Lexxy Baby

IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS:

Monique, a Personal Trainer and YouTube personality, walked in on her fiancé of three years in bed with another woman.

She took Trey's betrayal hard and went on an unplanned hiatus from men.

Eight months later, she met an Uber driver named Alexander after a night out with her best friend.

Monique was still recovering from heartbreak but felt a strange connection to this man who made her smile.

Nothing romantic, just an appreciation for him.

Their second encounter wasn't as pleasant.

He showed up at the gym she worked at, looking for a personal trainer.

Because his original trainer quit, she was the replacement.

But he didn't want to work out with a woman.

He requested a man for a reason.

She was offended by what she perceived as sexism, and the two had a falling out.

He left the gym in a huff, with her dismissing him from her life as another loser.

Yet, after talking with her big brother, she realized that she was presumptuous.

After finding his phone number, she disguised herself as a random representative of the gym to find out why he was quitting.

She found out the real reason he wanted a male trainer, and it had nothing to do with sexism.

He was just insecure about his body.

She apologized, and the two of them talked it out.

She even convinced him to give her a chance as his trainer.

That was the beginning of their friendship.

Monique looked forward to their workout sessions together.

They made each other laugh, and their personalities complemented one another.

Monique eventually got over her ex.

She even had a random one-night stand with a guy she met at a club.

His name was Craig.

It felt great to be liberated from Trey's grasp on her heart.

It was a celebration of that liberty.

The next day, however, reality set in.

She had a massive hangover and was drained of energy to do anything with her day.

After realizing there was nothing to do, she called Alex.

The two hung out outside the gym for the first time while watching Star Wars.

That became a thing for them over the course of the next few months.

They watched everything Star Wars related.

In that time, they got to know each other a little more.

As much as Alex wanted to deny the growing attraction he had for Monique, he couldn't.

His best friend Greg had a feeling that she was attracted to Alex too, but he was too jilted over a past experience to take the leap.

Summer Fitzgerald was that experience; the ghost that kept haunting him from high school.

She repeatedly broke his heart by keeping him in the background while she pursued "the bad boys".

She even used him as a bait and switch to trick her mom into letting her stay out late.

That was the last straw for Alex, and he hadn't tried to pursue another woman since.

But now, his heart -- and Greg -- was telling him to carpe diem.

So, he leaned in for kiss.

Unfortunately, he was rejected yet again.

Monique wasn't ready for that, at least not with him.

Right now, she just wanted his friendship.

Nothing more.

Alex took that pretty hard.

He renewed his vow to stay clear of romantic relationships and to keep Monique at a distance.

This hurt Monique, and the two had a long discussion about it.

Fortunately, they were able to re-emerge from that discussion as friends.

***

Earthquakes are loud, violent, and destructive forces of nature. They are unpredictable and happen without warning. The tectonic plates beneath our feet shift, and the earth shakes like a wet dog. Buildings fall. Roads are damaged. The entire landscape is changed, and no one's life is ever the same again.

All that, and they only last a few seconds.

Earthquakes' unpredictability is what makes their impact so immense. But, unbeknownst to humans, the earth is always moving. Right beneath our feet, those plates are constantly grinding against each other in small, unrecognizable increments. We don't feel them, so we don't think about them. We just go about our lives with complete confidence that the ground will always be there.

It's not until the massive one hits that we recognize the stability we took for granted.

***

Alex sat in the chair looking at himself in the small mirror on the desk. He was trying on different glasses to see which ones looked best on him.

"I like those. They complement your face." The girl behind the desk said as she pointed to the pair in his hands. He picked them up and gave them a second viewing. Turning his head to the sides to see his reflection from different angles, he nodded in approval.

"I'll go with your suggestion."

He looked at her, just as she brushed her hair behind her ear and looked away from him bashfully.

If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was flirting with him.

But he honestly couldn't tell anymore. Like Greg said, he had no instincts when it came to picking up social cues.

He slid the glasses over to her, and she put the order into the computer. As she did, Alex subtly assessed her without looking like he was checking her out.

