"Yes," Bekah said glancing up at her, "we should go. Are you alright? You don't look well."

"I'll be fine," Lexi said hurrying out of the Tiffany's and back into the open mall air. She let out a long breath and felt color return to her cheeks.

"Well I'll see you Friday, if not beforehand," Bekah said nodding her head at Lexi as she exited the mall. Lexi fell into the cool comforting car and forced her mind to wander in other directions. The last thing she needed to consider was engagement rings and proposals.

Ramsey had vaguely hinted that he would be out when she returned from her shopping excursion. Something related to work though he hadn't given any details and had completely evaded any further questioning on the subject. He had slipped a key into her purse before letting her out of the house, and told her that she was welcome back whenever she had completed her errands. After depositing the hanger in the upstairs guest bedroom and letting any remaining thoughts of engagements flutter from her mind, Lexi found that she felt surprisingly relaxed. She had a new fabulous dress. She never had to speak to Jack's snotty girlfriend again. And soon enough she would be spending some much needed time with her family. Not much else could get her this excited. The only issue that she had left to deal with was talking to Jack.

She needed to figure out what was going on between them before she left for New York this weekend. She only had a couple days left, and every time they had been together had held sexual tension or outright anger. If she was ever going to let him go, then she needed to get everything out of the way...out in the air.

That is how she found herself hailing a taxi to take her back to his place. It had only been three days since she had last stepped foot into his apartment, but so much had happened since then it felt like a lifetime.

The late night attendant she had passed while entering the building only a couple days earlier seemed to remember her and buzzed her through to Jack's floor. She knocked once before twisting the knob and surprisingly finding it open. The lights were dim as she entered and a flickering was coming from a room off the entrance. No sounds could be heard from the apartment, and as she stepped past the kitchen candlelight seemed to take over. A hundred or more candles of varying shapes and sizes filled the living room and several more lit the dining room where two plates were set and a bottle of wine sat chilled.

Lexi's mind was whirling. This couldn't be for her. Why would he do something like this for her? Did he just want to confuse her? Granted, it was beautiful. She could feel tears welling to her eyes as they drifted from one romantic scene to the next. Is this what it felt like to have Jack be only yours?

Except he wasn't.

He belonged to Bekah. So what was he doing making her feel like this now? After she had just confessed everything to his girlfriend. After he had flown her down here to convince the new girl that she was what he wanted. Was this a thank you of some sort? Did he actually think he had to thank for what she had done? Because this wasn't helping her ability to get closure. She couldn't have him being sweet to her when she needed so desperately to forget him. Even if she was, as Bekah suspected, the reason he hadn't been able to commit to anyone else in so long. She still needed to be rid of him in her life. No longer could she be controlled by his desires and passions. She needed to be in control for once.

"Do you like it?" Jack asked from behind her. Lexi turned slowly and took in the beautiful man in front of her. He wasn't overly dressed which put her mind slightly at ease. He wore a pair of dark loose fit jeans and a white linen button up rolled up to his elbows. His blue eyes were momentarily hidden under his midnight hair. His complexion was dark from the summer sun which only added to the exotic effect he was exuding.

"I...well...yes, but why?" she asked her eyes leaving his sexy body and falling on things that she was more capable of discerning accurately with her heart racing like it was.

"Because I needed to apologize," he said stepping towards her.

"Is this how you apologize to everyone?" she asked attempting to keep her eyes averted despite the fact that he was standing so close she could almost feel the heat rising off of him.

She knew he was smirking without glancing at him. "This is how I wanted to apologize to you."

"Well you shouldn't have," she said weakly.

"I was out of line when I said all those terrible things to you."

"Jack you shouldn't apologize. You should let it be," she said turning away from him completely.

"I can't apologize enough for what I've done to you over the years, for what I did to you this week, for having you come here and endure what I put you through. I can't apologize enough for overreacting when I saw you with Ramsey. I can't apologize enough for everything, but I thought I could start with dinner," he whispered sweetly into the earlobe she had left exposed to him. His arms came up to encircle her miniscule waist and draw her in him. She tried not to breath in his delicious smell as old feelings threatened to overcome her senses. He placed a tiny kiss on her shoulder before reaching down, tugging on her hand, and pulling her into the dining room.

