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“Rigoberto—”
Xochitl spitting up her drink and going into a coughing fit, had Lex reaching for a towel and patting her back as she struggled to catch her breath. “You okay?”
“Here.” Vannah handed her another towel. “I hate that, and it always happens to me.”
“Maybe because you’re always laughing,” Byron smirked. “Even mid sip of whatever it is you’re drinking.
Lex had to chuckle when she laughed just as she was about to take a sip of her own soda. “She okay?” Uncle Sal asked, looking at Xochitl as he stepped behind Eric holding his phone.
Xochitl nodded even as she continued to cough and wiped her tear steaked face. Lex glanced at her again, continuing to smooth her back with his hand. “Yeah, just went down the wrong pipe I guess,” he said, leaning in to kiss her temple.
“This is what I was telling you about,” Sal showed Eric something on his phone screen. “Ever since that shit happened when you had to unlock the websites, this happens every now and again.”
“We were just talking about that,” Vannah said, pointing at Lex. “I knew about the fight at my wedding reception and dad being mad at mom after but didn’t know the extent or all the details. Where the heck was I when all this went down?”
“On your honeymoon,hello?” Nena chuckled. “Then you went straight back to L.A. And you heard mom just now. She’s not eager to relive or even talk about it.”
Lex leaned into Xochitl’s ear. “Can I get you something? Water? Another soda?” He chuckled. “A shot?”
She stopped coughing and looked at him. For a minute there, he thought she might say yes to the shot. “No, I’m good,” she said hoarsely.
“There’s probably something still running in the background,” Eric said to Sal as he handed him back the phone. “Easy fix. I’ll get on it when I get home tonight.”
“No rush,” Sal said. “I just wanted you to see it. It’s not that big a deal. Just annoying.”
“Speaking of,” Lex asked, leaning into Xochitl. “Did you get everything squared away with your website?”
She nodded reaching for the new glass of soda that was dropped off in front of her. “Yeah. He changed a few things so now everything can be done remotely. I’ll likely never have to get together with him again.” She took a quick sip of her soda. “Likeever.”
“Good,” Lex smirked, feeling a twang of guilt over having made her cry about this, that morning. “Butifyou do. No biggie.” He shrugged, trying to pretend he wouldn’t prefer it much better if she never did. “Just don’t keep it from me. Simple as that.”
“I won’t.” She took another sip of her soda. Even though he could tell the subject alone was making her a bit tense he glanced around casually and almost didn’t ask but he had to. “Where’d you eat?”.
“Some Brazilian place in Orange County.” She put her soda back on the table. “I’d never been to a Brazilian restaurant, but he raved about it so much I agreed to try it. It was okay. Too much meat for my liking.”
Lex nodded but let it go. This was why. This waswhyit irked him that she’d be getting together with this guy at all and why Lex had made such a big deal about her keeping it from him. The guy could’ve met her at the school lab or even Starbucks to take care of business, but he had to choose some fancy restaurant instead. If Lex had to guess, just like he was likely trying to impress her with the Brazilian restaurant, he probably tried impressing her with an expensive bottle of wine for them to share. Business lunch date, his fucking ass. He was only glad to hear she’d likely never get together with the guy again and that she’d forgone the convention to be here with Lex instead.
By the time they were done with his aunt’s early birthday dinner feast, the entire Moreno clan was aware, Lex was now in a serious relationship with a girl he waslivingwith. He never would’ve thought it, but it felt damn good to be in a relationship he was now taking so seriously. Despite that morning’s conflict, his relationship with Xochitl felt solid now. She’d been right about Cade respecting the fact that Lex wasn’t comfortable with them continuing their ongoingfriendship. As far as Lex knew, and he was holding Xochitl to her promise of not keeping anything from him anymore, she and Cade had pretty much cut all of their ongoing contact. AndLexwould be honoring what he’d said about not having issue if they ever did go visit her parents and Cade happened to be invited to whatever shindigs they might have in the future. As he probably would for the rest of his life, he gave into Xochitl’s wishes that night. He was certain his parents who knew they were living together now wouldn’t have issue with her staying in his room for the night. But she said it felt a little awkward, being that they’d just found out about the relationship, and because he did share a room with Gordo.
So, she slept in Vannah’s bed in the girl’s room. Vannah got a hotel room with Byron for the night and Nena had pulled Xochitl away into her room for some girl talk. Lex took advantage of the time to catch up with his not so little brother. “Man, I knew you were into her way back at the wedding.” Gordo said as he plopped down in his bed. “I just can’t believe you waited two years to get something going with her.”
“She cut me off.” Lex lay back on his bed clasping his hands behind his head. “I honestly thought I’d never see her again. Especially after I heard she got back with her childhood sweetheart.”
“I just can’t believe you went from never having a serious girlfriend to living with one.” Gordo pulled himself up a bit leaning on his elbow to face Lex. “You and Vannah are nuts or maybe ESU has some crazy love hex that makes couples way too young, jump into such serious shit like marriage and living together. Dude, you’ve never even had a girlfriend and you’re living with one now?”
Lex chuckled. “Well, it didn’t exactly happen that way. We were thrown together.” He pulled a hand from behind his head and pointed at his brother. “With what I’d like to think is fate, and the rest is just destiny in the making.”
“So, you’re saying she’stheone?” Gordo looked at him like he was insane. “Like for good? At your age, you’re cutting all the otherheinasout for this chick?”
He pointed at his brother again. “She’s Xochitl, or your brother’s girl to you. Not,thischick.”
Gordo dropped his head back and laughed. “Oh,shit. You do have it bad.”
Smiling, Lex brought his hand back behind his head and shrugged. “Maybe I do. I can admit it. Told her I loved her just this morning.”
Shooting up from his almost lying down position, Gordo stared at him. “You’re shitting me!”
Lex laughed out loud now then covered his mouth feeling like a kid, before either of his parents walked in to ask what the noise was about. “We’d just gotten into it when she was dropping me off at the airport then she said she loved me, and I said it back. Felt right.”
