Chapter Text
the sun don’t shine when i’m alone / i lose my mind and i lose control / i see your eyes look through my soul
June 5th, 2019 - 7:00 AM
When Fez woke up that morning, the red numbers on his digital alarm clock read 7:00 AM and Lexi’s side of the bed was empty. As far as he knew, that was strike one and two.
How the fuck she leave without me knowin’? thought Fezco, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. In his line of work, Fez had to be ready for anything to happen—good or bad. What was the point of him taking the left side, closest to the door, if he slept through every fucking thing?
Shaking his head, Fez got out of bed and pulled on a pair of pajama pants. The room was dark, shades drawn—a real tripping hazard. He spent a good few minutes trying to find his cigarettes and lighter before swiping them off the bedside table.
Swinging the door open, it was like God said “let there be light” or some shit. Too damn early for this, he thought, shielding his eyes.
Fez had never been a morning person. Then again, neither was his grandma, but comas didn’t really care about that.
Crossing the hallway, he checked on her. In times like this, so early in the morning, he could almost pretend she was asleep like everyone else. Dreaming peacefully. Ready to wake up after a few hours and steal his smokes. The beeping of her heart rate monitor kind of took away from that fantasy.
“Mornin’, grandma,” Fez said, venturing deeper into the room. “How you doin’?”
Her vitals were good. Ashtray was probably in here earlier. Her piss bag was new and empty. Either that or her kidneys were failing, and Fez didn’t wanna think too much about that possibility.
He fluffed her pillow. “Aight, I’ll see ya later,” Fez said.
Hands in his pajama pockets, he made his way past the living room and to the dining area. He could see Lexi moving around in the kitchen. Ash sat at the table, eating a bowl of cereal and scrolling through his phone. Fez punched him on the shoulder.
“Hey, man,” he said. “Whatchu doin’ up?
Only Ashtray could angrily eat a bowl of Froot Loops. “Last week of school,” Ash answered.
To be honest, sometimes Fez forgot that Ash was still enrolled in East Highland Middle School. It was mostly a formality to keep CPS off their back. Fez had to call a guy to get the papers drawn up. Ash O’Neill, adopted son of Marie O'Neill. He called in sick a lot. Chronic illness. Either his teachers truly didn’t give a fuck or Fez had finally perfected the art of forging his grandma’s signature. As long as they weren’t asking any questions, that’s all he cared about.
Deep down, Fez knew he wanted more for his brother. Fezco taught Ashtray everything he knew, from basic math to the different types of drugs they sold. But there was a lot more to life than that. As long as Ash was willing to go, Fez was happy to spend weekdays dealing at the shop alone.
“For real?” Fez said, lighting his first cigarette of the day. “That’s wassup. What grade you in, anyway?”
“Seventh,” he said, spoon clanging loudly in his bowl.
“Yo, congrats,” Fez said, puffing out smoke. “Lemme know if you need a ride or somethin’. I gotta drop Lexi off anyway.”
“She’s listenin’ to her weird music again,” Ash said, ignoring Fez’s offer. “It’s too fuckin’ early for that shit.”
“You give her headphones?” Ash gave him a dark look. “Aight, I’ll talk to her, damn.”
As Fez shuffled to the kitchen, he drank in the sight of his girlfriend. Lexi stood at the stove with her back turned to him, dancing along to music Fez couldn’t hear. She wore a pair of tiny jean shorts and a plaid yellow top, all ready for the day despite the godawful hour.
Her hair was tangled with the white headphone cords. Cigarette hanging from his mouth, Fez wrapped both arms around her waist. “Mornin’, Lex."
“Good morning, Fez,” she said, smiling up at him. She took out the earbuds and placed them around her shoulders. “Are you hungry? I’m making food.”
She had half the fridge out on the kitchen counter and an empty pan in front of her. Raising his eyebrows, he put his cig between two fingers and kissed the side of her neck. “Hell yeah, I’m hungry.”
