Chapter 26: Lexa

"Octavia, are you sure I look OK? I want to look good for my first date with Allie."

"Lexa, for the twentieth time. You look amazing! Stop worrying so much. Besides, you need to hurry up to the parking lot, you don't have time to change again. Did you remember to text Clarke about Vegas?"

"Shit! No, you were supposed to remind me."

She laughs, "Are you avoiding talking to her because of what happened last night? Isn't that what I just did?"

"Not funny, O. You know I am nervous stop messing with me. What time is it? Wait, what do you mean what happened last night?"

"It's a quarter till six. Please tell me you're joking with me right now, and you remember singing to Clarke and then kissing her. You have just enough time to get up to the parking lot. Now go!"

"Yeah, I remember, but I'm hoping if I act like I don't, then so will she. I'll text Clarke on the walk-up. See you later."

She just laughs as I head down to the gangplank and start to walk up the walkway to the parking lot where I am meeting Allie. I pull out my phone and text Clarke.

Me: 'Hey, I have a couple of questions for you?'

Clarke: 'OK, this doesn't sound good. What?'

Me: 'Well…I have been asked to step in at the last minute for a UFC fight, and one of my conditions with the promoter is that I can bring along my own doctor. So I was wondering if you would be my doctor for the fight?'

Clarke: 'Um…you realize that I'm technically just a resident, right?'

Me: 'Yeah, but I trust you, and you know what you are doing, so I don't see the problem. Unless you just don't want to do it. If that's the case, it's OK. I understand.'

Clarke: 'No, that's not it. It's just…sure, I'll do it, but at some point, we need to talk about last night.'

OK, is it lying if I don't actually admit to knowing what she's talking about? I should probably just face the music and get it out of the way, but I just don't have the time right now.

Me: 'OK, but I'm not sure I know what you're talking about. One more thing, we have to fly to Vegas tomorrow to meet with Dana and get my physical.'

Clarke: 'Seriously? I don't know about that. Finn is already going to be mad when he finds out I'm doing this at all.'

And there it is, the reason she's hesitant to do this for me, Finn. I don't see what she sees in that cheating asshole, but…I guess it isn't my business. I can't believe what I am about to say, but it is the only thing I can come up with.

Me: 'Don't tell him. Just tell him you are going to hang out with O tomorrow. It won't be a complete lie. Octavia is also going.'

Clarke: 'IDK, I'll think about it and let you know later tonight.'

Me: 'OK, and think about how much you need me to pay you for being my doctor for the two days.'

When I look up from my phone, I see Allie standing there beside a black Mercedes Benz. She looks amazing! She has a light blue cocktail dress with spaghetti straps that hug her body like it was made for her. It stops just above her knees, showing off her amazingly toned legs. Her outfit is finished off with matching heels and a cute little black handbag. She has her hair down with a slight curl to it, and she is also wearing a pair of really hot librarian glasses.

She clears her throat to get my attention. I stutter, "Um…sorry…you look amazing, Princess!"

She smiles, "You clean up nice, yourself. You ready to go?"

I walk over, kissing her cheek before opening the driver's door for her. "Sure am."

We drove for about forty-five minutes before pulling up in front of a place that looked like it used to be a warehouse of some sort. It was huge, and the sign said Foreign Cinema. I looked at Allie, "What is this?"

She smiles, "It's a restaurant that shows a Foreign Film while you eat. They have amazing food and a great atmosphere, plus they are showing Enter the Dragon tonight. I thought you would like it because it's about fighting, but if you would rather go somewhere else…."

"No, this looks amazing." I hop out and open her car door for her and offer her my hand. When we walk in, the hostess told us it would be a few minutes. We decide to have a seat at the bar while we wait. We take a seat at the end of the bar and order drinks. I sit with my back against the wall watching the crowd. Once the drinks arrive, she begins to explain the reason she missed the party after the fights. She says it was because her half-brother got into a bar fight, and she had to go and bail him out of jail. By the time he was released into her custody, it was after four in the morning.

As we wait for our table, we continue talking and getting to know one another. While we talk, I watch as people came and went. Soon I saw a familiar face walk in. It was Finn, but he wasn't with Clarke. Instead, he had his armed wrapped around the waist of the same tall blonde from the dealership, which was in a noticeably short red dress. Allie stops what she's saying to see what I was staring at. She says, "Isn't that Finn, Clarke's boyfriend?"