"Jack you really shouldn't have done all of this," she said as he tucked her into the dining room chair.

"I think that I should have, and who are you to turn down a man begging for forgiveness?" he asked with another smirk directed her way.

Lexi sighed and waited for him to be seated before continuing, "We really need to talk."

"I agree," he said, "how is the chicken?"

Lexi glanced down at her food realizing for the first time that there was in fact chicken on her plate. She dug her fork into the meat and tasted the morsel. "Good. Did you cook this?" she asked in surprise.

"For you."

She nodded wondering when he had ever learned how to cook. Last she had checked macaroni and cheese had been too difficult for him. Now he was creating delicious entrees? "Okay well thank you, but we really do need to talk."

"You're right. I need to apologize. Would you like me to begin?"

"Uh..."

"I should have never called you." Lexi glanced up from her plate to stare at him in surprise. She hadn't actually thought he was going to try and play the card that he was sorry for coming back into her life. She had missed him every day since he had been gone, but he hadn't and he had made that surprisingly clear when he had called. Then he had started blurring the lines. He had started using her desire for him to his own advantage. He couldn't possibly think that saying he shouldn't have called could make up for that.

"I'm not sure what Bekah told you or what you guys have spoken about, but I shouldn't have dragged you into this. What we...were just shouldn't have been put on display like I've been making you do with Bekah. Does that make sense? What I'm trying to say is that I know why I didn't tell Bekah about you in the first place."

"You do?" Lexi asked finishing off her first glass of wine as quickly as possible. The alcohol was working its way through her system and leaving with her with just enough of a buzz so that she could take whatever he was going to send her way next.

"I just couldn't bear her knowing what I'd done to you, how I'd broken you. And I see it now. I see that I broke you into a million pieces and then left you there. I didn't want her to know I was capable of that. Did you tell her I was capable of that?" he asked directing his question towards her for the first time expecting an answer.

"I...I didn't tell her that," she whispered watching his face morph from despair to intrigue.

"But why didn't you? You could have told her. You could have told her everything."

"I know Jack," Lexi admitted placing her fork back down on the plate the tiny appetite she had entered with had now gone.

"Then why didn't you tell her. She calls me telling me she loves me telling me that I'm everything to her. She says that you've opened her eyes to who I really am, but does she know who I really am Lexi? Does anyone other than you know who I am?" he asked standing and approaching her chair. Yanking the chair from the table he rested his hands on either side of the arm rest and bore down upon her.

She gasped in surprise as she let her face tilt up to his. "I don't know Jack. Have you showed anyone else?" she asked looking up into his giant baby blues that were staring right back at her with concern stricken through the orbs.

He shook his head letting his eyes close and his head drop forward. She couldn't help but be amazed at his beauty even in that moment. "I've never known how to talk to anyone like I can with you Lex. I'm not even sure if the woman I've been with the past year and a half has a clue who I am," he announced licking his lips before continuing. "And when I'm with you, I just know. You know?"

She did, but could she tell him that? Should she tell him that? After everything she had told Bekah today and what she had gone through for him everyday since they had met, of course she knew what he was talking about. When he could look at her across a sea of people and just know what the other was thinking. The way he peered deep into her soul and somehow still accepted her despite her inadequacies. The fact that he even saw her inadequacies was amazing to her. Yet, he had been there. She had been his constant all along. What Bekah had been saying suddenly clicked in Lexi's mind.

She was the reason for all of this.

And that realization in itself pushed Lexi to nod her head in agreement. "I know exactly what you mean."

His head came up and somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind something clicked inside of him as well. He scooped her up out of the chair and crushed his lips to hers. She paused momentarily frozen in place before allowing him to ease his mouth back down onto her. He kicked the chair out of his way and pushed her body back against the wall. Tilting his head sideways, he kissed deeper into her mouth feeling around with his tongue for every vantage point. She moaned as his hands grabbed at her waist and hips. His mouth moved away from her lips to feel his lips against her earlobe, neck, and collarbone taking in as much of her as he could. He returned to her mouth when she clawed at his back begging to taste him again. It had been nearly two years since they had last kissed, but the way they moved together made it seem that it was only yesterday. He could still remember every delicate curve of her body from memory and she continued to revel in the feel of his skin against hers finally once again.

