Playing Catch-Up

by Zoey Lennox

  Alexis closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This shit show had not only lost her the love of her life, but most of her friends too. She hadn’t realised how much she had come to rely on them until they were no longer around.

  “Maddie asked if I still wanted to go to the fundraiser this evening,” Lauren continued, “but I told her it was probably best if I bow out under the circumstances.”

  Alexis sat up. She had forgotten tonight was the centre’s big night.

  “Don’t cancel on account of me. I don’t mind if you want to go. Honestly.”

  “Nah.” Lauren’s voice softened. “I don’t trust the end of my fist if someone says something bad about you.”

  “Aah, Laur, that’s sweet.” She didn’t deserve such a good friend. “It’s nice to know I’ve still got someone on my side. You’re the best. You know that, right?”

  A cackle sounded down the line. “Of course I do. Do you want me to come over tonight? We can have a girls’ night in and watch horror movies?”

  Alexis was tempted, but now she’d been reminded of the fundraiser, her mind had kicked into overdrive. This could be her chance. Her only chance. To corner Ramie and plead her case. There was no way Ramie would bail when funds for the centre were at stake. She’d have no choice but to stay put and hear Alexis out.

  “Can I take a rain check? I really am getting ready to go out. How about I swing by the supermarket tomorrow and pick up a DVD?”

  “You’ve got yourself a deal, Lenz.”

  “Cool. See you soon. Love you.”

  Lauren make a kissy noise before the line went dead.

  “Right,” Alexis said to the empty room. “Get your act together. It’s time to win back your girl.”

  The town hall was heaving when Alexis opened the heavy iron door. At least a few hundred people milled around while a makeshift stage at the back of the room housed a band that blasted out rock music.

  Swaths of white fairy lights blanketed the ceiling, giving way to large, glittery snowflakes every few feet. The hall had a winter wonderland vibe which managed to look classy and sophisticated all at once.

  Alexis dithered at the threshold until a group of people piled in behind her and she had to duck to the side to get out of the way.

  “Alexis!”

  Lacey was headed her way, with Taylor hot on her heels.

  Alexis hoped they didn’t know about her breakup with Ramie. She didn’t think she could face a hostile Lacey right now. Although they had bonded in recent weeks, she knew Lacey would have no problem reverting to her vicious ways if she learned of Alexis’s deceit.

  When they stopped in front of her and Lacey gave her a brilliant smile, Alexis relaxed.

  “Wow,” she said. “You guys are stunning.” She asked them to twirl around and made a production of checking out their dresses. “I’m loving the matching outfits, girls.” They wore satin dresses in different shades of purple. Lacey’s was embellished with diamante crystals, while Taylor’s had a ribbed bodice.

  Lacey grinned. “Thanks. It’s nice to get a compliment now my face no longer looks like it’s gone a round with Mike Tyson.” She gently prodded the area beneath her eye and winced. “It might have healed on the surface, but it still hurts like a bitch. My doctor said I fractured my eye socket.”

  “Hey!” Taylor crossed her arms. “Don’t act like you never get complimented. I tell you how nice you look all the time.”

  Lacey rolled her eyes and kissed the pout from her girlfriend’s lips. “That might be true, but you don’t count, babe. It’s your job to tell me how beautiful I am.”

  “I like your dress,” Taylor said, turning her attention to Alexis and running her hand down the embroidered panel on the side of her dress.

  Alexis had gotten halfway out the front door before she’d remembered she was attending a black-tie event and a pair of jeans wouldn’t cut it. She’d eventually settled on a royal blue princess-style dress that cinched in at the waist and flared out at the hips. She’d feared the daring neckline and mid-thigh hem would be a tad too much, but looking around the place now, she was glad she’d taken the risk. Glitz and glam appeared to be the theme for the evening, and there were plenty of daring outfits which showed off boobs and bums.

  Taylor twisted one of Alexis’s long, loose curls around her fingers. “Will you show me how to style my hair like yours the next time you’re at the centre?”

