Chapter 1-3
1664 Words
“Like this,” Chyna said.
She looked doe-eyed, her mouth turned up into a half-smile as if she were keeping a secret from the rest of the world, her head tilted slightly upward, and a small sigh escaped her lips.
“I do not look like that,” Lexi cried.
“You had that exact look when you walked through my door. I’d know it anywhere. You have looks when you’re thinking about someone. I know you too well not to notice.”
“Oh yeah? Who else do I have one for then?”
Chyna’s eyes slanted seductively sideways, licked her pouted lips, let a smirk cross her face, and breathed out heavily a few times. Lexi stared at her in awe wondering what this was all about.
After a second, Chyna returned to her typical look and said, “That was when you think about Jack.”
Lexi colored slightly at the reenactment. “Whatever.”
She wished she could cover her embarrassment. They didn’t typically talk about Jack, because it tended to bring up memories Lexi didn’t like to dwell on.
“Anyway,” Chyna said, “what did Ramsey call to talk to you about? He did call right?”
Lexi nodded slowly and pushed her fingers through her hair as she yanked the ponytail holder out of place. She stood up from the plastic covered furniture and made a slow circle around the part of the room that wasn’t a disaster.
“This can’t be good,” Chyna ventured.
“No, it’s fine. I’m just letting it get to me.”
“Well don’t, whatever it is, don’t let it get to you. You know you need to work on not letting these boys control your emotions, chica.”
“I know, C. Don’t remind me. That’s all I’ve been thinking about since he called. I need to control myself. But it’s not that simple.”
“Girl, I know better than anyone. I’ve been here through it all for you,” she said reassuringly. Chyna stood and moved next to her. “So what’s up with him? Something different?”
“He…” Lexi sighed hating that she had to say this out loud, “he invited me to the wedding.”
“What?” Chyna asked. “As in Jack’s wedding?”
“Yeah, as in Jack’s wedding,” Lexi confirmed.
“Is he out of his f*****g mind?”
“I asked him if he was,” Lexi said.
“You can’t go!”
“You think I don’t know that? He wanted to go with me—to be there with him.”
“I know how hard it must be, but you can’t let him do this to you,” Chyna told her. “It doesn’t change what happened. I know it doesn’t make things better. But at least you know now.”
“I know,” Lexi said nodding. “He’s just, you know…Ramsey.”
“I know,” Chyna agreed sympathetically. “But you can’t go to that wedding. Did he tell you the date?”
Pop music sounded in the living room, causing both girls to jump. Lexi walked around the side of the couch and scooped up her purse.
“No. Thank God,” Lexi told Chyna, reaching into her bag. “I almost had a heart attack right there when he tried to tell me the date.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“Hold on,” Lexi said. She answered the call. “Hello?”
“Lexi,” Ramsey said.
“Uh…” Lexi stammered, glancing anxiously at Chyna and mouthing who the caller was.
Chyna shook her head vehemently and held her hand out for the phone as if she were ready to dismiss the call at any moment.
“Hey,” Lexi said, waving Chyna away.
“Hey. I know I called earlier, but you said you would talk to me later and I thought now is…well…later. You know? I didn’t really get to talk to you this morning, and I need to talk you,” he said, babbling nervously.
This made Lexi smile despite herself. He was always so cute when he babbled on about things. Chyna glowered at Lexi’s reaction and poked her in the side to remind her to stay on track.
“Yeah, well this morning really wasn’t a great time, but the answer is still no, Ramsey.”
Lexi wandered down the hallway and into an empty guest room to continue her conversation in peace.
“I know. I mean, I knew all along you were going to say no.”
“Then why even bother asking me?”
“I was hoping you might change your mind, if you knew everything.”
“I’m pretty sure I know everything,” she grumbled.
“Parker is going to be there.”
Lexi cringed to keep from saying anything stupid. She really did not want to be having this conversation. When she had left things with Jack, she had promised that she would never again let anything like that happen…not even close. She needed control. She needed to be in control. Ramsey swayed her emotions in a completely different way than Jack, and she was all right with that. It was just when the lack of control started creeping in that she couldn’t handle it.
The way Ramsey brought Parker up like this hoping to influence her decision made things even worse. She and Ramsey weren’t together. It shouldn’t matter to her whether Parker was going to be there or not.
But it did.
