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Nav
AsheguidedLexie up the stairs to her room, he couldn’t help but feel nostalgic. Nav had always been the party animal. He had always been the one to want to drink and party and always invited Lexie out to join him. He introduced her to his friends and the lifestyle he had become accustomed to once his parents stepped out of his life. But, Nav still felt a responsibility to be the adult in every room he walked into, especially after he started caring for his brothers. His love for Lexie made that especially hard when he wanted to let loose and get blackout drunk with his friends. Her safety was always his number one priority at every party they attended together and Lexie could throw down just as hard, if not harder, than any of his friends. She was a social butterfly and made quick friends everywhere she went. She was always up for a challenge and never backed down from a single drinking game.
Nav had created a rule for himself; one he hadn’t told anyone about and kept tucked close to his heart. He only ever drank two full beers and tried to avoid all the shots he could. After his second beer was finished, he’d escape to the bathroom where he’d fill the aluminum can with water. He had no idea if Lexie ever caught on, but if she did, she never said anything to him. He couldn’t count the number of times he held her hair while she puked, or forced her to drink water. The wild in Lexie was something he hadn’t ever seen before, so the first night he invited her out to party with him and his friends, he was blown away. His friends immediately liked her spitfire attitude and Nav was beaming because they were falling in love with the girl he had loved his entire life.
As he walked Lexie to bed on this night, he knew things were different. She wasn’t the wild party animal she had once been--none of them were. They had all grown over the years, but Lexie possibly more than the others. After she met Oliver, Lexie changed, and even Nav could admit it was for the better. He knew Lexie got out of control when she drank or went to college parties, but he could never find the words or the abrasiveness it took to discuss it with her. Looking back, he knew that was an error in judgment, but he was thankful for Oliver. He hadn’t changed who Lexie was, but he did bring out the best parts of her. When he saw that for himself, he knew in his heart he couldn’t be that for Lexie, not when he was in college. Not when she needed it the most.
He pushed open her door and stepped inside with Lexie. She was still draped in the towel and it was sopping wet from her hair and the water that was stuck to her skin. She sat on the bed and Nav wandered over to her bag, hesitating for a moment before reaching for the zipper. As it flung open, Nav was happy to see a silk dress thing resting on top. He pulled it out and walked back over to her. She was half asleep and staring ahead into the nothingness. Nav pulled the towel from her grasp and let it fall beside her. He put the gown over her head and helped her arms through the holes. Once she was covered, he reached behind her and pulled the strings loose from around her neck and her chest. The cold, wet bikini released her boobs and fell slightly inside the gown. He tugged it up and out of her dress and helped her stand. He paused for a moment deciding how he wanted to get her bottoms off. He made sure the gown would cover the front of her as he pulled the strings on either side of her and tilted his head away. He felt the cold bottoms hit his feet and smoothed down the front of the dress before pulling back her bedding and navigating her into her bed. She rolled over to face him and reached her hands out toward him. He grabbed her hands in his and she pulled him toward her.
“I love you,” she whispered as her eyes stuttered shut and her grip on his hands loosened. Nav’s heart was pounding out of his chest. He had longed to hear those three words escape her sweet lips for years and only wished she was sober when she spoke them aloud to him. He reached down to pick up the towel and her bikini before flipping off her light and stepping out of her room.
He grabbed a change of clothes from his own room before sauntering into the bathroom to shower and change his own clothes. He hadn’t intended to play “Daddy Nav” today but seemed to fall into the familiar rhythm of caring for Lexie and he wasn’t upset about it. He had a fun day, and an amazing night with her. It was nice that they’d managed some alone time. He just hoped she wouldn’t wake up in the morning in a world of regret.
