The Avoiding Series Boxset

by K. A. Linde

  Chyna began walking in the opposite direction. Lexi stood there dumbstruck for a split second before starting to chase after her. She made it three steps before a hand came down on her arm. “Hey, let me handle this,” Adam requested pulling her backward.

  “Uh…wha…” Lexi asked not really formulating any clear words. She was always there for Chyna. Chyna was her best friend. She would do anything to make her feel better. Not only that, she had known her for three years, and knew what made her feel better.

  Adam was a fling, a nothing. Sure, he was a nice guy who had helped them out in a pinch…twice, but that didn’t mean he should go talk to Chyna when she was hurting. She needed her best friend, and Adam wouldn’t cut it.

  “Lexi, really, I got this. Go have fun,” he said smiling sweetly.

  “But she needs me.”

  “Nah, she’ll be all right. Really. We’ll meet you,” he told her pushing her gently into Ramsey’s arms.

  “Yeah, come on, Lexi. Let them be,” Ramsey said tugging her out of Adam’s grasp.

  “I mean, okay, if you really think so.”

  “I do,” Adam reassured her.

  “Call if you need anything,” she called to Adam as she let Ramsey guide her away. When they reached the elevators, Lexi murmured, “That’s so strange.”

  “What?” Ramsey asked stepping into the elevator.

  “That he thinks he can take care of her. That he thinks she will let him take care of her. That he thinks he knows how to take care of someone like Chyna. I mean yeah he’s nice, but Chyna doesn’t go for nice,” Lexi told him.

  “Maybe she does,” he said smirking.

  “No,” she contradicted.

  “If he thinks he can handle her craziness then by all means let him. I just want to have some fun with you tonight, Lexi. And I think I can handle your craziness,” he told her playfully.

  She smiled up into his handsome face. Rising onto her toes, she reached up and touched her lips gently against his. Moving swiftly he pushed her body back against the elevator wall and began to kiss the breath out of her. By the time the door dinged open, she was so hot for him her mind had completely forgotten what had occurred downstairs.

  “Are you sure you want to stay?” she asked him wiping her puffy lips.

  “Oh no, you dragged me here. It’s time to party,” he told her pulling her into the massive room Chyna had transformed into a New Years Eve bash. Even when Lexi had gone over dozens of plans for the event, she had never anticipated what was in front of her.

  The black marble flooring opened up on three sides to floor-to-ceiling glass panes with a view of the city below. Fireworks already lit up the night sky in anticipation of the huge display that would occur at midnight when the Big Apple dropped in Times Square. There were several bars overflowing with alcohol. Half-naked waiters and waitresses were wandering around the premises carrying trays of champagne. Dozens of people that Lexi had met while out with Chyna were in attendance; even more Lexi had never seen before. Some waved at her as she passed by. Lights were dimmed low, and pulsing dance music filled the room. A majority of the enormous space had been crafted into a dance floor where people were already bumping and grinding to the beat of the music. All in all, the night was already a success.

  Ramsey snagged two glasses of champagne, and made a toast over the increased volume of the music. “To our first New Years together.” Lexi glass clinked against his, and she went to drink her drink, but he stopped her. “I wasn’t finished.” She looked up at him as if to encourage him to continue. “May we have many, many more to celebrate.”

  Lexi beamed from ear to ear at the implications in his statement. Taking a large gulp of the champagne, she motioned for Ramsey in a come hither motion. He leaned forward and she captured his lips once more. “If you keep this up, we’re not going to make it to midnight.”

  She winked at him, before shimmying seductively out to the dance floor. He followed her, and they spent the next couple hours lost in each other’s embrace. She had completely forgotten Chyna when she caught a glimpse of her long black hair, which had been pulled out of her elegant hairstyle. She motioned to Ramsey, and he nodded saying he would follow her.

  As she approached, Lexi realized that she wasn’t alone, and she looked much more like herself…drunk. Just before Lexi reached her, Chyna began furiously making out with the guy who was standing in front of her. Gulping hard, Lexi realized that the person she was sucking face with was Adam. Guess he had worked things out with her after all. Lexi cleared her throat causing Chyna to break away from her make out session.

