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.
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"So, where to?" Lex asked once we were in the elevator, on our way down.
Oh, fuck, right. I was the one taking him out. I had to find where we would eat.
I tried to think of a place we could go, somewhere different, somewhere not far from here. An article my mom had sent me came back to mind, about a place that served the best Mexican food you could find that far north of the border. I remembered thinking it would be easy to try it since it was near Kelex.
"Can we take your car?" I asked. If I recalled correctly, it was either a five-minute drive or a twenty-minute walk. The hour we had didn't allow forty minutes of walking around.
"Sure. Do you want to drive?"
His offer surprised me, and I sent him a quizzical glance. I knew how men were with their cars, so him casually proposing this felt like a big show of trust.
"You'd let me drive it?"
"Of course. But only if you can tell me where those nine bumps on your car came from," he negotiated with amusement. I smiled, thinking I shouldn't be surprised he would notice and count the various bumps on my old Ford.
"Five of those were already there when I bought it. One I did when I backed it for the first time in the alley at my parents' house – the car was longer than I thought. The big one on the right happened while it was parked, so I never got the culprit. The one on the back is from a guy who bumped into me when I stopped at a red light, and then he drove off when I exited the car to get his insurance info. Then the last one happened when I parked it and didn't see a small concrete post."
Lex thought about my answer for a few seconds, and I was certain the last bump would make him decide I wasn't worthy. To my surprise, he dug his keys out of his pocket and held them out to me, proving me wrong. I hesitated, staring at the Mercedes logo on it. My driving skills were fine, but I was definitely not taking risks with Lex's car. Not only wasn't I familiar with it, I also barely had any experience driving in Seattle, especially during a very busy hour. So it seemed like a terrible idea.
"I'm good, actually. I like it when you drive."
"So, what do you have in mind for our meal?" he asked, putting his keys back in his pocket.
"Food from my people. If that's okay with you."
"I'm not very familiar with Mexican cuisine, but I guess I should start learning." He bent closer to my ear, and his voice lowered for the rest. "I already found out that Mexican-American tastes fabulous, though."
Oh, what a cunning and merciless tease he was... My face reddened and burned, as I was very aware he wasn't talking about food anymore. I did my best to chase away the thoughts he'd triggered, avoiding his gaze altogether. I nodded, a half-smile twisting my mouth. "We should also work up your tolerance to chili. I don't want my abuela to make fun of me because my novio can't eat spicy food."
