Lexi's Final Year

Chapter 2

Isaac, Lexi, and their friends arrived at The Bean's Knees the following afternoon. They got their respective orders before looking for a place to sit. They lucked out and managed to snag a large round table that sat deep within the coffee shop. Everyone took their seat while carrying on with their small talk.

"It's so good to be back in NYC again," Felipe remarked as he sat down in his chair.

"I agree," DeShawn said. "Moving in was brutal, though, due to the humidity."

"It was that brutal for Lexi and me yesterday," Nikita confessed.

"Yeah, it's hot as hell out still," Isaac chuckled.

Felipe and his parents had gotten into town just after seven AM that morning, having made the drive to New York City yesterday and crashing in a cheap motel that night. DeShawn showed up at their apartment with his parents in tow before 10 AM. Isaac helped both his best friends move in, but the task had proven more painful than expected. Yesterday's humidity seemed to be just as brutal as today, leaving them all sweaty messes once both men were all moved in.

Fortunately for them, The Bean's Knees had working air conditioning that kept the humid air outside at bay. The college students stay cool as they sipped their drinks and ate their lunches.

"Just walking over here was so hot," Nikita whined.

Lexi nodded. "I agree."

Felipe flashed a confused look. "Aren't you used to this kind of shit?"

"I've never liked humidity," Lexi admitted. "Heat's okay, but humidity is a bitch."

DeShawn suddenly grabbed his phone and then typed a quick reply.

"Is Mariana here?" Felipe asked.

"Yeah, she just arrived," DeShawn replied.

Right on cue, Mariana Bruno strolled to their table with a small smile on her face. Her long red hair was fixed into a long braid. She smiled as she waved her left arm, causing a pink peony tattoo to be exposed on her forearm in the process.

DeShawn got up to hug her, and the two shared a brief kiss on the lips.

"Get a room," Felipe declared, his booming voice cutting through the coffee shop's chill atmosphere.

Nikita smacked his arm while shooting daggers in his direction. Lexi could only snicker at what was unfolding before her very eyes.

"Shut up, dude," Isaac remarked with a sharp tone of voice

Mariana blushed, her light green eyes casting down to the ground. Her extremely fair complexion made her blushing more than a little obvious.

"Oh, I'm kidding!" Felipe exclaimed while stretching his tan arms over his head. "I don't care."

"I know you are," DeShawn said. "You're the last person to comment on someone using PDA."

Felipe became flustered and muttered a curse word under his breath.

The rest of the friends laughed, with Mariana being the loudest. She'd already bought herself a black coffee and a garden salad, which she placed on the table in front of her seat. She ended up sitting between Lexi and DeShawn.

"It's nice to see you guys again," she said as she sat down.

"It's nice to see you too," Isaac replied.

Ever since the big conversation that DeShawn had facilitated last year, Isaac had grown much closer to Mariana. Neither had come out and asked about it, but it was safe to say that they were friends once again. The texts they had exchanged during summer break only consisted of them discussing their respective jobs and relationships. But Mariana also went out of her way to ask how Lexi was doing— something Felipe and DeShawn didn't even do.