It's two days later, and Alexis still can't escape the feel of Zane's stubble, and cheek against her lips. It had been a split second, a moment's folly, barely even that. Honestly, she's surprised that she's even thinking about it. It's not like she'd kissed him full on the lips or anything. It had been an innocent little gesture, a token of affection. She doubts that her old friend will even have thought all that much about it.

It had been an innocent little thing between two friends. That was all.

Yet even in her classroom, she finds herself thinking back to it. More than once, as she waits for her students to copy something down, or finish their exam papers, her mind takes her back to that evening without her really wanting it. She feels silly for it. She isn't a girl anymore, nor a love struck puppy. A little innocent peck on the cheek between two friends really shouldn't have troubled her at all. The French did it all the time, didn't they?

She hasn't heard from Zane, and doesn't really know what to make of that. In truth, she's not sure she likes the radio silence all that much. She wonders if she might have angered him. In Duel Academy, he'd never had any time for such things: refusing politely, and then more firmly. That was if he'd even picked up on them at all. Alexis wonders if it might have flown over his head again. In a way, she hopes that it has.

But what if it hadn't?

It eats away at her for all of two days. She almost does something insane, and comes close to calling her big brother to ask for his advice. Thankfully, a flash of lucidity reminds her why that is an absolutely terribly idea, and dissuades her from doing so. She knows that she would never hear the end of it. So she paces back, and forwards. She imagines herself wearing a hole in the flooring as she does do. The woman comes, and goes. She changes her mind at least a dozen times.

Finally, with a curse hidden under a mutter, she slips on her coat, and sets off.

She needs a bus pass. Before this whole thing with Zane, she'd managed to cope without one. She's lucky enough to live within comfortable walking distance of the school, and she'll usually skip on crowded public transport. Now that she's heading into downtown Domino city however, she can definitely see the use. So it goes down in her diary, as a part of her to do list. She's began to know the journey well enough. She no longer has to check the map to see how many stops are left, and even the streets begin to look familiar.

She hops off at the stop, and makes her way into Zane's apartment building. She still has Atticus' set of keys. In all likelihood, she won't need one. Her old friend is in, far more often than he's out.

As she grows closer to the door, she becomes nervous. She wonders what sort of a reception she's likely to get. A couple of times, Alexis even comes close to turning round, and going back home. She feels childish, almost stupid for doing this. If she stays, it's only because she knows that she isn't going to find any piece of mind until she does this. It's just a little "hi" at the end of the day.

She knocks when she gets to his door, and waits. It takes him longer than it should. She grows worried. He can't know it's her. That means either he's out, or he's in no state to get to the door. She allows him some more time, before knocking again. Nothing. She takes a breath, and weighs up her options for a moment. This isn't a building that she wants to be hanging around in, more than necessary. In fact, she's been explicitly told not to for her own safety. It isn't exactly the Ritz.

She's about to move on, when she hears something from inside. It's a clatter, and instantly her world comes to a stop. It's easy to envision worst possible scenarios. Zane's heart could give up on him at any moment. It's so terribly weak.

Instantly, without really thinking, she reaches into her purse and grabs the set of keys. It only takes her a few seconds to open the door, but her heart is in her mouth the whole time. All of a sudden, she can't hear anything coming from the other side. She's very close to shouting, but panic serves to render her mute.

She tears into the room without waiting. Her eyes dart around, but can't quite seem to find Zane. There's no sign of the man. She's certain that she heard a noise. The woman tiptoes inside. She looks around. Her heart is thundering within the confines of her chest. She feels herself tremble a bit. Then, suddenly, she spots him. He's lying on his back, half underneath the kitchen sink. There's a mess of utensils all around him that he struggles to make sense of. She doesn't care about them so much as the man nearby. She races over to his side, already trying to recall the basics of first aid, and CPR.

"Zane!"
"Yeah?"

Instantly, she stops. From underneath the sink, Zane pops his head out, wrench in hand. He's filthy dirty, and drenched to the bone, but he's both alive, and conscious. It's two very simple things that somehow she struggles to come to terms with. She's missed something, she's sure of it, but for a moment, Alexis just can't see just what it is:

"What are you doing?" She asks him, as gradually she pulls herself together.
"Trying to fix the tap!"

