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Nav
Lexiedidn’tneedto know that Nav had zero idea of an actual plan. He was hoping something would just pop out at them while they wandered through the tourist town. They bypassed all the small shops and street vendors and stepped out into a large open square full of restaurants and bars overlooking the water. Nav released a sigh of relief, allowing his feet to guide him to a bar called Tickles right on the water. The fresh breeze blowing from the water smelled of fish and salt, but he loved every moment. Lexie had been quiet on the walk through town and as they sat across from one another at the small table, his eyes skimmed over her features—features he hadn’t seen in many years. The shine of her auburn hair sparkled in the bright sun and her skin was glowing tan. The waitress interrupted his thoughts as she asked for his drink order.
“Uh, I’ll just have whatever the signature drink is,” Nav said looking at the waitress.
She scribbled on her notepad and smiled slightly at him before turning her head to Lexie. She glanced over the menu on the table and sat it aside before responding.
“Yeah, that sounds good. And water, please.”
The waitress tilted her head to both of them before walking off to get their drinks.
“So, how’s teaching going?” Nav asked as he tapped his fingers on the table, unsure what to talk about. To his surprise, she responded pleasantly.
“Well, after losing Oliver I took an extended leave. I go back this fall. It’s been nice to have a break, but I do miss my students. I miss the consistency and normalcy that comes from work.”
The waitress settled their massive cocktails in front of them before pulling her pad out again. “Can I get you guys anything to eat?”
Nav looked at Lexie questioning her with his eyes.
“No, I think we’re good. We have reservations somewhere in a bit,” she said.
“Let me know if you need anything,” the waitress sang out.
Lexie nodded and reached for the fishbowl-sized cocktail in front of her. The blue and green slush swirled together mimicking water flowing through the ocean. Nav took a sip of his own, relishing in the minty raspberry flavor brushing against his tongue before resuming the conversation with Lexie. “Is teaching what you’d dreamed it would be in college?” he asked.
“Not even a little! I spend all this time planning out the days, but most of the time I don’t follow my plans. It’s especially hard with a bunch of five years who struggle with managing their feelings and staying on task,” she chuckled as she took another sip of her drink.
“I bet so,” he responded, still unsure what to do to keep the conversation flowing. It used to be so easy with Lexie, but he knew there were so many things left unsaid.
“How’s military life?” she asked.
“It-it’s good. Keeps me busy. I work a lot of hours at the fire station and have Drill once a month, so I’m just busy all the time.”
“Hopefully you still find the time to do…fun things?” she asked. He couldn’t help but wonder if she was digging for information on his dating life but shook the thought from his head.
“Eh, occasionally,” he sat back. “Definitely not anything we used to do for fun, though.”
A slight chuckle released from her lips. “Which is kind of surprising,” she retorted, spinning the straw in her drink. “I was also kind of surprised to hear that Victoria wasn’t going to be here this week.”
Of course, Vi. Lexie’s face lowered as she took a sip of her drink, slowly pulling her eyes back up to him. He cleared his throat. He did not want to talk about Victoria. He didn’t want to talk about his life in Etville, at all, to be honest. Not with Lexie.
“I didn’t realize you knew Vi,” he said.
She scoffed in return. “I know of her. You do realize we share friends, hence why we are sitting in this ridiculous bar today gagging over small talk.”
He laughed. “Vi is... Well, actually, Vi wasn’t invited. Let’s just leave it at that.” His relationship with Vi was even more complicated than his relationship with Lexie ever was. He had no intention of divulging more information about Victoria to Lexie.
“Alright, moving on then,” she said with a quick smile that dropped as she looked around the bar.
Nav could sense the awkward movements between them and wanted to clear the air with Lexie now before progressing through the week. He knew it was going to be a long week, especially if they continued to do this little dance of small talk.
He pulled his face to meet hers and rested his elbows on the table. “Lex,” he said, watching as she met his eyes. “I know no matter what we do, this week is probably going to be weird, but for the sake of our friends... I think we should probably talk about us.”
Lexie narrowed her eyes and took a sip of her drink, letting out a huffed breath. “Okay, so, let’s talk then.” She slurped the rest of her drink down and pushed it off to the side.
