Playing Catch-Up

by Zoey Lennox

  “Shit.” She had forgotten she was throwing a mini housewarming party this evening. That must be their friends.

  Scrambling to her feet, she threw Ramie her discarded shirt then checked herself over in the mirror on the way to the front door.

  “Cool your jets.” Ramie laughed. She inserted her arms into her t-shirt and covered up her tempting chest. “It’s only Mads and Chris, or Lauren. I doubt any of them will care.”

  Alexis smoothed her ruffled hair with shaking hands. “Well I do. I don’t want them to know what we were doing.”

  Ramie wrapped Alexis in a hug from behind and rocked her from side to side. “I hate to break it to you, babe, but no amount of primping is going to mask what we’ve been up to. Embrace it. We’re all adults here. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  Alexis opened to her mouth to protest but was cut off when Ramie reached around her to open the front door.

  “Hi, ladies!” Ramie said brightly. She dragged Alexis back with her so their guests could enter.

  Maddie and Chris took one look at them before exchanging smirks.

  “You sure you’re ready for us?” Chris asked.

  “Yeah,” Maddie said. “We can come back later if you’d rather.”

  Alexis knew she was blushing and willed herself to stop.

  Chris handed Ramie a bottle of wine. “Pour us a tipple, Romeo. I can’t smell any pizza cooking.”

  Fuck. Alexis hadn’t even started preheating the oven.

  “Hold your horses.” Ramie pulled two fresh pizzas out of the fridge and flipped the dial on the oven to the correct temperature. “They shouldn’t take long; they’ve got thin and crispy bases.”

  “This is a cosy place, Lex.” Maddie rubbed a comforting hand up and down Alexis’s arm. “I never saw it in its original state, but from the way you and Ramie described it, it looks like you’ve done a magnificent job in getting it up to scratch.”

  Alexis sent a silent word of thanks to Maddie for moving the conversation forwards. “Yeah. It was hard work, but Ramie did most of it.”

  “Don’t put yourself down,” Ramie scolded. “You worked just as hard as I did.”

  “Maybe,” Alexis shrugged. “But you got a lot more accomplished. Look,” She pointed at the kitchen cabinets. “She stripped them back and painted them. You’d never know they were hanging off the hinges and a revolting shade of green.”

  “That’s our Ramie,” Chris said. “Good with her hands.”

  The double entendre didn’t go unnoticed, but this time Alexis managed to control her response. The front door opened, providing a welcome distraction.

  “Knock, knock.”

  “Oh, hey, Lauren!” Alexis waved her friend in.

  Lauren had yet to see the flat all kitted out, and her gaze swivelled around the room lightning fast as she took everything in.

  “Come and meet Maddie and Chris,” Alexis urged. She introduced everyone, and then accepted a plastic tub of homemade cheesecake which Lauren shoved into her hands.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you,” Lauren said. “I’ve heard a lot about you over the past couple of months, and before you ask, yes, it’s all good.”

  “It’s lovely to meet you too.” Maddie smiled. “It’s a shame you can’t meet our friend Hope, but she had to cancel at the last minute. Again.”

  Maddie, Chris, and Lauren moved into the living-room-slash-bedroom area to get better acquainted, leaving Alexis and Ramie in the kitchen.

  “Why am I so nervous?” Alexis asked. The oven beeped, and she unwrapped the pizza and shoved it in. She’d gone from blissed out to stressed out in the space of a couple of minutes and was having trouble adjusting.

  “I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say it’s because it’s your first go at hosting an event.” Ramie stilled Alexis’s shaking hands by trapping them between her own. “Take a deep breath and calm down. No one’s expecting a banquet. They’re here for the company and wine.”

  Alexis let out a breath and leaned back into the strong body of her lover. The contact acted as a charging point, Alexis’s body drawing energy from Ramie’s aura. She loved it when Ramie took charge—and she always seemed to know when Alexis was crumbling.

  After a few seconds, Ramie said, “You go relax. I’ll take care of the wine and keep an eye on the pizza.”

  Alexis dropped a quick kiss onto Ramie’s cheek and joined the others. Her friends had pulled the coffee table into the centre of the room and were making themselves comfortable on various scatter cushions which they’d thrown onto the floor around it.

