Lexi's Love & War

Chapter 19

"It makes sense," Isaac remarked. "I still feel bad that you were stuck here while I spent time with my family."

"No, don't worry about it!" Lexi insisted. "I hope you had a good time."

"I did. I had Thanksgiving dinner with my parents, my sister and some extended family, too. It was nice to see everyone, but kinda exhausting to answer the same questions about school and friends over and over again. I felt like a broken record by the end of the friggin' night."

"Sounds like fun!"

Isaac snorted. "It wasn't, believe me. Oh, yeah, and one other thing happened. I, uh...I told my parents and sister about you, and that we're dating."

Lexi's jaw dropped slightly as her eyes widened. "You did?"

"Yeah. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine! It just surprised me, that's all. I'm not upset about it. So...what do they think of me?"

"Well, my sister Laura thinks you're pretty, but my mother wants me to 'be careful'— her words, not mine. I think she's worried that things between us will go the way they did between Cassie and me. They also thought that you'd look similar to her, but I showed them what you look like to prove that that's not the case. They honestly didn't say much else beyond that. Maybe because I said that we're only dating. Honestly, I think they're nervous about me dating anyone at all."

Lexi bit her lip as she sunk in her seat a little. "Oh."

"But please don't worry about it," Isaac said. "I mean, it's not like they've met you— they have no idea what you're like as a person. All they have is my word to go by in terms of what I'm telling them. They also saw how upset I was when I broke up with Cassie, so they're worried that I'll be heartbroken again. I don't blame them, so I don't want you to think that they already hate you, okay?"

"Alright," Lexi replied. She paused to exhale a sigh of relief. "It's understandable that they're looking out for you."

"I get it, too. But I want you to know that regardless of what they think, I'm happy that we're dating. I truly mean it."

"I feel the same way. You've been too good to me, but I appreciate it."

Isaac grinned. "Of course, Lexi."

With that behind them, the two students finished up their meals and got up to leave The Bean's Knees. They stepped out into the night as the cold November breeze hit them. Lexi shivered a bit but kept a content grin on her face. Isaac still noticed this, so he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close to his body. The gesture made her gasp in surprise, but she didn't protest.

"Better?"

"Yeah. Thank you."

"Anytime."

They arrived at Lexi's apartment complex, where Isaac walked her up to her unit. They made it outside the door and exchanged smiles.

"Thank you for taking me out," Lexi said. "I had a great time."

"Me too," Isaac replied. "I hope to see you soon."

"Sounds like a good idea. Have a goodnight."

"You too."

Lexi grabbed her keys out and inserted them in the door, but suddenly stopped what she was doing. She turned back to Isaac and planted a passionate kiss right on his lips. He recovered from the shock quickly to return the kiss while putting his arms around her hips. Lexi's hands went to his face to hold it in place, her touch sending a shiver down his spine. They broke apart a moment later and shared a brief laugh.

"Goodnight," Lexi added before she disappeared into her apartment.

Isaac chuckled for a moment before leaving for his home. His mind was clouded with everything the pair had discussed during their date. But if he had to be honest, his thoughts were more on how much he'd enjoyed talking to Lexi. He really liked any excuse to spend as much time with her as possible. Whether it was a coffee date, a party with mutual friends or just a brief exchange from running into each on campus, it didn't matter. All he wanted was to be close to her.

It's nice to chat with someone without worrying about a fight breaking out, Isaac thought. Ugh...enough about that! Lexi's not Cassie— far from it, actually. There's literally no comparison between the two of them. She's way less dramatic and jealous... thank God. I wouldn't mind spending more time with her if she'll let me. I'd like to think she feels the same way.

Isaac gave his head a shake as he finally made it to his place. But he still had a lot on his mind because he had a hard time falling asleep that night. Eventually, he managed to drift off to sleep despite the numerous thoughts that continued to clog up his head.