Of course it mattered to her, which is exactly the reason why he brought it up. And it was exactly why she couldn’t let it get to her or else he would have her hook, line, and sinker.
“Great,” Lexi stated as fake cheerful as she could get.
“Look, I want you to be there if Parker is going.”
“You want me to be there because Parker is going to be there?” Lexi asked incredulously. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“I’d feel more comfortable knowing you’re around.”
She really hated hearing him beg her. If things had been different and they hadn’t gone through so much together, then maybe she would have changed her mind, but probably not. She had to keep reminding herself what he was asking her to do. She could not go to Jack’s wedding under any circumstance.
“So you can control what’s going on?” she asked dryly, a sting of venom in the comment.
He sighed heavily once more. “No, that’s not it at all. Parker is just…you know, and I want you to be there too.”
“Ramsey, as much as I’d love to be around you and Parker at the same time,” Lexi told him sarcastically. “I cannot…no, I will not go to that wedding. Can you not understand? This is Jack we’re talking about marrying your sister. I cannot fathom a reason good enough to go.”
“To visit me?” he asked hopefully.
“If I wanted to visit you Ramsey, I would fly to Atlanta. I wouldn’t have to go to that miserable wedding to see you,” she muttered angrily. “So please, don’t ask me again.”
Lexi could hear the defeat in his next breath. He was weighing whether or not to push her on the subject. It wouldn’t be smart on his part. She wasn’t wavering on this one.
“All right, Lexi. I won’t ask again. Sorry for bothering you. Will I see you again?”
She didn’t know how to answer him either. She strode across the bedroom to stand in front of the large vanity mirror on the hard oak dresser. Her mind was telling her that she should tell him no, but she couldn’t help that her heart was telling her otherwise.
She hadn’t seen him in the nearly three weeks since she had left him all alone in Atlanta. A wave of déjà vu passed over her in the aftermath of her reminiscence. She had now left two men behind in Atlanta.
Jack—it was difficult to even think about him—was a necessary loss. They were self-destructive when in each other’s company. Their emotions were too strong, too heated. Their senses heightened and imaginations set free. They left a path of pain for whoever ventured near, and Jack and Lexi weren’t immune to the catastrophes they created. There was a reason the sin of lust was whirled around for eternity in Dante’s Inferno. No matter where they went, they couldn’t help but ceaselessly be in a whirlwind, always crossing that fine line between love and lust.
But did Ramsey have to be a necessary loss as well?
“I…I don’t know Ramsey,” she mumbled finally giving him the best answer she could muster.
“Well, that’s better than no.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Please let me see you. I promise I won’t bring up the wedding again. I just…I miss you. I’m so sorry about everything. I’ll understand if you’re mad at me and don’t want to see me, but I really, really miss you. I’ve never met anyone like you, Lexi, and I don’t want to waste any more time letting you slip through my fingers.”
“I don’t know,” she murmured, not wanting to let him know that his words were affecting her.
“I wish I was there to kiss you,” he whispered huskily.
“Ramsey,” she said warningly, but her voice had lowered impishly with the comment.
“Tell me you’ll see me again,” he commanded, but the words were gentle.
“I…” she trailed off. “Are you planning on being in New York?”
She assumed he didn’t have plans to be up here, not that money was an issue. But if he didn’t already have plans, then she could stall a little bit longer. If he crashed back into her life so soon, she wasn’t sure she’d have the will to walk out again.
“Actually, I am,” he told her cheerfully knowing, somehow, that he had her in a corner.
“Oh,” she blurted out in surprise. She hadn’t been expecting that. Maybe he was bluffing. “What are you doing up here?”
“I have…business to attend to.”
Lexi’s eyes darkened. She did not want to have anything to do with his business matters. “Well count me out.”
“Something for good ole Daddy, Lexi,” he mumbled, obviously perturbed about the whole situation.
“Oh.”
That changed things. His father owned Bridges Enterprise, a multi-million dollar conglomerate. He frequently had Ramsey attend to business matters when he was traveling. Ramsey, who hated working for his father, usually did them more for Bekah than anyone else. They had a strange bond as brother and sister. A bond Lexi didn’t much like since Bekah was the scum of the universe.
“So, what do you say?” he asked hopefully.
“Uh, all right then,” she agreed, listening to the devil on her shoulder, “you can visit, but Ramsey…”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you dare bring up that wedding,” she warned him.
- Writer
