Disappointment sinks in fast. I should be happy I wasn’t her first option. I usually hate it when people rely on me.
“Oh, look at you. It’s okay, big guy.” Lex leans in closer. “You know how Miss Hyper-Independent is about relying on people.”
“Lex!” Callie glares at her, but Lex shrugs.
I want to pull Lex aside and ask her how to get Callie to rely on me.
“It’s not a big deal.” I purposely look at Callie when I say it.
She just turns to Maren and starts her own side conversation.
“She gets a little ornery when she can’t watch her reality television,” Lex says.
I nod, unsure how to respond since reality television is becoming my own vice thanks to her. “Hopefully it was a one-time thing.”
She laughs and looks at Callie, who is now deep in conversation with Maren. Lex seems nice, and I could get along with her, but I really want in on the other conversation.
“It won’t be.” Lex gives a look as if to say that Callie’s tech issues are a constant thing. “She’d be lost without me.” A buzzing sound comes from her pocket, and she pulls out her phone, sees who is calling, and shoves it back in. I like her more now. “But I’d probably be in a ditch somewhere without her, so we’re even, you know.”
I nod.
“Are you not going to ask why?” Her dark eyes take me in.
“Um…”
“Oh, someone did a number on you, didn’t they? But asking me about my trauma doesn’t mean I’m going to ask you about yours. Just so you know, not asking follow-up questions makes you come off like you don’t give a shit.” She leans in closer. “And if you act like that with her, you don’t stand a chance. Just some helpful advice.”
I draw back from her for a moment and try to find the right words but can’t. I settle on, “Thanks for the advice.”
Really what I want to say is tell me more, Lex, like how to win Callie over.
She nods as though she understands my unspoken words. Good. Now let’s move on.
“I’m a recovering addict. Coke. After I got clean, I couldn’t find a job. One day I see our girl over here at a coffee shop, trying to figure out her microphone. She’s swearing and drawing a lot of attention, so I swooped in to help her. We’ve been together ever since.”
The words our and girl together sound too good.
“She just let you take over?”
She laughs again. “Yup. Can you believe it? Did you see that pig fly by?”
I kind of like the way she talks about Callie as if we know her equally well, even though it appears Lex knows her a lot better than I do.
“Well, that was good of you to step in and help a stranger out of the goodness of your heart like that.”
“I might be a lesbian, and Callie’s hot, but I didn’t do it because I wanted to get in her pants.”
“What hope do I have then?”
“That depends, Foster Davis. Do you want to get into her pants?”
Yes. I do, Lex. I really want in Callie’s pants.
I balk, though I have no idea why. She’s bold, but I’m used to locker rooms and dugouts and the shit guys say to one another in those environments. Maybe it’s Lex being so blatant when Callie is right next to us, or more likely, I just don’t know how to handle my feelings for Callie. I’m attracted to her yes, but I also like her as a person, which makes sense. She’s pretty much Hayes without a dick.
Jesus. Where the fuck did that thought come from?
Lex squeezes my shoulder. “My advice: keep showing up.”
