Lexi's Love & War

Chapter 30

So instead of going to the bathroom, Isaac went off in search of Lexi. He worked his way through the crowd but couldn't see her anywhere. He then tried the kitchen, but he also came up empty there. So, he sent her a text.

Isaac: Hey, I've been here for a while now...where are you?

Lexi: In my bedroom. You're welcome to join me.

This response wasn't the one Isaac had expected. He frowned as he tucked his phone back in his pocket.

I hope she's okay, he thought while he tried to find her bedroom. Both bedroom doors appeared closed— but only one actually was closed. The other was open by about an inch or so, making it difficult to see who (if anyone) was inside. Isaac gently knocked twice, all while preparing to apologize for interrupting God knows what.

To both his surprise and relief, Lexi opened the door without so much as a phony smile on her face. "Come in."

Isaac followed her in, where they sat side-by-side on her bed. He brushed some hair off her face, and that was when he finally caught a solid look at her expression. Her eyes seemed dim and she appeared more withdrawn than he'd ever seen before. She continued to not smile whatsoever, too.

"Is everything okay?" Isaac asked.

Lexi shook her head. "Cassie's here."

Immediately, Isaac's dark brown eyes went as wide as could be. "I thought you said she hadn't been invited?"

"She wasn't," Lexi said, "but I guess that didn't stop her from coming anyways. I think Mariana dragged her here." She let out a sarcastic, albeit hollow laugh. "It's like I can never escape her, no matter what."

"Does Nikita know?"

"If she does, she hasn't done anything about it. But I'm sure she doesn't know 'cause she told me she'd kick Cassie out if she showed up."

"Has anything happen between you and her?"

"No; but that's only because she was only a few feet away from me. I saw her talking to someone— I don't know who— and I froze. But she didn't seem to notice me 'cause we never made eye contact. As soon as I spotted her, I decided to hide out here. It's stupid, I know. But I just wanted to enjoy this fucking party without another fight breaking out...and now I can't even do that."

Isaac nodded as he wrapped a strong arm around Lexi's waist. She didn't respond to the contact, but that didn't deter him.

"I'm just so tired of this," she added. "I just feel like she'll never leave us alone. That's all I want— for Cassie to stop meddling with our relationship. I hate when she interrupts our dates or harasses me when I'm alone. It's so fucking annoying, and I'm beyond done with this bullshit!"

The last exclamation made Isaac flinch. It'd been a while since he'd seen Lexi this upset. He saw how hard she tried to keep her composure in front of him. Yet it was clear that she was about ready to snap.

"Lexi, I promise I'm not going to let Cassie fuck things up for us," he said in a calm yet firm voice.

"How?" Lexi asked in a hostile voice that didn't even sound like me.

Isaac didn't flinch the second time around. "I care about you, and I care about making this relationship work. I refuse to let her crazy ass break us up."

"She managed to drive us apart when we were just friends last year— what's different now? The fact that we're a couple? It's just made her more determined than ever!"

"The fact that we're a couple now means that we're closer than ever. I'm more determined than ever to keep us together."

Lexi's eyes fell to the ground before she closed them tight. It was as if she was trying to come up with another point to disprove what Isaac had said. She opened them a few minutes later just in time for her boyfriend to see fresh tears pooling up inside her eyes. Isaac pulled her into his chest while tears slowly streamed down her cheeks.