  She turned around smiling brightly at Lexi. Her eyes were slightly glazed over, but she looked happy drunk, which was a step up from sober angry. “Alexa!” she cried throwing her arms sloppily around her. “Are you having fun?”

  Lexi giggled into Chyna’s ear as she helped her stand straight again. “Yeah, C. You feeling better?” Lexi knew it was a pointless question. Chyna was obviously already better. She had probably had enough to drink in the time that she had been gone that she couldn’t feel anything. She would have to deal with everything that had happened at some point, but right now was not that moment.

  “Don’t even know what you mean, chica. But I’m so glad you came over here,” she gushed leaning into Lexi again for support.

  “Oh, yeah?” Lexi asked eyeing her apprehensively as Adam righted her again.

  “Soooo, you know how I’ve been sketchy lately?” Chyna asked her smile widening. She looked like a little kid in a candy store when her eyes refocused on Lexi. She wasn’t certain what Chyna was getting at, but she did know what she was talking about. Chyna had been doing all sorts of strange things lately. Not only was she forgetting things, but she had been skipping out on plans and calling her at random hours to find out why she hadn’t made it to their meeting when nothing had been planned. It had all been a little off.

  “Yeah,” Lexi acknowledged.

  “I actually do have a reason,” she admitted. “I wanted it to be a surprise, which is the only reason I haven’t told you so don’t be mad.”

  “Why would I be mad?” Lexi asked her curiosity growing.

  “I have a boyfriend!”

  Lexi jaw dropped open in surprise. Of all the things Chyna could have told her that was not what she had been expecting. She had never known Chyna to have a boyfriend…ever. She would go out with dozens of guys, but none of them were ever good enough for Chyna. And now suddenly she had a boyfriend? “What? Who?” Lexi asked incredulously.

  Chyna glanced over at Adam and smiled seductively up at him. “Who do you think, silly?” she asked wrapping her arm around his waist.

  Lexi looked between Adam and Chyna in shock. She couldn’t even formulate words. She hadn’t even known that Adam and Chyna were still speaking until today, let alone that they had been dating long enough for Chyna to consider him her boyfriend. How had she missed putting those pieces of the puzzle together? Had she been so lost in her own relationship that she had missed that her best friend was now in one?

  Luckily, Lexi didn’t have to articulate her thoughts, because Ramsey broke in, “Congratulations. Adam told me at the wedding, but don’t worry I didn’t spoil the surprise for Lexi.” He reached forward and wrapped Chyna in a quick hug.

  “Thanks! Isn’t this awesome, Alexa? Now we can double,” Chyna squealed acting girlier in that moment than Lexi had ever seen her.

  Lexi found her eyes drifting back over to Adam. He stared at her, his expression a mask to his true thoughts. She wondered what he was thinking about all of this.

  “Alexa, snap out of it. Aren’t you happy for me?” Chyna asked her voice increasing in pitch.

  Lexi sputtered trying to come up with the appropriate response. “Oh my God, C! I’m so happy for you. I can’t believe you have a boyfriend.”

  As midnight approached, the foursome distracted themselves with booze, dancing, and the pleasure of each other’s company. Lexi was gradually getting over her
shock, and was realizing that she actually really liked that her friend had a boyfriend, especially one that Lexi got along with. It was still surreal to her, but it did make it easier to keep up with Chyna. Usually by this time, she would be off with some stranger with no hope of Lexi finding her again until morning, but now she actually got the pleasure of enjoying her company up until the clock struck midnight.

  With only fifteen minutes left on the countdown, Ramsey got a phone call that he had to take. Lexi followed him off of the floor in desperate need of a break from the dancing. Her feet were killing her from hours standing on her high heels. Ramsey angled for the outside patio despite the frigid temperatures and high altitude. She waited inside for him to finish his phone call, taking a seat to give her feet a break. She couldn’t wait for him to come back inside so they could complete their evening, which had been easily the best New Year’s she had ever experienced.