  “Sure.” Alexis had been surprised by how much she’d missed hanging out with the kids. They’d managed to weasel their way into her heart over the past couple of months, and it brought a lump to her throat to think she might not get the chance to spend time with them again.

  “Where have you been?” Lacey asked. She was still smiling, but there was a hint of accusation in her voice. “You’ve not visited the centre in ages. First Kenya disappears, then you. Everyone’s been speculating about what happened.”

  “Did you and Ramie break up?” Taylor asked. “She always looks so sad these days.” She was still playing with Alexis’s hair, and Alexis had to fight the urge to slap her hand away before it could undo all her hard work. She wanted to look her best when she came face to face with Ramie. Not like she’d been caught in an impromptu hurricane.

  “Well?” Lacey pushed.

  She might as well tell it to them straight. She was fed up with keeping everything bottled up. “Yeah. We did break up, but I’m hoping to rectify that if I can find Ramie and speak with her. You wouldn’t happen to know where she is, would you?”

  Lacey immediately scanned the room, standing on her tiptoes when a bald elderly man stepped into her line of vision. “The last time I saw her she was in the kitchen. She was worried we were going to run out of drinks and mentioned something about running to the supermarket to buy some more.”

  Poor Ramie. Her stress levels must have skyrocketed with Kenya out of commission. Alexis wished she had been around to ease the burden. Knowing Ramie, she’d probably taken on far more than she could easily manage.

  Alexis took a steadying breath and brushed some invisible lint from the front of her dress. “I’d better get moving if I don’t want to miss her, then. Wish me luck, girls. I’m going to need it.”

  “Good luck!” they called as she took off.

  She’d never been to the town hall before so was unfamiliar with the layout. Three doors punctuated the far wall, and she studiously avoided the first one when she spied Maddie and Chris standing off to one side talking to the town mayor. She had known they would be attending, of course, but now she had them in her sight, she wasn’t ready to face their disappointment.

  Ducking behind the second door, she was immediately thrown off balance when she collided with a warm body.

  “I’m so sorry!” she said as strong arms encompassed her waist.

  Wait a minute. She knew those arms.

  “Ramie?”

  Ramie froze before pulling back.

  “Can we talk?” Alexis gripped Ramie’s elbows so she couldn’t run off. “I have so much I want to say to you.”

  Ramie’s chin wobbled as she looked away. “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

  “Please.” There was no way she’d win Ramie back if she didn’t get a chance to plead her case.

  “I can’t do this again, Lex. I won’t let myself. I deserve more.”

  Alexis watched in agony as Ramie fled. She wanted to drop to the floor and sob but locked her shaky knees at the last minute. She had done enough damage without making a spectacle of herself at the centre’s big event.

  Pulling on her reserves, she headed back into the main hall to reassess her plan. She couldn’t give up. Too much was at stake. But if Ramie wouldn’t listen to her, what could she do?

  The music faded, and the lead singer of the band introduced the last song of their set for the night. “We’re going to finish with one of my favourites. I hope you like it.”

  The intro to ‘Thinking Out Loud’ wafted out of the speakers, sending chills of regret u
p Alexis’s spine. This was their song. They should be pressed together like the other couples pairing up to dance. She searched the room for Ramie and found her wrapped up in Maddie’s arms.

  Fuck. She had done that. How could one insignificant person be responsible for so much pain?

  “You all right?”

  Alexis jumped and held a hand over her heart. “You almost gave me a heart attack.”

  Chris stood next to her, looking smart as always in a tailored black trouser suit.

  “Is she all right?” Alexis motioned towards Ramie.

  Chris sighed. “She will be. How have you been holding up?”

  “About as well as I deserve.”

  “Don’t say that. You’re not a monster. You made a mistake.”

  “A heinous one. I’m surprised you’re even talking to me.”

  “Maddie and I have always wanted to continue our friendship with you. You’re the one who’s shuttered yourself away.”

  Alexis picked at a loose piece of skin on her thumb. “This is all so hard. I feel like my heart’s been ripped out and trampled on.”

