31. Across the Universe

CHAPTER 31

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE

? FIONA APPLE

We stumble out of the house and into the ride share. It's been a rough few weeks with me fighting the depression and getting back into our work, but Lexi has been there every step of the way. She's spent the time in the house with me, avoiding the apartment whenever she could and not answering her phone. The only time she leaves is to drop things off with Sam.

We've spent almost every night in the studio, sleeping on the couch until I had Chase come over and help me move a spare mattress. The time has been about healing and getting to know each other. What could have easily torn us apart has brought us closer together. Our demons, it seems, have a way of playing well together.

I've set her up at Dad's old station so we can work together, too. It's like she's always belonged there. I also have roll after roll of her covered in paint or other supplies after we've had sex. While I'm eager to develop those, my favorite part is lying in bed together while we work. Sam was right. Her designs and my photos are coming together to create a beautiful thing, like us.

"Hey, good morning. I'm your Lyft driver. There's water under the seat there if you want it and plugs for?—"

"Oh my god, yes," Lexi grabs for the water like it's gold, ripping the cap off and guzzling half of it down before handing it to me.

"Hey man," my voice cracks and sounds like gravel from smoking more weed than usual. We're thinking of switching to edibles simply because they hurt less. "I promise we'll be the easiest ride you have all week and a cash tip for you if you turn the music down a few notches."

"Oh, yeah, sure, no problem." He turns the dial down and pops the center console open, handing a pair of cheap sunglasses back. "Looks like she might have forgotten hers."

"Five stars all the way, man, and a ten-page novel of a review about how excellent you are," I say as I slide the glasses over her face. "Here you go, beautiful."

She doesn't say a word, just curls up against me and drapes my arm over her. She's soft snoring before the car leaves our driveway, so I kiss her head and stare out the window, watching the buildings merge into one another. Because of everything going on in our lives, we didn't get to do as many trips as I'd hoped. Sam loves what we've gotten around town, though, and promised us more work together. This day trip is the last one before we hand everything over for the big presentation next week. Lexi wants to head to San Francisco after we're done—no phone, no laptops, and no work, only us. I haven't told her, but I already booked the rooms and have the entire trip planned out. I spent half of the bonus Sam gave us on it, because fuck bills.

I also spent some of the money on a ring. It's not diamonds, but it's more Lexi—cherry blossoms and pink gems.

We pull up to Union Station and exit even less gracefully than we entered the car. We somehow get inside without tripping over each other, and we both stop, staring up at the large signs that try to tell us which way we need to go. Hieroglyphs might be easier this morning.

We get lost three times before we find the right train, but still get a table with a set of seats on either side. Since the train isn't as busy as I had expected, we put our bags on one side of the table and sit on the other. Lexi makes me sit against the window to block the sun, then she cuddles against me and falls back asleep before the train leaves the station.

I work on Lexi's laptop, making quick work of sorting the images we have from our other shoots and getting the next wave of files labeled and set up. It's about five stops into the ride when Lexi finally straightens up and stretches her arms above her head, so I sneak a kiss on her cheek.

"What the…" she pulls the sunglasses off her face. "Where the hell did I get these? Please tell me I didn't buy these from one of those overpriced gas stations?"

"Oh, absolutely not. No, you stole them from a homeless guy after smacking his ass. After that, you ran like a squirrel across traffic, screaming something about the Mandela effect. Don't worry, I recorded it and uploaded it to YouTube. You're a viral hit. I've booked you on the morning news show."

She stares at me with eyes wider than any anime character I've ever seen and I can't hold it in. She smacks me hard, and I deserved it.

"Asshole."

"Yeah, but I'm a fun asshole, and you love me," I hum as I tilt her head toward me and press my mouth hard to hers. She tastes like toothpaste and coffee with a hint of whiskey and, as I'm about to pull away, her hand glides up my leg, pressing against my cock. I gasp when it catches me off guard.

"That's for being an asshole. Actually, it's because I wish this thing had a privacy car so I could suck your cock."

"Listen to that perfectly dirty mouth on my girl."

"You like my dirty mouth. In fact, I bet you want that dirty mouth all over you, don't you?" She leans over and whispers in my ear as she squeezes again, "Tonight, I want you to spank me and call me your dirty slut."

"What did you drink last night? What happened to that sweet, innocent girl I was dating?"

She winks at me. "You must have confused me with someone else. I'm the girl who dragged you into a bathroom stall the first night because I wanted your cock."

"If you don't let go of my cock, I'm going to make a mess. Are you going to explain why you're kneeling under the table with your head in my lap cleaning up that mess when they ask?"

"Wow, Mr. Kinky is on it today, isn't he? I like it."

"Alright," I say as she slides her hand away and I pack up the computer. "Switch places with me so I can put this away. Then we'll have some fun if that's what you want."

"It's about time you figure out you're dating a wild woman who's begging for a good time." We swap seats so she's not totally exposed, and immediately she moves down, putting her ass on the edge of the seat. I slide my hand up her leg and into her shorts. She's not wearing panties, she rarely does anymore.