The darned leaky tap. She's been nagging him about it for weeks. She's just surprised that he's decided to actually do something about it. Evidently her nagging has more of an effect on him that she would have ever thought possible. She's about to apologize, when the sound of laughter catches her off-guard. She looks around, expecting to see another person, but finds no one. It takes a few moments before her gaze falls upon a phone sat on a nearby coffee table.

"Aster?"

It's him. He's on the other side of the screen. She frowns, trying to make out his surroundings. Initially, she assumes that he must have been home. After a few moments study though, she can't place the seat he's in, having spent a while in his apartment. It takes her a few seconds to realize that he isn't in a building, but rather an airplane – and a pretty luxurious one at that. She's fairly sure that the seat is leather.

"What are you doing?"
"Zane asked me to help him out with his little DIY project." Aster explained with a teasing grin. "Got to say, I'm loving it. He's almost drowned twice."
"Didn't I tell you to be quiet?"
"You did. I'm ignoring you."
"Lexi, could you pass me the wrench?"

She obliges. There's so much water on the floor, that she only notices now that Zane is drenched to the bone. If they're not careful, some of that is going to end up trickling through the floorboards, and causing trouble for those down below. She wants to think that he has at least come clue as to what he's doing, but the fact that he's called Aster makes her think otherwise.

"Do you know anything about plumbing?" She can't help, but ask the silver haired pro-duelist.
"No. Of course not, but I've got my assistant to look up DIY guides as we speak! I'm just here for the laughs."
"Actually, I think I've got this." Zane informs them, buried under the sink again. "You can shut him up now."

Alexis hesitates, unsure whether or not her old friend is being serious. It isn't easy to tell. So, on balance, she assumes that if he's put off with Aster this long, then he probably doesn't mind him being around. She watches Zane curiously, still trying to work out if he actually has the faintest idea of just what he's doing. He doesn't let it show one way or another. Although she reasons that he wouldn't be quite so drenched, nor so desperate had he known. She settles down next to the phone, and sits on the corner of the table. It makes it a little easier for her to imagine that the pro-duelist is in the room with her.

"Best in-flight entertainment I've had in a while, that's for sure." Aster notes.
"Please turn that phone off."
"Oh no. Lex, you can't!"

Ultimately, she yields to Zane's request. If she's being completely honest, not having Aster with them suits her purposes just as much as it does her friend's. She reasons that she'll apologize to him later. She can blame it on their big, mean former underground champion who happens to be in the room with her. She sits there, and lets him work. When she's quite certain that her old friend is too focused on the pipes to take any notice of her, she picks up her phone, and looks up the numbers of a few qualified plumbers – just in case.

"So what brings you by here?"
"Do I need a reason?" She can't help, but ask.
"No. I suppose not..."

She watches as he begins to root through a nearby drawer. He pulls out a clean t-shirt, and disappears without much ceremony into a nearby room which she knows to be a bathroom. She remains sitting on the edge of the nearby table, and looks around. The puddle under the sink notwithstanding, the place is a lot tidier. He must have put some effort into getting it all organized. Briefly, Alexis finds herself tempted to go, and inspect the cupboards to see just what he's been stocking them with. She decides not to, and instead gives him the benefit of the doubt. He's making an effort, she can tell.

Alone, and waiting, with the worst of the panic passed, Alexis begins to fret again. She's reminded of just why it is that she chose to come here. In her mind, she relives that little kiss a couple of times. Each of them, she blushes. He hasn't brought it up, maybe she shouldn't either.

Zane emerges a couple of minutes later with a dry t-shirt. He doesn't bother doing much about his hair, and contents himself with brushing it out of his face. If he is thinking at all about what had happened a few nights ago, he certainly isn't letting it show. She watches him quietly, as he makes his way over to the kitchen counter. He sets about boiling himself some water, and starts going through the cupboards.

"You want some coffee?" He asks, without looking over his shoulder.
"Hm?"
"Coffee?" He waved the jar in her direction, so that she could see it.
"Oh. Yes. Please. Thank you."
"You, okay?"

Ill though he might be, she realizes that her old friend is still sharp. It seems like a bit of a contradiction that someone who shuts themself off as much as Zane does could be quite so effective at reading others. He can sense that something isn't quite right, despite her best efforts. Briefly, Alexis contemplates lying, and claiming everything's fine, but then he might see through that too. Instead, she lets out a nervous little sigh.

