Lexi wished for all the world that she could wake up the part of her that had been in love with him. She supposed that part of her had been dormant for so long that she’d forgotten how to use it. Or maybe it was another part of her that had died with Ollie. The part that had shut out love. Faking it wasn’t out of the question, though. She was still very good at that.
She coaxed a smile forth, filling it with warmth. Not much, but enough to hopefully keep him from walking away from her before the conversation had a chance to get off the ground. “It has. We both know how long it’s been.” Time has changed us both.
It wasn’t all that good to see her. Lexi understood. She didn’t point out that she knew he was probably lying. Instead, she kept with the flow of the conversation; the pleasant niceties of strangers who used to be lovers.
When David asked about the meeting they were supposed to have Sunday, Lexi exhaled and looked at the ground. She’d been as prepared as she could be to pass him the information that day, but now… Now she wasn’t so sure she had it in her to go through with it. Her bravery had faltered, and she just… wasn’t sure she had the heart to use David like her plan called for, even if it meant saving him from a worse torment by Tallis.
“Just that I’m sorry,” she said, turning toward him and wringing her hands anxiously. “For how I left things. I’ve said it a hundred times already, but never to your face, so… that’s what I wanted to do. I think I would’ve said it more eloquently a few days ago, but…” She breathed a laugh. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”