Lex got up and pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms. Even though it was warm for January, it wasn't warm enough to be walking around the house in a short little summer nightgown. As she stood up she laughed as she realized it probably wasn't appropriate to even wear it alone during the summer here at home. The light blue nightgown, wasn't a gown at all, it barely fell to mid-thigh. She tied the bottoms low on her hips then reached for a hair tie and pulled her hair back off her face in a ponytail. Then left her room.
Thursday morning, Lex thought as she skipped down the stairs. Her father went into the office today and her mom was at the hospital all day. She was only home this week because her brother was away on vacation; it was safe to be home. The house to herself she started to plan her day out in her head as she walked into the kitchen. Not two steps into the kitchen the happy thought bubble on how to spend her day popped. There sitting at the table was her father, he was in his "stay at home" clothes and he was eating a bowl of cereal.
"I thought you were in the office today?" Lex slowly walked in and started to get her own bowl of cereal.
"Changed days." Max only half paid attention to his daughter, he was focused on the sports page.
"You going to be home all day?"
"That's the plan." He lifted a spoonful of cereal to his mouth. "Are you?"
"That was my plan as well." Lex hopped up onto a stool to sit at the island counter.
"I'm doing work around the house today." Max put the paper down and looked up at his daughter. "You helping?"
"You crazy?" Lex shoved a heaping spoonful into her mouth.
"Don't put that much food into your mouth, you'll choke."
"Yes Dad." Well that's what Lex said; it's not what it sounded like. Milk and cereal fell out of her mouth. Lex slid off the stool to grab paper towels.
"What are you wearing?" Max looked at the nightgown his daughter wore; at least she wore pants with it.
Lex wiped her mouth. "What?" She looked down. "You don't like my mismatched Pjs?"
Max just shook his head, he had to choose his words wisely. "It's not that I don't like it, but you better not be wearing that without bottoms on."
"Why?" Lex was getting playful with her father. They always had a playful relationship, she was daddy's little girl, but this wasn't the same playful behavior they used to have. Lex was nearly, if not completely now, flirting with her father.
Max was torn. Stay and continue this playful banter with his daughter, or retreat to his office and finish reading the paper. It had been too long since they got along this well, yet he was uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was already headed. He should have kept his mouth shut. "Lex, it's barely covers..." He stopped unsure of what to say.
"Barely covers what?"
Shit, Max thought to himself. Now what did he say? "It barely covers your..."The phone rang and Lex went to pick it up. Max hurriedly picked up his paper and started to leave the room.
"Dad it's for you." Lex called after her father.
"I'll take it in my office." He called back over his shoulder.
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Lex was lying on her side on the couch. She channel-surfed and groaned to herself about how much she hated daytime TV. Of course she wasn't paying attention to the channels as they passed by. Her mind was still trying to wrap itself around the events that took place in the kitchen earlier in the day. She couldn't fully believe what had happen, what she had done. She knew it was because of the playful way she was acting that her father had hesitated in his statement and ran off the first chance he got.
Lex thought she was over this whole thing with her father. She had gotten over the little fling with her brother. That had blown over nearly as fast as it had started. And she had only had the dream once about her father. Both of those had happen months ago. And this wasn't her first time home since then, or her first time alone with her father, so why now? Why today, did they get along and not fight over the length of the nightgown? Any other day it would have been a fight, which would have lead to other topics. Lex growled as she threw the remote down and shuffled off to the kitchen for something to eat.
While Lex was fighting with her thoughts down in the kitchen, Max was in his office fighting with his own thoughts. He was attempting to do the books for the household finances but he just couldn't focus. His thoughts we're focused on his daughter and that nightgown, or lack thereof. What if she had come downstairs in just that? She had thought he would be at work; she very easily could have come down in just that small nightgown. What would he have done then?
Max pushed back from the desk and leaned back in the chair. He had to clear his mind of the events of the morning. Only problem, once he closed his eyes Max was greeted by the cruel trick of his mind, a picture of Lex in just the little nightgown. He immediately opened his eyes and sat up. That wasn't going to work. He had to get his mind on something else; he was going to focus back on the books. He could do it; he just had to pretend he was alone in the house.
That would have been easy, however just as he settled in to try the books again a loud crash sounded in the kitchen, followed by a long string of curse words. He shook his head and laughed for two reasons. One he laughed at how a girl who is a skillful dancer is so clumsy in other areas of her life and two how his sweet, delicate daughter was blessed with the mouth of a sailor.
"What happened?" Max walked into the kitchen.
"I hate this fucking thing." Lex kicked at the skillet that was on the floor. Along with the skillet the remains of the lunch she was cooking. "This handle isn't supposed to get hot."
"Did you burn it?" Max walked over and grabbed for his daughter's wrist. He turned her hand up and looked at it. The palm of her hand was red. He pulled her over to the sink and turned on the cold water. He shoved her hand under the water. "Why didn't you put it under the water right away? You don't clean up first. Geeze Lex."
"Sorry." She whispered this, tears starting to form in her eyes. The pain was now starting to form in her hand.
"Let me put some of that burn stuff on it and wrap it until your mother gets home. But it doesn't look that bad to me." Max, still holding on to Lex's wrist, led her to the upstairs bathroom. He took the burn salve out of the medicine cabinet and Lex sat down on the side of the bathtub next to him. He started to spread it over her palm and lower part of her fingers.
"Oh Daddy that hurts." Lex pulled her hand away from her fathers. "You're touching it too hard."
"Sorry." Max reached for her hand but she turned away from him. "Come on baby it's ok. I'll do it lighter this time."
Lex gave her hand over to her father. He lightly rubbed the slave on her hand. They we're soft touches, that sent chills up her arm. He turned and washed his hand before grabbing the bandages. He wrapped Lex's hand and then just held it. Lex who had been focusing on her hand slowly raised her head and met her father's eyes. They locked and it wasn't a look they wanted to share. Both turned away instantly. Lex pulled her hand back and Max stood up. He turned to clean up the stuff he had used and Lex slipped out the door and into her room.
************************************
Max had wanted to go into the Lex's room and talk to her. Maybe there was a way to explain what was going on. Maybe if they talked about it, because he now knew that she was having the same feelings he was. But he decided that it wasn't a good idea and went to clean up the kitchen. Maybe if they stayed away from each other everything would go away, and it will all pass. So focused on his thoughts Max went right from cleaning right to making lunch for Lex and himself.
"Lex, I made lunch. It's sitting on the stove." Max called up the stairs before heading with his plate back to his office. He sat down to eat, but found himself just pushing the food around his plate. He cursed and got up. He wasn't going to eat, and there was no room for it on his desk. He headed back to the kitchen.
Lex was sitting in the kitchen. Her legs pulled up on the chair with her. She lazily picked at the food. She couldn't eat, she was thinking. She had been doing a lot of that today and she wasn't happy about it. This was supposed to be a lazy day around the house. Maybe she would have watched an adult movie but who knows, she wouldn't get to know. All she knew is that now twice she'd had encounters with her father. The first playful and flirty and the second, well, how would you describe that?
"How's your hand?" Max finally spoke up. He had been standing there watching his daughter push food around her plate and barely eat any. "Better yet what's wrong with my cooking?" "It hurts and it's ok, I'm just not all that hungry." Lex didn't look up at him as he walked around the table.
Max put his full plate down on the table. "Yeah, I'm not to hungry either." He sat down across from her. "You changed."
