Nav
Navcouldhardlybelieve his luck. He had dreamed of repairing things with Lexie for years. He had given up once she married Oliver, and never in his wildest dreams envisioned getting a second chance. He swore to himself if he was ever given another chance he’d do it right. He’d love her the way she truly deserved to be loved and he planned to honor every piece of that.
They were trailing behind Eagle and Sedona, their hands brushing together with each step. “So what’s your favorite color?” he asked.
She glanced over at him and laughed out loud. “What?”
“Your favorite color. Is it red? Blue? Pinkish-purple?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes. “I know what you’re asking, but really? My favorite color? What are we, 12?”
“Well, we are starting over. So let’s... start over.”
“It’s green. It’s always been green. What’s yours?”
“Red,” he said. He felt a sudden sense of embarrassment and he couldn’t detect why. It truly felt like he was dating Lexie for the first time ever. The awkward hesitations. The uncertainty of their future and a conversation that danced around. This was short-lived as Lexie piped up.
“I’m assuming your favorite food hasn’t changed? Hibachi?” she asked.
He shook his head with a smile. “Yep! I haven’t found a place as good as the Midnight Noodle truck though.”
Lexie groaned. “Oh, they had the best sauce! I haven’t had Japanese food in so long.”
“Well, how ’bout this... We go get some Japanese when we get back. First date?” he asked.
A smile formed across her face and she nodded as she reached for his hand. He stopped walking and she leaned in, pushing up onto the tips of her toes to kiss his cheek. “Sounds amazing.”
They were standing a foot from the stairs that led back up to the main house on the island. He took a deep breath, squeezed her hand, and released it, placing his hand on her lower back, leading her up the stairs.
As they stepped out onto the clearing together, their friends were casually hanging around the pool. Eagle and Sedona were ahead of them walking into the house and Avanna was yelling about oven mitts from the top balcony. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but the pressure of trying to figure out how to approach their friends about their plan was gone.
The night floated by in a smooth rhythm. It felt like old times again, except everyone was paired off now.