Chapter Text
Lexi and Fezco haven't seen each other since his work Christmas party. They've spoken, on the phone, once, three days ago.
“‘Sup,” Fezco said when he answered.
“Hey, hi, Fezco,” Lexi said. “Um, we're still on for Cassie’s party, right?”
“Yeah, course,” he said.
“Cool.” A few moments of silence passed between them. “Um, I’m gonna bring your present. Since we haven't seen each other.”
“Yeah, that's smart,” Fezco said. “I’ll bring yours, too.”
“Great,” Lexi said. “That’s great.”
More silence. Fezco let out a huff.
“Um, okay, well, I’ll talk to you later,” Lexi said.
“Aight,” Fezco said. Then they hung up.
Things are very weird between them.
Lexi knows they need to address it and figure out how to get past it. Because that’s the only solution—getting past the weirdness, knowing that they’ve both thought about . . . them, but that it’s only in passing. And it’s unsustainable. And it’s crazy and it’s confusing and, when Lexi really lets her mind wander, it’s magnificent.
But then she reminds herself of the three preceding adjectives and it’s no longer magnificent.
She’s spent an embarrassing amount of time searching “how to get over a crush on your best friend” on the internet and received varying solutions. Some people say to avoid your crush completely; others suggest you spend so much time with them that they start to annoy you.
Not seeing Fezco hasn’t been helpful, because she just spends her time thinking about him.
What’s he doing? Who’s he with? Is he thinking about her?
Exposure therapy is what she needs. A couple of cheesy jokes and she’ll be over it completely.
Plus, the holiday season is over. The mistletoe is down, the cozy vibes are gone. There’s nothing cozy about New Year’s, about fresh starts and new beginnings, ringing in the new year with a friend you’ve developed a minor crush on. Nothing cozy about that at all.
Cassie’s party is at a reasonable 9:30—enough time for everyone to get good and wasted, but not too early that half of the party is passed out by midnight, like last year’s party, which started at 8.
Lexi’s settled on a sequined silver one-shoulder cocktail dress, her hair is pulled back into a ponytail, and she cannot, for the life of her, get her eyeliner right.
She’s already 20 minutes late, and it’ll be harder and harder to get an Uber the later it gets. She and Fezco planned to meet there, and she feels bad that she’s late, even if he’s friends with everyone else at the party. Clearly, it’s a non-issue, because he hasn’t even texted her to ask where she is yet.
Which could imply other things. When Lexi smugly told Cassie that she was going to the party with Fezco, Cassie smugly responded that that was totally fine, actually there were a lot of people taking friends as dates, so there would still be plenty of single people for her to meet.
Maybe Fezco met one of those single people. When he showed up sans Lexi, maybe Cassie sprang at the opportunity to introduce him to a pretty, single friend of hers.
And maybe that was a good thing; nothing would force Lexi to get over her crush like Fezco getting a girlfriend. She didn’t think jealousy would work very well—she tended to get along really well with Fezco’s girlfriends.
But also, she thinks seeing Fezco talking to a pretty girl will make her throw up on the spot. So it’s best she intervenes quickly.
Only her eyeliner still isn’t cooperating, and she gets so frustrated she starts to cry and has to start all over again. At this rate, she won’t get to the party until after 10:30.
Fezco’s thinking the same thing.
He’s ready to go; he’s been ready since 7, in his best (only) tuxedo. Only . . . he’s really worried about seeing Lexi. He keeps ordering and canceling Ubers and he’s worried his account will be suspended and then he won’t even make it to the party.
Which might be for the best.
His crush on Lexi is back with a vengeance. And he intends to deal with it the way he did last time—avoiding her like the plague until she has a new boyfriend.
It was tough, the last time. He knew he was making the right call by not pursuing anything—their friendship was too important. Still, his heart was having trouble keeping up with his head, and so he felt a pang when Lexi showed up one night with her new boyfriend in tow.
But once he got to know the guy, Fezco decided he was aight with him. He seemed cool, and Lexi was really into him. And suddenly it was easier to let go of her.
Now, he’s in it deeper than before. Something about the holidays has been exacerbating the issue, he can tell. She’s the only thing he’s capable of thinking about.
What’s she doing? Who’s she with? Is she thinking about him?