She wanted him so bad in that moment, but not like this. She wanted him as hers. She wanted him to be her own. No longer could she play the game of sharing him with another living being. If he was to have her and all of her as she desired, she needed the same. She needed him to only belong to her. And she could wait to have him if that was what that meant.

"I'm sorry," he said pulling back softly as he noticed her desire wane. "I'm sorry again and again. I couldn't control myself." His hand came up softly to her face and cupped her cheek. "You're so beautiful."

"I'm sorry too. We shouldn't be in this position again. I want us to be...us," she finally admitted to him. "I want you to be mine."

He nodded. "I know. I know what you mean."

"And I'm okay holding off until you are mine, Jack." He nodded again. "I just need to know if that is a reality for us one day or if I'm just wasting my time on you."

He thumb caressed her cheek affectionately as the time stretched between them. "I don't think you're wasting your time. When I'm with you, I know I'm not wasting my time."

Lexi nodded letting a smile touch the edges of her mouth. "Oh Jack," she sighed happily planting another kiss on his mouth. She hadn't felt this euphoric in nearly two years. Something about him always brought out the best feelings in her. And now it looked like things were actually going to work out for them, and they were going to do it the right way.

They let the night recede into morning as they stayed up together sharing stories and remembering what it was like to be in love. The easy flirtatiousness that they had always shared was dampened by the impending emotions that were sure to come forth once they got everything worked out. Instead, they enjoyed each other's company along with the rest of the bottle of wine until the candles died out and they both fell asleep.

K.A. Linde Gummi Bears That maybe it's true That I can't live without you And maybe two is better than one But there's so much time To figure out the rest of my life And you've already got me coming undone And I'm thinking two is better than one -Boys Like Girls & Taylor Swift "Two Is Better Than One"

Chapter 16: November One and A Half Years Earlier.

"Are you sure we have to have this sleepover at your place?" Chyna asked eyeing the dorm hallway reproachfully. "You do know I own a penthouse overlooking Central Park right?"

Lexi rolled her eyes dramatically. "Yes, I've been there before. It's beautiful, but you can't get the college experience in a penthouse."

"I take it back," she said looking at a particularly large brown stain on one wall, "I don't want to know what its like to be in college. That's why I didn't go. I've been dating college guys since I was fifteen. If I've managed to avoid a dorm room for five years, then I'm not meant to be in one. Really, I'm peachy keen chica."

"You're not getting out of this that easy," Lexi growled snatching a hold of one of Chyna's delicate wrists and yanking her further down the hallway. "And anyway how did you get away with that?"

"With what?" she asked innocently.

"Dating college guys."

"My penthouse was my sweet sixteen present. Happy Birthday princess! We're getting divorced. Move out," she said giggling sardonically. "It really was the best thing they could do for me since I didn't have access to my trust and couldn't purchase it myself."

Lexi had gotten used to this loathing hateful attitude Chyna displayed towards her parents. It was pretty common place. Lexi tried not to broach the subject too often since she had no experience in what Chyna was going through. Her parents, after all, were still happily married after nearly thirty years together. It truly saddened Lexi that Chyna's perception of relationships was so warped due to her parents. The fact that it hadn't completely jaded her towards all human interaction was a miracle in and of itself. "Well now that you have access why don't you get rid of it?" she asked. Though, she couldn't blame her for holding onto the beautiful apartment.

"I've replaced nearly everything inside from knocking out walls and replacing the floorboards. So it's not really like it's the same place anymore. Not to mention the fabulous view."

Lexi resisted the urge to mention that the penthouse was also the last gift Chyna had ever received jointly from her parents. She highly suspected this accounted for never selling the place. Some things just didn't need to be brought up, especially when Lexi was finally getting Chyna into her dorm room. Lexi could easily admit that an NYU dorm room was nothing compared to Chyna's apartment, but she was far from ashamed of the place.