  “It’ll get better.” Chris draped an arm around Alexis’s shoulders, mirroring her partner. “But you’re going to have to accept that things weren’t meant to be and let Ramie go.”

  “But I don’t want to,” Alexis whispered.

  “Sweetie, I don’t think you have a choice.”

  The tears prickling the back of Alexis’s eyes silently escaped and trickled down her cheeks. “I’m really am sorry for misleading you all. Does Maddie hate me?”

  Chris laughed. “No. She had a few choice words to say at first, but she soon settled down once she’d had time to think.”

  As if proving Chris’s point, Maddie approached from across the room and gathered Alexis into her arms.

  “Get your arse into the kitchen.” She whispered into Alexis’s ear. “Ramie’s waiting for you. You’ve got five minutes to plead your case.”

  Alexis pulled back and swiped at her tears. “I have?”

  “Yep,” Maddie gave her a compassionate smile. “Don’t blow it. Something tells me I won’t be able to twist her arm again.”

  Hope rose inside Alexis’s chest. “Thank you so much!”

  “Don’t thank me yet.” Maddie patted Alexis’s shoulder. “All I did was give you an in. The rest is down to you, sweetie.”

  Ramie was pacing back and forth in front of a large oval window when Alexis entered the kitchen. Her minimal make-up had run, forming rivulets down her face, and the skinny tie holding the top of her crisp white shirt together had been loosened to reveal a couple of extra inches of tantalising skin.

  Alexis cleared her throat, and Ramie turned so she was fully facing her.

  “Thanks for agreeing to see me.” Alexis said. “It means a lot.”

  Ramie leaned against the window ledge and crossed her arms in front of her chest. The defensive stance just about broke Alexis’s heart.

  “You have the floor,” Ramie whispered. “I’m listening. Go ahead.”

  Inching further into the room, Alexis desperately attempted to calm her racing mind. This was it. Make it or break it time. Don’t mess this up. “I want you to know my feelings for you have never been anything but one hundred percent sincere. Every kiss, every touch has always come straight from my heart, and I’d like to think that deep down you know that. When we broke up, you told me I should have been upfront with you from the start, but in my defence, I had no idea we’d end up in a relationship. You were simply an attractive woman I wanted to befriend. It would have been mortifying at the time to admit I was still struggling with my sexuality.”

  When Ramie didn’t respond, Alexis closed the remaining distance between them. “Can you at least see where I was coming from?” she pleaded.

  Ramie let out a weary sigh and dropped her arms to her sides. “Yeah, I guess I can, but it still doesn’t explain why you continued to lie.”

  Fantastic. She was getting somewhere. At last.

  “I never intended to,” Alexis pushed on. “But by allowing everyone to believe I’d been out for years, I somehow managed to open a Pandora’s box of lies. Everyone started asking me about my exes and coming out, and with nothing legitimate to tell them, I panicked and said the first thing that entered my head.”

  Ramie’s expression hardened. “Like you had an ex with a foot fetish?”

  A nervous cackle erupted from Alexis’s mouth. “That one was mostly true, actually. It was a bloke in college, though I may have embellished a little about the mannequin feet.”

  “It’s not funny.” Ramie’s eyes sparked. “You made me look like a fool.”

  “Oh, baby, no. I made myself look like a fool.” Alexis reached for Ramie’s hand and did a silent jig of victory when she wasn’t rejected. “I’ve made such a colossal mess in the process of losing my heart to you. Everything just snowballed and I didn’t know what to do. I knew I’d lose you if I came clean, and I couldn’t bear that. All I can say is that if I got the chance to do it again, I swear I’d do it right.”

  Ramie fisted her free hand in her hair and let out an aggrieved sigh. “I don’t know what to think anymore. I want to forgive you. I really do, but I can’t help but feel like everything we had was a farce.”