“Stoppp,” she said, giggling but pushing him away. “Go sit over there or put that out. I don’t want smoke in my eggs.”
“Bossy,” he said, stubbing out the cigarette and jumping up on the cabinet. “Ash said you was listenin’ to your weird music again.”
Lexi rolled her eyes while cracking eggs into a bowl he didn’t know they had. “Hyperpop isn’t weird."
“Hey, that’s what I told ‘im,” Fez agreed, holding up his hands in defense. “You excited for school?”
She poured the mixture into the pan and turned up the heat. “Yeah, finals suck but it’ll be nice to take a break. Plus I have that college class this summer so it won’t be that different.” Lexi sighed. “Is it weird that I’m a little sad?”
“Nah, I getchu,” Fez said, shrugging. “You like school. ’s hard to quit somethin’ you love, even for a lil while.” Just ask Rue, he thought to himself.
Lexi nodded, stirring the eggs with a spoon until they clumped up. They sat in comfortable silence as she cooked.
Fez scratched his beard, thinking about what he had to do for the day. First, eat a bomb ass breakfast that he didn't even have to make himself. Drop Lex and Ash off for school. Head to the store, count the cash in the register and sell a bunch of overpriced Flamin' Hot Cheetos to stoners. Give Grandma her meds at lunch time. Go back to the store, hook up the blue collar crowd—after all, it was 5 o'clock somewhere. Wait until 3:15 PM rolled around and finally, finally it was time for Lexi to come home.
Since when did he measure his days around East Highland's teaching schedule? He hadn't stepped foot in there in years, except for dealing at the winter formal last December. Of course, the answer to that question stood right in front of him—and was currently adding lettuce to his eggs.
"The fuck is that green shit, Lex?" he asked, pointing at the frying pan. Looked like something straight outta Dr. Suess.
"Oh, this? I brought kale from home. It goes really good with eggs," she said, adding some salt and pepper like that'll make it better. At his skeptical look, Lexi added, "What, don't you trust me?"
With my life, he didn't say. "Aight, I trust you." Then, under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear: "Fuckin' green eggs and ham shit, for real."
"Fezco!" she squawked, brown eyes wide as hell, throwing a piece of eggshell at him in fury. He dodged it no problem. "Fine, no food for you then."
"Aw, don' be like that." He laughed and jumped down from the counter, stealing a piece of cheese. He knew Lexi well enough to know she wasn't actually mad. "Lemme make you dinner tonight. None of that kale shit, though."
She pointed the spoon at him. "I'm holding you to that."
hours on the phone, we end up talkin' / past, present, future, all the gossip, goddamn / puppy love ain't what it was, darlin' / feelings that we have are so alarmin'
January 1st-March 10th, 2019
Their meeting on New Year's Eve was a complete accident. He was looking around the room, waiting for playboy to show his face, when a pretty girl sat down right next to him. Lexi was her name. She talked about King James, the Christians stealing Christmas and a bunch of other cool shit.
Talkin’ to you was one of the best parts of my whole year, he'd said. A cheesy line, no doubt, but it was the truth. By the end of the night, he had Lexi's number and Nate Jacob's blood on his knuckles. Fez just hoped he hadn't messed up this new thing between them.
A few days later, she showed up again—at the store this time. For a second Fez thought she came to see him, that he really didn't scared her off, but all Lexi wanted was a drink. Malt liquor, can you believe that shit? Desperate to keep a dead conversation going, he asked if she needed any help and apologized for leaving New Year's without a goodbye.
East Highland Certified Dairy wasn't exactly known for its customer service. That's why he all but told a guy to fuck off over some spearmint gum. Plus, Lexi was looking at the dude like he killed her cat or something. Then the motherfucker acted like he had a gun on him, hand in his pocket and all up in his business. Faye thought he was a cop. Ashtray beat on people for a lot less than that in the past.
