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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We entered his apartment without a single word, and I glanced at the gift I'd given him, laying in the middle of the table. It hadn't been there when I'd left.
Lex guided me to his room, and with practical yet tender gestures, he helped me out of my coat and scarf, setting them on an armchair. When I was only wearing my red dress, he guided me toward the bathroom, his moves gentle but commanding. Once in there, he removed the velvety garment, and I let him, raising my arms to help his enterprise. I waited, naked, while he undressed too. Despite trying not to, I accidentally glanced at my reflection in the mirror, seeing how much of a mess I was.
With a hand on my back, he pushed me into the shower, and once more, I didn't protest, too apathetic to say or do anything. With a soaped sponge, he washed me, washed away the spiteful sex we'd had, both trying to manipulate each other in a way; I'd wanted to hurt him, to make him feel my pain, and he'd wanted to conquer me, to make me bend to his will. I kept my eyes on the dark tiles next to us, allowing him to execute whatever penance ritual he had in mind.
When he reached between my legs, gently running the sponge on my sore folds, I winced with a hiss.
He stopped his movements, and I met his eyes, reading the apology in them before he spoke. "I'm so sorry, Andrea. I should never have taken you like this. It wasn't right."
I didn't answer, didn't reassure him, even though I knew I was just as much to blame. I hadn't fought him, tried to stop him. I'd wanted it too, wanted to hurt him, to feel him, to get into his head.
After he finished with me, he quickly took care of himself before guiding me out of the stall. He wrapped a fluffy towel around me, and I tucked it under my arms.
Still taking care of me, he prepared my toothbrush, even wetting it before and after adding the toothpaste as I liked to do – which he'd teased me about in the past. I brushed my teeth while he did his, then rinsed my mouth, thinking we were done. He grabbed the vanity case dedicated to me and took out two cotton pads.
"Which one's the makeup remover?" he asked, holding the opened case in front of me. I pointed at it and he took it out, settling the rest back on the counter. Carefully, he wiped my face, cleaning away the mess and the tears. I looked proper again, but the sadness was still there, intact.
After he'd dressed me up with one of his T-shirts and a pair of boxer trunks, which were embarrassingly too tight at the hips, he opened my side of the bed, inviting me to get in it.
I could refuse, say no and leave, but I was exhausted and drained. But I wasn't sure if I'd manage to sleep either here or at home, and home didn't have his comforting embrace.
I slipped under the covers and he joined me there, wearing the same thing as me. Our bodies naturally settled in our usual position, even though spooning with him felt anything but natural at the moment. He ordered Mary to turn the lights off, and we ended up in absolute darkness.
