Thank God she stopped herself. She widened her eyes and bit the inside of her lip. Mr. Pretty Boy had become so common place in her mind that it seemed normal.
"What? Oh gosh, did you think my name was something like Bob, or Archie or..." he narrowed his eyes for effect and wrinkled his nose. "Cuthbert."
And just like years ago, Lexie burst out laughing.
"No. I can honestly say that I didn't think your name was any of those." She continued to laugh.
"Okay. Good, cos those are the worse names ever. Maybe Bob isn't too bad, though. You have to tell me what you were going to say."
"No, no. I actually forgot." She shook her head.
"Lies. You were totally going to say something." He insisted.
She looked at him and thought what the heck. If anything it would be funny.
"Okay, remember I was only nineteen and eleven months old, and I hadn't made the best choices in life."
"You're killing me here with suspense," he laughed.
"Mr. Pretty Boy." She revealed and brought her hands up to her cheeks when she saw his reaction.
"Mr. Pretty Boy? You're joking, right?" He seemed to think she was until she shook her head. "Mr. Pretty Boy?" He narrowed his eyes to illustrate his dislike and surprise.
"It was the hair and the lashes." She tried.
"Oh God."
"It's true. Very pretty." She nodded with a smile. He shook his head at her and laughed.
It was true. He did have the longest lashes she'd ever seen on a guy. Long, thick lashes that surrounded his vibrant eyes. But she'd keep the part about his eyes to herself for now.
"Okay, let's do this again properly. Third times the charm. Hi, my name's Sam, and you are?"
"I'm Lexie." That definitely felt like a charm.
"Good, now we know who we are." He smiled. She nodded, still unable to believe he was actually here.
"And again I have forgotten my manners. Do you want to sit?"
"Love to," he smiled.
She led him into the living room where they sat down together on the sofa. It was hard to believe that not even ten minutes ago she'd sat in here dying from her thoughts. Now he was in her apartment sitting next to her with his prominent masculine presence. It made him look out of place amongst the lilac decor and lace trimmings around her cushions.
"What happened to your leg?" She had to ask because she'd wanted to know since last night.
"It's a long story, but the short version is I was in a car accident." His face went grim.
"Oh my gosh. That's terrible," she gasped. "Are you okay?"
"It was a while ago. I'm okay now I guess. Hoping to be cane free very soon." His face brightened at the suggestion.
Sam said it as if it was nothing, only to play down how life threatening his accident had been. He looked at the wealth of concern that spread through Lexie's beautiful face and decided that was as much as she needed to know. He didn't want to come here and spend the time talking about depressing things.
He was happy that he'd decided to come and see her, and even more happy that she seemed thrilled to see him. It was amazing how comfortable she made him feel, and how he felt like he could just step away from the hell his life had been for the last twelve years.
"I'm so sorry. It grieves me to think that something like that happened to you." She reached over and rested her delicate, smooth hands over his. The contact spread warmth over his entire body, and he marveled at how fascinating it was that she could still have the same effect on him after all these long years.
"It's okay. I'm fine, and right now I'm really eager to hear all that's happened to you." He sat up straighter. She laughed, and he remembered how much he'd liked that sound when he'd first heard it. It reminded him of happiness, and how he'd been back then when he'd first met her.
"I don't know where to start. So much has happened. As promised I got back into MIT." She smiled wide revealing perfect white teeth.
He remembered that promise well and was glad she'd kept it.
"Good, good." He nodded.
"I got my scholarship back and when I did my Ph.D. things kind of took off from there." Her large brown eyes twinkled lighting up her bronze skin. She settled her arms in her lap drawing his attention to her smooth legs. She was wearing denim shorts similar to what he'd last seen her in.
"Change the world and save people's lives," he stated, reminding her of the goal she'd had back then. She nodded, and the meaningful look on her face showed him that it was still her goal.
"I try."
"Your family must be very proud."