  “So, Lauren,” Chris said when they were all settled in. “Do you have a better half?”

  “Yeah, his name is Todd.” Lauren smiled in thanks as Ramie appeared and placed a glass in her hand. “We’ve been together for four years now. I had a tough task getting him to stay behind tonight. He’s chomping at the bit to get a look at Lexi’s flat, but I told him, no boys allowed, it’s a girls’ night.”

  “Poor bloke,” Chris said. “What do you two do for work, if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “I’m a primary school teacher, and so is Todd. We met at work.”

  “Nice. It’s always good to hear a love at first sight story.”

  Lauren rolled her eyes. “Hate at first sight is more like it.”

  Maddie perked up. “Interesting. Are you going to expand on that?”

  “He was a condescending know-it-all, but much to my surprise, that wasn’t his real personality. Turns out he just didn’t know how to act around a pretty lady. His words, not mine.”

  Chris held up her glass of wine. “Well, I’d certainly concur with that.”

  Alexis chuckled at Lauren’s flushed cheeks. “She’s right, Laur. You’re gorgeous. I’m not surprised he lost his head when you walked in.”

  Ramie returned at that moment with a tray of pizza and deposited the steaming bounty onto the coffee table. “Lex, did I just hear you hitting on another woman?” She took a seat on the open scatter cushion next to Alexis.

  “Don’t worry,” Lauren scoffed. “I’ve got my feet firmly planted in the hetero camp.”

  “Not even bi, then?” Ramie teased.

  “Nope.” Lauren took a slug from her half-empty glass. “Todd and I are in it for the long haul. We’re even looking to start a family soon.”

  “Ah, she’s in love.” Alexis playfully swatted her.

  “You’re one to talk,” Maddie countered.

  Alexis’s felt her smile freeze on her lips. Were her feelings really that obvious?

  She shot a quick glance at Ramie and found her staring at the floor.

  Ramie had been confusing the hell out of her lately. They were essentially girlfriends in all the ways that mattered, but not once had Ramie given the slightest indication that she was willing to redefine their relationship as anything but casual. The mixed signals were driving Alexis crazy.

  As if sensing her unease, Chris redirected the conversation. “Ramie, tell me about this fundraiser the LGBTQ centre’s holding. Did you manage to book the mystery guest you’ve been after?”

  “Yep.” Ramie rallied and lifted her head. “I can finally reveal we’ve snagged Raj Kapree. Things were a bit tricky for a while, but we’ve finally managed to sort something out with his agent.”

  Alexis sat up on her knees. “No way!” Raj Kapree was the latest internet music sensation, racking up millions of hits with his self-titled first album.

  “I know.” Ramie’s grin was decidedly smug. “That was my response when he agreed to attend. And free of charge if you can believe it. I guess it’ll be good publicity for him before he goes on tour.”

  Alexis folded a slice of pizza in half and took a healthy bite. “The kids at the centre are going to die. Especially Lacey. She’s convinced the mystery guest will be a has-been no one’s ever heard of.”

  “It’s going to be priceless.” Ramie gazed expectantly at Maddie and Chris. “Are the two of you planning on coming?”
r />   “Of course,” Chris said.

  “What about you, Lauren? Do you want to come?”

  Lauren pointed a finger at her chest. “Me?”

  Ramie frowned. “You don’t have to fall under one of the LGBTQ letters to get in, you know. It’s open to all of our supporters.”

  “Well in that case, I don’t see why not. I’ll double check my schedule and get back to you.”

  With that sorted out, Alexis and her guests munched away on their pizzas, an easy silence stretching out that only existed in the company of good friends. After dinner, the group chattered and joked well into the evening. Six months ago, Alexis never would have believed she’d be here. She could only dare to dream of what would transpire over the next six months.

  When it was time to say their goodbyes, Lauren was swaying on her feet. She’d only had two glasses of wine, but alcohol had a much more potent effect on her than the average person.

  “I’m fine,” Lauren insisted while struggling to find the right opening in her coat for her arm.

