Lexi parked outside Tom's house. Her mind was still spinning from what had happened back at her parents' place. She wanted to cry, scream, do something, but numbness had taken over her body. She wondered for a moment if she had dreamt everything, but her stomach twisted when her dad's words replayed in her mind. The hardest part was knowing her family would never see Tom the way she did.

Her nausea returned when she thought about what her parents might do to stop her from seeing him. She knew though, they would never go to extreme lengths like reporting him to the university. Yet it didn't stop her from saying a quick prayer that Tom would be safe and that their situation wouldn't come to light any more than it already had.

Lexi's thoughts traveled to Mindy and Cole. There were so many signs and Lexi wondered how she missed them. Maybe I'm not cut out for the private investigator life after all. She had been so consumed with the case and with Tom that she missed something that was right under her nose. Mindy and Cole? She replayed the combo of their names together in her head.

A tear escaped Lexi's eye and she quickly caught it before it fell off her face. She reasoned that it wasn't so much that they were together but rather Mindy keeping something this big from her. Her chest tightened thinking about how she was keeping something just as big from Tom.

She brought down the car visor and opened up the little mirror on it to quickly fix her makeup. Taking a deep breath in, she gathered her things and went up to Tom's apartment. It's fine. Everything's fine. It'll all blow over tomorrow when everyone's cooled down. Just forget about everything tonight. Be with Tom, and try to have fun.

Lexi waited just a moment after ringing Tom's doorbell. His front step had a potted plant that looked slightly weathered and was fitting for a Halloween decoration.

Tom opened the door with a large smile plastered across his face. Yet, it quickly faltered when his eyes landed on her. "What's wrong?" he asked before a dip appeared between his brows. His hair was styled with an orange tint and parted differently, seemingly for the Ron Weasly effect. Similar to Lexi, he was wearing a wizard robe and a Gryffindor tie over his white button-up shirt.

Lexi tried to muster up some energy and forced a smile. "Nothing!" she said, voice cracking.

"Come in." Tom led her into the condo and Lexi glanced around taking in her surroundings. Tom's place had a large living room with an attached kitchen. Everything in it was neat and organized and the furnishings were mostly gray, white, light blue, or black. It had a modernist and simplistic feel similar to his office, yet still carried warmth with the yellowish-orange hues from the overhead lights and lamps around the room.

Everything in the space was so familiar and so Tom, Lexi couldn't help but love it. "Nice place you got here," she said while still trying to exude an All-Is-Well facade.

"Sit here. Tell me what's wrong." Tom motioned to the large gray couch in the living room.

She followed his directive and he placed himself next to her. "Nothing's wrong, Tom. Your costume looks great! I like the orange hair. It's a nice touch," she said as she wrapped her arms around him for a hug.

He hugged her back for a moment, but gently pushed her off of him with concern still splashed across his features. "There's something wrong. I can tell you've been crying." He pulled her in close to him and pressed his lips against her forehead. "Tell me what's wrong, baby."

Lexi sighed and shook her head despite the flutters in her stomach. "I promise, I will. I just don't want to think about it right now. Is that okay? Sorry, it's just some family drama I'm dealing with. Nothing to be too concerned about though. I'll be fine." Lexi wanted to tell him everything, but she knew it would put a major damper on their evening. She needed time to think through things and assess what it would all mean; for herself, for Tom, and for their relationship. There was too much to think about, and it seemed like a monumental task to try to start sifting through everything.

"Okay. I won't pry, but just know I'm here whenever you want to talk. And I think it'd be good to talk it out with someone." He gently placed a hand on her cheek and she leaned into it, relishing the comforting touch.

"I will tell you. Trust me, I promise. For now, let's just go have some fun." Lexi smiled and this time, it reached her eyes.

"Okay." Tom returned her smile hesitantly. It was clear he wanted to ask her about it and a twinge of guilt slipped through her.

"Are you ready to go?" Lexi got up and held out her hand.

Tom clasped it and pulled Lexi back down to sit on his lap. She giggled and settled herself comfortably on him.

"I like your costume." His voice dropped an octave when he whispered in her ear, "You make a very sexy witch."

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as his warm breath hit her skin. His fingers slowly drew circles on the small of her back. Their eyes locked and heat flew through Lexi. The reality of her current circumstance was hitting her. She was alone with Tom in his apartment. Away from any prying eyes. The thought alone made her body hum with anticipation.

"Can I give you a tour of my place? I spent all day deep cleaning it. I wanted to be like, 'Sorry it's so messy,' just to hear you say, 'What! It's not messy, you're amazing'," Tom said before dishing out one of his gorgeous smirks.

Lexi laughed. "I'm glad you had our conversation all planned out. Yes, please, I want to see it!"

Tom lifted her from the couch. He held her hand as he led her around his home. She laughed upon seeing his Star Wars kitchenware set and had to admit, it did look as cool as he had described.

They continued with the tour, his hand still clasped onto hers. At the rate the butterflies in her stomach were going, Lexi wondered if they would even end up making it to the party. Being here with him was lifting her mood considerably. All she wanted to do was jump into his arms and kiss him senselessly. She wondered if he was thinking the same thing, but the thought of asking made her shoulders tighten.

"Don't mind the mess. I'm a work in progress," Tom said cheekily as he led her to his bedroom which was so pristine it looked as if it was ready to be photographed by a homeowner's magazine.

Lexi giggled. "Yeah, I wasn't going to say anything, but I'm glad you recognize it," she said, garnering a laugh from Tom. She turned her attention back to the dimly lit room. Only bedside lamps illuminated the space which was populated by a king-sized bed, a large desk with two monitors, and a mid-sized black chest of drawers. Attached to the room were a closet space and a bathroom. And along the white walls, various framed photos of smiling faces gave it a homey feel.

"This is dangerous," Tom said in a low voice forcing Lexi to look back at him. His blue eyes seemed to grow a shade darker.

"What is?" Lexi asked softly.

"You. Here. In my room. Alone with me." The look in his eyes sent a chill down her spine. "I've thought about it quite a lot over the past few months."

Lexi's breathing hitched. "What kinds of things did you think about?" she asked slowly. Her cheeks grew hot when she heard the words that came out of her mouth.

Tom smiled and shook his head. "We should go to the party."

"I don't want to go to the party anymore," Lexi said as she moved to sit down on the edge of his bed. "And I want you to show me things you've been thinking about." She paused before adding, "Well, some of the things." Her heart was beating fast as she waited for Tom to respond. She knew he was trying to be respectful and she wanted to give him the green light that she was okay with doing certain intimate things with him.

Tom bit his bottom lip and raked his eyes over her body as she leaned back on the bed. "Once you do stuff like this, there's no going back. Are you sure?"

Lexi nodded, but then quickly closed her eyes. "No sex, though," she said in a whisper.

"Of course not. I promised," Tom started and Lexi opened her eyes to see him standing over her at the edge of the bed with a serious look on his face. "I just want you to feel good. Is that okay? Is it okay if I get your mind off of everything that's been stressing you out for just a little bit?"

Lexi gulped down the dryness that threatened her throat. While she'd been having frequent dreams about her and Tom being intimate, nothing could have prepared her for the intense rush that ignited every nerve ending from the anticipation alone. It was as if she was in a desert and water was being presented to her on a silver platter.

Without another thought, she grabbed his tie, pulling him toward her, and crashed her lips onto his, desperate to take the ice-cold water and gulp down every last drop.

***

Be sure to turn the AC on for the next chapter. Things get spicyyyy! 🌶️🌶️🌶️