XX

Eight

XX

Mya pulled out her mascara as she came to a stop at a red light, quickly applying the black substance onto her eyelashes. Alexis texted on her phone in the passenger seat, checking for a green light every few seconds. A catchy song began to play on the radio, Alexis turning the volume up as Mya placed her mascara back into her purse and took off as the light switched to the color green.

"I'm seeing them in concert next week!"

"The lead singer is beautiful. How did you manage to score tickets?"

"Duke has tickets."

Mya lost her smile and interest in the conversation, glancing at the brunette. "Are you serious? Please tell me you're not dating that moron."

"No. God, no. Never. I can't believe those words even left your mouth. I didn't want to go with him, but I can't turn that down either. I love them, they sold out and even if I wanted to go before Duke offered, I wouldn't have the money for tickets."

"It's not a date?"

"I swear. We even agreed that it's not a date."

"I just find it weird that he couldn't find anyone else to take, especially with all the whores constantly floating around him."

Alexis shrugged her shoulders, checking her light make up in the mirror once more. "The car ride might be uncomfortable, but I don't even care. I'll be in the second row."

Mya nodded slowly, "I guess I would probably take that offer. Big maybe. Oh, are you planning on drinking tonight?"

"No, so if you plan on getting a little out of control, I am more than happy to drive back home."

"You're so sweet!" She began poking her friend next to her in her side, getting her hand smacked away due to Alexis being ticklish. "Such a good friend!"

"Yeah, yeah…you almost lost your finger."

"You know, I'm surprised Lucas even invited me. He acted funny after I told him our little sex episode was just sex. He called a few days later asking to hang out and see a movie or whatever and I find out from Jake that he's been crushing on me for awhile now. Well, he was. He wasn't too happy with me, but I hear he's talking to some new girl."

"You and your men. Lucas is so sweet and I've always thought he was super hot, so I don't see why you turned him down for something more than sex."

Mya wiggled her eye brows, a grin appearing on her face. "Ohh, really? I can always try to hook you two up."

Alexis gave her a look to leave matchmaking alone for the night. "Nooo, that's not what I was trying to get at, Mya. Lucas is just a friend and isn't going to become anything more than that. I'm not always looking for a guy like some people I know," she teased lightly.

"Actually, if you must know, I am kind of talking to this guy that may be relationship worthy."

"Ohh, someone finally taming those legs?"

Mya lost her smile immediately and gave Alexis a look. "You sound like Austin. Speaking of him, is he stopping by?"

"No. Movie night with Savannah."

"I see. You know, I didn't think they would last that long. It's getting close to a year, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Why not? They fit perfectly together if you ask me."

"Because his dad has a problem with black people so I figured that would cause some tension in the relationship since she's half black."

"Nah. When Savannah kept asking to meet his dad, Austin explained everything and she left it at that. They're not going to let other people rain on their parade. You should really get to know her a little better. I think you two will get along. Actually, I don't even see why you don't like her! I thought you two would click instantly."

"Ugh, I don't know!" Mya lied, "There's just something about her. I don't even want to talk about it because it'll ruin my partying mood!"

XX

"Ladies! Lex, lookin' good. You've been MIA lately!" Lucas wrapped his arm around Alexis' shoulders and gave her a quick hug, flashing a quick smile to Mya.

"I've been busy and I've finally moved into my own apartment."

The blonde turned his attention back to Alexis with a large smile as Mya immediately dived into a conversation with two people that she knew. "Awesome! Good for you! You better invite me to a house warming party or we're not friends anymore. I will delete you from my contacts and everything."

Alexis nodded with a roll of her eyes, "First person on my list to call when that is planned."

"That's what I like to hear. Okay, I have jungle juice in the kitchen, jell-o and pudding shots in the fridge and drinks in every cooler you find that are free for the taking. Help yourself and come find me if you need anything." He nudged her with his elbow as he moved on to welcome more guests, Alexis smiling to herself as she looked around to find people that she knew. She left Mya behind as she made her way through the people, hugging friends that she bumped into along the way. She estimated no more than thirty people currently in the house and overheard that it wasn't getting much crazier so police wouldn't bust the small gathering. As she listened to a friend gossip, her brows wrinkled as her eyes landed on the couch not too far away from her. She had heard that Lucas had moved out of his parents house recently, but why did his new place look familiar?

Her hazel eyes began to look around the entire house. How was he even affording the place? She excused herself to head to the bathroom, squeezing through a few people that were simply standing and blocking the hallway. Alexis slowed down her steps as she began to experience déjà vu, coming to a complete stop as she reached the occupied bathroom.

"He's refilling the toilet paper," a girl informed her, visibly waiting for the bathroom as well.

Alexis nodded slowly, looking over to the door as it opened and letting her eyes widen in surprise when she came face to face with Isaac. He looked just as taken aback, Alexis motioning for the girl to use the bathroom before her. "What the hell?"