  “Tell you what,” Maddie said, buttoning up her own coat. “Why don’t you leave your car here for the night and Chris and I will give you a lift home. Your place can’t be far out of our way, so it’ll be no bother.”

  “No, it’s all right. I don’t want to be any trouble.” Lauren finally managed to slide her arm into the right hole but then tripped over her own foot on the way out the front door.

  Alexis and Maddie shared a look of half amusement, half concern.

  “You should take her up on her offer, Laur,” Alexis said. “They’ve got a Lexus. Haven’t you always wanted one of those?”

  Lauren staggered out the door in a flash with Maddie and Chris in pursuit.

  “Thanks for a great night!” Maddie called out as they all piled into her car. “You’ve got a lovely place, Lex.”

  Alexis held up a hand in farewell before shutting the door.

  “Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?” Ramie smirked.

  Alexis hooked her arms behind Ramie’s neck and pulled her down for a scorching kiss.

  “Oh yeah. I remember now.”

  Chapter 16

  “How are you holding up?” Ramie asked, once she was through with the latest customers. That was what they called the kids that came through the LGBTQ centre: customers. Alexis didn’t know why. They never bought anything. Maybe it was the promise they bought. That they were accepted.

  “Okay,” she lied. No need to reveal she’d skipped lunch in order to leave work early to be here.

  Manning a pop-up information booth at the local community college wouldn’t have been her first-choice activity for a Friday afternoon, but she was happy to be able to support Ramie. Over the past three weeks, they’d grown closer, spending at least half a dozen nights together as well as every weekend. Alexis hoped this was a sign that Ramie was finally overcoming her fear of commitment. She desperately wanted to bring the topic up but was afraid of being shot down.

  Ramie studied her with big brown eyes before crouching down to retrieve a chocolate bar from a plastic bag on the floor. “Here,” she said, handing it over. “Your stomach’s been growling since you arrived. I take it you didn’t have any breakfast this morning?”

  Busted. Alexis accepted the chocolate bar with a sheepish grin and took the weight off her sore feet on a nearby chair. In the short time they’d known each other, Ramie had acquired an uncanny ability to read her mind. For the most part, Alexis found it endearing, but a tiny part of her was terrified Ramie would somehow figure out she was a fraud.

  “Thanks.”

  Ramie patted her shoulder and moved around the table to talk to another customer. While Alexis waited for her return, she amused herself with the goings on up and down the college corridor. Teenagers ambled by in their dozens. Some on phones, some joking around with friends. Others chose to hang out at the tables and chairs lining the far wall, in no rush to get home. Ramie had said the heavy footfall would make the corridor an idea place to set up, and she’d been right. Countless questions had been fired at them over the past hour.

  Alexis’s gaze zeroed in on a familiar blonde sitting across the wide expanse of floor. She had her tongue rammed down a petite redhead’s throat while her hands explored the girl’s body.

  Was that Lacey? Alexis scooted her chair a little closer. Yeah, it was.

  Ramie returned to her side. “Whatcha looking at?” she asked, following Alexis’s gaze. She laughed when she saw the object of Alexis’s fascination. “Ah, that’ll be the infamous Taylor. Turns out she’s freshly out of the closet and Lacey’s her first foray into sapphic love.”

  Alexis popped a piece of chocolate into her mouth. “Poor kid. Can you imagine having Lacey as your first?”

  Ramie sniggered. “I don’t think Taylor’s all that bothered, by the way they’re going at it.”

  True. Alexis had to admire Lacey’s fearlessness. She could only wish she had the balls to make out with Ramie like that in public.

  She polished off her snack and screwed the wrapper up in her hand. “It’s weird seeing Lacey being so affectionate. She’s always so hostile. You’d be forgiven for thinking she’s incapable of showing warmth.”

  “You shouldn’t underestimate her,” Ramie said. “She’s got a heart of gold beneath that prickly exterior. She’s had to deal with a lot of rejection in her life, and the bravado you see is her defence mechanism coming out.”

  How sad. Alexis guessed everyone had their own demons to battle.

  “In the two years I’ve known her, she’s never called anyone her girlfriend, so dating Taylor is major progress. It means she’s finally letting her walls down.”

