“Closure.”

“I don’t need closure,” Lexi stated stubbornly.

“Come on. Honestly, Alexa. I’m not sure you have ever gotten over this guy. I’ve tried to get you into a relationship, and you’ve dated a few of the people I’ve thrown your way, but it was never anything substantial. You need to move on, but how can you do that when you’re still hung up on a guy you haven’t heard from in two years? Oh wait, you can’t!” she exclaimed cocking her head to the side to really examine Lexi. “Now you’ve been through some rough times, and honestly you’ve been a bit of a depressive. I get it. I’ve been there too, and I understand. Maybe not with a guy, but my parents and I have all those issues. You need to go to Atlanta, meet this girl, tell her exactly how much of a scumbag Jack truly is, and then get the hell out of there!”

Lexi hesitated and then nodded seeing her logic. “Maybe you’re right.”

“No, I know I’m right,” Chyna said hopping off the bed and moseying into her walk-in closet as if that ended the discussion.

Lexi stayed seated considering Chyna’s argument. The girl had a point. After everything she had gone through with Jack, maybe this was exactly what she needed, even if it wasn’t necessarily what she wanted. Still undecided, Lexi joined Chyna in her closet. As Chyna chose something to wear, Lexi remained lost in her thoughts. She knew that Chyna’s statements made sense, but how could she ever face Jack? Once Lexi had realized who was on the line, she had nearly hyperventilated. How would she react when she saw him in person? She really didn’t know, but she didn’t think she could turn down the opportunity to see him either. “Ok, I’ll do it.”

“I knew you had it in you,” Chyna said sliding on a pair of brown strappy sandals and exiting the closet. “Now go make that phone call while I fix my hair and makeup.”

Lexi gulped as Chyna walked into her bathroom, likely not to surface for a while. She had agreed to do it; now she just had to calm herself down enough to make the call. Her palms felt slick with sweat as she sat down at the mahogany writing desk and pulled her phone out of her black handbag. She hesitantly flipped it open and scrolled through the address book. Lexi was thankful, at least, that she had added his number to her phone this morning instead of erasing it.

She worked up the courage to press the button, then immediately hung up. Her hands were shaking so furiously, she nearly dropped the phone. Taking a few breaths to try to calm down, she punched the send button again. Listening as the phone rang twice nearly unnerved her, but then the line clicked over.

“Lex,” Jack said surprised. “I didn’t expect to hear from you.”

“You implied,” she began her voice cracking slightly with the effort of staying calm, “that I could call you.”

“Sure. I said you could call me. I just never thought you actually would.”

“Yeah, I’m full of surprises,” she said trying to play off her apprehension.

“Always were,” he said quietly.

Lexi sighed before venturing forward. “My internship ends in two weeks. I will probably be coming to Atlanta to see my parents after that. So, I guess, what I’m trying to say is…that I’ll do it. I’ll come see you,” she paused before allowing the last part of her sentence to roll off her tongue, “and meet your girlfriend.”

CHAPTER 2

SEPTEMBER SIX YEARS EARLIER

When Lexi first arrived at her freshman dorm, her resident assistant called a hall meeting for all the freshman students. At the meeting her resident assistant distributed a directory listing local restaurants, clubs, bars, and an array of study nooks for the incoming freshman. Nearly every girl tossed the packet into the garbage as soon as they left the meeting, but Lexi held onto it hoping it would come to good use in locating a perfect locale to study. She investigated a handful of these locations, but found them not to her tastes.

When she finally stumbled upon one particular coffee shop near the end of the list, she instantly fell in love. The coffee shop itself was nothing spectacular. To be honest, it was on the small side, especially for a college town. But the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee beans that enveloped her senses when she set foot in the dimly lit shop sold her. It was perfect! Twenty unmatched tables were tightly pressed together with barely enough room to squeeze between. Green filtered lamps of various shapes and sizes rested atop each table casting a pleasant emerald glow upon the customers. Counter space was nearly impossible to acquire.

As the winter months gradually approached, a roaring fire crackled in a corner fireplace. Cushioned green lounge chairs and dilapidated couches were scattered haphazardly against the walls and surrounding the fireplace. On any given day, the tables were occupied by students and professors alike discussing anything from nuclear physics to Aristotelian philosophy to Freudian psychology.

After Lexi spent a few late nights in this cozy nook, she laid claim to one of the tables facing the counter. She had chosen that particular table specifically for the instances when he was working. At first, she hadn’t even really noticed him. But the more time she spent there, the more often she crossed paths with him. And she couldn’t stop coming by hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Her friends, who preferred to study at the university learning center, kept trying to rouse her from the coffee shop. None of them could understand why she would want to work in such a loud, crowded, poorly lit space with a feeble internet connection. When they asked her why she refused to leave, she gave them the excuse of enjoying the atmosphere, but they finally weaseled it out of her.

Him.

The next day after her secret was revealed, Lexi found herself sitting at her usual table with her friend, Olivia, for company. “Well, what do you think?” Lexi asked as she flipped through her introductory philosophy class notes, skimming through the most recent lecture on Empiricists.

“You’re right. He is pretty hot,” Olivia confirmed, running her fingers through her bleached blonde pixie cut, letting the tiny strands of hair fall effortlessly back into place.

“I meant about Locke.”

“He’s dead right?” Olivia asked uninterested.

Lexi rolled her eyes. “No, I mean...what’s his idea about knowledge?” she asked trying hard not to glance up at him while Olivia blatantly ogled the eye candy.

“Honestly, I don’t care. I hate this stuff. I might just drop the class altogether. I don’t get it,” Olivia said shrugging her shoulders at her own indecipherable notes. She glanced back up at the guy working the counter. “Him, I can fully understand. You should give it a shot.”

Lexi brushed her off, feeling the weight of her gaze uncomfortably. “No, what I need to shoot for is an A on this test.”

Olivia rolled her eyes dramatically. “Whatever, you know you’re going to get an A, but don’t you want to at least meet him? Know his name?”

It was Lexi’s turn to shrug. “Yeah, I guess,” she conceded.

“Have you ever even had a boyfriend?” Olivia asked giggling a little at that inexplicable possibility.

“Of course I’ve had a boyfriend,” Lexi retorted defensively. “I’m just not looking for one now.”

“I didn’t say you wanted or even needed a relationship. We’re freshman. We’re just supposed to have fun and make mistakes anyway. So you should at least meet him and hang out with him,” she uttered persuasively. Lexi shrugged noncommittally returning to her notes.