Isaac headed to Lexi's apartment once she'd texted him that Nikita had left for her Halloween party. He walked the short distance from his place to hers and knocked on her door. She opened it with a sweet smile on her face.
"Hello," he greeted while giving her a big hug.
"Hey, Isaac!" Lexi exclaimed as she happily returning it.
She then ushered him in her surprisingly spacious apartment. He had to walk through the plain white living room to get to the kitchen. He noticed white walls with a light grey countertop, as well as matching white cupboards above the silver sink. The stove sat across from the sink, which had a large pot and a pan on burners. Isaac smelled cooked beef and herbs in the air, causing him to grin.
"Something smells really good. What is it?"
"Nothing fancy— just spaghetti with homemade meatballs and tomato sauce. I wanted to make something easy, but not sloppy. I hope it's okay," Lexi replied.
Isaac eyed both parts of the meal. "It looks good. Need any help?"
"The pasta needs to be strained, and then I'll combine everything in the same large pot. Oh, and I need to set our places at the table. Before you ask— yes, I do mean that small table over there. You don't have to help if you don't want to, though."
"I'd love to help."
It took several minutes between the two of them, but dinner was ready soon enough. Once they finally plated their meals, they sat at the dining table to enjoy their food.
"This is really good," Isaac remarked. "I'm curious, though— why'd you offer to cook dinner for our second date?"
Lexi shrugged. "I don't know...it seemed like a good idea that wasn't too expensive or fancy. Was it a bad idea?"
"No, it's fine! Sorry, I didn't mean to sound rude or...ugh, I shouldn't have said that."
"It's okay, I know what you meant."
Isaac let out a relieved chuckle. "I'm glad I didn't embarrass myself for a change."
"You're nervous again," Lexi remarked. "How come?"
"I have no idea. Hell, I shouldn't even be this nervous. I guess after all the shit that went down at the Halloween party, I'm trying to...make things up to you? God, I don't know what I'm saying. I'm sorry, Lexi. I don't mean to be a nervous wreck."
Lexi set her fork down and moved her hand closer to Isaac's. He apprehensively grabbed it, noting how warm it felt and how small her hand was compared to his. He grinned at the gesture before looking back at her. She had a calm smile on her face and warmth inside her blue-green eyes. He ran his other hand through his short brown hair, messing up his once tame curls in the process.
"Better?"
"Yeah, thanks."
The rest of the dinner went smoothly after that. Isaac helped Lexi do dishes before they sat on the couch to watch a movie. He'd picked an indie thriller called Just Call— nothing too girly, too manly or too bloody. It wasn't easy to pick the best movie for their date, but he did it.
"You have good taste," Lexi commented. "I've wanted to see this for a while."
"Oh, really? I'm glad I picked it, then," Isaac replied. "I haven't seen it yet either, but Felipe and DeShawn love it. I had to keep them from spoiling it for me."
As the movie began, Isaac reclined his tall figure out on the couch. He still left plenty of room for Lexi to do the same right next to him. She pressed her back against him while being careful of where her body was positioned. Isaac's arm enveloped her torso as he gently pulled her in closer to him. He waited to see if Lexi would tell him to back off, but she remained quiet and focused on the film.
She's gorgeous, he thought as his mind began to wander. Her blonde hair is so sexy, and her eyes are so bright. She's beautiful...but also kind, smart, and funny as hell.
Isaac kissed her head without thinking, only to bite his lip with regret a moment later. He was surprised when Lexi responded by moving as close as possible to him before squeezing one of his hands with hers. He took that to mean that she enjoyed the gesture despite its suddenness. He smiled as he focused back on the movie.
Once it ended, Lexi sat up and stretched her arms out. Isaac did the same while sneaking a glance outside. It was much darker than he'd expected— the lone streetlight that he spotted barely illuminated its surroundings.
"Wow, it's so dark out," Lexi said. She paused to look at the time. "It's almost 11:30, too. I didn't realize how late it was."
Isaac stood up from where he'd been laying. "Me neither. I should try and head home."
"Wait."
Isaac looked back at Lexi, who'd also gotten up from the couch. "Yeah?"
Lexi suddenly hesitated. She glanced down at the floor and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
"Now you're nervous," Isaac remarked. He rested a hand on her arm with a concerned look in his dark brown eyes. "What's on your mind?"
"I don't wanna freak you out, so just forget it."
"Lexi."
"Okay, you win. I thought that...maybe you should stay here for the night so that you don't have to walk home so late. I know you're not a kid and that it's safer for you to be walking out there alone than me, but it still makes me uncomfortable. I'm not suggesting that we...you know...go any further than what we've done. I swear I don't want to do that! Shit, now I can't shut up. We're both terrible for getting nervous over nothing, aren't we?"