She looked familiar, but he couldn't place her face. It was pleasantly round, kind of like a cherubim cupid. If there were a celebrity she resembled, she would be a Drew Barrymore with pink and black rimmed glasses.

On top of that, she had a pretty smile, and a soft voice.

"Okay. Your glasses will be ready in about 7 to 10 days from now. Your insurance paid the majority for you, so all you have to do is pay the balance and you can be out of here."

"Thank you...uh...Cameron." He said, reading her name badge.

Cameron looked at Alex without saying anything for a few moments before asking, "You don't recognize me, do you?"

"Should I?"

"I was only in...like...most of your classes in high school."

He searched his memory to find her. He was still drawing a blank, so she added, "Everyone called me Cammy."

Suddenly, his face lit up with recognition. "Clammy Cammy?"

She looked embarrassed, but she shrugged and said, "Yeah, that's what they called me."

He nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, I believe I also fixed a computer for you once."

She laughed aloud at that one. "Gawd! I was hoping you wouldn't remember that! I was so mortified!"

He chuckled. "Don't be. You'd be surprised how many computers I get with porn-related viruses on them."

"It was my older brother's computer."

He looked at her skeptically, though it was with a jokey smirk. "Really. That's the story we're going with?"

"For real!" she insisted with an embarrassed blush, playfully slapping his hand. "He got a new one, so he gave it to me to help with my classes. It was super slow though. I thought it was because it was a couple of years old, but a friend suggested I take it to get looked at. I didn't know what was wrong with it. I'm an idiot when it comes to computers."

"Okay. I guess I'll believe you. Besides, you don't look like the type of person who would watch

Tiny Blond Gets Destroyed by 5 BBC's."

"Oh my god!" She said, covering her face so he wouldn't see her blush yet again.

He couldn't help laughing at her discomfort. It was cute and endearing.

Shaking her head as if trying to free it from her humiliation, she said, "Okay, can we please move on before I jump off the first building I see?"

"Sure thing."

They got back to his glasses. She talked about his prescription, measured his face, and got into the balance he had to pay. He handed her his debit card so she could process the transaction. After it went through, she pulled a card from the holder on the front of her desk and scribbled on the back.

Sliding it over to him, she said, "This is our card with the store's phone number. You can call here anytime during our working hours and ask about your glasses."

He nodded.

She then flipped it over to the back. There was a handwritten phone number printed in pretty, feminine writing. Tapping it with her finger, she said, "And

this

is my cell. You know...in case you need to contact me personally."

She's definitely flirting with me!

He smiled as he took the card. He read the numbers carefully before putting it in his wallet.

"Thank you, Cammy."

"It's Cameron." She interjected politely but assertively. "I haven't gone by Cammy since high school."

Nodding understandably, he said, "Right. Well, thank you Cameron. You've been most helpful."

"My pleasure, Alex."

***

Later that same day at Alex's workout session, Monique stood behind him and watched him grab the pull up bar. He adjusted his grip a couple of times, making sure he was holding on tight enough.

"Don't hold my feet today." He said over his shoulder. "I wanna see how many I can do by myself."

"You sure?"

He nodded and once again checked his grip.

His back burned. His arms ached. His abs felt like Jell-O. The oversized T-shirt that he wore was dripping with sweat. But he was ready to do this with no help.

Monique felt like a proud mom watching her child go off to college. Lately, there was something different about Alex. He seemed more comfortable in the gym, more self-assured. He no longer looked around before he did an exercise to make sure no one was watching.

Giving him encouragement, she said, "Okay Lexxy Baby, it's just me and you. Mo and Lex. Put everything out of your mind and focus on my voice."

After a couple of preparation breaths, he lifted his feet and folded them at the ankle. Slowly, shakily, he began to hoist himself up until his chin was over the bar.

"Keep your form straight." She ordered from behind him. "Don't pump with your legs. That's cheating, and we don't cheat; do we?"

