Avoiding Commitment (Avoiding #1)(61)
Her hair was tangled and windblown from a night on the beach. Her cheeks were plump and rosy; her lips cracked and chapping. Two large circles had formed under her bloodshot eyes from sleep deprivation. Luckily, Sandy hadn't noticed the sand covering her body or else she might have asked more questions. Despite physical exhaustion and renewed fear that Clark would notice a difference in her, she was ready to start the day. She was ready to see Jack again.
After a shower, Lexi figured she at least looked presentable, and was ready for some breakfast. As she exited the room and began to climb the stairs to search for something to eat, the smell hit her. Pancakes.
She turned the corner and found Clark already in the middle of whipping up a fresh batch. Smiling brightly as she entered the room, she walked up to him and grasped him around the middle.
"Well good morning to you too," he said leaning down and giving her a kiss. "You look fresh this morning."
She blushed. "Thank you, dear."
"Go have a seat, and I'll get you some pancakes. Orange juice, yes?"
"Uh...yeah. Sounds great," she said turning away from him. Her gaze rested on the breakfast bar that she hadn't noticed the first time around. When she recognized who was sitting there looking smug, her cheeks reddened further.
"Mornin'," Jack said tilting his head at her as a welcome. She watched as he poured an exorbitant amount of maple syrup on his pancakes.
"Good morning to you," she said cheerfully, taking the seat next to him and glancing back up at Clark. After pouring several pancakes onto the griddle, he turned around and was staring at her intently.
"Sleep well?" Jack asked between mouthfuls of the oozing goodness.
Lexi leaned back in the chair and prayed she didn't blush. "Sure," she said unable to keep a mischievous smile from creeping onto her face. "You?"
"Nah. Slept like shit. That couch is full of lumps. Feels more like sand," he told her forcing down another bite, but still not looking up at her.
Clark looked between the two, and seemed genuinely pleased that they were having normal conversation. Every other time they were in a room together, Lexi was fleeing the premises or they were locked in a tight, spitfire conversation for several minutes then Jack would storm off. It wasn't pretty. He was happy that perhaps his discussion with Lexi yesterday had paid off. Maybe they were finally going to be able to just relax around each other.
"Man, that's because it probably is full of sand. Think about how many times people sit on that couch after coming in from the beach," Clark said shaking his head.
A brief knowing look passed between Jack and Lexi. She tried to hide her delight at Jack's playful comments. It felt nice being able to discuss their night together without anyone…even Clark really knowing what they were talking about. To anyone else, all the comments Jack just made would seem completely neutral. It was exhilarating.
"You're probably right," Jack agreed scraping the last remnants of his breakfast from his plate. "I probably should have thought about that before I let it keep me up all night."
Lexi accepted the plate of pancakes and orange juice from Clark, and tried not to look anymore impish than usual. Just as she began to dig into her plate, Kate walked in.
While they had been up all night, they had confided in each other about their relationships; the ups and downs about being with their significant others. At first, Lexi had found it strange to discuss these things with someone who had been feverishly kissing her only minutes before, but after they began their discussion, neither could seem to stop. It was refreshing to be able to speak with someone so openly about your relationship, knowing that they didn't mind…actually reveled in the bad qualities that were mentioned.
Lexi had found out that Jack and Kate met through a mutual friend of theirs. She was pretty much everything you expected out of a cheerleader prom queen type: average height with stick straight naturally blonde hair to her shoulders, large baby blue eyes, and a toned build with a killer tan. She wore her emotions on her sleeve, and her bubbly personality only intensified that aspect of her character. The silver spoon she'd been fed on since birth made her have a predisposition for expensive name brand clothing, acrylic French manicures, fake n bake tanning, and ultra bright highlights. The only things keeping her from being a snotty brat was the fact that her parents were extremely religious. At least in the respect, she had been humbled from her high horse. The faith had remained with her all through college. No matter what had gone on Saturday night, Kate could be found every Sunday morning sitting in a pew…confessing her sins.
Despite the fact that Jack wasn't on a sports team for the school like her three previous boyfriends, his natural charm won her over. She liked his music and adventurous nature even though she wasn't a big fan of the big wide open outdoors herself. She had been hooked after the first date. He had taken to her to the nicest restaurant in town for a candle lit dinner with wine pairings, roses, and everything. The whole shebang. Afterwards, they traversed a moonlit path around the campus gardens. When he had described it to Lexi, she couldn't help thinking that it was far removed from a simple carnival ride.
They had started talking just after Lexi stopped returning his calls, and had been dating for over a year and a half now. Just as the saying goes the best way to forget the last is to move onto the next.
Kate sidled up to Jack in her bright yellow bikini and broad-rimmed floppy sun hat. Lexi watched as she kissed him briefly on the lips, and then hooked her leg up onto his lap and swung herself up on top of him.