"They are," she smiled.
"I certainly didn't realize that you would be part of the group of world class scientists I've been hearing about for the last few days."
She brightened on hearing that. "Thank you."
"So what's it like being head of Bio-engineering at Cervantes?" He thought he'd bring the conversation back to the present since the past was such a delicate subject. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.
Excitement lit up her eyes. "Unreal. I love it, probably too much as I'm always thinking of the next project," she smiled. "My friends and I are constantly pulling off some crazy things, particularly in medical rehab."
"I've heard." He remembered Simon's prideful talk of her last night. He'd actually sounded more like a proud parent than her manager. "And I couldn't be more impressed, or proud."
Her face brightened even more as he said that. "Thank you. And thank you for everything. I don't think I can thank you enough."
"You have. No more thanks needed, forget about it." He didn't want her thanking him forever and thinking she owed him anything, especially since they were going to be working together.
"It's a little hard just to forget. I'll be grateful to you for the rest of my life."
"Lexie no." He shook his head. "I don't want you to be. You worked hard, and you did great."
"Thanks."
"No more thanks," he teased, waving his hands.
"Okay, okay." She held up her hands and laughed.
"So that's work. How about life?" He'd already zoned in and saw that her ring finger was free of a wedding band.
"Work kind of is life." She shrugged sheepishly.
He understood. Work was life for him too. He spent the occasional evening out with Zane playing pool, but that always ended with Zane picking up the easiest woman he could get his hands on and leaving Sam to himself.
"Boring huh?" She grimaced tucking her hair behind her ear. "I do like shopping though and the occasional sugar coma."
He laughed. It was nice to meet this version of her. "Sugar coma?" It made him think of his own chocolate obsession.
"Basically chocolate on chocolate. Maybe with some toffee and caramel."
"You had me at chocolate." He smiled. She held his gaze for a few seconds and then smiled as she shuffled to bring her knees up on the sofa.
"What about you? The last time I saw you, you were talking about your internship. And now I work for you." She chuckled.
"Life's funny isn't it?"
"It certainly is. I wondered over the years what your life must have been like. I imagined you getting married with a bunch of kids and living in a house with a white picket fence." Her smile widened, full of life.
He laughed trying not to sound too sarcastic.
"Well, I guess a version of that did happen." He pulled in a deep breath wondering which way he was going to paint his disastrous marriage. "I got married and we had a child." That wasn't his. "But we've been divorced for over three years now."
She genuinely looked sad for him. "Oh. I'm really sorry."
"Don't be. We shouldn't have gotten married in the first place. But hey. My little girl who isn't so little any more is nearly twelve. Her name's Amy. We never had a house with a white picket fence, but that does sound real homely." It did. He could imagine himself having a house like that perhaps in an alternate reality, with a woman who loved him and maybe a bunch o
f kids.
"Amy must miss you a lot, with you being here."
"Yes, but I'll be in Chicago as often as I can while I'm here."
"Chicago." She said thoughtfully. "That's where you live?"
He nodded."But I'll be here for a while. I have a lot of work to do at Cervantes."
"It'll be good to have you around." Her eyes sparkled.
"Thank you. So... what about you, did you get married?"
She laughed. "No. Me no. I barely date. I've been seeing this guy on and off. He's an accountant and away a lot. He's okay." Her voice hinged on uncertainty.
"Well that's good," he replied, admittedly feeling a little disappointed. It was no surprise though that she was seeing someone, whether it was on and off or all the time.
They started talking about work again and must have spent a good hour talking before the doorbell rang.
"That must be my sister, Hayley. She'll be thrilled to meet you." Lexie said standing up.
Sam stood up and rested on his cane when she went to answer the door. It was probably time to leave now. He was certain he'd taken up enough of her time.
"I brought tons of chocolate." Sam heard.
"Hayley come in I've got to introduce you to someone." He heard Lexie say.
