AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Of course they did! They had been a couple for so long that it had to come second nature to them. She knew it did for her and Jack. Being with him was like breathing. You didn't just date someone for so long and then try and cover up the fact that it ever existed. People didn't just get over things like that. If anything the cover up made it seem like you never got over it…which was even more troublesome.
Just when Lexi thought her brain might explode from over thinking everything that had been said she received an incoming text message. "Lunch. Sushi. You know the place. See ya in 20. – Pookie."
Lexi sighed dropping the stack of papers she was holding onto her tiny desk. She grabbed her purse and sauntered out of the office letting her manager know that she would be back in an hour. The balding middle age man leered at her as she exited the office giving no complaint. At least she had that going for her.
Entering the crowded restaurant, Lexi searched the premises for Brandon. It was nearly impossible to find a table at this place during lunch or dinner, but Brandon always seemed to find them a spot. She didn't always ask how that was even possible. Finally seeing him crammed into a corner, Lexi strolled across the room and plopped down opposite him.
"Hey honey, you're looking a little rough," he said not too kindly.
Lexi scoffed pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Fuck off."
"No really. Have you slept at all?" he asked leaning back in the booth.
Lexi took a sip of the water he had ordered for her and shook her head. "Not really. Did you already order?"
"Yeah same thing right?" he asked. She nodded. "Cool so what's up? You haven't been dogging me for lunch or interrupting my make out sessions or any other of your annoying habits. I've barely heard from you. Who am I supposed to have lunch with?"
"Weren't you just complaining about me having lunch with you too often?" she asked feeling her annoyance from the past week and a half begin to take over.
"Yeah, but I was joking. You know I want to get in your pants. Lunch is just a way to be around you," he told her with a wink for good measure.
Lexi didn't even have the patience to humor him. "Whatever Brandon."
"Brandon? Did you just call me by my first name?" he asked his brows scrunching together. "Lexi what's wrong with you?"
"I don't want to talk about it alright?" she snapped fiercely just as the waitress walked up.
"Uh sorry," the waitress squeaked before scurrying away.
Brandon tilted his head at her slightly. "Now you've run our waitress off."
"I don't care. I'm not that hungry anyway," she mumbled though she felt pretty bad about having an outburst like that. It wasn't like it was Brandon's fault that she was in a pissy mood.
"So are you going to make me guess what set you off or are you just going to tell me?" he asked crossing his arms on the table and leaning forward.
Lexi sighed heavily. "Why doesn't Ramsey like you?" she asked taking him off guard.
"You're upset because Ramsey and I don't get along?" he asked with a smirk.
"No. I just want to know. You never told me what actually was the reason."
"That's because you have a perfect little picture of your boyfriend in your head. I didn't want to ruin it for you," he said matter of factly.
"What if I don't have such a perfect picture anymore?" she whispered.
Brandon's smile spread at that statement. "Well I did warn you from the beginning."
"Just tell me why you're not friends anymore," she spat not exactly wanting an I-told-you-so moment.
Brandon seemed to realize that she was being serious about the situation. Her face was set and determined to hear what he had to say. "I dated Parker for awhile after they broke up. If that didn't make things bad enough, she told me some things about him that made my head spin. When I confronted him about it, we ended up in a fist fight. If his roommates hadn't been around to stop him, I think he would have fought until he had no more fight left in him," Brandon told her watching her expression carefully.
"Did he hurt you?" she asked her eyes brimming with tears. Her lack of sleep was making her more emotional than usual. Just the thought of Ramsey hurting Brandon because he was dating his ex-girlfriend and had confronted him with the truth broke her heart. Who was the man that she had been dating for the last year?
"I had a few broken ribs. He would have killed me if Brad and Jason hadn't been there to pull him off of me. I don't like to admit it, but the guy is much bigger than I am," Brandon said with chuckle at the end to try and lighten the mood.
"Oh Brandon," Lexi murmured softly, "why didn't you tell me?"
"You wouldn't have believed me," he said with a snort of disbelief. "You just met me. You had no idea who I was, and you had no idea who you were dating. I wasn't going to destroy your world."
"But you will now?" she asked looking into his big brown eyes for an answer.
"Honey, it looks like someone else already has," he said reaching across the table and grasping her hand.
Lexi looked down into her water glass and tried to hold the tears in. He was right of course. Parker had already destroyed the image that she had of her boyfriend. Sure she hadn't liked where he worked or that he was surrounded by strippers all the time. She hadn't liked the distance. She didn't like that he had a reputation as a player or that he had slept with a lot of people before they were together. But she could get over those things, because she had known about them. They were a fact of their relationship, and something she could live with.
Those things hadn't ruined her view of him. Sure he had taken awhile to tell her what he did for a living, but it was kind of understandable. Most women would not be comfortable leaving their man in the hands of other women whether he ran the place or not. But at least he had come clean. What Parker had told him…what Brandon had just revealed were things Ramsey never planned on telling her.
That much was obvious at least now that she knew them. He was a liar. He had lied to her. He had looked her straight in the eyes and said that he had never been in love or had a serious girlfriend. Had he expected never to be confronted with Parker again? Or had Lexi just been temporary? She didn't even know what to believe.