Spouting some "concerned father" bullshit, the guy gave him a twenty dollar bill for a bag of Funyons and made a quick getaway. Fez watched him go, the store's fluorescent lights flickering in the background—only adding to the whole creepiness of the situation. Lexi left soon after that, drink in hand. Not that he blamed her for it. Still disappointing as fuck, though.
He spent the rest of the night going over the conversation in his head. Before Fez could stop himself, he typed out a message.
fez
hey
how was ur drink?
Lexi
It was really good. Thanks Fez
fez
ur welcome
did u kno that guy 2night?
From there, Lexi told him the whole story: How Nate's dad cornered Lexi and her sister until one of them gave Fez up. Lexi on her way to tell him, then freaked out at the sight of Cal. But that didn't explain how weird she was acting before Cal even showed up.
Lexi
I'm so sorry
I should've said something at the store
fez
u good
fearless as fuck
thx for tellin me fr
From then on, they texted all the time. Fez was usually the first one to start the conversation. Late at night, early in the morning—he just couldn't help it. Lexi would talk about studying for the SATs or random facts about history, and Fez hung onto her every word like a fucking lovesick puppy.
Clearly he was doing something right, because she would show up at the store more often than not, peddling her little bicycle to the bad side of town without a care in the world. Fucking fearless. She sat on the counter next to the register, talking to him in between customers—especially happy when Faye wasn't around, for some reason. What was that all about?
Eventually, Custer came back and took Faye with him. And Cal...Cal never did show up again. Whether it was the butt of Ashtray's gun or the truly confusing conversation about Jewel, Fez was just glad to get rid of his crazy, stalking ass.
A month or two passed by. Fez and Lexi were friends. Good friends. Hell, she was probably the best friend he ever had, besides Ash.
Fez knew he wanted more.
They finally got together in early March, right after Lexi's spring recital ended. Fez could tell she was shocked when he showed up with flowers. But fuck, she deserved them—This is Life was hella good. She wrote and directed a whole ass play, like Steven Spielberg or some shit. Ask anyone and they'd tell you it was a huge success.
There was obviously a lot of truth to what she wrote. A lead character constantly in the shadow of her older sister, who was desperate for love and looked for it wherever she could? A best friend, addicted to drugs and dealing with a bunch of girlfriend problems because of it? Fez knew he was slower than most, but even he could put two and two together. Had Cassie and Rue actually came to watch the play, they probably would've had a problem with Lexi putting their business out for the whole world to see.
Cassie and Rue didn't show, but Fez sure did. Went to see it more than once. And she wasn't even his girl yet, that's how down bad Fez was for her. A few months of her coming to the store, texting back and forth, and Fezco was acting like a goddamn groupie. It was fucking embarrassing. He snuck in and out without her knowing each time. That is, until the final night.
The flowers were from a local florist. Surrounded by roses and daisies and other frilly shit, Fez felt really fucking out of place. Maybe it was his scar or the way he talked, but the lady at the cash register was gripping her damn pearls like he was gonna take them straight off her neck.
"Yo, how much for these?" Fez asked, pointing at a batch of yellow and white flowers.
"Those are $50," said the old lady.
For fuckin' flowers? he thought. Next time, Fez would just steal some from his neighbor's garden.
(If there was a next time.)
"Aight, bet." Fezco pulled out his wallet, paying her in cash. "Here."
Fezco sat with them in his lap for the entire play. What was he—a little girl, wishing on flower petals? She loves me, she loves me not? He tried not to think any more about it.
After the cast gave their final bow, a girl stepped up to the microphone. "Let's give a round of applause to our fearless writer and director, Lexi Howard!" said Bobbi. Fez gave a loud whoop. "We couldn't have done this without her. Lexi, is there anything you'd like to say?"
Bobbi jammed the microphone in Lexi's face. "Oh, um," she said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Thanks for coming to our show. Live in Grace!"
The crowd erupted in another round of applause. Afterward, Fez made his way to the stage. Lexi was gone.
"Hey, Bobbi," Fez said. "You seen Lexi?"
