Lexxy Baby Pt. 04

"Don't do me any favors." He said, grabbing her foot to keep it from continually jabbing him.

She made a show of trying to pull it away from him, but he held on fast to it. In the end, it just rested on his lap. She didn't pull it back, and he didn't object to it. They just sat there, neither wanting to move from their comfortable perch.

Their eyes connected across the expanse of the couch. For a few infinite seconds, neither broke contact. They just looked at each other. When it became a little too intense, Monique shook off the spell and turned her attention to look out her window.

"Wow. We've been at this for so long that the day got away from us."

His eyes fell to where hers was, taking note of bright colors fighting for their survival against the dying of the daylit sky. Nodding in agreement, he said, "Yeah...I should probably get going. I wanted to make some extra money tonight with Uber."

She moved her foot from him, allowing him to get up. His body seemed reluctant to rise from the couch, but he managed to hoist himself up.

Their eyes met again for a moment, this one more extended than the last. He shook it off though, once again reminding himself to keep his feelings in check.

Unfortunately, as much as he wanted to deny how much he liked Monique to protect himself, it was becoming increasingly difficult to. How could he not like her? She was funny, witty, smart, and drop dead gorgeous.

She walked him to the door. When she opened it to let him out, Alex said, "Anytime you want to watch the other movies, let me know."

"I will. Thanks." She said with a smile.

With that, he turned and walked away. He did cast one more glance over his shoulder, but all he saw was her door closing.

***

"You're fucking kidding me! She definitely likes you!"

That was Greg. Greg was one of the Geek Squad also, but he wasn't what you would imagine as your stereotypical nerd. He was, in fact, good-looking and quite popular with the ladies. The fact that he could disassemble a computer and put it back together in his sleep just added to his appeal.

"No, she doesn't." Alex said, waving him off.

A part of him wished he didn't tell Greg about his day with Mo. He was running behind in his repairs, and he desperately needed to finish working on the computer he was working on so he could move on before his clients started complaining. Unfortunately for him, all Greg wanted to do was talk about his "date".

"Dude, she sat with you for over 7 hours watching a movie she didn't even wanna see."

"Yeah, but..."

"Tell me this..." Greg said, interrupting him. "How close were you sitting on the couch? Was she right next to you, leaning into you? Or was she on the other side, like she was trying to put space between you?"

"Why does that matter?"

"Because..." Greg said to his naïve friend. "You don't know how to read cues. You think women like you when they don't, but when they do like you, you brush them off."

Alex knew what he was hinting at, and it had nothing to do with Monique. Feeling defensive, as well as wanting to shut his know-it-all ass up, Alex said, "She was on the other side...way on the other side."

Greg was honestly not expecting that answer. It completely blew his theory out the window. Following up, he asked, "So, she didn't touch you at all?"

"Well, I didn't say that..."

Looking curiously at him, Greg said, "Spill."

"It was really nothing." Alex said with a shrug, trying not to let his irritation show. "The only part of her that touched me was her foot."

"Her foot?"

"Yeah. She just kicked me when we were playing around."

"Accidentally?"

"No. It was intentional." Alex said. Then, looking thoughtfully off to the side, he added, "And then..."

"And then?"

"She...uh... kinda just laid it on my lap afterwards."

"Really?" Greg asked with a knowing smirk. "Her bare foot?"

"Yeah, of course. She was in her house. No one wears shoes inside their house."

Greg had to shake his head. "So, let me get this straight. She invites you over to watch two long-ass movies that she didn't even wanna see, feeds you to keep you from leaving, and then plays grab-ass with you before just casually resting her bare foot on your lap."

Alex gave him a wry look. "Not everyone has a foot fetish like you. You're making it sound like we made out."

Greg chuckled at that. "Dude...every guy has a foot fetish; they just don't know it yet. But this isn't about her feet, per se. This is about the fact that she initiated skin to skin contact with you. She invited you over. Anything else you wanna tell me about this girl who can't possibly like you?"

Alex could have told him about the day in the parking lot; the day that Monique gave him permission to grope her. But he didn't. Instead, he just dismissively waved him off and returned his attention on the project he was supposed to be working on.