He’s driving himself insane. And he thinks if he sees Lexi, he’ll only get crazier.
But he’s not going to flake on her now, so he finally orders an Uber and walks outside to wait for it.
He gives himself a silent pep talk on the way over. Then he says a silent prayer that Lexi doesn’t look hot.
He’s lost in thought as they round the corner to Cassie’s building, though he’s promptly brought back by the sight of legs and ass and sequins and brown hair and—
Lexi looks really hot.
“Yo, here’s good,” he says to the driver, and quickly rushes out. “Ay, Lexi,” he shouts.
She turns around and her eyebrows jump to her hairline. “Fezco?” she says, surprised. She’s got a small gift in her hand, and Fezco panics for a second until he realizes that his gift for her is in his hand.
“You runnin’ late, too?” Fezco asks with a small smile as he approaches her.
Lexi’s face relaxes into a smile. “Eyeliner wasn’t cooperating.”
“It looks great,” Fezco says, though he knows his opinion probably isn’t very validating. “You look . . . beautiful,” he says, unable to resist.
“Thank you,” Lexi says, her face flushing, either from the cold or his compliment. Fezco hopes it’s the compliment. “Should we . . . ?” she gestures toward the door to Cassie’s building, and Fezco rushes forward to grab the door for her.
“Why are you running so late?” Lexi asks as they enter the elevator.
“Oh, uh,” Fezco coughs a bit, trying to come up with an answer that isn’t “I was afraid to see you.” “Lost track of time.”
Lexi nods in response. Her lips are red, and he thinks that was a little bit evil of her, seeing as he can’t stop picturing her getting that red lipstick all over—
They reach the 7th floor and Fezco practically runs out. Lexi trails him down the hallway until they end up in front of Cassie’s door.
“Ready for this?” Fezco asks, glancing over at Lexi.
She nods, then reaches out to knock on the door.
Simultaneously, Fezco finds himself blurting out, “I was late because I was nervous ‘bout seein’ you.”
Lexi’s eyes widen as she stares at him. “I’m sorry?” she says quietly.
“I think we should talk,” Fezco says, reaching over to squeeze her hand, and Lexi doesn’t know how to interpret the gesture. She’s left staring wide-eyed at Fezco as Cassie’s door swings wide open.
“Happy New Year!” Kat exclaims as Cassie grits out, “Where the fuck have you guys been?”
“Sorry, Cass, Happy New Year,” Fezco says, grabbing Lexi’s hip and guiding her into the party ahead of him.
Lexi is powerless to do anything but let Fezco gently guide her to the spare bedroom, with a slight detour to grab two glasses of champagne from the kitchen.
Thankfully, the room is empty—Cassie’s timetable seems to be working, as nobody is passed out or fucking yet.
Lexi sits down gingerly on the edge of the bed, setting Fezco’s gift off to the side, staring up at him as he locks the door.
Jesus, why is he locking the door? Is he going to kill her?
“Sorry, uh,” Fezco says, turning around, moving to sit on the bed next to her but not close to her. “Just don’t want anyone interruptin’ us.”
“Right,” Lexi says calmly. She takes a sip of her champagne. “Why?”
Fezco lets out a small, nervous laugh. “I think we need to talk,” he says.
“You mentioned that,” Lexi says. “If this is about—”
“You’re my best friend, and I ain’t want anythin’ to change that,” Fezco blurts out, cutting her off.
Lexi lets out a very long breath. “Thank God,” she says.
Fezco smiles widely. “You’re relieved,” he says, sounding relieved himself.
“Things have been weird, right?” Lexi says, turning to face him more directly. “But it’s like you said before, we just need to move past it.”
“Right,” Fezco agrees.
“Great,” Lexi says, a smile overtaking her face. “That was easy.”
“Feelin’ better already,” Fezco lies, averting the gaze of Lexi’s deep brown eyes. He tends to get lost in them.
Lexi does an awkward fidgeting move. “Should we exchange gifts?” she suggests.
“Yeah, yes, let’s do it,” Fezco says, reaching to take her glass from her, then setting both on the bedside table next to them. They awkwardly exchange their presents and Lexi feels a wave of relief at the size and shape of her present—he definitely didn’t buy the super expensive panda pipe for her.