  When Ramsey did finally walk back inside though, he wore a look of panic. “What’s wrong?” she asked terrified that something had happened.

  “The club is being raided,” he barely muttered. She had to strain to hear what he had said, but when it sank in, she looked back at him in horror. She was glad that no one was injured or anything, but this—this could be devastating to him.

  “What does that mean for you?” she asked uncertain as to what he was going to be able to do about it. He was hundreds of miles away, and no one was going to listen to the owner over the telephone.

  “It means I’m out thousands of dollars, Lexi. It means I’m out. It might mean I have to close the place down,” he said his tone dead.

  “What are you going to do?” she asked her voice reflecting all of the panic that was on his face.

  “I have to get the fuck out of here. I needed to be in Atlanta tonight. What the fuck was I thinking? Fuck!” he cried. “I can’t believe I listened to you. I can’t believe I thought everything was going to be fine. Things don’t run without me. They need me there, and I wasn’t there. I don’t fucking know what I’m going to do, Lexi, because I’m in New York City.”

  Lexi stared up at him as if she had never seen him before. This was not the Ramsey that she knew. This was not the Ramsey that she cared so deeply for. He was taking out his anger on her, and she knew that. She knew, but it still hurt. She tried to keep the tears from welling in her eyes as his words sliced through her. “I…I didn’t know.”

  “That’s right you didn’t know. God, how could I have been so stupid to let this happen?” he crowed. He ran his fingers roughly through his hair and turned his gaze to the ceiling.

  “You had no way of knowing this was going to happen either,” she muttered defensively. This was not her fault. He couldn’t blame this on her, even in his anger. She knew that there was no way that he could have known that something like this was going to happen to his club. This had never happened before. Even if he wanted to claim that it was because he had always been there, she knew better. This had been chance…a fluke. It just happened that he had been out of the state, but it could have happened at any time.

  “Yeah, well, it wouldn’t have happened if I’d been there,” he growled refusing to hear reason.

  “I’m sorry, Ramsey,” she said weakly unable to process anything else. There was nothing left for her to say. It wasn’t her fault, but she still felt bad about what had happened to him.

  “Sorry isn’t going to save all of this. I just…I need to get back into town. I’m going to go catch the red eye or find a private plane,” he said beginning to meander through the now crowded room as everyone prepared for the final countdown to take them into the New Year.

  “You’re leaving now?” she asked flabbergasted rushing behind him.

  “The sooner I get there, the sooner I can piece this all together.”

  “But you can’t fix anything tonight,” she reminded him. Her panic level was swiftly increasing the farther they traversed the room. She couldn’t have him leave. There was no reason to leave yet, especially since he couldn’t do anything about what had happened. By the time he caught a flight everything would be over.

  “I can’t wait until the morning,” he grumbled pushing aside a couple that was lost in each other’s eyes.

  “But Ramsey, it’s almost midnight,” she said as they stopped in front of the elevators. She knew she sounded desperate by now. He was going to leave her before the clock struck twelve. She could feel it in her bones. She understood his urgency to get out of town, but she couldn’t process him leaving with only a minute left before New Year’s.

  “I can’t be here any longer. Just—understand,” he said stooping low and kissing her cheek. The kiss was rushed. It barely brushed against her skin before he pulled back and pressed the button for the elevator.

  “Just a kiss on the cheek?” she asked her face stricken with concern. She couldn’t figure out how the night had changed so dramatically that he wouldn’t even kiss her. The elevator door dinged open and he stuck his hand out to keep it from closing.

  She stepped forward into him, not letting him leave without a proper good bye. She knew he was obviously directing more irritation at her then was necessary. Grasping her tightly, he pulled her flush against him and planted a kiss on her lips. She came up gasping, her hips already sore from his forcefulness.

  “I’ll call you in the morning,” he told her stepping into the elevator; his eyes already distracted.

