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1236 Words
LEXI'S POV
I was really looking forward to the night being over, so when Audrey said she’d drive me to the restaurant, I didn’t hesitate. I just wanted this date to end, so I could go home and get some sleep.
“My brother is not here yet. But you can wait here, right?” Chelsea said with a smile when we reached the table she had reserved.
“How are you going to get home? You don’t have a car,” I said, remembering that she didn’t have one with her.
“I’m fine, Lexi. Don’t worry about me. Just sit down and enjoy the night. Bye!”
I couldn’t say anything more because Chelsea had already left. Her reserved table was in a VIP section with its own privacy. It was in a closed space, so besides the lack of people seeing us, no one would be able to hear our conversation.
I didn’t ask Chelsea if I’d be waiting long for her brother. It was a blind date after all, and I was already here first. But this worked out better. Now I had a reason if Chelsea ever tried to set me up for another date. I really don’t like being kept waiting.
I decided to check my phone to pass time. I had a couple of texts, so I read them one by one.
‘I am always available, Lexi. Just call me anytime.’
It was from Savina. She was probably restless, knowing my evening hadn’t gone well yesterday. I would have loved to tell her everything, but I just wasn’t ready yet. James had become, in some way, a friend, and I didn’t want to ruin their friendship over my own foolishness.
‘Please, Lexi. Let’s talk.’
I sighed. James had been pestering me all day, wanting to talk even though there was already nothing to talk about. Everything was clear to me, and I didn’t need his words or explanations anymore. I just wanted to forget him, and I preferred not seeing or talking to him for that to happen.
I was about to read the third message when suddenly a bouquet of flowers appeared in front of me. It even covered my phone, so I quickly looked up at the man standing beside me. I hadn’t noticed that Chelsea’s brother had arrived because I was so focused on my phone.
“I’m sorry. I was late.”
My knees almost buckled when I saw who Chelsea’s brother was. I literally gaped, and not a single word came out. My eyes seemed to be magnetized towards him, and even if I was tired of looking up, I couldn’t pull myself away. I was so stunned that I didn’t know how to move my body. I was stuck!
“Hey,” he said, gently holding my chin to close my mouth. I could feel my heart racing as he smiled at me.
Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!
I could only follow his movements with my eyes while he placed the flowers on the table and sat down in front of me.
“Hi, Lex.”
My hands were cold, and my knees were shaking. I still couldn’t speak, and all I could do was drink some water because my throat was dry. My hands trembled as I held the glass, and I was glad I didn’t drop it. I wasn’t sure if he noticed, but I didn’t care anymore. I just wanted to leave, but I felt like I’d fall over if I tried to stand up.
“You set me up,” was all I could say after drinking some water.
“Of course not. It’s not my fault that Dad cut off my sister’s credit card, and it just so happened that you were the one who helped her,” he explained.
I rubbed my forehead, trying to recall if this guy had ever mentioned his sister to me before.
“Lex.”
“Chase Grey, please. Just give me a minute to process everything,” I quickly said to him.
I kept my head down because I couldn’t face Chase. Yes, I knew him. He was Chase Grey Sandoval, the first guy who ever fooled me. My first boyfriend, who had only bet on me back then.
“Look, Lex. I swear, I was shocked when Chelsea told me you two met yesterday,” he said seriously.
“Is that why you agreed to this blind date so quickly?” I asked, still in disbelief.
“Yes,” he answered plainly.
I bitterly laughed. It had been 8 years, and I was sure I had moved on. I had even learned to love James, but why was my reaction still like that when I saw Chase?
“But why?” I couldn’t help but ask.
“Lex, it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, so I thought everything was okay with you now. I mean, we both moved on,” he said casually.
Yeah. That’s how it should be. Maybe I was just shocked and hadn’t expected him to be the one I’d be dating tonight. I hadn’t anticipated seeing him again after our last conversation in high school.
“Okay. This is just once. I’m just doing this for Chelsea,” I said, the only words I could muster.
Chase didn’t respond immediately because the food arrived. Everything had been arranged. Chelsea must have ordered earlier.
“Does Chelsea know we were exes?” I boldly asked once the waiter left.
“Nope. She was just desperate,” he replied briefly.
“Desperate?”
He nodded slowly. “We found out that my parents were planning to marry me off to someone else. When Chelsea found out who it was, I asked for her help.”
Slowly, I started to feel more comfortable in front of Chase. My heart wasn’t racing anymore, and my hands stopped trembling.
“What kind of help?” I asked.
“I needed to find a girl who could help me stop the arranged marriage.”
Chase stared at me seriously, and I had a feeling I knew what he was going to say next.
“Grey, no. I can’t help you,” I quickly said.
He smiled at me, and my heart skipped again. D*mn this heart!
“Do you know you’re the only one who was allowed to call me by that name? How I miss it, Lex.”
And he is the only one I allowed to call me "Lex".
“Stop it. You’re not going to fool me, and you’re not going to convince me to pretend to be your girlfriend,” I replied, as my tone was sharp.
“You haven’t changed. You’re still the Lexi that—”
I cut him off. “That you fooled and bet on,” I added.
He paused at my words. He didn’t stop looking at me, so I turned away. I was starting to feel uncomfortable again. I couldn’t face his gaze anymore.
“I’m sorry if I’ve been too straightforward with you. This should be a date. Let’s keep it that way, shall we?” he said seriously.
I nodded slowly. “Like I said, I’m only doing this for Chelsea. This is the first and last date,” I said casually.
“You know what? I really miss you, and I am d*mn serious, Lex."
- Writer