"Whatever. You're reading way too much into this. In case you forgot, you said the same thing about Summer back in high school."

Hearing that name made a flash of anger come over Greg. He didn't like Summer. More on that, he didn't like her for how she played with his best friend's heart.

"First off...you gotta let that go. Summer was a slut with Daddy issues."

"No, she wasn't!" Alex exclaimed, once again turning around in his seat and looking at his friend. "She wasn't a slut. Stop calling her that."

Greg shook his head with disgust. "You see? Even now, all this time later, you refuse to see the truth about that girl. You keep thinking that there's something wrong with you, or that you're to blame for her stringing you along. Summer was a bitch with Daddy issues who only got wet for guys who dogged her out. You have to stop..."

"SHUT UP, GREG!"

Greg's mouth snapped shut. His lips tightened, as if he were trying to carefully choose his next words.

There was so much he wanted to say to his friend, but Alex would never hear it. He had a big heart. It was one of his best traits. Alex would give you the shirt off his back and then jog in place to keep himself warm.

Unfortunately, that big heart was kept together with duct tape at this point. And the one responsible for haphazardly handling it was too stupid and selfish to acknowledge it. Instead, she kept him so gaslit that he could only blame himself for being too unlovable.

Carefully, Greg said, "All I'm saying is, don't let your experience with Summer taint your outlook. There are other women out there."

Alex looked at his friend apologetically before nodding. Greg was a good friend. He didn't deserve to have his head bitten off. He was just trying to make him feel better.

"Thanks, G." Alex said.

Greg nodded wordlessly. Then, the two guys turned toward their respective benches and continued to work in silence.

***

As much as he fought against it, that seed of hope started to grow inside of Alex. He found himself analyzing all their interactions, looking for the slightest hint of reciprocal feelings.

Their next Star Wars movie night was a week later. Once again, the two of them found themselves at Monique's place watching Return of the Jedi with various chips and dips spread out on her coffee table.

"Awww, C'mon!" she yelled at the screen.

"What?"

Turning to him with narrowed eyes, she asked, "Did they really have to put Leia in a fucking golden bikini, and make her a slave of that fat fuck? Really? What purpose did that scene serve except for some teenage nerd's jerk-off fodder?"

Alex wanted to defend his favorite franchise. He really wanted to. But as one of the millions who'd added that scene to his internal spank-bank, he could only concede to her point.

Still, that didn't stop him from trying. Weakly, he explained, "It was just a way to highlight how degrading her situation was, and how much Luke needed to save her."

"Right." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him. "Of course, she couldn't be fully clothed to convey that."

"Of course not." He said, chuckling. "Where else would us nerds get our jerk-off fodder?"

Shaking her head, she said, "Men are such pigs."

Despite that, Monique enjoyed the rest of the movie. Of course, she nearly flipped out when she found out Luke and Leia were brother and sister.

"Oh my God! He totally made out with his sister! How Game of Thrones is that!"

Looking at her sideways, Alex asked, "You've seen Game of Thrones?"

"Nah. It's too long." She said, taking a nacho and dipping it into the salsa. "But I've read all the comments on Twitter about it. I was going to binge-watch it when it was finished, but from what I've read about the final season, I might as well skip it."

"Touché." Alex agreed, shaking his head in near disgust.

In an off-handed remark as she was placing the chip in her mouth, Monique said, "Maybe that'll be our next show after we get through all the Star Wars."

Alex glanced in her direction before nodding and saying, "Maybe."

She definitely likes you! He heard Greg's voice excitedly saying.

Movie night became a part of their lives. It wasn't a planned day, but it was a staple in their week. It could be on a Tuesday or a Sunday. Whatever worked. They worked their way through the entire Star War's movie list and had begun watching "The Mandalorian".

Star Wars had a new fan, and her name was Monique.

Their conversations grew too. Over the four months that they'd spent watching all things Star Wars, they found themselves telling each other things that they would have never told other people. For Monique, it was nice to have a relationship with a man that she didn't fear would leave her heartbroken.

Seven months from the moment they met, Monique couldn't imagine not having Lexxy Baby in her life.