  “Happy New Year,” she called as the doors closed between them.

  Lexi walked hopelessly back into the crowded room, listening to the chanting countdown. As the clock struck midnight, she glanced around as all the happy couples moved forward to receive their first kiss of the New Year…a kiss she never received.

  Making a beeline for the bar, she downed the first drink that was put in front of her, grimacing at the taste of Jack Daniels on her tongue. Pouring the remainder of the contents down her throat, she returned the glass to the bartender and wandered over to a vacant table. Several minutes later, she felt a presence next to her. “Is this seat taken?”

  Glancing up sullenly, Lexi noticed Adam. “Nope.”

  He sat down next to her and waited a minute before saying anything. “Where’s Ramsey?”

  “He left.”

  “Where to?” he asked glancing around the room.

  “Home,” she grumbled

  “To your place?”

  Lexi turned away from him. Her heart broke as she answered, “To Atlanta.”

  “Oh,” he said looking down at his shoes.

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “No need,” she told him softly, waving away his apology.

  “Lexi,” he asked reaching for her hand and drawing her attention back to his face. “Are you going to be all right?”

  Lexi stared down at where he was lightly holding her hand, and then out across the open expanse before her. “My boyfriend left me seconds before I got a New Year’s kiss, and I don’t know if we’re going to stay together. How would you be?”

  “Good point,” he reasoned. He squeezed her hand lightly, offering her all the support he could give her. “Personally, I think you’ll be fine. He’d be an idiot to leave you.”

  “Thanks.” A small smile touched her lips. That was a nice thing to say in this situation. It’s what she would have said to someone. It didn’t really help though.

  “And as for that New Year’s kiss,” he said, leaning forward toward her. “I think it’s acceptable to have someone fill in, in certain circumstances.”

  She turned and faced him, finding that they had moved closer to each other in their chairs. Her brows furrowed together in surprise at his nearness. She didn’t even remember them drawing together. “Uh, Adam?” she breathed.

  “Yeah?” he asked staring deeply into her eyes.

  “I don’t…what about Chyna?” she asked, waiting for his response. She took a deep breath knowing that this was her moment. There was always a moment, and ei
ther you could take it or not. Her mind was whirring to life as she felt him approaching her. She turned her face just a fraction of an inch as he moved closer brushing his lips against her cheek and pulling away quickly.

  She dropped his hand and hoped that her cheeks weren’t as red as she thought they were. When she looked back into his handsome face, his smile was nothing but sweet and friendly. He just looked as if he really felt bad for her, and wanted her to be happy again.

  She touched her fingertips to her cheek and smiled back at him. “Thanks,” she said tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “I…appreciate you trying to help.”

  “Of course,” he glanced down at her, back out at the city beyond, and then into her face again. She gulped. He smiled knowingly. “I’m going to get back to Chyna. Are you going to be all right?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I think I am.”

  “Hey,” he muttered looking at her intently once more. “If you ever need anything, Lex, I’m here for you.”

  Lexi nodded not even having the energy to tell him not to call her that.

  She left the party shortly afterwards, taking Chyna’s town car without a second thought. She hadn’t brought money for a cab, because she had been expecting to be with Ramsey. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hardly even noticed when she was dropped off at her apartment.

  After walking up the stairs, she threw off all of her clothes, and burrowed under the mound of covers on her bed. Her mind was all over the charts, and she didn’t know which thing to think about first. Should she be thinking about her boyfriend leaving her or the fact that another man had kissed her…even if it was just on the cheek? Adam was Chyna’s boyfriend, and he was just helping her out when she was down.

  And she didn’t feel guilty.

  She had no reason to feel guilty. It’s not like Adam was Jack. He had just been helping her when her boyfriend had deserted her. Speaking of her boyfriend, she wondered where he was at that moment. Had he found an airplane that would take him home or had he bribed someone again to use their plane or take their seat? She wasn’t sure what to make of him. He had been unduly cruel. This was a side of him that she had never witnessed.