Lexi starts to peel back the reindeer wrapping paper and feels tears springing to her eyes as she unveils a beautifully illustrated anniversary edition of Anne of Green Gables. She flips open the front cover to see a little note written in pencil: For “our” future kids. Signed: Love, Fezco.
She glances over at him, and he’s staring at her intently.
“I take it back,” he says.
Lexi’s brow furrows. “Take what back?” she asks in a near-whisper.
“What I said,” Fezco says before clearing his throat. “I-I want things to change.”
Lexi glances down at the present in his hands—a goat cheese recipe book. A gag gift. Meanwhile, he’d bought her a meaningful, wonderful present.
“You don’t get to say that,” Lexi says, wiping a tear from her eye. “This,” she says, hugging the book to her chest, “is maybe the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me, and I got you a gag gift.”
“It ain’t a gag gift,” Fezco says, setting it to the side, reaching out to grab Lexi’s hand. “It’s a reminder that you know me better than anybody.”
Lexi shakes her head. “You don’t get to say that,” she repeats softly, followed by a disbelieving laugh.
“What are you thinking?” Fezco asks quietly, moving slightly closer.
Lexi wipes another tear before matching his gaze. “I’m thinking, I want things to change, too.”
Fezco smiles. Lexi smiles back. They both start leaning in, slowly, so slowly, until . . .
Ten years of tension melts in an instant as their lips connect.
There’s no time for awkward fumbling, it’s all hunger and desire as they move together, tiny noises escaping both of them as they realize how right this feels.
Fezco attempts to grip Lexi’s waist, but the sequins on her dress are scratchy, so he pulls back with a muttered, “Fuck.”
“Sorry,” Lexi apologizes. “Didn’t expect much action in this.”
“You look hot as fuck, how could you not?” Fezco questions, his eyes lazily drinking her up.
Lexi blushes under his attention, a fire burning within her. She wonders if she’s ever wanted anyone this badly. Fezco leans back in to kiss her, his hand now maneuvering underneath the dress to avoid getting scratched.
His kisses start trailing down her neck and Lexi throws her head back in ecstasy. “I was worried you got me that pipe,” she blurts out.
“’M torn between tellin’ you I got a pipe fo’ you right here ‘n admittin’ that I did buy it fo’ you,” Fezco mutters between kisses.
“Are you serious?” Lexi asks, pulling him back up to eye level, too shocked to laugh at his stupid joke.
Fezco nods hesitantly. Lexi rewards him with more kisses.
They’re hip to hip now, and Fezco starts leaning forward, his hand on her back to support her as he starts to guide her into a lying position.
“There are condoms in the drawer,” Lexi directs, pulling away momentarily.
Fezco pulls back, a little startled. “Shit, I thought we was just kissin’,” he says.
“Sorry, I just thought—” Lexi starts, a little nervous.
“Please don’t change your mind now,” Fezco says, moving with lightning speed to grab a condom from the bedside table. “You really know yo’ way around this place.”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve hooked up in this bed,” Lexi says, and Fezco winces as he sits back down next to her. “Sorry,” she adds quickly.
“’S an adjustment period,” Fezco says. “Maybe we don’t talk about fuckin’ other people when we ‘bout to fuck, yeah?”
Lexi nods. “Right.” She reaches over to place her hand on top of Fezco’s. “So, how do we want to do this?” she asks.
Fezco smiles softly. “You get out o’ yo’ head, ‘n we just see what happens?”
“You know it’s hard for me to get out of my head,” Lexi says.
“Lemme see if I can distract you,” Fezco says, and he leans forward and kisses her again. This time, as he leads her into a lying position, she stays down.
Fezco, meanwhile, lifts her leg and places a delicate kiss against her ankle before he starts to unclasp her heels. Or at least, he attempts it.
“Do you need help?” Lexi offers, but Fezco shakes his head.
“Not very sexy if you gotta help me take off yo’ shoes,” he says, glancing over at her.
“I think it’s sexy,” Lexi says with a giggle. “Honestly, we can just leave them on.”
“Fuckin’ with our shoes on like we some strangers or somethin’?” Fezco says with a scoff. “C’mon, baby, if we doin’ this, I wanna see all o’ you.”
A flush overtakes Lexi and it’s hard to attribute it to either his calling her “baby” or his desire to see her naked. Easily, it’s both, and impatiently, she sits up to assist in the removal of her shoes.