"I think she's by Hair and Makeup." The girl was carrying a box of props, setting them down with a sigh. For him being the town dealer, she didn't seem too worried about him asking. "Tell her I need some help. The whole crew went to wrap dinner at Applebee's and didn't clean up."
"Ah, shit," Fez said, scratching his head. "I'll send 'er over. Thanks, Bobbi."
Lexi wasn't by Hair and Makeup, or the prop closet, or the women's restroom. (Yes, Fez did yell "Yo, Lex, you here?" No one answered, which was probably a good thing.) He eventually found her in the back row of the theatre, staring up at the stage. Even Bobbi had left by then.
Fez stood in the aisle, shifting from foot to foot. He clutched the flowers with a death grip.
"Lexi?" he said, trying to get her attention. She kept staring straight ahead. "Yo, Lexi. Whatchu doin' back here?"
Lexi shook her head, like she was shaking the thoughts away. There were tear tracks on her cheeks. Finally, she looked over at him, mouth shaped like an "o" in surprise. "Fez? What are you doing here?"
Chuckling, Fez gestured with the bouquet. "Asked you first," he said, moving to sit down.
She laughed weakly. "Fair enough." Then, staring at the hands in her lap, she said, "I, um...I just wanted to remember this night, you know?"
"Yeah, I getchu," Fez said. "Ion know much about plays, but that shit was dope. For real."
Wiping her tears, she gave him a small smile. "Thanks, Fez."
"That part where Grace bitched out 'er sister?" Fez said, thinking back. "Goddamn, 'bout time, huh? Fuckin' had it comin'."
"Yeah, the real thing isn't quite as satisfying." Lexi shook her head. "Cassie always has to have the last word."
Fez scratched his beard. A beat of silence passed. Then, "Ion know. Kinda feels like you got the last word, writin' that play. Donchu think?"
"I guess you're right." Shyly, she pointed at the flowers in his hands. "Are those...um, are those for me?"
"Oh, shit, yeah." Fez pushed them into Lexi's arms. "For the director."
"Wow, thank you," she said, taking a sniff. "They're beautiful. No one's ever gotten me flowers before."
"For real?" asked Fez, eyebrows damn near in his hairline. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. How was Fez the first sorry son of a bitch to get this pretty girl some flowers? "Bullshit. Someone must've got you flowers before. Not even a boyfriend?"
"Oh, uh..." Lexi was blushing hard. If Fez weren't so heated, he would've said something. "I've never had a boyfriend either."
"Now you really lyin'," Fez said. There weren't many people in this world who could lie to his face and get away with it. "How the fuck's that possible, you never havin' a boyfriend?"
"Ion know," she said, shrugging. Damn. They hung out so much that Lexi was starting to sound like him. While he was learning a bunch of random facts about history from their conversations, she was dropping letters and syllables. Not much he could do about that. "No one was ever interested. Well, except Tucker Blake and he didn't text me back after Homecoming, so I sort of let that go on its own."
"Tucker Blake's a dumbass," Fez said, and Lexi burst out laughing. It echoed throughout the empty theatre. "'m serious. How you gonna fumble the ball so fuckin' badly?"
Between her giggles, Lexi said, "I didn't realize you were such a football fan, Fez."
"I'm not, but damn."
After that, they sat in silence for a bit. Fezco's leg was shaking. He knew what he needed to ask—but fuck, it was nerve-wracking. How exactly did you ask someone to be your girlfriend? Especially someone as sweet, smart and pretty as Lexi Howard? She was the whole fucking package.
"Uh, speakin' of that," Fez started, rubbing his scar and unable to meet her eyes. "How you...how you feel 'bout bein' my girl?"
Tripping over his words like a little bitch and couldn't even ask a girl out properly. Fez was ready to get up and hightail it outta there, never looking back, when Lexi grabbed his hand and pulled him closer.
"Oh, Fez." Rough palm against her soft one, he looked up at the sound of his own name. She was looking right at him, all fond and shit. How'd he get a girl to look at him like that? "I already thought I was."