She shared a common area with three other girls all who had been admitted into the law school that fall. The space was cluttered with nick-knacks from each other's previous residences. A mismatching couch and loveseat were crushed together in front of a tiny tube TV. The kitchen didn't even have a stove due to the safety hazard this produced. This explained why their tiny freezer was always overstocked with microwavable dinners. Four doors on the far wall opened up to the bedrooms. Lexi had the first room, if you could call it that, on the left. She hadn't lived in a lofted bed since her freshman year of undergrad. But if she hadn't put her bed nearly touching the ceiling, nothing else would have fit in the space. A tiny desk, rolling chair, and miniature refrigerator were crammed under the bed. The rest of the furniture was built into the room. Somehow she wasn't a bit embarrassed to bring her rich friend back to her place even if her room was as big as the girl's closet. She was in New York City at a top five law school. This was how people were supposed to live or at least, that's what she kept telling herself.

"Here we are," Lexi said hearing the lock click and pushing the door open. Chyna inspected the shared living space while Lexi produced another key and unlocked her bedroom.

"It's so...quaint," Chyna announced cocking her head to the side thoughtfully. Her eyes scanned the room purposely avoiding the ugly carpeted floors before landing back on Lexi.

"You haven't seen anything yet." Chyna turned towards Lexi following her into the bedroom.

"Wow. You didn't prepare me for this," Chyna mumbled her jaw slackened in surprise at the size of the space.

"Yeah, well, I didn't think it would be possible to prepare you anyway."

"You're probably right," she agreed in awe. Swiveling in place, Chyna observed the size of the room before saying, "You do realize my closet is bigger than this room."

"Well, maybe next year I'll move into your closet," Lexi quipped only half-joking.

"Then where would my clothes go?" Chyna asked her hands placed lightly on her hips.

"I'll work around it."

"Fine. Just don't touch the cashmere," she said giggling.

Chyna placed her Louis Vuitton handbag and matching backpack in the empty desk chair and sauntered towards the bay windows, which Lexi repeatedly claimed was the only redeeming feature about her bedroom. Lexi watched her for a few minutes recognizing the wheels turning in her mind. Something was going on up there, and Lexi had a feeling it wasn't going to be in her favor. Chyna constantly got this look on her face that said she was about to propose a crazy scheme. Normally, Lexi went along with her, but seeing that look on her friend while in her room made Lexi a bit anxious. She knew that Chyna would speak up again when she was done assessing the situation.

Whirling on her kitten heels, Chyna faced Lexi with a beautiful smile tacked onto her face. "Can I redo your room? You know I just met this amazing new designer. I'm pretty sure he would be able to fix this um...problem."

Lexi rolled her eyes dramatically. "My room is fine the way it is."

"Well of course, dear," she said linking their arms and nuzzling close to her friend, "but I could make it gorgeous. You would absolutely love Frederick too. He's a mastermind. He did the renovations in my guest bedroom recently and they're stunning..."

"Chyna..."

"He could really do a number on this place," she continued oblivious to Lexi calling her name.

"Chyna chill out," she said shaking her out of her reverie. "How about we just have a good time?" Lexi suggested.

"Oh, but Alexa, I'm telling you. The man is a decorating genius."

"I'm sure he is sweetie, but this is a college dorm room. It's supposed to look like this."

"I'll get to you eventually," she warned her poking her playfully in the ribs.

"Yeah yeah," she said waving her off.

"So..." Chyna drawled, "what do girls do on slumber parties?"

Lexi's jaw dropped open slightly. "Haven't you ever been on one?"

"Well yeah I have, but those were different. Usually we just took over the house of whoever's parents were out of town that weekend. We'd either have a huge party and get hammered or it'd just be us girls and we'd still get hammered. You know how I like my alcohol," Chyna said with a wink.

"I'll admit alcohol is involved," Lexi told her diving into the freezer of her mini fridge. She pulled out a tray of what looked like frozen gummi bears. Chyna's eyebrows shot up at the treat. "For those of us who had to sneak alcohol past our parents, we made these."

"You made gummi bears?" she asked incredulously looking at the tray with humor in her eyes.