"Yep, but that's definitely not Clarke. Should I go say something?"

"No, it isn't our business. Plus, it may be Finn's sister or something. We shouldn't jump to conclusions."

I watched as they took a seat at a high-top table. They order drinks, then Finn moved his chair in close next to the blonde's and started whispering into her ear. Soon, he was kissing her neck then her mouth. I had seen enough. I pull out my phone and snap a few pictures before looking at Allie, "I'm sorry, but I can't just sit here and watch him cheat on my friend without saying anything." I got up and walk over to his table. I say, "Finn, funny running into you here and without Clarke again. Who is this?"

The blonde looks up, "Hi, my name is Maria Mastromarino, and you are?"

Before I could answer the blonde, Finn looks up at me, "Lexa, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm on a date with Allie. So what the hell are you doing sucking face with someone other than Clarke?"

He says, "I don't have to explain anything to you."

"Whatever, dude, just know that I will be telling Clarke about this!"

"Go ahead. Clarke isn't going to believe you over me."

"What I should do, is kick your fucking ass right here in front of your whatever she is." I take a step toward him, grabbing him by his shirt and lifting him out of his chair.

He yelps, "What the fuck? Put me down!"

I feel a hand on my shoulder and look to see Allie standing there. She says, "Stryker, what's going on? Why don't you let him go, so we can go watch the movie?"

I look at her and then Finn, "I don't think so. He needs to be taught a lesson about stepping out on Clarke, and I'm just the one to do it."

She says, "He's not worth it! He isn't worth getting into trouble and possibly ending up in jail. Now come on, I want to finish our date. We can tell Clarke about this later."

I let him go, and he falls back into his chair with a thump. He looks at us and starts to laugh, "Clarke will never believe you. We have been together too long, and everyone expects us to get married. She loves me. She won't ever leave me."

I look at Maria and say, "Do yourself a favor and get rid of this jerk. You heard what he said, right? So, what does that make you? His side piece. Don't waste your time with this asshole."

She looks at me with a smirk, "The only reason he stays with Clarke is that it's what is expected of him right now. Once I finish my law degree and take over my father's practice, he is going to finally get rid of her."

Finn cuts his eyes at her, "Shut up, Mo, you don't need to tell this dyke anything."

I quickly pull out my camera, snapping another picture of him and his little side piece, then walk away. I can hear him yelling at me, but I just keep walking. When we get back to the bar, I apologize to Allie. She asks me if I want to leave, but I tell her no. Soon we are shown to our table, where we order our food. While we eat, we talk about a little bit of everything. She told me about being a professional golfer and how she was out of town a good bit. I told her about the yacht, the party, and how I would be fighting in the UFC. The rest of the night went by without any more incidents. I enjoyed the movie and the company. Afterward, she takes me to a club called Warehouse 51 for some dancing.

I was having a fantastic time, but it was getting late, and I had a big day tomorrow. Around 11:30, she drove me back to the dock. We sat in her car silently until I couldn't take it anymore. Finally, I turned and looked at her, "Allie, I had a great time tonight, I would invite you in, but I have an early morning tomorrow."

"I had a great time as well. Can we maybe do this again sometime?"

"I would really like that. Hey, would you like to go to the fight on Saturday with me?"

"Yes, I would really like that. But, um…can I…um…would you mind if I kiss you goodnight?"

I smirk, leaning in to brush my lips against hers. Allie immediately runs her tongue across my lips, and I open them so she can enter. Unlike when I kissed Ash, our tongues battle for dominance before finding our rhythm. We continue to kiss until we need to break for air, our foreheads are touching, and I am looking into her beautiful eyes. "Allie, I had a perfect time tonight, and I do want to see you again…."

She interrupts, "But?"

I smile, "How did you know there was a but? So anyway, I was going to say, but I want to be upfront with you. I'm not really looking for a serious relationship right now. I just have too much going on right now with fighting in the UFC and the yacht. So I'm just looking to have some fun, you know."

I can tell she doesn't exactly like what I'm saying, but she says, "I understand, Stryker, but you should know that I don't have one-night stands. I like being around you, and you are easy to talk to…."