How, how, how?
Fez was a dealer. He may not take much of what an addict says seriously, especially when they're a close friend begging for drugs, but a lot of what Rue shouted that day was true. He's full of shit, making his living off selling drugs to teenagers. The moral thing to do would've been to leave Lexi alone a long time ago.
He wasn't a strong man, either. Not this time. Holding hands with Lexi Howard, picturing a future without her in it, Fez found himself saying five more words. "Can I kiss you, Lex?"
Lexi bit her lip, nodding up and down a bunch of times.
He learned forward. So did she.
They met in the middle.
i tried to hit it while you was gettin’ dressed / you said, “all you ever think about is sex” / i’m like, “oh well, you know me so well / and if this what make you late, i swear i won’t tell”
June 5th, 2019 - 3:15 PM
So that's how Fez and Lexi got together. Romance, fireworks—all that shit. Three of the best months of his life.
It led him to present day, a few hours after a healthy kale and egg breakfast, sitting outside East Highland High School in his grandma's Cadillac.
fez
jus pulled up
how long til u done?
Lexi
I’m getting dressed. Be out in a minute!
fez
send pics or u lyin
jk take ur time ill be out here
Fez put his phone on the dash, nodding along to the music on the radio. The passenger seat was empty. Ash said he would get his own way home. He probably ditched halfway through and didn't want Fez to know. Back in the day, Fezco was doing the same shit.
In times like this, it was hard to think about Ashtray as a kid and not just his business partner. No one was looking out for him besides Fez. Not his teachers, the principal and definitely not their grandma. Shit, maybe Fez should make more of an effort to say how important it is to go to class, but that's not exactly easy to hear from a high school dropout. Fezco lost a lot of credibility on the subject when he decided to leave and never look back.
Lexi, on the other hand, took her education very seriously. As she should. There wasn't anyone in this town better suited for getting the fuck of here—through college, her plays or just sheer will (which Lexi had a lot of). As much as he hated to think about that day, it was gonna happen no matter what. Fezco knew he wouldn't be the one to stop her.
Fuck, I need a cigarette, thought Fez. Pulling out a pack of Newports, he put one in his mouth and went to light it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone approach the car.
Lexi opened the car door and got in. "Hi, babe!" she said, quickly throwing her backpack and duffle bag in the back seat. She was wearing different clothes than she had on that morning, her face unnaturally red and hair slick with sweat.
"Sup, Lex," he said, puffing smoke the opposite direction. "You have a good day?"
As Fez peeled out of the parking lot, he got the full run down. "Coach Larsen made us run the mile for our final, can you believe that? It was hell." Lexi huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Some people walked the whole thing. You know, in protest. Seriously, students have enough to worry about without having to sprint a mile in 100 degree heat."
He smirked around his cigarette. Even though he already knew the answer, Fez couldn't help asking a question. "You walk the mile then? In protest."
Lexi was quiet, then shook her head. "Well, no..." she said. "But I may as well have! My time was 9:10, Fez. 9:10."
"Shit, good thing you ain't runnin' from the cops." They shared a laugh at that. Fez stubbed out his cigarette. Then, after turning at a STOP sign, Fez sympathized. "For real, though, I ain't runnin' no fuckin' mile just 'cause some bald motherfucker says I got to."
"Exactly," Lexi said, taking out her ponytail. "Plus I have to shower now! I'm all sweaty and gross. Good thing I have gym last period or I'd be miserable all day long."
As far as Fezco was concerned, Lexi could never be "gross." He still liked giving her shit, though.
"Yo, I'm glad you said somethin'. Startin' to stink the Caddy up, for real." Fez rolled down the passenger window, scrunching his nose in fake disgust. "Got this fuckin' thing—" He flicked the tree-shaped air freshener hanging from the car mirror. "—workin' fuckin' overtime and shit."
That earned him a slap to the shoulder, which he expected. And before they knew it, Fez and Lexi were home.
(Well, back to his house.)