"Oh, you came prepared to be a brat, did you?" She bites her lip and nods. I nibble her earlobe as the tip of my finger flicks her clit. If she wants to play dirty, I can surely give it my best.

"I love you, Alexis."

"I love you too, James." She gasps softly, gripping my thigh and digging her nails into me. "Fuck, we should have had sex before we left the house."

"You have to be quiet for me, baby. Can you do that? You didn't wear any panties, so I can't shove them in your mouth, and if any of these people hear you, they're going to want a taste of this sweet little pussy."

"I'll be good, sir."

"Mm, I think I like that."

Two fingers slip into her as I bite down on her earlobe. She arches her back, but stays silent. I take a quick glance around. No one has an eyeline of us and the closest person is ten rows up. Pretty sure he's wearing headphones, too. If they don't look too hard, we're nothing more than a couple huddled together and making out. I love California.

"Good girl. How bad do you want to come for me, pretty girl?" Since she's been staying with me, she's embraced some of her kinks. One of them is public places, and the train is a perfect place to play a little.

"I want you to make me soak this fucking seat, sir." She bats her eyes at me, and I move to kiss her and stop, letting my lips ghost hers as soft moans spill from her lips.

"You keep being a brat and I'm going to edge you the whole way there," I whisper, curling my fingers so they're hitting her G-spot. That's when she lets out the cutest little squeak I've ever heard, but cuts it off by slapping her hand over her mouth.

The rhythm of the train and the thrust of my fingers have her biting back screams. The faces she's making are beautiful—works of art that I want to paint and hang all over my house so I can remember every one of them. The train slows for its next stop, and I match pace with it, bringing her down before she's finished.

"Don't stop, I was so close."

"Gotta stop, Cherry Blossom. People are going to be passing through. Besides, the more the train and I edge you, the harder you're going to come for me." I lick my fingers and she slumps in her seat with a whimper.

She watches the passengers milling about, wishing they'd hurry. Someone tries to take the table across from us before they realize it's broken and I laugh at the luck. It's not long before we're rolling again and I take another quick glance around. Just as I start sucking on her neck again, her phone rings. I see the screen and groan loudly. It's not surprising that they broke her down and she's once again answer these calls.

"Answer it, Angel. Let me play with your perfect little cunt while you talk to her."

"Seriously?"

"Fuck yeah, Angel."

"Hello, Mother," she answers, her hand guiding mine between her thighs. She moves the phone away from her mouth and whispers, "Now you have to be quiet, too."

"I bet she'd like it. Hearing you come apart for the devil. Maybe just moan my name once, huh?"

"Eww," she giggles before kissing me quickly.

The second that phone is back against her ear, I've got two fingers shoved inside her and I'm sucking on her neck like a thirsty vampire. My thumb traces tight circles around her clit, I'm done holding back. I hope she fucking screams now.

"Oh! Uhm, no. We, uhm, we hit a bump," she tries to cover for her own gasp. "No, the train. Yes, Mother."

My thumb is working her swollen clit and I can feel her tensing around me. Edging her can wait for another day. I wish I could lay her on the table and devour her in front of everyone while her mother listens.

"M-Mother, I don't think—Oh god! No, I just, I dropped something."

She grabs my arm, squeezing tight as she closes her eyes and opens her mouth in the most incredible silent scream I've even witnessed. Not a peep from her as her cunt pushes against my hand, pulsing as she slides into oblivion.

"Sorry, Mom. I gotta go," she practically slurs the words. "Tunnel…. recep…bad…" She hangs up and tosses the phone on the table. I hold her closer while she comes apart and her body shakes.

"Someday, I'm going to sketch the face you make when you come for me, pretty girl." She gives me the most adorable smile. I hold my fingers up to her lips and she opens her mouth and sucks them clean. "You're a dream come true, Lexi."

"Because I'm as disgusting and dirty as my mother thinks I am?"

"Because you've reminded me how to live." She moves closer and cuddles against me again. "And why I want to."

"I think she invited you to dinner tonight."

"You're kidding."

"Nope. Don't think too much about it. She likes to do that: get my friends to come over so she can embarrass them or me to where they no longer speak to me. She'll probably have Noah there so he can swoop in and save my soul after she berates me for how horribly I treated her or how I gave my body to Satan."

I hold my hands up, giving myself devil horns and flicking my tongue at her until she laughs. "Let's go. Let's show them you're with me and you're happy."

"You think they care if I'm happy?"

"I promise I'll stay calm and we'll have a pleasant conversation. If it goes south, we'll leave. They'll either respect that we're together or we both walk." I kiss her cheek. "Or I could go full neanderthal and fuck you on the dinner table. Tear your pretty clothes right off your body while you scream my name so loud your mom has a heart attack."

"No, I want you all to myself. No one else needs to see how pretty you are when you fill me up, but we can absolutely play that out on the kitchen table before we go."