His surprise swiftly faded, "I take it you know someone here out of all of these people…"

"Lucas invited me, but—"

The surprise returned, "My brother?"

"Lucas Jayden is your brother?! What? This world continues to shrink." Alexis took the time to look over Isaac's face and her eyes ran along his nose that matched his brothers, along with the smile she received from Lucas upon arriving. Why hadn't she noticed it before? After all, she became friends with Lucas in middle school and should've noticed that Isaac looked similar. Perhaps she was too busy swooning over Isaac to notice anything of the sort.

Isaac scratched the back of his head, glancing towards the living room when he heard cheering. "Seems that way. Funny."

Alexis slowly shook her head in a negative manner. "I can't find this humor you people seem to find…"

"Oh, loosen up."

"I'm just…stunned, lately. So, I take it he recently moved in with you?"

"Yeah, not getting along with our parents, so I set some guidelines and let him move in. He wanted to have a few people over tonight, so as long as nothing is broken, no big messes and the crowd stays this small; he can do whatever."

"Are you supplying the alcohol?"

"Seems that he found someone else to do that for him. I think he knew better than to ask." He crossed his arms over his chest, watching his younger brother laugh loudly while standing with four other people. "I'm a little cool, but not that cool to provide liquor for my under age brother even if he does have another year before he's twenty-one. You're not drinking tonight?"

"No," she murmured as she looked over her shoulder to spot Mya animatedly chatting with two other females. "I might end up having to drive my friends car after about an hour or so." Her attention returned to the bathroom as the girl stepped out and smiled as she passed. Alexis excused herself from her conversation with Isaac, slipping into the bathroom and releasing a loud exhale as she rubbed her face. She stepped closer to the large mirror to look over her appearance, but shook her head furiously as she stepped away and went to the toilet. She didn't have to check how she looked just because she happened to be back in Isaac's home under different circumstances. It shouldn't matter since he was dating her mother and still finding him attractive was entirely inappropriate!

She groaned as she sat, resting her face in the palms of her hands. She knew that if she told Mya that she wanted to leave after just arriving would get her friend in a mood and she wouldn't agree to leave or let Alexis take her car. Judging by how everybody else in the house looked to be enjoying themselves, they wouldn't want to run her back to her apartment and possibly miss out on anything.

She exited the bathroom and let out the breathe she had been holding when Isaac was nowhere in sight. She took a seat next to Mya when she found her on the couch, getting a light jab of an elbow in her side from the brunette. Mya grinned, "Interesting night, hm? I take it you already found out about Isaac and Luke?"

Alexis rubbed her temple while she closed her eyes due to the fact that Mya caught sight of Isaac already. She really didn't feel like being tormented by her. "Unfortunately. I really don't even want to talk about the disaster that is my life."

"Oh, don't be so dramatic! It's not like you knew he'd be here and it's not as if you're over here trying to score another night with him."

"Mya!" She hissed, her cheeks burning red. "Jeez…"

"It is what it is, Alexis. It happened and now it's done…since he's dating your mom and all," she mumbled, taking a sip of her drink that was clearly making her more blunt when she didn't need to be. Alexis rolled her eyes and looked away from her friend, suddenly not wanting to be around her at the moment, feeling that she was being a bit insensitive. Lucas came over to sit on the coffee table, stealing her attention for awhile before she stepped outside the patio window to get some air. A few other people were out taking their smoke breaks, Alexis taking a seat on a lawn chair and groaning inwardly when she glanced next to her to see Isaac on his phone.

He took a few minutes to get off of his phone, ending it with a laugh and a quick 'I love you' before placing it on his lap. He smiled as he looked at her, relaxing a bit more in his chair. "Party getting a little boring?"

"No, but…my friend was starting to annoy me and I wanted to get away from her. She can be a handful…"

"Ah, I see. So, how long have you known my brother?"

"Umm, since the seventh grade when we moved her after…the divorce. We sat next to each other in science class and he was always getting in trouble for talking." She laughed, "The teacher wouldn't even have to turn around to know it was him getting other classmates laughing and he would just yell his name and tell him to be quiet and pay attention."

"Sounds about right."

"We even got detention together, twice! Just for talking. He's a good guy, though."

"That's good to hear. I worry about him sometimes. He parties a lot."

"Oh, come on. You're not that old. Surely you had your partying ways and still do since-" Alexis lost her smile and stopped her sentence short when she caught her sentence going in the wrong direction that included the night they met. She cleared her throat and forced a smile to appear. "I'm sure you had your partying days."

Alexis wasn't sure if he figured out where she was going with her last sentence, but if he did, she was glad that he didn't point it out. "I don't think I'm old at all, thank you. I think I'm still fairly young."