Lexi headed straight for the bathroom. He said multiple times that it was just a joke, that she didn't actually smell, but Lexi still locked the door behind her. Fez really had to pee, too. And he would never admit this to anyone, not even Ash, but sometimes Fez liked to sit on the toilet and talk to his girlfriend while she showered. Not even in a sexy way, though it was definitely an added perk. Just having a conversation as she washed her hair. It was nice.
That being said, Fezco never knew that dating a woman involved having so much shit in the shower. Each thing had a different name. Shampoo, conditioner, body scrub, face wash. And no, the body oil was not for sex—he asked. Take one step in there and you knock it all over.
(Ash had bitched about this more than once.
Fez couldn't care less. He was just happy to have Lexi around.)
Speaking of Ash, he should probably find out where he was. Fez pulled out his phone.
fez
yo wya
As he waited for Ashtray to text him back, Fezco looked through the fridge for something to eat. Random condiments, leftover Domino's, Lexi's kale. He took out a slice of pizza and ate it cold. Turns out he was hungry, because he ate another. And another. Soon, the box was empty and thrown into the recycling.
His phone buzzed.
ash
store
That was it. Shaking his head, Fez cursed his little brother for being a kid of so few words.
fez
hows business
u need me 2nite?
ash
nah
"Hey."
He looked up from his cell. Towel drying her hair, Lexi entered the kitchen, She wore a pair of his black boxer shorts and a Notorious B.I.G. shirt. "Leave anything for the rest of us?" Lexi asked.
Fezco couldn't help himself. He went up and kissed her—the sort of kiss that could lead somewhere if they wanted to. However, they were in the kitchen, so probably not.
"Got some o' that green shit from this mornin'," he said, hands around her waist. Fez leaned in for another kiss, eyes almost closed and everything, when Lexi pointed a finger in his face.
"Speaking of that!" Looking all self-righteous and shit, she continued, "Don't think I've forgotten about dinner tonight, Fezco. You promised."
For fuck's sake. This girl had a great memory, that was for sure. "If I'm cookin' you food, you at least spendin' the night?"
Lexi didn't like to stay here every night, as much as he would have loved her to. They talked about this before. She didn't want to leave her mom and Cassie alone for too long. When she wasn't there to break up their fights, it could get bad. Like throwing shit, breaking glass, crying on the kitchen floor kind of bad.
She spent the last two nights at Fezco's house. It was probably time for her to go back. Still, Lexi gave him a little peck on the lips and some honest motivation. "Maybe, maybe not. You better get a move on."
Fezco looked at his watch. "It's fuckin' four o'clock."
Lexi hopped on the kitchen counter, next to the stove. She tapped a finger on her chin like she was thinking real hard about something. "Think of it like this. Starting now gives you enough time to burn the food, order us takeout and then have it get here in time for dinner. Whatd'ya say?"
He shook his head in awe. "Fuck, Lexi, you the smartest."
all i ever known is the color gray / your lovely ways bring me sunshine / i found an angel so divine
April 20th-June 5th, 2019
Fez did in fact burn dinner, but the Chinese takeout from down the street tasted much better than anything he could've ever made. They ate on the couch, watching a nature documentary while Fez struggled with his chopsticks.
These were his favorite kind of nights. Neither of them talked much, except for the random comment here or there. "Damn, fuckin' hyena's loud as shit." Or, "How you gonna make me watch two hours o' Simba livin' his life 'n fuckin' kill him in the end?" ("This isn't a movie, Fez. Sometimes they die. And I think you mean Mufasa, babe.") He spent a lot of time watching her, too—loved watched how interested she got in this kind of stuff, pointing out random facts about animals he'd never heard of before. It reminded him of that first night on New Year's Eve.
But right now, two lions were fucking. It got him thinking. "Hey, you wanna have sex tonight?"
Lexi kept looking at the screen, but nodded. "Yeah, sure. When this is over. There's like 20 minutes left."