  “Listen.” Alexis claimed Ramie’s other hand and squeezed them both gently between her own. “I may have been stupid enough to make stuff up about my past to impress you, but that doesn’t discount the overwhelming parts of me that are real. I’m still the girl who lost her mother to cancer. I’m still the girl who left home and ended up living in a mould-infested, tiny flat. Most importantly, I’m still the girl who loves you more than life itself and I never meant to cause you any pain. I’m not expecting a miracle here,” she said. “I know if I’m lucky enough to be given another chance, we’ll be right back to square one. I just want you to know I’m not ready to give up on us, and I hope I’m not the only one who feels this way.”

  After holding her intense gaze for a few seconds, Ramie looked away.

  “Aren’t you going to give her a second chance?”

  Alexis’s head whipped around at the sound of Lacey’s voice, only to find her stood at the kitchen door with Taylor at her side.

  “Well?” Lacey pressed when Ramie didn’t answer. “She said she was sorry, and I know you love her. You’ve been miserable since Lex stopped coming to the centre.”

  Ramie’s cheeks flushed red. “Lace, what are you doing in here? I don’t think it’s appropriate to be having this conversation with you listening in.”

  “Well I do.” Lacey marched clear into the room. “It’s stupid to break up when you’re clearly supposed to be together. I know you love her, so stop being an idiot and forgive her!”

  Was this really happening? Alexis couldn’t believe that of all people, Lacey was fighting her corner.

  Ramie tore her gaze away from Lacey and focused her dark, soulful eyes on Alexis.

  “You hurt me.” A moment passed. “A lot.”

  “I know, and I’m so, so sorry. I hope you know now that at no point was any of this ever malicious. It was simply a case of me being stupid and naïve.”

  “You’re always telling us that coming out is a process,” Lacey said. “I think you need to give Alexis a break. We all mess up. Wouldn’t you want another chance if you’d made a mistake? She’s just playing catch up.”

  Ramie chewed on her lip before slowly nodding.

  “Then kiss her you fool!” Lacey bounced on the balls of her feet.

  “Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Taylor chanted beside her.

  After a second of indecision, Ramie grabbed the back of Alexis’s neck and hauled her close.

  “Does this mean I’m forgiven?” Alexis dared to ask.

  “Yes, but you’d better not lie to me again. I don’t think my heart could stand it.”

  Their mouths collided in a mash of lips, sending Lacey and Taylor into hysterics.

  “I love you,” A
lexis whispered when they parted.

  Ramie’s eyes sparkled. “I love you too.”

  Epilogue

  Six months later

  Alexis stood in front of the mirror tacked above the bathroom sink, putting the finishing touches on her make-up.

  “Babe, are you almost ready?” she called. “Lauren and Todd will be here soon to take us to the church.”

  As Alexis leaned forward to line her eyes, Ramie strode into the room, looking dapper in a charcoal grey suit paired with a pastel pink shirt.

  “Yes, I’m ready.” Ramie smiled.

  Coming up behind her, Ramie wrapped her arms around Alexis’s waist and pressed a soft kiss to the sensitive skin beneath her ear. “You look gorgeous. So gorgeous, in fact, that I think it’s time we christened the bathroom.”

  They had moved into the spacious stone cottage a week earlier, and at Ramie’s request had been systematically making love in each room ever since.

  Alexis winked and slapped Ramie’s bottom. “If you’d been ready ten minutes earlier, you might have had yourself a deal. As it stands, we’re running late, and I don’t fancy facing Lauren’s bitching if we keep her waiting.”

  Ramie’s fingers stroked soothing trails up and down Alexis’s sides. “Relax. Lauren just sent a text to say she’s caught in traffic. They won’t be here for at least another quarter of an hour.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” She caught the hem of Alexis’s cream dress and inched the soft material up her thighs. “Bend over, baby. I want to see you.”

  Now that time was no longer an issue, Alexis’s body instinctively moved to comply. She’d never had sex in a bathroom before and was strangely turned on by the idea.

  Bracing her hands on either side of the sink, she stuck out her behind, moaning with pleasure when her bare skin was caressed.

  “A G-string?” Ramie snapped the skinny elastic waistband of Alexis’s underwear. “I like.”