  A group of girls approached the stand, and Ramie offered them a brilliant smile.

  That was one of the things Alexis loved the most about Ramie. She was a people person. No matter who you were, or where you came from, she had a smile for everyone.

  “This is the bimbo you dumped me for?”

  The disgruntled male voice drew Alexis’s attention back across the corridor. Two boys, who could be no more than seventeen or eighteen, towered over Lacey and Taylor. The apparent leader was easily over six feet tall and had black hair that stood up in all directions.

  Taylor broke the suction of her kiss with Lacey and wiped at her swollen lips with the back of her hand.

  “Leave us alone, Tom. I’m sick of going over the same old crap with you. We both know I didn’t cheat on you. We’ve been over for a month.”

  Tom folded his arms, and his muscles strained beneath the fabric of his t-shirt. “I’m not an idiot. I know you’ve been seeing this slag behind my back, so don’t even try to deny it.”

  Lacey frowned. “Hey! Watch who you’re calling a slag, jackass.”

  “I can call you whatever the fuck I want, bitch.” Tom leaned in so close his face almost touched Lacey’s. “I don’t know what Taylor sees in you, but it’s only a matter of time before she dumps your sorry arse and comes running back. You’re nothing but trash. I bet you’re ugly as fuck beneath all that make-up. Why else would you plaster it on so thickly?”

  Lacey’s eyes widened, and Tom scoffed. “Just as I thought.”

  He stood back up and turned his attention to Taylor. “Do yourself a favour, babe, and get out now. She’s probably riddled with STDs. If she hasn’t already passed them on to you, it’s only a matter of time until she does.”

  Alexis clenched her fingers until they ached. Someone should step in. She fired a quick glance at Ramie, hoping for back up, but she was still deep in conversation with the group of girls.

  Fuck. She was going to have to be the adult and do something here. Lacey might not be her favourite person, but she couldn’t stand by and watch this brute tear her apart.

  Her heart galloped as she left the safety of her chair.

  “What’s going on? Is everything all right?” she asked. Her voice started out strong but cracked at the end.

  Kee
p it together, Lex. Don’t let them see you’re scared.

  Tom whirled around. “Who the hell are you?” His gaze travelled up Alexis’s body and came to a stop on the lanyard around her neck. The LGBTQ centre’s name and logo were clearly printed across the card. “Geez, this college has really gone downhill if they’re letting you lot in here.”

  Alexis’s concerns for her own safety evaporated. No way was she going to let this bloke insult her. “You’ve had your fun. Now clear off.”

  Tom threw an amused glance at his friend. “I don’t think so.” He pointed his finger at Lacey. “I’m not going anywhere until I’ve warned this bitch to watch her back.”

  Lacey smacked his hand away from her face. “Is that a threat?”

  “No. It’s a promise.” Tom lunged for Lacey and grabbed a fistful of her shirt. Lacey’s hands came up to try and free herself, but they were of no use; he’d pulled her clear out of her chair, and for one heart-stopping moment, her feet cleared the floor.

  “Ramie, help!” Alexis’s voice pierced through the din, and a millisecond later, Ramie’s concerned eyes locked with hers.

  What happened next was like something out of an action movie. Ramie leaped over the information stand, yanked violently on Tom’s arm, and when it didn’t produce the result she wanted, kneed him in the groin.

  Tom dropped to his knees and relinquished his hold on Lacey’s shirt, but not before his elbow swung back and struck Ramie’s eye with a sickening crack.

  Alexis grabbed Tom’s friend and shoved him towards his buddy. “Get him out of here now! Before I call the police.”

  The gangly boy looked like he might protest but changed his mind when his eyes darted to Alexis’s balled fists.

  “Come on, mate.” He pulled his friend to his feet by the back of his t-shirt. “You’re already on probation. Let’s go.”

  “You’re going to regret that,” Tom warned Ramie. He shot a final glare at Lacey, then stormed out of the building.

  “Are you okay?” Lacey rushed over and tried to pull Ramie’s hand away from her face.

  “I’m fine,” Ramie snapped, evading her touch.