Sex with Lexi was always great. Awkward at first, but who gives a fuck about that? Hell, he spent the first month or so of their relationship ignoring sex altogether, not wanting to pressure or make her feel uncomfortable.
She actually brought it up somewhere around month two.
"Why don't you wanna have sex with me?" Lexi shyly asked, blushing from her face down to her neck. They were sitting on his bed after a makeout session was cut short because Fez had to "move his car."
He moved his hand off her neck. "Huh? Tha's crazy. Course I wanna have sex with you."
She huffed. "Really? Why don't you—oh, I don't know—have sex with me then?" After that, Lexi got real quiet and looked down at her hands, picking at them—something she did when she was nervous. Nail biting, too. Fez reached out to stop it, holding their palms together. "Is it because I'm a virgin? I get if that's weird and you probably haven't been with a virgin before, but it's not really something I can help. Plus, I read an article in Teen Vogue that said it was completely normal for—"
"Teen Vogue? What're you talkin' about, Lexi?"
"It's a magazi—" she started to say, then rolled her eyes. "Really, that's what you got from that? My point is, Fezco, that I would like to have sex with you." Then, after a beat, she added, "Please. And thank you."
"Lexi, come on." He moved his hand to her neck, rubbing softly. "I jus' want you to be ready, that's all."
"I am," she said, nodding.
"Shit, now?" He didn't think she meant right then. In a few weeks, maybe. But now? Lexi kept nodding her head. "Aight, that's wassup, that's wassup."
She giggled. Lexi leaned forward, pulling him into another kiss. Right as it was getting heated, like they might actually do this thing, she leaned away. "Wait, don't you have to move your car? I don't want you to get a ticket."
Fezco rested his forehead against hers. "Nah, I was lyin' 'bout that. Ain't gotta move my car."
"Oh, really?" she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Really," he said, moving to softly kiss her lips. Eyebrow, cheekbone, nose. Finally, down her neck. It drew out a sound that wasn't quite a moan or a sigh. Just an intake of breath.
They made love that night. He would never call it that out loud—especially when Ash was around to hear—but that was probably the most correct term for what the couple was doing. Not "fucking"—that was too crass—or "having sex"—too obvious. "Making love" made the most sense.
With Lexi, sex was fun and new and felt really fucking good. His favorite part was after, though. If Fez did his job correctly, Lexi usually fell asleep right away. Before their sweat even had a chance to dry, quiet snores would fill the otherwise quiet room. Her long brown hair spread across the pillow like a halo.
Twenty minutes after the documentary ended, and about forty minutes since they went to his room and turned down the lights, Fez found himself staring at a peacefully sleeping Lexi.
His thoughts were a mess. Maybe it was the blunt his smoked after dinner or the way Lexi looked like an angel in her sleep, but it led him to think about something his grandma told him as a kid.
"Your momma had a pure heart," Marie had said, driving the Cadillac from job to job. "But your daddy always took advantage of that."
Fezco could barely remember his mom. Except for a blurry outline of a woman with red hair and freckles, she was a mystery. His grandma didn't keep pictures or old homemade VCR tapes in the house—he looked. How pure can a person be if they left their son with an abusive piece of shit like his father?
The purest person he'd ever met was lying right beside him. Fezco hoped against hope that history would not repeat itself.
Lexi shifted in her sleep, mumbling words he couldn't understand. The alarm clock reminded him of how late it was. As much as Fez hated to wake her, they agreed to end their little sleepover for now. Cassie and Suze were probably waiting, three wine bottles deep and not an end in sight.
"Hey, Lex," Fez said, nudging gently. "Wake up."
"Mhm?"
Lexi's eyes were still closed. Fezco smoothed the hair away from her face. In a soft voice, he continued, "You wanna head home? 's gettin' late. Got school tomorrow."
She turned on her side toward him, tucking one hand underneath the pillow. Lexi said something that sounded kind of like "'m already home." Maybe he misheard. Who knows.
Smiling to himself, Fezco placed a kiss on her forehead and moved to shut off the light.