After the annoying woman informed her of her options about the voicemail, Jack’s clear voice rang in her ears. “Hey Lex, interview’s over. It was just bs…just fucking bullshit. I…I don’t really want to talk about it. I’m just gonna go home and crash. I’ll talk to you in the morning. Have fun.”

The line went dead in her hands and she snapped the phone shut. She slid the phone back into her purse feeling dejected. Something had gone wrong at the interview, but he didn’t want to talk to her about it. She knew that it was a completely rational reaction for him to not want to discuss his feelings. Guys were like that all the time. She just thought that they were beyond that point. They had known each other for a long time. But she didn’t want to think about any other option for him not wanting to talk tonight. Chyna and Claire had planted a seed in her mind, but she couldn’t believe them.

The only thing that she could think about right now was that after all that work she had put in for the school year, she was the only one left all alone for the night.

Somehow she wasn’t sure how this night could get any worse.

CHAPTER 21

PRESENT

The stadium lights that were illuminated for the occasion stretched out across home plate, through the gritty dirt to the pitcher’s mound, splayed out through the evenly cut emerald green grass, and further down the endless rows of bleachers. City traffic could be heard as hundreds of cars traveled across the series of roads and highways that mapped the terrain. Twinkling stars were faintly visible overhead despite the perpetual lighting that whitened the black night.

Lexi’s heart stuttered as she attempted to compose her features. She folded her arms one over another and leaned onto the cool, black railing. Ramsey rested against the railing keeping his body angled towards her. His green eyes never left her face to survey the beautiful manmade structure below them.

“What’s going on?” his deep, husky voice asking several things with his one question.

“I…” Lexi sighed trailing off. “I don’t know.”

Ramsey smiled, nodding along. “You’re not sick.”

It was more of a statement than a question, but she nodded anyway. No, she wasn’t sick. She was coming to a crossroads in her life, and she didn’t know which road to take. She wanted to be with Jack. After all the shit she had put up with, he was still what she wanted. But could she handle this in-between time? Could she handle him being with someone else while she waited like an idiot all over again?

“I didn’t do anything,” he stated attempting to get all of the possibilities out of the way as to her illness.

“You?” she asked a little taken aback. “No, you haven’t done anything.” Of course she had thought about Ramsey, but there was too much other stuff going on in her head that she hadn’t allowed him much room. He was aggravating to no avail. Even now he was much too close for her level of personal boundaries. She could feel the warmth of his hand as it nearly grazed her elbow resting on the railing. His body tilted forward resting a mere six inches from her face. Such closeness should be reserved for intimacy, but she was coming to realize this was just Ramsey…or maybe he did want that intimacy. She cleared her thoughts. That was the last place she needed to let her mind wander. Even though, it wasn’t a bad alternative while she waited for Jack.

“Then it can only be one thing,” he told her. She turned to meet his determined gaze waiting for his guess. “Jack and Bekah.”

Lexi’s heart, which had stilled as she let the light breeze calm her mind, kicked into overdrive at Ramsey’s statement. Sure she knew that Ramsey had an idea about her and Jack from the conversation at Jack’s apartment. As far as she knew though, he had no idea about her actual involvement with Jack. He had no idea of Jack’s hold on her. He certainly had no idea that she had listened in on his threatening conversation with Jack.

But she knew she shouldn’t assume anything. Who knew if Bekah had told him or if Jack had spilled the beans about their past to him while she had been at home. She didn’t want to think about that either. The last thing she wanted to do was have anyone else know about her relationship with Jack, and Ramsey was getting dangerously close.

“What about Jack and Bekah?” she croaked running her fingers through the loose strands that had fallen out of her bun and threading it behind her ears.

“I’m not sure, but it’s something,” he admitted leaning in even closer to her.

Lexi breathed out a sigh of relief. He didn’t know. That was comforting. Him invading her personal space further was not. “You’re um…,” she gestured between them, “in my space again. We’ve talked about this.”

He nodded not backing up an inch. “Tell me what’s going on,” he gently asked bringing his hand up and stroking her face. His hand trailed down from her temple and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m pretty sure the only thing going on has something to do with you and me,” she muttered huskily feeling her body turn towards him. His hand wrapped around her tiny waist bridging the distance between their bodies.

“Maybe you’re right,” he whispered towards her. His lips were so close to her, when she licked her own lips, she brushed up against his as well. A groan escaped him with the light, teasing contact, and he hesitantly brought his lips down upon hers. The first touch was smooth and gentle as if he was testing the water. His lips were amazingly soft and she could taste the sweetness of peppermint on his breath.

Warning alarms went off in her mind. All she wanted to do was ignore what her mind was telling her and get lost in the here and now. Forget everything that was keeping her stressed out and relish the beautiful moment of a man wanting her.

Her hands moved from their place on the railing and pushed against his hard, muscled chest. As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t let this continue. It would end up hurting everyone.

“I don’t know if…” she trailed off again. He didn’t let her finish her statement before pressing his body more firmly against her. Her mouth popped open in surprise leaving him with the advantage. He leaned his head down and kissed her bottom lip, gently sucking it between his teeth. Her eyes fluttered closed. Ramsey’s hand reached up to twine around her hair, tugging softly on the strands, and tilting her head back. He pressed his lips firmly against her own. It only took a second for Lexi to react and relax into him.

A loud coughing sound came from behind them. Ramsey and Lexi hastily broke apart, straightening themselves out as they faced the intruder.

“I figured I’d find you out here,” Chyna said cocking her weight to her right hip. She threw both hands up to her hips, leaning the left shoulder forwards, and tilting her head up defiantly.

Lexi ran her fingers through her mussed hair and smiled hesitantly at her best friend. “Well, you found me.”

“Oh no, I wasn’t looking for you,” she announced letting her eyes shift to the man standing next to her.

“How can I be of assistance?” Ramsey asked politely stepping away from the railing.

“Apparently, there is a birthday going on inside,” Chyna commented dryly. “You have something to do with that?”

Ramsey looked a bit sheepish as he took on Chyna’s confrontation. “Indeed I do.”

“Then perhaps you should run inside and check on what’s going on,” she suggested. “There’s some kind of catastrophe happening with the cake. Everyone’s looking for you.”