chapter 5

Lexie breathed heavily, struggling to calm herself down.

She forced herself to stay silent, even as the memory of their kiss—hers and Ram's—played in an endless loop in her mind, like a video tape on repeat.

'Fine, it was a great kiss, hot even, but gee… get a hold of yourself and quit thinking, Lexie,' she scolded herself, glancing around Ram's mini bar.

"You okay?"

Lexie nearly dropped the shot glass she was holding when Ram suddenly spoke.

"Y-yeah, I'm cool. Thank you," she replied, forcing a smile.

"Fine, I am not okay. How on earth can you stay calm after that mind-blowing kiss?" she finally blurted out.

Ram chuckled before answering. "Well, this isn't the first time I've shared a kiss with someone."

He said it so casually, flashing a sweet smile.

"Yeah, 'cause you've had your fair share of women, right?" Lexie retorted sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"You got it right. Quit thinking about that kiss. It should've never even happened in the first place," Ram said seriously, making Lexie frown.

"Now stop right there!" she said, summoning her courage to look him straight in the eye.

"You were the one who kissed me first. And I won't deny that that kiss was probably the most amazing one I've ever had, and now, all of a sudden, you're telling me that what happened between us in your room not so long ago was a mistake?" she fired back, speaking so fast that Ram momentarily paused from drinking.

"I didn't say it was a mistake. In fact, the kiss was amazing. You are amazing. I'm just saying that it shouldn't happen again," Ram clarified.

Lexie stayed silent, shooting him a glare.

"Not gonna happen again?" she asked.

"Nope, not even a peck on the lips."

"And that's the rule between us, Lexie. And I mean, you can't—"

"Stop right there again," Lexie interrupted.

"I object to that rule," she declared boldly.

"And I reject your objection to that rule."

"Then I reject your objection to my rejection of your rule."

"I reje—wait, hold on. These rejections won't stop, right?" Ram frowned.

"I can keep going," Lexie teased with a mischievous smile.

"You're a kid."

"I am not a kid. I'm an adult, capable of making my own decisions, and that includes giving myself to you. And you can't say no to that," she stated.

"That's my new rule," she added.

Ram could only stare at her in disbelief.

"You are unbelievable," he muttered, shaking his head.

"I'm amazing. You said that just a couple of minutes ago," Lexie said proudly, downing the contents of her shot glass.

"So, tell me about the ex," Ram ordered rather than asked.

"What now? Has this conversation turned into an interview? 'Cause I'm telling you, I am not prepared," Lexie joked, making Ram roll his eyes.

"This is actually to help me decide if you can be my 'friend,'" he teased back.

"Really? And you'll tell me to my face that I can't be your 'friend' after you find out how broken I am?"

"Come on, I want to know you. What's your story, Lexie? I don't even know your last name."

"Well, I know yours," she said, forcing a smile.

"You and your ex, go."

Lexie sighed deeply, pausing before she spoke.

"Well, my ex cheated on me," was all she managed to say.

Her brief response made Ram frown even more.

"Your ex… what was he like?" he pressed.

Lexie turned to her drink, took another sip, and then answered.

"Well, he's handsome, he was kind, he's sweet, he cares—no, he cared about me, and at least I can say he loved me," she said, smiling bitterly.

"Hmm. The way you talk about that guy makes me cringe. He cheated on you. Shouldn't you be mad?"

"I am mad, Ram."

"No, I was actually hoping you'd trash-talk your ex because I think that's what you need," Ram grinned.

Lexie laughed.

"I don't need to badmouth him just to prove that I'm mad. And get this—I don't need to show you how mad I am. My ex… for the past six years, he was a part of my life. He was my world for six years. I loved him."

Lexie said this absentmindedly, trying to hold back tears.

"He cheated on you," Ram said seriously.

"He did. You know, I could pray to Mary again and again and ask her to reset time. I could pray to Mary until I become Mary, but I know that even if I pray until my knees bleed, it still won't change the fact that my ex…"

Lexie trailed off, wiping away the tears forming in her eyes.

"That your ex cheated on you," Ram finished for her.

Lexie gave a bitter smile and nodded repeatedly.

"You can't ask your Mary to take back what already happened," Ram said firmly.

"I know…"

"But you know you can ask your Mary to help take away the pain."

Lexie's eyes shot up to meet Ram's, and she was greeted by his warm smile.

"Why do men cheat?" she asked, pushing her glass toward him to pour more liquor.

"I'm not sure. I've never cheated on anyone," Ram said with a smirk.

Lexie reacted quickly, smacking his arm.

"Ow! But I think people cheat because that's just what they do. It's not fun at all, but it's just what we do. People enjoy doing things that aren't fun," Ram said, still smiling but with a serious tone.

"So, are we going to end this night full of drama? 'Cause I can't give you any more advice, Lex," Ram said, grinning.

"Well, you asked," Lexie retorted, rolling her eyes at him before taking another drink.

"Hey, do you want to forget about your ex?"

Lexie's attention snapped back to him.

"Hell yeah!" she said enthusiastically.

"Why, have you made up your mind and decided you're going to f#ck me now?" she asked teasingly, making Ram shake his head.

"Can you pleasure a s#x-deprived man in bed?" Ram smirked.

"Well, that depends…" she shrugged, locking eyes with him.

"I could totally do that, Ram. That's if you're willing to please me in your bed first," she challenged, biting her lower lip.

"If I ask you to give me a mind-blowing orgasm, are you going to do it, Lexie?"

"If you do the same, I will," she replied.

They both paused, and silence filled the room before they burst out laughing.

"Oh gosh, this is so epic!" Lexie said between laughs.

"I'm bad at this," she admitted, trying to stop herself from laughing.

"I know. I can tell. Lexie is not good at flirting. I can finally say that to your face," Ram teased.

"I'm not?"

"You're not."

"Don't judge my flirting techniques, Ram. I can learn," Lexie laughed.

They spent hours talking and drinking, discussing random things.

Lexie learned that Ram was, indeed, a multi-billionaire who owned numerous businesses worldwide. In return, she shared bits of information about herself, carefully avoiding any mention of her connection to Ram's nephew or her real plans for him.

"It's two in the morning, Ram. I think I should go," Lexie said, stumbling as she stood up from the barstool.

Ram quickly caught her.

"It's too late for you to go home. Why don't you just go upstairs and lie down? I'll take care of things here," he suggested, leading her toward the stairs.

"I can sleep here? Ram, I—"

"That wasn't a request, Lexie. I'm telling you, go to my room and rest," Ram ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Lexie sighed in defeat.

"Old man with rules," she muttered.

"Lex," Ram called, gently pulling her back.

Even in her drunken state, she was caught off guard when he kissed the tip of her nose.

"I don't want to rush things with you…"

Later, as she drifted off to sleep, she felt strong arms wrap around her waist.

"What the hell are you doing to me, Lexie?" she heard Ram whisper, just like a dream.