"Who? Please don't tell me it's another one of those bug-eyed Barney's and ..." Hayley stopped talking when she came into the lounge and saw him. Sam noted the stunned expression on her face.
She and Lexie looked almost identical. They could have been twins. Hayley might have been an inch or so taller, but both were athletic slim and seemed to have the same taste in color. Pink and lilac. Lexie's apartment was covered in it, and Hayley wore dark jeans with a knitted lilac jumper that had pink frays on the edges. Very bohemian.
"Hayley this is Sam St. John. Sam this is Hayley."
" Dios mío," Hayley gasped and held her hand at her chest. She then glanced over to Lexie who smiled and nodded.
"Hi," Sam said.
"Hi." She still regarded him with surprise. "It's a real honor to meet you, Sam."
"You too."
"And you're far better looking in real life than your pictures on the net." She smiled and nodded, while Lexie's cheeks turned red.
"Hayley." Lexie hissed.
"It's true," Hayley turned to Lexie and grimaced. "You forgot to mention he was good looking."
Sam found it funny and tried not to laugh for Lexie's sake as she didn't look very impressed at Hayley's comments.
"Hayley."
"She didn't." Hayley turned back to Sam. "All Lexie said was you were very cool." She commented then she turned to her sister with a sly look on her face. "But she conveniently forgot to tell us Sam's hot. Seriously, you should see the kind of creatures my sister usually associates with, let alone dates."
"Hayley." Lexie winced looking completely mortified. Her whole face turned red.
Sam had to laugh, and now he couldn't help but wonder about the sorts of creatures Lexie dated. What a way to put it.
"I'm sorry Sam, pay no attention to her. My family also have a way of speaking their minds in the most inappropriate way." She chided. Both he and Hayley started to laugh.
"You'll have to come and meet the rest of us." Hayley beamed. "Mom and dad will be thrilled. And our older sister Tamar will hug you to death. Tamar runs this restaurant/club called Bastique. We're always there."
"Sounds like fun. I'll definitely stop by and meet everyone." Sam chuckled. "I should probably get going. Great to meet you, Hayley."
"Likewise Sam." She smiled. "Likewise."
"I'll see you out." Lexie offered.
They walked towards the little corridor that led to the door.
"Thanks for coming to see me." Her brown eyes twinkled.
"It's been great." He told her. It had been. Something in him felt better like it had improved somewhat just from seeing her.
"Yeah." She nodded agreeing.
"See you Monday." He said.
"Yes, Monday. Can't wait to work with you." She looked excited.
"Me too. I have to warn you though. I'm a little different at work." Maybe that was putting it mildly. He was super strict. He had to be in his line of work.
"Really?"
He nodded. "Yes, I'm a tough cookie to crack."
"Okay Mr. Tough Cookie," she laughed.
"No, Lexie, no Mr. Tough Cookie.' He shook his head.
"Okay, Mr. St. John."
"Not that either. You, call me Sam."
"Okay, Sam." He liked the way she said his name and the way she looked at him with such admiration. He allowed himself to gaze into her warm brown eyes that reminded him of rich chocolate. Just for those few seconds, something awakened in the depths of his heart that had been closed off to the world. It was an odd feeling.
"I'll see you Monday." He told her, and with that he left. As soon as he was out the door, he heard Hayley talking on the other side, and Lexie started telling her off.
"Hayley you are so gonna get it," she chided.
"What? I didn't say anything wrong. I assumed he was a geek from what you described." Hayley retreated. Sam had to listen.
"Hayley you assume everyone that went to college is a geek."
"Well the man is hot, and the cane is a good look."
"Please don't hit on him again."
"I wasn't doing it for me," Hayley started to laugh.
They must have moved to the next room as their voices faded. He shouldn't have listened in, but it felt good to do something out of his norm.
He started walking down the corridor and couldn't help the excitement he felt for the week ahead. It was the first time in a long time he'd looked forward to anything.