Things finally came to a head when they were finished with the series. After the season finale began to roll credits, the two of them just sat and talked for a while. When the night started to get away from them again, Alex gathered his keys and headed for the door.

She walked with him to let him out, just as she always had before. As the two of them stood there looking at each other, she saw it in his eyes; the spark that she knew was a more-than-friends attraction.

For Alex, this moment was excruciating. The eye of the uncertain good-bye is probably one of the most heart wrenching in any relationship. This is where that age-old question is answered; the one that is often looked upon as the basis of any relationship.

Does she just like me, or does she like me like me?

The potential danger of heartbreak is the risk that makes this moment so fragile. It's also why, years later, people look back on it with nostalgic fondness.

Or regret.

Greg's voice was in Alex's ear, screaming for him to carpe diem; to take the leap and kiss her. But his other voice, that rational one that reminded him of all the times he was overlooked or rejected, warned him of the potential that his parachute wouldn't open. He saw himself, hurtling through mid-air, desperate for a rescue.

Here goes nothing. Yolo.

Alexander's pulse rose exponentially, flooding his cheeks and causing quivering sensations in his stomach. Against all his warnings, all his logic, he found himself leaning into her.

Monique saw it happening, almost in slow motion. As her brain reconciled what was happening, she was met with conflicting feelings.

There was an obvious connection between the two of them, but what was it? Was it romantic, or just an appreciation of friendship?

Did she like him? Yes. Absolutely. Quite a bit actually.

Was she attracted to him? In a way, yes. His nerd was quite charming and growing on her.

But there was something missing. Something she couldn't put her finger on.

As Alex's lips descended upon hers, she had a decision to make. Once she let him kiss her, their paths would change. The only two outcomes after their lips met would be forward as a couple, or resentful friends with one of them stuck in the purgatory of the friendzone.

The thought of losing his friendship was too much. Even in this short amount of time, he'd grown roots in her life that couldn't suddenly be ripped out.

Seeing their friendship going up in smoke, she stepped in and saved them both from an awkward moment. As he was still within the window of preserving his pride, she punched him in the arm and made a joke.

"I guess your movies aren't so dorky after all, Lexxy." She said, trying to make the laugh that came after sound casual. "Either that, or your nerdom is rubbing off on me and I can't tell the difference anymore."

With a chuckle to mask his humiliation, he piggy-backed her joke.

"It's contagious; kinda like the flu."

The two of them shared a laugh at that, even though it was laced with uneasiness. Another pause ensued, highlighting just how much tension had settled around them. She gave him a smile that was a mixture of being apologetic and reassuring, which did nothing to balm the situation.

Finally, Alexander broke the silence with, "Well, I'll see you later."

"Okay. See ya."

Once the door was closed behind him, Monique leaned her head back against the door and let out a breath.

Over the course of their...whatever this was, he'd become a bright spot for her. She enjoyed his company, and genuinely looked forward to seeing him. She didn't know what she'd do if he pulled back from her.

Hopefully, inviting him to her house wasn't a mistake. Hopefully, the two of them could stay easy going friends exchanging witty banter and having fun.

Hopefully.

Dammit! Why can't things ever just stay simple?

***

The next workout session sent alarm bells off in Monique's head. To begin with, he hadn't returned any of her calls or texts since their last movie night. When she finally did see him at his appointment, Alex was...different. He wasn't rude; nothing that obvious. He was just...extremely focused and professional.

They were trainer and client. Nothing more.

"Am I doing this right?" he asked as he pulled the Lat press bar down. The pulley connected to the weighted metal raised and lowered as he went through his reps.

Watching him, she said, "Yeah. Your form is perfect." Then, inserting a small joke in there, she said, "You must have one hell of a Fitness Coach."

"Yeah. You've taught me a lot. Thanks." He said mechanically without even a hint of joking or wit.

The rest of the workout was like that; mechanical. She instructed; he followed her orders. Funnily enough, his focus would have made a normal personal trainer proud.

But she was no normal trainer. Not with him.

Alex wasn't her last client of the day so after she was done with him, she had to move quickly if she wanted to catch him before he escaped. She found Tyshawn (her partner trainer) and pulled him aside to ask him to cover her next session. Luckily, he had an opening (she already knew that), so he helped her out.

