Lexi's Love & War

Chapter 15

"I have to agree with that," Lexi replied. A brief flashback of their first meeting replayed in her mind to prove his point.

"You're right," Felipe teased. He laughed at Lexi's newfound scowl. "Seriously though, you're really sweet. Nikita's told me a couple of times about how helpful and kind you are. And I believe it 'cause it's true. Uh...please don't tell Nikita that I just spilled one of her secrets."

Lexi motioned one hand over her lips to show that she was pretending to zip them up. "My lips are sealed."

"Thanks!"

With that, Felipe grabbed some beer before leaving for the living room again. Lexi began debating where to go next but paused when she spotted Cassie and Mariana entering. They didn't stick around, however; they breezed through to head off elsewhere without realizing that Lexi was there. Cassie was dressed as a sexy witch while Mariana was a fairy. Lexi couldn't help but snicker at Cassie's costume choice.

That suits her well, she mused to herself. It was a petty thought, but she savoured it anyways before finally leaving the kitchen.

***

After having double-checked his gangster costume— which consisted of an old black suit, white button-up shirt, black dress shoes, and a black fedora— Isaac finally left to join the party. He could already see his roommates' friends milling about in the living room with drinks in many of their hands. Some stood around to chat, while others danced to the loud techno music that filled the cramped quarters. He spotted DeShawn talking to some people he didn't recognize while Felipe was chatting with a bunch of women elsewhere. He also greeted Nikita as she watched some drinking games go down. But he soon spotted the person he'd been looking for, sitting alone on a small couch in the living room.

"Lexi!"

Isaac watched her ears perk up at the sound of her name. She looked around for a second before they locked eyes. She jumped up as he approached her, and they shared a brief hug.

"It's great to see you!" she exclaimed with delight. "I take it you're dressed as a gangster?"

"Yeah, I am," Isaac answered. "And you're a flapper?"

Lexi nodded. "We look pretty good together...costume-wise, I mean!"

"We didn't even plan this out, too," Isaac chuckled as the pair sat on the couch. "You look beautiful, by the way."

"Oh...thank you," Lexi replied. She felt her cheeks redden. "You look pretty handsome yourself."

Now Isaac was blushing too. Rather than reply, he planted a gentle kiss on her lips. He sensed her surprise from the gesture, but she soon melted into the kiss. Once it ended, they shared calm smiles.

Suddenly, Cassie stormed over with a fury like he'd never seen before. He'd seen Cassie upset before, but nothing of this level. He braced himself for the shit storm that was about to hit.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Lexi jumped, having not seen Cassie initially. She bit her lip and looked down at the floor.

"How dare you kiss him?!"

Looking back up, Lexi swallowed hard and opened her mouth to respond. But Isaac cut her off before she got any words out.

"Why the fuck do you care?" he retorted. "How many times do I have to tell you that we're not a friggin' couple? If I want to kiss Lexi, I will. I don't need your permission to do shit."

"You're a bastard!" Cassie cried. "You're a fucking bastard!"

"Whatever. You need to stop giving a shit about who I'm dating. I don't know what it's gonna take for you to fucking get it! Jesus Christ...I'd rather date Lexi than waste my time arguing with you!"'