20

Evan's POV:

The following Friday

"Morning, Ev. I got you this." Lexi says as she walks into my classroom, setting a paper coffee cup on my desk. I haven't seen much more of her since Tuesday, which is unfortunate but understandable.

"Mm, what's the occasion?" I giggle.

"It's Friday." She smiles. "That's enough of an occasion for me."

"You're sweet." I pout my lip out and take the cup, happy that she thought of me.

She winks at me and spins on her heels, walking back toward the door, "have a good-"

"Lex?" I stop her and she glances over her shoulder.

"Yes?"

I motion for her to come closer so I won't have to speak so loud, and she does. "Come over tonight." I say, my voice low.

Her eyes lock on mine and she licks her lips, "any particular reason you'd request that?"

My eyes flutter and roll, as if she doesn't already know. "You'll find out when you get there. Have a good day."

"Who said I agreed to come?" She jokes, walking around my desk and sitting right in front of my keyboard.

I cut my eyes at her, "I don't care if you cum, I was more worried about me, but I guess-"

Lexi's eyes widen and I can't hold in my laugh. I smack her thigh playfully, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Please move?"

Her eyes remain huge and her mouth open, totally dumbfounded. "Of all the people I would have expected that from, you were the last."

"I'm full of surprises." I grin.

Lexi shakes her head and slides off my desk, "you are asking for it, Evan. Behave."

I wink at her and she exits my room, her head still shaking back and forth.

* * *

Evan's house

Just after six, Lexi walks through the door like she lives here.

"Evan!" She yells, clearly hyped up about something.

I come around the corner, confused. "Why are you yelling?!"

"I got a 98 out of 100 on my evaluation sheet!" Lexi exclaims, overjoyed. The beaming smile on her face makes my lips turn up too.

"See, I told you you're not a shit teacher." I smirk, "I can't believe you actually needed a slip of paper with a signature to tell you that."

She giggles and hugs me, squeezing me tight. As she breaks from our embrace she kisses me and it catches me off guard. It always does for some reason, but now more so than ever given the situation.

She sighs and her beaming smile remains, "I'm so glad it went well."

"Me too, Lex. I knew it would, but I'm happy for you." I smile and fold my arms over my chest. "Proud of you."

She nods her head and lays the paper on the table, pushing her hands through her hair. "How was your Friday?"

"Stressful. This whole week has been." I admit to her.

"Is that why I'm here?" She giggles.

"Shut up. You'd be happy to let me use you if that was the case." I taunt, knowing that is the truth.

She nods and sits down in one of the chairs, getting comfortable. "You're not wrong about that."

"Lucky for you I'm not just using you." I say and walk closer to her, straddling her where she sits and hanging my hands over her shoulders.

"I'm sorry I haven't been back over this week. I've been losing my mind with that evaluation and stuff-"

I shake my head, "you don't owe me an apology for anything. Plus, I am not even sure that I have a right to expect to see you on a daily basis."

Her brows furrow and her hands sit above my hipbones, "what do you mean?"

"I just mean... I don't know, Lex. I don't even know what our relationship is at this point." I admit, totally confused by everything.

"Why are you confused by it?" She pushes, genuinely listening to me.

My shoulders shrug and my fingers get tangled in the ends of her hair, "Lex, you have to remember...I've been single for five years, and I've gotten used to things being that way. The thought of this thing we have becoming official is terrifying. I don't even know if-" I stop myself and sigh. "What you said about me deserving to have happiness of my own, I get that. I know I should let myself have that, but it isn't as easy as flipping a switch."

Lex nods slowly, taking my response in. "I understand." Her fingers move along the fabric of my shirt and I just look down at her, waiting. I don't know what exactly I am waiting on, but I am.

"Can I ask what you are wanting out of this?" I question, hoping her response to the question can provide me with some guidance of my own.

She moves her hand from my waist and touches my cheek, "the same thing I wanted five years ago. You." She giggles with her answer.

My head shakes slowly, "why are you so insistent on that? Hearing you even say that makes me question your mental stability." I growl, laughing pathetically and pulling my hand over my face.

She grabs my chin and forces me to look at her, "if I am mentally unstable, then so be it. Evan, no one else compares to you. You're like... this force that cannot be reckoned with. Everything about you is just so different, so special."

My cheeks blush at her statement, not having been complimented like that in a long time. I pout my lip out and grab her hand, pulling her fingers to my lips and kissing them softly. "I love how highly you think of me, I really do... but there is a bigger picture and you know it, Lex." I remind her.

Lexi's eyes do a dramatic roll and I am given a glare. "Evan, I know that. I am well aware of the fact that not only are you drop-dead gorgeous, but you're a kickass mother of three, making shit happen on your own because your dickhead ex-husband fucked you over. I promise you, I've thought about all of this. There is nothing you can say, do, or remind me of that will make me want you any less. I want every last piece of you." She pauses and her lips part to speak, but she hesitates. My brows raise, silently asking what she was going to say. She takes a shallow breath, "that's kind what happens when someone falls in love with you, Ev." As the last words leave her lips I feel my heartbeat speed up.