Isaac couldn't help but laugh. "I think that's because this is so new for us, and the last thing we want is to make the other nervous or upset."
"Yeah, that sounds about right," Lexi laughed.
"But it's okay," Isaac added. "We're still trying to...get comfortable with each other, I guess. As for your question...I think it's a good idea. Will Nikita care if I'm here?"
"She won't be back until early in the afternoon, so she might not even know."
"Then I'm more than fine with staying here for the night. And you know, I never thought that you were asking for sex or whatever. I figured you were just looking out for me. I appreciate it, Lexi."
"Oh, thank God. I think I can try to relax again."
Isaac laughed again, and Lexi joined his laughter this time as they headed into her bedroom. Her small single-sized bed wasn't made for two people, but it would have to do considering the circumstances. They sat down and exchanged awkward yet warm looks. Isaac kissed Lexi's lips in a tender manner, and she returned it happily. Even though they were both nervous about the situation they'd gotten themselves into, they threw caution into the wind for the sake of enjoying themselves.
***
Lexi was surprised to wake up early the next day. She saw on her phone that it was just after seven in the morning, which was earlier than she usually woke up on Sundays. She still had the place to herself since— as predicted— Nikita wouldn't return from her party for several hours. As she shifted in bed, she almost jumped when she felt something hard lying on her bed. But she quickly calmed down upon seeing Isaac asleep right beside her. He was still in his clothes, as was she.
This doesn't feel as weird as I thought it would, Lexi thought as she inched closer to his sleeping body. She closed her eyes and listened to the sound of Isaac's soft breathing. But she abruptly moved and propped her elbows up on part of the pillow to see if he would wake soon. She noticed Isaac stir in bed a moment later, and then he woke up. He caught Lexi's eye and grinned.
"Morning," she greeted.
"Good morning. Thanks again for letting me stay the night."
"You're welcome. I'm glad you stayed, to be honest."
Isaac's grin turned into a smirk. "Me too."
The two briefly kissed before getting out of bed.
"Want some breakfast before you go?" Lexi asked.
"Wow— you made me dinner, and now you wanna make me breakfast? You seem to wanna spoil me," Isaac remarked.
"Maybe. Is that okay?"
"No, it's not okay to be kind enough to give me free food." Isaac paused to give her a side-eye. "It's more than okay, Lexi."
Lexi laughed while they both made their way to the kitchen. They decided to make some pancakes after she found a box of pancake mix in one of her cupboards. They ate together once again while discussing what their plans were for this week.
"I have a few papers due, but most of them are already done, thank God," Lexi revealed. "I'm a little tired of them anymore."
"Yeah, I'm sick of assignments," Isaac piped up. "Thanksgiving is about a month away, but I'm already so excited about it."
"Me too. But I'm more excited to see my parents again."
"I bet since you live so far from home."
Lexi nodded. "A break from the fall weather is also nice."
"Wow, you really hate the cold," Isaac chuckled. "But I guess that makes sense, coming from you."
"Gee, thanks for being so understanding," Lexi quipped in a sarcastic manner.
Both shared an amused laugh while continuing to enjoy each other's company that morning. But it didn't last much longer as Isaac would leave her place no less than half an hour later. Before he left, however, they shared a kiss in front of her door.
"Thanks again for everything," Isaac said. "I really enjoyed myself."
"Me too," Lexi replied with a nod.
"I'll talk to you later, okay?"
"Same. I hope to see you soon."
They shared another kiss before Isaac left her apartment. As soon as he was out of her sight, Lexi's emotions boiled over. She managed to drag herself to the living room to sit down on the couch to think over everything that had gone on only moments ago. She wanted to jump up and down with glee, but that feeling was undercut by her newfound nerves.
I can't believe he stayed! I honestly thought he wouldn't agree to that, she thought.
This made her think more about their date. Isaac had become nervous during dinner—something that seemed out of place at the time but made sense now that Lexi was mulling it all over. His explanation didn't seem to ring true to her. She imagined that he had never expected to have a second date with her, so he was trying hard not to screw things up. She recalled how she'd grabbed his hand to calm him down, and how he'd accepted the gesture despite his nerves. Between that and how close they'd become while watching the movie, she considered their date to be a success.
I hope he'll want us to continue dating. I don't really want this to become serious, but he's definitely more than just a friend to me.
The more Lexi thought about what was going on with her and Isaac, the more anxious she became over it. She decided to give her mind a break by doing some household chores before starting on her homework. She needed more time to clear her mind again.