“Who is it?” I hesitantly ask.
“It’s me,” comes Oliver’s voice.
“The fuck is he doing here?” Lex mutters right before I push myself away from the door. Filled with dreadful panic, I turn around to meet his irritated scowl.
“Give me a moment,” I answer to Oli.
I hastily pick up the discarded condom that he dropped on the floor and Lex lets me push him all the way to the bathroom despite his irked glare at the door. Once in there, I shove him into a corner, throw the condom in the trash, and grab a small towel. Ignoring any sense of elegance or class, I quickly drag it between my legs to wipe the wet mess Lex conjured. I throw it toward the bathtub, but Lex intercepts it and uses it to wipe himself as well. My heart is in my throat as I return to the room.
“Stay here, don’t make a sound,” I command. He looks pissed, his jaw clenched, his eyes dark, but I don’t have time for this.
“Are you alright?” Oliver asks from outside.
“Yes! I’m coming!”
“You already did, actually.Twice,” Lex mutters from the bathroom. “All over my cock.”
Unamused, I give him a warning glare, which he answers with an eye roll. I rush to a drawer and grab the first pair of underwear I can find. After swiftly putting them on, I spot my previous pair lying there, drenched and rolled up. Mindlessly, I throw them toward the bathroom. Lex cocks his eyebrow at me when it lands on his chest, his hand grabbing it out of reflex. When I gesture for him to move back, he gives me another one of his disapproving scowls before complying.
After a quick and deep breath, I open the door. The whole thing was quick, so I’m not sweaty and don’t think I reek of sex. Hopefully, I also don’t have Lex’s scent on me. I’m undoubtedly still flushed, though. I open the door, doing my best to control my breathing.
“Hi! I’m good to go.”
“Where’s your jacket?”
Fuck.That’s the excuse I gave the guys when I came up here.
“Oh, right. I went to the bathroom and forgot. Good call.”
I fetch my red jacket and return. “Vámonos,” I say enthusiastically, eyeing the half-closed door of my bathroom one last time.
The elevator’s mirror informs me that my face isn’t overly red, my hair isn’t a mess, and apart from my sparkly eyes, one could never guess I was just thoroughly fucked against a door.
Because I’m so preoccupied with my situation, I don’t even wonder why Oli came up to get me, and it doesn’t occur to ask. A few steps into the lobby, he stops me, reaching for my arm.
“Are we okay?” he asks.
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve been avoiding me since we left Seattle. Things are weird between us.”
I avert my gaze, looking around and wondering what to answer. Yes, I’ve become distant—not because I don’t want to spend time with him, but because I’m unsure how to act around him. I told him I might never be ready for him, and I don’t want to hurt him by insisting we might never become a thing. He’ll just get over me on his own at some point.
“It’s because you’ve met someone, right?” he asks. I say nothing again, but my silence is an answer in and of itself. In his eyes, I read the pain I’m causing, and I hate myself for it.
Because I must have been Hitler or Zedong in my previous life, my terrible karma acts up, and Lex notices us on his way out of the elevator. His eyes lock on Oli’s hand, still on my arm, and his chiseled jaw clenches with anger.Fuck.
“Is it serious between you and that guy?” Oli asks, oblivious.
Lex is close enough to hear that, and if I had any doubt, the way his brows furrow confirms that he did. He stays there, pretending to check something on his phone. Why is this happening? How did I go from some incredible slex to this? Five minutes ago, I was swimming in ecstasy, and now all I want is to dig a hole and disappear into it.
It’s a great fucking dilemma. I can’t tell Oli it isn’t serious because he’ll get ideas and think there’s still a chance. But I also can’t tell him itisserious because Lex is listening, and all I can think of are the harsh words he said back in his office.
I don’t do relationships, Andrea. And you don’t seem like someone who does what I do.
“No. It’s not,” I bluntly say. Oli finds my answer reassuring enough to let go of my arm.
As for Lex, his stoic expression is unreadable when I peek at him. He puts his phone away and resumes his walk to the bar. That’s what I was supposed to answer, right? We’re just having fun. The opposite of serious.