Obediently, he did as instructed and pulled up again. Answering her question through gritted teeth, he said, "Hell no!"

"What do we do?"

"We win."

"What do we do?"

"WE WIN!"

"And why do we win?"

"Because we're team MoLex, goddammit!"

"And who can fuck with team MoLex?"

"NO ONE!" He growled.

Team MoLex was a nickname they gave themselves. It came about almost by accident. They were joking around about celebrities who smash both of their names together when they get in a relationship, like

Bradgelina, Kimye, or Bennifer.

They jokingly came up with their relationship name: MoLex. It was catchy, like a play on the name of the uber expensive watch. It evolved into Team MoLex, and now it was a part of them.

With her inspiration, he pumped out rep after rep. He wasn't even counting; he was just letting his body work. Each time he grunted, his chin was raised above the bar.

"Keep it going!" Monique shouted encouragingly.

He obeyed. Another one; then another one. His shoulder blades burned and his biceps ached, but he kept going. It was like he was possessed by a fierce determination.

"That's right! That's right!" she said, her excitement evident.

And then, he couldn't go anymore. His pace slowed until he was unable to lift his body. He didn't just quit though. He fought the fatigue, still trying to pull himself up for one more.

Mo, seeing his determination, grabbed his ankles. If he wanted that one, she would help him get it.

Slowly, as if pulling up the weight of the world, he hoisted himself up for that final one. When she let go of his feet, he finally released his grip and fell to the ground.

""That's what the fuck I'm talking about!" she said as she jumped up and grabbed him in a loving headlock. She didn't even care that he got his sweat all over her.

"How many did I do?"

Releasing him from her hold, she said, "You just busted out 33 like it was nothing!"

"Really?"

"Yes, motherfucka!" she said, giving him a high-five.

He shrugged it off. "Well, it was really only 32. You helped me with the last one."

She stopped celebrating and shook her head. "No, it was 33. Team MoLex means Mo

and

Lex. You struggle, I help you. We're a team."

He thought for a moment before smiling and nodding his head. "Okay. I can live with that."

"Good." She said before playfully punching him in the stomach.

And that's when she felt how firm it was.

Honestly, she shouldn't have been surprised at that. They had been working out close to a year at this point. And not to brag, but she was exceptionally good at what she did.

Still, she found herself giving him a doubletake, wondering if maybe she hit something else, like a rib. So, she punched him again, just to be sure.

Yep. Those were definitely his abs.

"Ow! Why the hell you keep hitting me? I'm sore from all those crunches you make me do." He said as he protected his stomach and backed away from her.

"Stop being a pussy." She joked.

However, she had to see what was under there. So, when his guard was down, she reached for his shirt and lifted it.

His protective reflexes kicked in and he slapped her hand away, but not before she caught a glimpse.

What the fucking hell?

Alex had a six pack. A full on, rock-hard six pack.

"Why would you do that?" he asked crossly.

She looked up at him in amazement, wondering what he could even be angry at. Then, she took a closer look at the rest of him.

Even in that baggy, oversized T-shirt, she saw through it.

His shoulders. His pecs. The definition in the visible part of his arm. He wasn't a big, bulging muscle man, but there was a toned body underneath the clothes he was hiding behind.

"Lexxy, have you seen yourself?"

His anger cooled down some when he detected her tone. A shy smile came on his face.

Monique chuckled to herself. "And when were you going to let me in on the secret? I am your trainer."

Alex shrugged. "No secret. You yourself told me how well I was doing."

"But I didn't know..." She stopped herself in mid-sentence and shook her head with a smile. Changing the subject back to business, she said, "We still have your cooldowns to do. Let's go over to the matts."

As she took him through his cool downs, she found herself checking for things she may have missed. Then, she had to kick herself.

How could she not notice? The evolution of his body should have been something she was paying attention to. She was his trainer for fuck's sake!

Now, it was as if she were seeing him through a different set of eyes. He wasn't Lexxy, her nerdy friend. He was her client, a line that had been blurred over the past year.