"Whoa…I didn't mean…I think you misunderstood me. I don't expect you to sleep with me. I enjoy your company and want to go out with you again. I just wanted you to know where my head is at right now. I need to focus on the fight and getting used to being in charge of the crew, that's all."

She says, "So, you don't want to sleep with me?"

"Um…I…I didn't say that either. I would love to sleep with you if that's what you want, but I don't expect it. I want you to be comfortable with whatever we do. I would never force you to do anything you aren't comfortable with."

She smiles, "Thank you. I would like to see you again."

I lean in, kissing her cheek. "I would like to see you again, also, princess. I will text you when I get back from Vegas to give you the details about the fight. Thanks for dinner and understanding."

I get out of the car and wave goodbye before walking toward the yacht. I'm about halfway to the Untouchable when my phone rings. The caller ID shows that it is Clarke. "Hello."

She answers, "What the hell are you doing, Lexa?"

"Um…walking to the yacht from the parking lot. What's up?"

"You know damn well that's not what I'm talking about!"

"Um…Clarke…I have no idea what you are talking about. Care to enlighten me?"

"Really, that's how you are going to play this?"

"Clarke, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about the fact that you threatened Finn tonight in front of his friend at the restaurant."

"Oh, so you knew about him going out with someone else. I thought you said that you didn't have an open relationship."

"Of course, he told me that he and his friend Mo were going to the Foreign Cinema to see some fight movie, but that doesn't explain why you were threatening to kick his ass."

"Did you happen to know that this Mo person was the same hot blonde from the dealership? SHE was wearing a short red dress, and Finn was kissing her and basically making out with her in the bar before the movie ever started? The reason I threatened him is that he is a jerk and is cheating on you. He doesn't respect you. In fact, last night when we were leaving the Dragon's Den, he was out front sucking face with some redhead while you were inside."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few minutes. Then, finally, I said, "Clarke, are you still there?"

She says, "Yeah, I'm just trying to decide if I should believe you are not."

"Look, I have no reason to lie to you even if I did, I wouldn't. It's just not my style. Finn basically laughed in my face when I told him I was going to tell you. He said that you wouldn't believe me because you love him and are going to marry him. I get the feeling that this isn't the first or last time he will do this, and the girl, Maria, didn't seem too surprised about any of it. In fact, she is under the impression that once she takes over her father's law firm, Finn will leave you for her. I managed to take some pictures of them at the bar and then another one during the movie kissing, but I didn't want to hurt you, so I hadn't decided if I would tell you are not. Especially after the way, I behaved last night, which I would like to apologize for that. I was going to talk to Octavia to see what she thought, but since you obviously know, I can send them to you if you want."

I wait a few minutes for her to speak. When she finally does, I can tell she is trying not to cry. "I'm sorry, Lexa. I've had a feeling for a long time that he was cheating, but I just ignored it, even after the pictures O showed me last night. Now that I have proof that it's the same girl, I don't know what to do. I mean, I'm fairly sure that some of the group already knew but just didn't want to tell me. It's not that our relationship was great, but it was convenient and expected, and we had fun for the most part. It was what everyone was familiar with. It's what I am used to. My mother loves Finn and his family, which is why I stay with him mostly. I know you didn't ask to hear all of this, but I just don't know what to do!"

"Clarke, I'm not the most experienced person as far as relationships go, but I do know your mom pretty well. I don't think she would want you to stay in a bad relationship for her sake. I think she would rather you be happy. Finn thinks that you are going to stay with him regardless of what he does. I'm not sure why he thinks that, but he does. So, it seems like it isn't just a one-person thing. Don't let what others think influence the way you feel or what you do about how you feel. It shouldn't matter what anyone but you wants or thinks. You need to do what makes you happy."

"Thanks, Lexa. If you still want me to go to Vegas with you tomorrow, I will. I'm tired of worrying about what Finn wants. Oh, can you send me those pictures?"

"Sure, of course, I still want you to go. Can you be here by around nine in the morning?"

"Yes, see you then."

It wasn't long after I hung up with Clarke that my phone beeped with a text from Ash.

Ash: 'Hey, Callie said Asher can go with us tomorrow. What time do we need to be there?'

Me: 'That's great. I told Clarke to be here at nine.'

Ash: 'Sounds good. See you then.'