We get to our stop and spend a few hours meandering around the small historic town. We start at the Mission first, since it's the farthest spot from the train station. I snap pictures of the exterior, the bookstore, and even get permission to take pictures of the interior. We got a few interesting looks from the caretakers. I guess they didn't think Lexi screaming when I snuck up behind her and grabbed her ass was as funny or cute as I did. We head back outside and I turn the lense on Lexi. She's still so shy around the camera, but fuck, is she beautiful. She's changed my damn life and I can never repay her, but I'm going to do my best.

Lunch is at a small cafe near the train station. It's nothing fancy, but it's calm enough at this time of day that we can get a little more work done. I touch up a few images and send them off to the shop so we can pick them up tomorrow and wrap this part of the project up.

"Can I ask you something?" She holds the sandwich up to me.

While staring at the screen, I take a bite and finish typing the email before closing the lid. "Always, Angel," I reply, giving her my full attention. I can sense the seriousness in her question as she nervously chews her nail.

"Why does your sister hate you so much? What's her deal?"

I take a deep breath and sit back in my chair, trying to think of how to tackle this question. I'm actually surprised it didn't come up sooner. "The short version? Because I was born first and a male. Mom resented that, and passed that on to Elle because it was what she knew. That's the hardest part; I don't blame either of them for how they feel. I just wish they knew that I don't want to take anything from them. I never have."

"Sometimes I think my mom resented Bex and I. Do you know why your mom resented you?"

"Well, for starters, she was convinced I was going to take credit for her work. Like because I was a guy, I would swoop in and take her company once I was old enough. She was born in Russia—I don't even know what part—but her father was…well, kind of a tyrant. When she got older and tried to speak up about it, her father would hit her and tell her it wasn't her place."

"Wow, that's fucked up."

"Yeah. Dad said there was more, but she wouldn't talk about it. While trying to escape him, her sister died of some illness and her brother was killed in a mugging. My dad met her in New York shortly after all of that happened, took care of her, and they got married so she could stay in the country, although he really did love her."

I blow out a slow breath and shake my head. I've never shared this with anyone or fully processed it myself. Dad only told me this stuff a few years ago, shortly after trying to contact my mother and Elle to ‘mend bridges', as he put it.

"She said she had feelings for dad, too. I don't know if she ever did, though. Dad put her through college since she was a damn genius on computers. Her father somehow found her and sent another brother to collect money from her. Basically, her father said any money she made was his, and that she belonged to him."

"Did they pay him off?"

"Sort of. Money at first and a place to stay." The lump finally forms in my throat. I can only tell part of the story. I thought I could tell her all of it, but I'm not ready. Not yet.

"Is this the uncle the cops caught?"

"Yeah. I heard he died in jail, but I never followed up."

"Hey," she takes my hand, lacing her fingers into mine before I can hide inside myself again. She was right, she's learned my triggers and tells—or at least most of them. "You wanna go to a petting zoo?"

Sure enough, there's a nearby petting zoo. I take a million photos of Lexi feeding every animal she can. She even threatens to take one of the guinea pigs home, and I have to compromise by promising we'd get a dog. When we get back on the train, I'm exhausted. The late night and early morning finally hitting me and the next thing I know the train lurches to a stop and we're back at Union Station. Lexi is asleep, her head resting on her crossed arms on the table, and I'm wrapped around her protectively.

"Morning, beautiful."

"Afternoon, handsome. Ugh, I think my back is permanently fucked from that position."

"Lucky for you I know some positions to loosen you right up," I laugh, and she elbows me in the ribs. I still can't get over how good it feels to laugh, to honestly laugh. "Okay," I check my watch, "I think we can go to your place and pick up your stuff, have sex, go to my place, have sex again at least twice, and then mess around in the shower before we head out to Hell on Earth—I mean Malibu—for dinner with the Satans."

"You are a menace! Don't forget, we're dog sitting at Chase's house tonight since his brother is on a road trip."

"You just want to fuck in his pool." Before I can kiss her, my phone goes off, nearly falling off the table. I grab it just before it goes and flip it over. Steve's calling me. He never calls.

"Hey Ste—" I don't even get the rest of his name out.

" Dude, I'm in jail. You gotta come get me. "

"You're what ?"

I talk Steve down and finally figure out what's going on, then agree to meet him as soon as I can. I hang up and shake my head. "I need to cancel all the fun we had planned. Steve got pulled over last night on the way home and the cops arrested him. They impounded his car, and he's a fucking mess. They just let him out."

"Why did they arrest him?"

"He said they let him go, claiming it was a mistaken identity issue or something. Fucking Elle, more than likely."

"She can do that?"

"She can…and she already hates Steve. I wish I knew what the fuck she was up to."

"I'll text my mom that we can't make it."

"No, it's fine. We'll go back to my place, I'll go take care of Steve, and meet you at your parent's place."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. We'll get through dinner, go feed Lulu and Pongo, and after that I'll do all kinds of dirty things to you in that stupidly big shower of his." I kiss her and get up to gather our things. "It will be payback for him not being in town to help me with Steve."