“Have you noticed anything different about Jack lately?” Lexi began.

“Different? Different how?”

“Uh…just anything.”

Kate chewed on her bottom lip gloss covered lip seriously contemplating the question. “No, I don’t believe I have.”

This was going to be harder than she thought. “You haven’t noticed that he’s been missing a lot more than usual?”

“Well…I guess he has been missing, but not really more than usual. We’ve always had an understanding that we don’t have to be together all the time for our relationship to work. He can have time away from me if he wants, and I have the same privilege. It’s just how we work. Not many people would be okay with that, but we are. Why?”

“Okay, I don’t really know how to say this so I’m just going to dive right in. Jack and I slept together.”

The silence that followed was unlike anything Lexi had ever sat through. She wasn’t sure if Kate was going to lunge at her or break down in tears. She looked shell shocked for sure. That had to have been the last thing she had been expecting. The tension could have been cut with a spoon. Lexi wasn’t sure if she should run now. Her heart was hammering in her chest with the anticipation of Kate’s response.

“Why would you tell me something like that?” Kate finally asked barely above a whisper.

“I had to let you know and Jack wasn’t going to tell you.”

“Why would you think I’d want to know something like that?”

“I just…thought you’d want the truth.”

“I didn’t,” she said shaking her head forcefully from side to side. “I didn’t want to know that.”

Lexi just stared at her. She didn’t want to know. She had crushed her for no reason. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Kate asked her eyes glaring at her. “For what? Fucking my boyfriend or for telling me that you fucked my boyfriend.”

“Uh…”

“Just…just don’t answer that. I don’t want to know. I don’t want to hear any of it. I just want to forget you. Forget you ever existed. Please leave my house.”

“Kate.”

“No, I don’t need any other information from you. Thank you. Get the fuck out of my house,” she said standing and pointing towards the door.

Lexi stood in complete shock at Kate’s reaction. “Are you going to tell Jack that I told you?”

“No. I’m not telling him anything. Now leave.”

“Why are you so calm about all this?” Lexi couldn’t help asking.

That question seemed to change everything about Kate. Lexi had never seen the girl anything but way too perky, but she looked damn well furious. “You think I didn’t know that he fucked you? God, I am not stupid, you fucking whore.” It was Lexi’s turn to look shell shocked. Kate had known all along, and she hadn’t said anything. “I knew the first day that it happened.”

“You did?” Lexi couldn’t believe it. No one else had been out on the pier that day. No one else had known they were there. Kate certainly hadn’t even been awake that night. “How did you find out?”

“I was there. I walked into his house, because I have a key that he gave me. He had his bedroom door open, and there you two were on his bed.” Lexi’s mouth popped open. “I just loved Jack enough to see past that one incident.”

“That wasn’t the first time,” Lexi admitted to Kate the information she had withheld from Clark.

“What?”

“That was about a month ago, right?”

“That’s what you were talking about, isn’t it? You were feeling guilty, and you had to let me know about it. Well, fuck you, I already knew that it happened. I knew and could get over the fact that he was unfaithful that one time.”

“No. You have it all wrong. The first time was at the beach house.”

Kate turned and stared at her. “That was in May.”

Lexi nodded watching the news dawn on Kate. “That’s what I came here to tell you.”

“No.” Kate murmured falling back down onto the couch. “Ya’ll have been sleeping together since May? Why is he with me then?” Lexi shrugged. Lexi, of all people, did not have an answer for that. “If you’ve been sleeping together since then, why are you just telling me now? Why are you telling me at all?”

“Clark found out, and Jack wasn’t going to tell you. I thought it was right to let you know.”

“I never thought he would do this.”

Lexi rolled her eyes and then felt bad for doing it. Of course, he would do this. Then again, he probably didn’t reveal this side of himself to too many people. Lexi just happened to be on the wrong end of this scenario twice already.

“I mean, I’m a virgin.”

“What?” Lexi squeaked. She steadied herself on the molding to the front entrance. “You’re a what?”

“I just thought that if it was one time, he would get it out of his system since we don’t sleep together. We do everything else, but we don’t have sex. I didn’t think it was that big of deal, but this…this is different.”

Lexi couldn’t do anything more than stare at her. She’s a virgin. Jack had never mentioned that. Not once. The look of despair that passed over Kate seeped into Lexi. How had she done this? It was a question she couldn’t help repeating to herself. She had slept with Jack and Kate hadn’t. Jack and Kate had been together for years and never slept together. Lexi couldn’t process that information. Jack had no self-restraint. He was completely incapable of it around her. Just like she had no control around him. How was he able to go years without sleeping with Kate?

“Get out,” Kate said. “I can’t stand looking at you. You took something that wasn’t yours, and you don’t even seem remorseful. If I ever set eyes on you again, it will be too soon.”

With that Lexi pulled the front door open and rushed out of the house to her car. She was so lost in what had happened that she hadn’t even noticed the very familiar Mazda 3 pulling into the driveway. She tried to dart into her car before he would notice her, but she wasn’t quick enough. Jack hopped out of his car and sprinted to her side.

“What are you doing here?” he asked venomously.

“She is a virgin,” was the only thing Lexi could get out at the sight of him.

“Oh God,” he said running his hands through his hair. “What did you do?”

“She is a virgin.”

“Lexi,” he yelled grabbing her by the shoulders. “What did you do?”

Tears began to form in her eyes again as she looked up at the handsome face. “Why?”

“I came here to tell her.”

“Why?”

“So we could be together.”

“You didn’t want to be with me,” she said feeling her weight sinking in his grasp.

“Lex, I’ve wanted to tell you for so long…that I love you.”

Lexi’s head snapped up. “You what?”

“You’ve known for a long time. You say it to me all the time with your eyes. I came here to straighten things out with Kate. To make things right for us.”

“Did you say you love me?”

“Lex, you know I do.”

“No, no I don’t,” she said pulling herself away from him and slamming into her car door.

“You’re just lying to me.”

“I’ll never lie to you again. I’ve told you that so many times. Just let me straighten things out so we can work this out.”

“I don’t want to work it out,” she said numbly staring at him. She was still shell shocked and saying the first thing that came to her mind. How could he say those things to her? After everything he said, how did he expect her to react? Did he think she was going to roll over for him? She had made a decision in that coffee shop with Clark and she was going to stick by it. He couldn’t just come in here with his sweet talk and think everything would just go back to normal. He wanted her now, maybe, but that wasn’t good enough. He had to want her all the time. He had to need her. He had to put her first. If he loved her, that’s what he would have done from the beginning. But Jack had never put anyone first in his life. “I want to be with Clark. He wants to take me back.”

The look on Jack’s face hurt more than Lexi ever thought would be possible. “Fine. Go be miserable with your little lap dog. Forget what I said. Just forget it,” he said turning away from her, and pushing aside the lone tear that had managed to seep out of his eye. “Forget it all.”