Rather than speaking, I carefully grab her face and pull her lips against mine. I kiss her slowly, truly loving the way it makes me feel. When our lips part, I rest my forehead against hers, "I love you, Lexi. I don't think I'll ever be able to unlove you." The words escape as a whisper and I have flashbacks to the moment when I first told Lexi I loved her, and to the first time she said it to me... after I pushed her away.

Funny how some feelings are so strong, so genuine... that they never die. No amount of time, no amount of distance, nothing can make them go away.

I see her lips turn up and she hugs me tight, not saying anything.

After a moment, I clear my throat. "I need you to know something though, Lex. I can't just blindly dive into your arms and hope for the best. I've been through this shit before. You know that. And somehow... I still ended up not being enough for him. You saw how bad that got. I can't put myself in a position where I have so much to lose-"

She does that damn eye roll again, "first of all, I am offended that you think I would ever do that to you. I mean, if we wanna get technical, you are the one who left me last time." Her comment solicits a giggle from me and I put my finger over her lips. She grabs my hand and kisses it, "secondly, you do not ever have to worry about not being enough, Evan. You are always enough. You always have been."

My lips pouts out again and I almost feel a tear slip out. Lexi pulls at my heart strings with her words, she's always done that. "What did someone like me do to deserve to have someone like you even look at me, Lexi?"

Her head shakes and she tucks my hair behind my ear, "stop talking about yourself like that."

I hang my head and she tilts my chin up quickly, "you deserve some honesty and stability in your life, Evan. Please let me give you that."

I consider for a moment, unsure how I am supposed to feel about all of this. A piece of me knows that Lexi is right. I do need some stability in my life, and I do need someone who won't totally screw me over for once. I trust that Lexi would give me that without hesitation, but that doesn't change the fact that I have a giant mental blockade up from the trauma of Scott and I's entire marriage, not to mention being alone for the past five years. I went from a toxic relationship, to being all alone... I wouldn't even know how to act with Lexi.

"I don't want to rush into anything, Lexi." I tell her.

She nods, happy with that answer. "I've got nothing but time for you, Evan Johnson. Nothing but time."

Her response makes me giggle and I kiss her lips multiple times, deepening it with each one. After the fifth or sixth kiss, I pull away, "you do realize that if I get my kids back and we do this... the kids will ruin our sex life, right?"

She makes a displeased face, "oh, never mind then. Fuck this." Lexi pushes me off her lap and my jaw drops. She quickly drops back into the chair, then smirks, "doors have locks for a reason. Plus, I think it would be kind of hot to see you try and be quiet while they're here."

My jaw drops and I grab her jaw playfully, "you're awful." I have a brief flashback and I can't help but smile, "but it was kind of hot that time you came over after we'd all been at your house and... you remember? On the couch?" I tease her. She furrows her brows for a moment as if she doesn't remember it. "Oh, come on. You-"

She quickly switches things up on me, using one of her hands to grab between my thighs, "I grabbed you like this?" Her voice is low and it turns me on, especially when paired with the physical action.

My body immediately reacts and I grab her shoulders hard, my head falling against hers and my jaw falling open. "Mmhm."

"Yeah, I remember it well." She whispers into my ear, kissing just below my ear afterwards. "Want me to show you exactly how it happened?" She teases, grabbing my ass with her free hand and pulling me against her.

"Please fucking show me." Are the only words I can grit back at her.

* * *

I lay on my back, covered only partially by my bedsheets. Lexi starts to pull her shirt over her head and I frown, "boo. Take it off."

She grins, "I think I like it just fine on." She comes back to me and lays her head down, nuzzling into my neck. "I can't get enough of you." She says, planting soft kisses on my neck while one of her hands caresses my thigh.

"You can have me all weekend long if you want." I tell her, my hand draping around her body.

"I want you for more than just a weekend, Evan." She assures me.

I sigh, still sort of pinching myself that this is my life. "How are things with Mia?"

Lexi sighs, probably not thrilled to be talking about her ex. "They're pretty good, actually. She and I have a mutual understanding that we need space, so it works. And she's got a friend who might be interested in taking our spot, so maybe we won't have to break the lease. We can just rent to someone else." She explains, still paying more attention to kissing my neck than anything.

"That'll be good for both of you. Living with an ex isn't ideal, I know that much. Have you thought about what's next?" I ask her, curious about her plans.

"All I know right now is I am in bed with you, so you're next." She teases, her teeth grazing my skin.

I laugh, "Lexi! I'm trying to have a serious conversation." I laugh, pushing her away from me.

Her eyes roll, "I don't know, Ev. I haven't thought about all that yet. I'm gonna have to find another roommate or somewhere that has decent rent." I hear the stress in her voice.

"You'll figure it out. Just take it one thing at a time." I assure her, her hand slowly slipping away from mine.

"I know. I'm gonna take a shower... wanna get dinner after?" She asks me.

I nod my head, "yes, but I need to shower too thanks to you, so make room."

As I walk towards her, still very naked, she smirks at me, her eyes crawling up and down my torso. "I should shower over here more often, it comes with perks."

"You're so stupid." I shake my head and push her back by her chest, kicking the door shut behind us.