Now free, she chased Alex out to his car.

"Hey Lexxy! Hold on for a sec." she called out as she jogged to catch him.

"Hey coach. What's up?"

She sighed as she stopped in front of him. She didn't know exactly what she wanted to say, so she simply asked, "You okay?"

"I'm good. Why do you ask?"

Once again, more words wanted to come out, but none formed. All she had was, "I...uh...was just wondering. You don't seem yourself."

Shrugging nonchalantly, he reiterated, "Yeah. I'm fine." Then, he seamlessly moved on from that as he asked, "See you next week?"

Monique was a bit thrown off by his aloofness, but she brushed it aside. With a hopeful smile, she said, "Actually, I was wondering when we were gonna be able to start our next series. I was reading up on Game of Thrones, and I think we should give that one a go."

There was no reaction on his face. It was stale, as if she hadn't said anything. With a blasé tone, he just said, "I'm not sure. Things are kinda crazy at work, and I also need to Uber for some extra money."

All she could do was stand there in shocked awe. When she gathered her senses, her mouth fumbled with a response.

"Oh...ah...yeah, yeah. No worries." A shrug to appear nonchalant accompanied her words, but she couldn't fully hide the hurt as she added, "Let me know when your schedule opens up."

"Cool. See you next week?" he asked, as if he didn't notice it.

"Sure."

With that he turned on his heels and got into his car, leaving Monique standing there to watch him drive off.

Alex wasn't daft. He knew he was giving her the cold shoulder without giving her the cold shoulder. Surprisingly, he wasn't trying to be mean. There was no lesson to be learned here, nor a punishment to be handed out. He wasn't even angry with her. His new attitude was all about self-preservation.

He couldn't go on longing for her. He'd survived this thing with Monique because he always knew that he'd never be able to have her. With that always a part of their dynamic, he just didn't think about what he was missing out on.

But lately, things had changed between them. The lines seemed to blur for him. Maybe it was Greg's insistence that he had a chance, or perhaps it was the easy-going dynamic that existed between him and Monique. Whatever it was, his heart was in more dangerous territory now than it had been.

He had to guard himself. He had to build those walls back up. His heart needed to remember that it couldn't pine away for her in hopes of attaining something that wasn't meant to be.

He'd been down this road before; longing for a woman he couldn't get.

Her name was Summer Fitzpatrick. She was just what her name suggested: warm, bright, and brilliantly beautiful. Her laugh was like hearing birds singing.

People loved her, as did Alex. Guys in particular loved her. The problem was the guys she loved back wasn't the one who would have given her every piece of himself just to make her smile. No, she loved the ones who only wanted to give her one piece.

And that piece wasn't their heart.

For her, Alex was a great guy to have around. Whenever she needed him, he was there. Whether she needed her computer fixed, surround sound hooked up, emotional support, or just help in general, he was number one on her speed dial. And like the loyal fuck he was, he always came running.

But when she wanted to be fucked, his name never even entered her mind. Lowlife boyfriend after lower life boyfriend, he patiently stood by. Every time they broke her heart, he was there with the super glue.

He was patiently playing the long game. Eventually, she'd have to notice his value and realize how much he gave to her life.

Right? Right?

His eyes had to burst that fantasy bubble for him. One day, Summer asked him to pick her up and take her out for a night on the town. It was out the blue, which should have set off alarm bells inside of him. But, in his naivety, he thought that she'd finally seen him.

It took him all day to figure out what to wear, despite his minimal wardrobe. When he showed up to her house, he was met by her at the front door. She seemed so excited as she enthusiastically introduced him to her mother.

However, when they drove off, she dropped the charade completely. Breathing a sigh of relief, she said, "God! So glad that's over. Now just drop me off at the Motel Six on 5^th street. I'll call you when I'm done."

"Huh?"

Pulling down the visor to look in the mirror and fix her makeup, she casually said, "Motel Six. That's where I'm meeting Robbie. We'll be busy for the next few hours, so you don't have to wait for me."

The way she said it, so blasé and nonchalantly, said that she assumed he was in on whatever was going on. In fact, she kept talking, not even noticing the sounds of his heart shattering.