Isaac had returned to New York City on Monday and proceeded to hang out with Felipe and DeShawn at home for the rest of the day. They played video games while talking about their respective Thanksgiving weekend at length. He was glad that he had the chance to unwind with his friends before being forced to deal with school once again.
He tried to retain his focus during his classes the next day, but that proved to be difficult for an entirely different reason. His mind kept going back to his and Lexi's conversation from yesterday. He found himself more anxious than ever to see her again, but not nervous like he'd been prior to their previous dates. He didn't tell Felipe or DeShawn about this, but he did tell them that he was going to have dinner with Lexi. That happened when he'd returned home from class to freshen up first.
"Are you finally gonna get into her pants?" Felipe asked with a smirk.
"Fuck off, dude," Isaac snapped. "We're just having dinner at The Bean's Knees— that's it."
"Come on, give the guy a break," DeShawn piped up. "You obviously don't have to sleep with her, dude."
"I was only kidding," Felipe insisted. "Go have a good time, okay?"
Isaac's scowl turned into a bemused smirk. "Thanks."
He then left his place and walked the relatively short distance to The Bean's Knees. He arrived a few minutes later to find Lexi standing a foot or so away from the coffee shop. She was looking away from him, so Isaac took a minute to take in her appearance. Her long blonde hair was draped down her right shoulder in messy waves. She had on dark blue jeans, a black faux leather jacket, a red sweater, and flat black boots. She seemed to fit right in New York City despite her California roots. Isaac couldn't help but grin in her direction.
She's so beautiful.
"Are you okay over there?"
Stunned, Isaac almost jumped out of his skin. He blinked hard as Lexi cackled with amusement.
"I saw you standing there looking spaced out as hell," she explained between her laughter. "I'm sorry I scared you."
Isaac recovered quickly. "It's fine."
"Here," Lexi said, "maybe this will make up for it."
As Isaac tried to make sense of her words, she leaned in and pressed her lips onto his. He closed his eyes as his hands slowly threaded her hair, while hers held his face. They soon broke apart, with Lexi biting her lip in an anxious fashion.
"I guess I shouldn't be too mad then, huh?" Isaac questioned.
"I hope not."
"Okay, you win. Let's go eat."
Lexi nodded. "Sounds good."
They entered to find the place quieter than expected, leaving them with plenty of seating options to choose from. Isaac ordered for himself, and then Lexi piped up with hers. She reached for her wallet, but Isaac shook his head.
"I'll pay."
"Are you sure?"
"Oh, yeah."
Lexi rolled her eyes before they both moved off to the side to wait for their meals. They got their food and found a seat away from the few customers that were also seated. They then began to eat and spent a few moments enjoying dinner instead of chatting.
"So, how was your weekend here?" Isaac asked after some time had passed.
Lexi shrugged as she swallowed a mouthful of food. "Good! It's always so quiet on campus when there's a holiday or whatever. It was like that last year with Reading Week, and it happened again this year during the Thanksgiving weekend. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, though."
"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.