The problem was, he always wore loose-fitting clothes that were like three sizes too big. He was shy about his body and always hid behind it.

But honestly, the fault still lied with her. She missed his physical progress because she didn't look at him. I mean,

really

look, like a trainer should.

When his session was over, she took him into one of the classrooms that was empty. Closing the door behind her, she ordered, "Take off your shirt."

"What?"

"Your shirt. Take it off."

Shaking his head, he said, "No."

"Lexxy, c'mon. I'm your trainer. I just wanna see your progress."

She stepped in to grab the hem, but he swiped her hand away and moved out of arms reach.

"I shouldn't have to take my shirt off for that. Would you ask one of your women clients to take off their clothes?"

She sighed. He had a point. "Fine. Then just tell me...do you notice a difference in the mirror?"

Nodding, he said, "Yes. I do."

"Then why are you still embarrassed? Why do you still wear those baggy clothes? You should flaunt your progress!"

"I'm not embarrassed." He said with a shrug. "I'm just not the "

flaunting it"

kind

of guy. My T-shirts are comfortable, and I'll never just whip it off at the drop of a dime because some pretty girl wants me to."

She let out a snigger and nodded. She had to respect his space just as she did with everyone else. Her burning curiosity would have to take a back seat.

He walked towards the door and opened it. After motioning to her that he was holding it for her, she walked out towards the gym area.

As she passed him, she playfully nudged him in his ribs and jokingly said, "I guess I'm that pretty girl you're referring to?"

"Out of all that, that's what you heard?"

"I heard something about dimes, whips, and T-shirts too."

"You're an idiot." He said with a chuckle and a shake of his head. "Did you hear that?"

"I'm sorry, you say something?"

Cute.

She was late for her next appointment. That was becoming a new norm for her following a session with Alex.

"I gotta run, Lexxy." She said as she hurriedly walked away. Before she got too far, she turned around and asked, "You up for a little

Game of Thrones

tonight?"

His lips tightened into a line, like he knew he was about to say something she wasn't going to like. "Gonna have to take a raincheck. I gotta get some driving in."

"What?"

"Sorry." He said with a shrug.

He'd been taking a lot of rainchecks lately. Normally, she took those little setbacks in a stride. But their movie nights had been taking a hit for the past month or so because he'd been driving almost every night.

She'd have to talk about that later, though. Right now, her client was waiting.

No rest for the wicked.

***

Alex pulled up to the curb in front of the address that was given to him. By now, he didn't even have to use his GPS to get here. Every Friday night, without fail, this address popped up with a new ride at least three times.

This club was a hot bed for drunken partyers who needed a lift home. It had only been open about a year, and it was the place to be. Coincidently, it was the same club that he picked Monique up from that first night.

On the curb waiting for him was a trio; two guys and a girl. He knew they were his ride the moment he saw them.

Rolling down his passenger window, he leaned over and asked, "Either of you call for an Uber? Which one of you is Randall?""

One of the guys, the shorter of the two, raised his hand as he approached the car. Bending down to peer inside the passenger window, he said, "Yeah, that's me."

Alex looked past Randall at the two behind him. The girl, whose short skirt looked even shorter with her long legs, was wobbly on her feet. She was barely conscious, and her vacant eyes seemed to be unable to stay open.

The taller guy was holding her upright with his arm locked around her waist. He wasn't shy with his hands, which were copping feels of her breasts.

Alex's lips tightened into a grimace as he took in her face. He watched this poor girl get molested, right there in public. His imagination could play out the rest of her evening.

Anger boiled in his blood.

He returned his attention to Randall in his window. Keeping his cool, he calmly asked, "She okay?"

Randall thew a backwards glance over his shoulder. He couldn't help smirking as he answered, "Yeah. She just had a little too much. That's why we're taking her home."

The other guy sneered mischievously as he ushered the lady to the back door, carrying her all the way. The one in his window talked fast and talked a lot. It was almost like he was trying to distract Alex while his slimy partner helped the girl into the backseat.