out for you? Having sweet dreams—or maybe some not-so-sweet ones?” He saw Vannah smirk as Xochitl announced she’d be walking her all the way to her car.
Without waiting for a response both girls were off, and he was stuck there with a lash fluttering Annette. “Good pillow.” He smiled politely. “Thanks again.”
She filled him in on the high quality of the pillow, where she got it, what it was made of and a bunch of other shit he couldn’t care less about. Lex knew all about beating around the bush when it came to girls trying to just strike up a conversation until they got to what they really wanted to discuss. Hell, he’d done so himself when he didn’t want to be so obvious. It’s what was so refreshing about Xochitl. She always got right to her point.
Annette threw out a few more fun facts about the stupid pillow until she finally got to why she was really standing there. “What are you up to tonight?” Looking over her shoulder, he saw Xochitl was already on her way back. “Not a whole lot. It’s been a grueling week with practice, and I anticipate another one coming so I’ll probably just chill.” Of course, just as Xochitl walked by them toward the dorm door, Annette extended the offer. “You could come over to my place and chill with me.”
“Goodnight, Lex,” Xochitl said and just like last time didn’t bother to address Annette. “You’re going to bed already?”
She nodded looking back at him as she opened the dorm door. “All that food made me tired.”
Oh,hellno. “Yeah, me too.” He turned back to Annette and addressed her quickly before she could protest. “I think I’m gonna hit the hay. Like I said, long week. I’ll see you around.”
Lex followed Xochitl into the dorm aware that what he’d just done was rude as fuck, but he didn’t care. He’d waited all day to start his discreet wooing of Xochitl and he wasn’t about to miss out on it. Besides Annette was under the impression he had a girl back home. So, her inviting him back to her dorm to chill with her was rude to said fake girlfriend.
“I sawSixteen Candlesis playing on Netflix,” he said as soon as he closed the door behind him. “Haven’t watched it since you told me about it way back. We still have a lot of stuff to munch on if you wanna sit and watch with me.” She turned to him, and he didn’t miss the way she glanced at the door behind him. “Again,” he said a little too defensively pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. “Sheapproached me.Sheinvited me and I made it perfectly clear I’m not interested.”
She put her hands up at either side of her face, shaking her head. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Yeah, but you were thinking it.”
“I’m just thinking as busy as you’ll be from here on maybe you should’ve taken her up on the offer.” She shrugged in an attempt to look indifferent, but Lex saw right through it and he almost smirked. “Might be your last chance to for a while.” That quelled any desire to smile because he was tired of the implications.
“And I just said I’m not interested in hanging out withher.” Deciding to do the Xochitl, he was taking this one step further by being just as open and honest as she always was. Fuck the discreet thing. There was no way she didn’t already know anyway. “I’d rather hang out with you.”
As expected, that seemed to stun her because she stared at him silently for a moment, before arching her brow. “Oh.”
“What was that?” He pointed at her brow.
“What? Your brow. You arched it like you don’t believe me.”
She shook her head looking a little nervous that he’d call her on it, but he was glad he did because this wasbullshit. “Not that I don’t believe you. I’m just surprised.”
“Surprised?” Lex was liking this honest stuff and he now had every intention on using it on her until he broke her down. “Why surprised? I told you already that I hate how shit went down for us two years ago. That I wished things that night had ended differently and that I’d meant every word I said that night. So why would it surprise you that I’d prefer to spend time with you—instead of some random chick I barely know?”
“I’m not surprised about that.” She glanced away. “I’m just surprised you’re telling me all this.”
Good. Because she better get used to this starting now. “Why’d you really break up with Cade?” Her eyes went a bit wide though she recovered fast enough. “I told you—”
“Yeah, you started to tell me what sounded like the truth,” he said searching those still wide eyes. “That the romance had always felt off and you needed the magic. Then you started backpedaling with theif-it’s-meant-to-becrap.” He peered at her now with conviction. “Tell me something, was what you felt at the wedding . . .” Her slightly parting lips distracted him momentarily, but they were back on her eyes because he needed to see her reaction to the next part. “The magic you’ve never felt with him?” Now those beautiful eyes went even wider and once again she went silent, and though she arched that defiant brow, she did what she always did and was honest. While she didn’t say it, she nodded. It had Lex’s hopeful heart speeding up because he fuckingknewit. He started to take a cautious step closer to her until he remembered something. “But you got back with him after the wedding.”
“I was hopeful.” She shrugged as that strong-willed expression she wore previously eased a bit. “It’d been the longest he and I had ever been broken up and just as long since I’d last seen him. When I saw him again for the first time in so long, I confused my feeling elated to see him again, for something else.” She glanced away as Lex peered at her because this not only confused him, it pissed him off. “I was wrong.”
“You sure about that?” His tone was a bit harsher than he’d meant but it couldn’t be helped. “Of course, I’m sure.”
