Page 46 of When We Fell Again
It wasn’t long before my mind returned to Lex, questioning why she wanted to meet after all this time. She’d given me the brush-off twice while we’d been on tour, and I hadn’t heard from her in months. Depending on how the conversation went, I still wanted to invite her to Levi and Jude’s birthday bash. Was I being a total sap for dropping everything the minute she messaged me? Or maybe this was the opportunity to set things straight between us once and for all.
I pushed all negative thoughts out of my head and went to get ready. The nerves in my stomach made me think I was going on a date, not meeting up with an ex who I wanted to be more than an ex with again. I showered, then pulled on faded dark blue jeans, a simple V-neck black sweater, and Chelsea boots. Checking the time, I grabbed my jacket and phone and headed out of the house.
Almost half an hour later, around ten minutes after midday, I reached the coffee shop with the help of my maps app, the King’s Road not being an area of London I was familiar with. Pushing open the door, I scanned the tables, hoping Lex hadn’t already left because I was late. At first, I couldn’t see her, but then my eyes fell on a woman sitting alone at a table close to the back. Her chocolate brown hair was pulled up in a messy bun, her face devoid of makeup, and dark circles ringing her eyes. To anyone else observing her, she probably looked like utter shit, but to me, she looked as stunning as ever, despite her unassuming state. She was fiddling with a thread on the cuff of her oversized sweatshirt, something I rarely saw her wear.
I approached, the beat of my heart picking up with every step closer I got.
“Lex?”
One word and her head jerked up, those ocean-coloured eyes fixed on me. “Hey.” The smile that spread across her face was genuine, bringing life back into her.
“Can I get you folks a drink?” The server bounced in beside me, not even waiting until I’d sat down before asking for our order.
“Can you give us a sec, mate?” I responded. “I’ve only just got here.”
“Sure.” Some of his energy dissipated as I pulled out the chair opposite Lex and sat down. My hand itched to reach over and cover hers, but I stopped myself. Until I knew what she wanted to talk about, I had to keep my feelings to myself.
Three months of silence hung between us. Three months of unanswered questions.
Then we both started talking at once.
“How are you?”
“How are things going in the studio?”
I laughed. “Why don’t we talk about you first? What’s going on in your world?”
Lex hefted out a huge sigh. I was aware she’d been working a lot lately and it would be good to hear about other bands’ tours. “Let’s just say work has been… relentless.” She twisted a loose strand of hair around her index finger, sucking in her bottom lip, before averting her gaze. “I passed out last night from exhaustion.”
Her words hit hard, but before I could say anything, the server came back, pad in his hand. “Have you decided?”
Seriously, I just wanted him to fuck off so I could talk to Lex. Biting my tongue against what I wanted to say, I gestured to Lex, giving her the opportunity to order first.
“Double espresso, please.”
“Ouch.” I winced, never knowing her to drink coffee that strong. “I’ll have a flat white, thanks.”
“Anything to eat?” The waiter looked expectantly between us as we both shook our heads. “I’ll be right back with your drinks.” He headed towards the bar, leaving us alone again.
My eyes narrowed as I returned to our conversation. “What did you say happened last night?”
“It’s nothing really.” Lex lifted a shoulder. “I was at a gig with a new artist, just in a bar. One minute, I was chatting to Sadie, then the next I was on the floor.”
A wave of concern and anger coursed through me. “Then what the hell are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in bed? Or at least resting?
The corner of her mouth curved up. “You sound like Sadie.”
“But exhaustion? Isn’t that pretty serious, Lex?”
“I got checked out by a paramedic last night and I’ve spoken to a doctor this morning. They’re going to do some blood tests, but they don’t seem to think there’s anything else to it.”
The concern I’d initially directed at Lex turned into anger towards her boss. “What has Theo said? I presume you’ve told him you need some time off.”
She bit her lip. “I’m seeing him later. I wanted to see you first.”
A different waitress came over with our drinks, placed them on the table, and then melted away. I wondered if she sensed our need to talk.
Lex dropped a cube of sugar into her coffee and focused on stirring it, avoiding looking directly at me. “I wanted to see you first because I wanted to take that strength into the meeting with Theo.”