Roughly a minute later, much of their clothing is scattered on the floor, and Lexi is covering her bare chest with her arm, having only worn a lacy black thong under her dress.
“You wasn’t plannin’ on fuckin’ anyone, and that’s what you wearing under yo’ dress?” Fezco asks, briefly halting his own undressing to admire her.
“Maybe I was a little hopeful this guy I’ve been kinda into would make a move,” Lexi says, nudging his arm to encourage speed. “Lucky me.”
“Lucky me,” Fezco responds, managing to peel his pants off the rest of the way before he moves her arm aside in order to admire her bare chest.
“God, why are guys always so weird when they see boobs?” Lexi comments as Fezco smirks happily at her chest.
“Lexi, it’s titties, c’mon now, ain’t we been over this?” he says, and before she can give him a snarky response, his mouth is back on hers, and he’s leading her third and final descent into a lying position.
His kisses trail down her body, and he stops to really enjoy himself as he kisses, sucks, nibbles—everything he can possibly imagine doing to her breasts, leaving Lexi squirming with desire beneath him.
“Fezco,” she breathes out, her hands squeezing his upper arms. “I need you.”
Fezco glances up at her greedily, his finger sneaking down to press against her soaked thong. He presses a lingering kiss against her belly as he continues creeping down her body, pressing softer kisses against her heated skin along the way.
He hooks his fingers through her thong and pulls down, and Lexi’s knees clamp together in response.
“Is this a mistake?” she asks suddenly, biting her lip, her eyes squeezed shut.
“Think you in yo’ head again,” Fezco grumbles, his hand gripping her calf. “’N we ain’t gon’ know if it’s a mistake until we do it, so we might as well do it.”
“That’s not exactly reassuring,” Lexi says, but her eyes do open at his words.
“Kinda thinkin’ wi’ my dick right now,” Fezco says, his other hand now creeping up her thigh. “Got a really hot, naked chick in front of me. Hard to focus on other things.”
“If you’re sure,” Lexi mutters, letting her legs fall open.
Fezco immediately dives in, his tongue messily collecting her arousal, eliciting a loud moan from Lexi. “Shit, baby, let ‘em hear it,” he teases, his finger coming up to start working quick circles on her clit.
“Fuck,” Lexi cries out. “You-you really get to the point.”
Fezco slips a finger inside her, starting to pump quickly. “Honestly, I’m just worried Ima bust in my drawers if I ain’t get inside you in the next minute.” His mouth takes over on her clit, slightly sucking as his tongue laps at her.
Lexi’s hands grab his head as she arches her back off the bed, fighting to find the right words. “You-you can,” she manages to say. “Makes n-no difference to me.”
Fezco releases her clit and Lexi cries out at the loss. His thumb takes over quickly as he slips another finger inside her. “Nah, baby,” he says before placing a sweet kiss on her inner thigh. “Want you nice ‘n ready fo’ me. Like a slip ‘n slide.”
Lexi lets out something between a laugh and a moan. “Did you just compare my vagina to a slip ‘n slide?” she asks, breathless.
“I did,” Fezco says. “See, since we were friends first, I can make jokes like that.”
“No, you cannot,” Lexi says before another moan overtakes her.
“We can talk about it later,” Fezco suggests, and Lexi nods frantically.
“After I come,” she says. “Now shut up and make it happen.”
Fezco chuckles softly before his mouth takes over work on her clit once more, his fingers still pumping furiously inside her. Approximately 30 seconds later, she’s coming with a soft cry, her hand clamped over her mouth.
Fezco crawls up the length of her body, giving her a smug smile before he kisses her deeply, another moan escaping her lips. He grinds up against her thigh, his hard cock only contained by the fabric of his boxers.
“Your slip ‘n slide is ready,” she says with a giggle before giving him another quick peck. “Where’s the condom?”
“’N now the slip ‘n slide jokes are okay?” he asks, fumbling around to grab the condom and remove his boxers.
“Crude jokes about my vagina are only allowed in post-orgasm bliss,” she says, her hands moving to replace his, rolling the condom over his length, giving him a few extra pumps for good measure.
“You gon’ make me come embarrassingly fast,” Fezco mutters.
“Payback,” she says, but she lets go and leans back. He quickly lines himself up, and after a quick nod from Lexi, plunges deep.
