As it turns out, the man Andy fell in love with is more of a mystery than she first thought. When they give their relationship another chance, it's not long before Lex's secrets begin to unravel, threatening their happily ever after.
• - • - • - •...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
My eyes whipped open, and I looked in the voice's direction, understanding Lex had had the same idea as me and was leaning on the wall a few feet further. He seemed exhausted, his features tensed, his frame stiff. I wasn't sure how I hadn't noticed him when I'd settled here.
You seem to be having fun...
Yes, I was. I had been, at least, right up to that point. Now, all ideas of fun were gone, as the melancholy Lex's presence always triggered was already taking over my happiness.
"Uh, yes. It's a great party," I answered, pushing myself away from the wall. His eyes scanned me from behind his glasses, and I felt stupid for my choice of costume. It was a fun one, but when people didn't get it, it must have looked ridiculous. No matter how things were between us, I didn't want to pass for a lazy slob.
"I've been trying all evening long to guess what your costume is, but my mind is blank," he declared.
His voice was a little off, his words slightly dragging, which was odd. When he pushed his tall body away from the wall to face me better, his moves were also lacking their usual ease. It's only when I noticed the way his eyes seemed to have a hard time focusing on things that I understood he was drunk.
I'd never seen him drunk, not even tipsy. I'd already seen him have a drink or two, but he never allowed himself enough of it to lose control. It wasn't like him to drink much, even less at a company party. Had something happened, or was he just having a little too much fun, for once?
He came closer to me, and his assertiveness showed me he might still very much be in control, just a little off. He stopped a few steps away from me, and I stayed unmoving where I stood, wondering if this was a good idea.
"So, Andrea, what's your costume?"
"It's from a movie, The Big Lebowski."
"Ah, a movie... It makes sense. A dork never stops dorking, right?"
My heart clutched in my chest at the mention of my dorkiness. The cute nickname he used to have for me hit differently now.
Fuck, no. This was definitely not a good idea. I didn't need to be around Lex when he had no filters on. Nothing good could come out of this.
Before I could really get hurt, I straightened my shoulders and gave him a polite smile.
"I guess we don't, no. Good to see you're sticking to the no-costume policy. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going back inside." With that, I turned around and took a step toward the bar's entrance.
"Actually, I thought I'd give it a try this time around. But I think I was too subtle," he noted from behind me, picking my curiosity.
Holding back a sigh, I returned my attention to him and analyzed his outfit, trying to guess whatever costume he was wearing. It was just a suit. Maybe his glasses were part of it? Was it the tie?
