The Seventh Year

. 18 .

b e a

I set the gift bag aside and studied the lobster in my hand. I expected to find some hidden letter or secret gift, but besides the tag tied around its neck that read "Louis," there was none. It was just a lobster plushie. It was cute, but a bit of a let down. Lex leaned against the counter and rubbed his temples. He looked exhausted. There was a suitcase behind him and it made me wonder if he had just arrived from the airport.

"Sorry." He sighed. "I was told it was imperative that you received it. I didn't think it'd be...that."

I put Louis aside and sat down next to Lex. He moved his hand down to cover his mouth and looked up at me. I patted my hands on my lap. "So you saw her? How is she?"

Lex looked off into a distance and grinned like an idiot in love. "Still a spitfire."

"How did she react to you showing up? Was she mad?" I asked.

"At first." He nodded. "It took me three days to get her to listen to what I had to say. I wasn't expecting her to forgive me so quickly, but I guess that's Dione for you. You're probably not going to like hearing this, but we've gotten back together."

I wasn't as affected as I thought I would be. Although Lex wasn't my favorite person in the world, I didn't hate him like I did when I first met him. He hadn't grown on me just yet, but his sincerity towards Dione made me respect him. And I had to put the Andy situation into perspective. He was right. He wasn't at fault for Andy's identity crisis.

"I have some good news for you though." Lex added, "I'm going to UCLA next semester. You won't have to deal with me anymore."

"Are you and Dee going for long distance?"

Lex shrugged. "I don't know. For now, yes. She said her plans aren't rock solid yet. She's graduating in the summer, so I'm guessing she'll follow me to California. I don't want to dictate her future. If we have to be apart so she can follow her dreams, then so be it."

I hummed and nodded. "Wow.... You're not a bad boyfriend."

Lex laughed and rolled his eyes at me. He made his way around the counter and grabbed two cups. He set one down in front of me and the other on his side. "I know for a fact you weren't able to drink shit at that dance. Do you want lavender tea again? It'll be on the house."

I nodded. My throat was still dry, and him offering a drink reminded me of the unpleasant sensation. "Yes please."

As he prepared my tea, I started seeing him in a different light. I had always thought that he and Andy couldn't be more different from each other, but I began to realize how similar they were. Besides both being unworldly attractive, they cared about others in their own way. They were easily molded by their emotions. When in love, they acted like completely different people. But they could be sweet if they tried.

Lex handed me my cup and a pack of sugar. I thanked him and poured the sugar in. "Hey, so Andy told me about what happened between him and Dee."

"Oh yeah?" Lex replied and took a sip from his cup. "I told you I had nothing to do with it."

"I know that now." I said. "I'm sorry I accused you. I would ask you for a story of what happened, but you'd probably just tell me to mind my own business."

He didn't answer. Lex drank his tea and avoided my gaze. The sudden tension in the atmosphere made me feel uncomfortable. There was something he had to say, and I could see that he was debating with himself on whether he should let it out. I grew paranoid.

Lex set his cup down and sighed. "I'll tell you the story, but you have to keep a few things in mind. This is an invasion of my brother's privacy. Since he told you about Dee, I'm going to assume that he's comfortable enough around you. Do what you will with the information, but if it gets you in a mess, I won't be the one fishing you out."

I nodded. I should have learned my lesson about how ignorance is bliss, but I was desperate to know. Desperation, if you haven't caught on yet, was my fatal flaw.

"It actually started with you, Bea." Lex began. "After you told Dione about how you and Andy hooked up, she was furious. She showed up at my house and demanded to talk to him. He wasn't around, so she took out her frustration on me instead. She made me laugh. I don't know what got over me that day, but I was so amused by her that I asked her to be my girlfriend as a joke. She said yes, which I didn't plan ahead for."

"A joke?" I scoffed. "Your whole relationship started out as a joke?"

"But I didn't correct her either. It was a mistake on my part. I was just bored."

"You asshole." I murmured and drank more tea as he continued the story.

"We started dating. Andy met her, but she seemed to have forgotten about what you two did and never brought you up. She still terrified him though. The only other woman he's that scared of is our Russian grandmother. He eventually got used to having Dee around. He stopped messing around with girls or going to parties. Andy preferred to third-wheel us instead of his usual summer antics. When Dione and I broke up, it was then that he told me that he had fallen in love with her. I couldn't get mad at him, but I did tell him that he could try sweeping her off her feet since I blew my chance."

"So he started acting like you." I concluded. Lex nodded and picked up his cup. "And then you went ahead and won her back anyway?"

"Call me a prick, sure." Lex said and held his cup in front of his lips. "But don't be a hypocrite, Bea. We've all been selfish in the name of love."

I couldn't say anything in response. I wanted to curse Lex out, but he saw right through me. If I opened my mouth, he would've called me out on my bullshit. I grabbed Louis and fidgeted with him as an excuse to avoid Lex's gaze.

I found it cruel. He and Dee treated Andy like he was meaningless. They tossed him around like his feelings didn't matter. It must have been karma for the way Andy used to break hearts, but even that was extreme. I wondered if he heard voices in his head too. I wondered if they tormented him as much as they tormented me. His late nights that were once occupied by parties and the company of other girls were emptied out and replaced by the unrequited yearning to be desired by a specific someone. And it was cruel of Lex and Dee to do that to him.

But we've all been selfish in the name of love. Selfishly, Lex claimed Dee despite his brother's feelings. Selfishly, Dione ran away to another state to escape her mistakes. Selfishly, Andy changed himself for her. Selfishly, I took advantage of his loneliness just so I could finally be a part of his life.

It seemed that only people who don't fall in love are the truly selfless ones. Maybe that was why Cara was so unproblematic.

I put Louis back in the gift bag and finished my tea. Lex drank his and watched me. Once my cup was empty, I set it down. "Thank you for the tea."

"You're welcome." He answered and threw the paper cup away for me.

I got up and grabbed the gift bag. I checked the time on my phone. There was a text from Cara asking me if I had gotten home. I replied that I did. The sound of pattering started from outside. I looked out the cafe window and saw that it had started to rain.

"Drive home safe, Bea." Lex said as he handed me his jacket.

I took it and slipped my arms into the sleeves. "Thanks."

I stepped out of the cafe and rushed to get into my car before I could get drenched. As I drove home, I felt something wet trickling down my face. I wiped it away, thinking that it was a tear. But my eyes were dry. I wasn't crying, it was just the rain.

~~~

Man, looking back, everyone in this novel (besides Cara and a special someone you'll meet next chapter) is so toxic. If I went to school with them, I'd probably hate them. But they're all learning so...bear with them.

Also, long distance sucks. I don't know why I ever thought I could handle it.

v o t e   a n d   f o l l o w   f o r   u p d a t e s  :)

~ Sharmi