“Fuck,” they mutter in unison, then both erupt in laughter. He starts with slow, shallow thrusts, and Lexi’s still laughing as he leans down and gently bites her shoulder.
“You can’t possibly be that close,” Lexi says, her nails raking up and down along his back.
“I am,” Fezco grunts.
“How can I help?” Lexi asks, an evil smile creeping up her face. “What if I say, like”—her voice now switching to a breathy whisper—“oh, Fezco, don’t stop, just like that, Fezco, please.”
“Evil,” Fezco grumbles, his thrusts speeding up, going deeper. “You’re so evil.”
Lexi smiles sweetly before letting her mouth hang open, soft little moans escaping her lips at every thrust. Fezco decides the best way to shut her up is to kiss her, bending down to capture her lips as he focuses on not busting right then and there.
His hand slips down to start working circles on her clit, hoping that by some miracle she’ll come before he does.
He thinks it might have worked as she pulls back suddenly, saying, “Fezco, wait,” quietly.
“What’s wrong?” Fezco asks, halting his thrust. “You close?”
Lexi smiles warmly at him, and Fezco quickly settles into the role of Luckiest Guy in the Universe.
“It’s the countdown,” Lexi says softly, and Fezco strains to hear the chanting coming from Cassie’s living room: 16, 15, 14 . . .
“I think we gon’ miss it,” Fezco says, reaching down to squeeze Lexi’s waist, eliciting a sweet giggle.
“That’s okay,” she responds. “I’d rather ring it in with you.”
They gaze at each other lovingly as they listen to the faint chanting all the way down to 1, when Fezco leans down to press a soft kiss against Lexi’s lips.
“Happy New Year, Lexi,” he whispers, pulling back.
“Happy New Year, Fezco,” Lexi whispers back. “Should we maybe finish now?”
Fezco nods before immediately continuing his thrusts as his hand returns to her clit. Not even a minute later, Lexi comes with a gasp, and Fezco follows mere seconds later with a loud, drawn-out groan.
“You were really holding that one in,” Lexi says, her hands placed delicately on his chest.
“You have no idea,” Fezco says, rolling off of her and quickly discarding the condom before collapsing against the bed.
They both lie very still, not daring to look at each other.
“How ya feelin’?” Fezco asks after a few minutes of silence.
“Like I just fucked my best friend,” Lexi answers. After a pause, “So, really good, honestly.”
“I think I’m in love with you,” Fezco says.
Lexi turns her head to look at him. “That’s what most guys say when I’m finished with them, so,” she says, dragging out the last syllable.
Fezco turns to look back at her, a wide grin on his face. “’N how many of them have years of evidence to support they claim?”
“Not many,” Lexi whispers. She looks back up at the ceiling. “For what it’s worth, I think I’m in love with you, too.”
Fezco grabs her hand. “Worth a whole lot,” he says.
“I can’t believe we haven’t done this before,” Lexi says.
“Can’t believe we ain’t do this all the time,” Fezco adds.
Lexi looks back over at Fezco. “What do we do now?” she asks.
“Get back to the party?” he suggests.
“Hm,” Lexi ponders for a second. “I think you should just come home with me.”
“Yo’ sister ain’t gon’ be mad?” Fezco asks.
“Maybe,” Lexi says. “I don’t really care. She’ll probably be happy I have a boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend, huh?” Fezco teases.
“Sorry, yeah, no, I shouldn’t—” Lexi starts, shaking her head quickly in embarrassment.
“I’d love to be yo’ boyfriend,” Fezco cuts her off. “You wanna be my girlfriend?”
“You don’t think we’re rushing, labeling this already?” Lexi asks.
Fezco shakes his head, then wraps his arm around Lexi to pull her to his chest. “Ion think I’m capable of taking things slow wi’ you.”
Lexi smiles, nuzzling herself against Fezco. “That makes me very happy.”
As Fezco holds her close to him, his mind wanders back to the summer, when he decided against pursuing Lexi. In hindsight, he knew it wasn’t the right choice—he’d just been scared.
He was so lucky to get a second chance. He couldn’t see the future, but he had a feeling that things would work out for them, finally brave enough to take the plunge.
“Worth it,” he mutters to himself before placing a soft kiss on Lexi’s head.