"You're right. I… Came here to apologize."
"Apologize?" He looks over confused.
"Yes. For the other night."

Zane raises his brows. He looks utterly baffled. She realizes quickly that he hasn't the foggiest just what it is that she's talking about. That somehow makes things both better, and worse at the same time. She can't help, but fidget awkwardly as she wonders how to proceed. Eventually, it's her old friend who turns back round to face her, clearly expecting more of an explanation. She lets out a sigh.

"You know."
"No. I don't."
"I kissed you."
"Oh." His eyes widen briefly. "That."

He made it sound like the most routine thing in the world. In fact, she isn't entirely sure that he's understood just what it is that she's saying. His reaction didn't quite seem appropriate to her. Although, in some ways, it was comforting for being understated. He goes back to filling the two cups of coffee with the now boiled water. Zane offers her the mug as if they're just discussing the weather. It's a little bit disconcerting really.

She waits a moment, expecting something else to come. Nothing does. Instead, he sits down on the couch:

"Why'd you want to apologize?"
"Well… I just- It just happened. I don't know if you?- I don't want to make things awkward."
"Lexi..." He cuts her short with a gentle smile. "I wouldn't have let you, if I wasn't okay with it… Besides, you weren't that drunk, were you?"

Alexis hesitates for a moment, unsure how to answer. She knows what she did, and that she wouldn't usually have done it. Whether or not it was because of the drink, or just the high of the moment, she isn't entirely sure. To blame it all on the couple of glasses that she'd had, might have made Zane think he'd taken advantage of her. She's certain that wasn't the case. On the other hand, claiming that it hadn't had anything to do with it would be taken to mean that she'd kissed her old friend with a clear head.

She catches herself thinking, was that even a lie?

He's watching her, arms folded across his chest, Zane waits patiently for her response. It's very difficult not to blush at the sight.

"It might have loosened up my inhibitions a bit, but that's it."

It's a half way point. She makes her confession, and then waits nervously. Zane doesn't seem overly bothered by any of it. So much so, that she has to wonder if he might not be teasing her a little. She wishes that he were easier to read. With a sigh, the woman looks down into her cup of coffee. She watches its contents mindlessly for a few moments, wishing that her old friend would speak.

Finally, she decides to adopt his approach, and seem nonchalant about it all. After all, evidently it doesn't mean much to Zane.

"Well… I'm glad I didn't upset you."
"That's not the sort of thing which would upset me."

Zane's eyes are resting upon her. She tries her best to ignore them, and seeks shelter behind her mug of coffee. She takes a sip, and tries to cool her nerves. She has to wonder if she might be making mountains out of molehills. It was a little kiss. That's it. A peck on the corner of his lips. Chaste, and with no hidden implications. She thinks…

"Did you come all that way just for that?" Zane asks her softly.
"I… It was on my mind."

He's smiling. She sees that now. It's a sincere one, rather than mockery, and is all the warmer for it. Alexis feels herself relax a little bit in his presence. There's no judgment there.

"Don't tell me you were beating yourself up over it." He speaks gently.
"No." Admittedly, it's a bit of a lie. "Like I said, I just didn't want to make things awkward."

Zane only nods in response, as if he understand everything. Those last little scraps of nerves, and uneasiness ebb away. She looks down at her coffee, and blows on it somewhat mindlessly. It's still a little bit too warm for her to dare to take a sip. Her old friends' eyes are resting upon her, but she no longer feels awkward under his gaze.

"Do you think..." He starts up suddenly, staring at her without blinking. "Maybe you'd like to come to this place I know at the weekend?"
"That sounds ominous."
"It isn't. I swear."
"No duel disks involved?"
"Not on either of us."
"Ooh, mysterious."

He gives her a playful look. She'll admit that she's curious. It isn't a very Zane thing to do. For all that, she isn't worried. She trusts that if he had something to do along the same line as dueling in some dingy bar, he wouldn't include her in it again. No… There's something about that little smile of his which warms her heart a little. It makes her think that he might actually believe that there's some hope. That's something that even a few weeks ago, she would have thought impossible.

So, Alexis Rhodes finds herself smiling at her old friend.

"Well… Whatever it is, I look forwards to it."

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