She grinned, "I suppose." People continued to go out and in through the patio window, several people taking pictures on their cell phones. "So, was that…my mom on the phone?"

He shook his head, "No. My mom. Why do you ask?"

"…" She had only wondered because he was telling someone that he loved them. "Do you love her?"

She could tell that it caught the blonde off guard, but he quickly recovered. She felt so stupid! Why did that question even leave her mouth? It was none of her business, but her words left her mouth before her mind could tell her to keep it to herself. "I mean—that was dumb. You don't have to answer that. I don't know—"

"Love is a strong word," he interrupted, "and we haven't been together that long. I like her, don't get me wrong." He stopped, a silence falling between them briefly. Alexis watched him, wondering what he was even thinking about. Did he ever think about the drunken night they had together? He had to of! She did! How much did he remember, anyway? She never got the courage to ask him and it wasn't exactly the most appropriate thing to pry about with him. "You two aren't too much alike," he commented, his brown eyes meeting hers.

Alexis blushed because of the sudden eye contact, dropping her gaze to her hands. There was something about him. There was something intense about him. His gaze never faltered like hers and he was so much more honest than her. She knew that if she asked those questions, he wouldn't miss a beat with answering them truthfully. He was also hard to read and she couldn't help but make her nervous. "I'm told that Wyatt and I are a lot like our dad."

"I've never met him, yet."

"He's…awesome. He's a great guy. Wyatt is obsessed with him. I'm surprised Wyatt hasn't chased you off!"

"He told me that I'm a pretty cool guy."

She rolled her eyes with a smile, "Only because you got him a new skateboard that he's been wanting. Are you sucking up to him to gain points?"

He scoffed and that grin of his came back to his face. "Please. He's been nothing but nice and I like doing things for people. I don't have kids of my own, so…"

"You have a sister, don't you?"

"We have two. They have kids and I spoil the shit out of them when I get them."

"Do you—" She stopped herself once again. Her mother made it known that she was done having kids and she wondered if she even mentioned it to Isaac. He had mentioned that he wanted some in passing, but did he even have that conversation with her mom. Her mouth formed a thin line, "Never mind."

"What is it?"

"It's…none of my business. I have this habit of mouth diarrhea," she admitted, getting a laugh out of the blonde, "and I don't need to finish my sentences half of the time. It was nothing. I ramble, too when I get nervous, I guess—"

"You shouldn't be nervous," he said, his eyes once again staring directly into her own. She was like a deer in headlights. "Why are you nervous?" Was he playing games with her? That stupid grin never left his face. Was he making fun of her? He had to know why she was nervous! Was he playing stupid? The reason has been the same since the very beginning!

Her brows furrowed, "What do you mean? You know why…I'm uncomfortable."

"I make you uncomfortable?"

"I'm uncomfortable because I still remember what happened."

The older man continued to watch her, picking up on the habit of wiping her sweaty hands on her jeans. His brown eyes went back to her face, her cheeks noticeably becoming red. "I thought we'd pretend nothing happened in the first place."

"Well, it's easier said than done!" She snapped quietly, not wanting the remaining people to overhear what they were discussing. "It's—I don't do that often—like that—with strangers , nonetheless! And for it to turn out like this where you're dating…" Her sentence came to a slow death as she noticed that his grin was completely gone from his face. Good! Inside, she felt triumphant. He needed to understand that she was a female that didn't sleep around so carelessly and that their incident was still affecting her. "How much do you even remember? You act like it's nothing."

"How do you want me to act, Alexis?"

She had no answer and she surprised herself with holding his gaze.

"I remember most of the night," he admitted, "the taxi ride is a blur, but bits and pieces add up of when we were together."

Alexis shook her head and held up a finger to stop him. She didn't need to know this. She shouldn't have asked anything. She shouldn't have been spending her time sitting outside and talking to him either.

"You wanted to know. Do you want me to break up with your mother? Is that what you want?"

Her tense shoulders slouched at his question, her heart twisting painfully when he brought up her mother. What was she doing, sitting here and having this conversation with him? Her gaze dropped to her lap because he had her, didn't he? He saw right through her. "I have to go," she spoke firmly, avoiding his gaze as she came to a stand and headed back in, knowing that he probably wouldn't stop her from leaving in front of everyone. She didn't bother telling Mya of her ditching the party. She would send her a text while she was on her way home, arguing with herself mentally. She had to keep away from her mother while she was feeling this way about Isaac. It only made sense. She couldn't even have a conversation with him without her body feeling like it was on fire.

'Men are just trouble. That's all there is to it. If it's not Isaac, it's Duke. I can't win! I need a clean slate with some new man! That's all I ask for!'

Alexis continued on her way, having the feeling that the rest of her night would consist of her eating ice cream and angrily watching a romance movie that made love look easy when it really wasn't.

XX