Chapter 8
Zane was giving Sam that inquisitive calculative stare again. He'd been doing it all afternoon. Impatient to find out what happened with Lexie this morning.
Sam managed to evade the questions when Zane first arrived at his apartment, and he enlisted them in work to distract him. But Sam knew he wouldn't be able to get around Zane forever.
He watched him out of the corner of his eye as Zane made a show of dropping the file onto the coffee table. It was all for attention, he then cleared his throat loudly and started slurping equally as loud from his can of Dr. Pepper.
Sam sighed, shook his head, and looked over at him, giving him the attention he sought.
"Oh good. I was just about to throw this cushion at you." Zane grimaced pointing to the leather cushion he'd leaned against on the sofa.
"Why Zane?" Sam simply asked as if he didn't know he was dying for information.
He gaped at him. "Don't why me. I want to know about Lexie. This is torture." His brows pulled together in an agonized expression.
"Well, now you know how it feels to be me. You always torture me," Sam retorted.
"For your own good. This is not good for me. I don't get why you're being so secretive. It's making me crazy." Zane grimaced, shaking his head.
Sam wasn't being secretive. He was just trying to process things in his mind.
He was still reveling in the fact that he'd found Lexie and was trying to get his head around it. There was no way, not in a million years, that he thought he'd ever run into her again.
It had been awhile since he'd found himself thinking about a woman this way. He wasn't used to it. No one had had him thinking of sweet laughter that warmed your insides, and created instant happiness. Or skin so soft it felt like feathers, and luscious, velvet smooth thick hair that reminded him of a rose garden.
Sam couldn't say stuff like that to Zane. That would be like shooting himself because not only was it a bad idea to be thinking about Lexie like that, it also wasn't good for him. Years had passed, life had happened, and they were different people now. She was even in a relationship.
It was that kiss that caused all the trouble. If they hadn't kissed, it would be different. The kiss gave them some connection. It was, however, something he'd just have to forget. If anythi
ng, going to see her only helped to resonate the grand illusion he'd created about her, and now that chapter of his life was kind of closed. It saddened him to think of it that way, but it was the truth. Everything he'd created was just an illusion his mind crafted to help him get through all the bad things life had thrown at him.
"There's nothing to tell Zane."
"Are you seriously going to keep me in suspense?"
"There's nothing to be in suspense about," Sam replied fumbling with the edge of the bottom file on the stack. "She's just a friend."
"What kind of friend?"
"The normal kind."
"I've never kept a woman as a friend before, it just sounds weird." Zane narrowed his eyes contemplating the absurdity.
"Well, she's just a friend." Although usually, you didn't tend to kiss friends the way he'd kissed her. Or think about them the way he had. But that was, as his grandfather had put it, a bad case of youthful flights of fancy. Sam had just acted like any young man would in the presence of a very beautiful girl who needed help. Now he had to wake up. Forget about all of that and put his mind to work.
Cervantes was indeed going to be a very big project, and he was going to be busy. The anticipated challenge did, however, intrigue him.
"Zane, she was just someone I used to know. It's a massive coincidence that I've run into her again, a good coincidence, but things are different now."
"Is she single?" Once again Zane wasn't listening to him.
"No, she isn't."
"Oh, so that's what this is about. You like her, but she's taken."
"No," he sighed, but even as he responded he wondered if there wasn't some element of truth to Zane's comment.
"Uh huh. I pushed a button." Zane threw his hands up and straightened with a smile. This was the problem of trying to preserve your feelings around people who knew you. It was difficult when they knew you so well, worse when they had the inquisitive nature of Zane.
"Zane, drop it okay." Sam would prefer if they stopped talking about it now.
"How taken is she?" Still not listening Zane rested his drink can on the coffee table and looked at Sam with mischief in his eyes. "Is she taken as in living with a long term boyfriend? Taken as in engaged, or taken as in she's dating someone."
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