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“It’s only four blocks, Lex, he’s gon’ be fine.”
“What if he gets spooked and runs away? I think we should just get a carrier to play it safe.”
“If I put him in a carrier he’s gon’ get mad at me and spend the whole day poutin’.”
“He's a lizard, Fezco.”
Fezco turned to look at Lexi and let out an exasperated huff. “Baby, you ain't know him like I do.”
Lexi had gotten quite acquainted with Vito, Fezco’s pet lizard, in the past few months. She knew his favorite treats, knew which of his silly little outfits he was least bothered by, and knew that, inexplicably, Fezco and Vito seemed to operate on their own special wavelength.
When Lexi lamented that Titi, her cat, clearly preferred Fezco to her, Fezco felt the need to remind her that there was only one pillow Titi would sleep on at night, and it was whichever one Lexi’s head occupied. Which was all well and good, but Lexi knew that she and Titi were missing some sort of vital bond that Fezco and Vito had developed long before she entered their lives.
Fezco kept insisting that Titi just needed more time, but it had been five months already. If Titi were going to warm up to Lexi, she would’ve done it by then.
They were at a pet store, picking up more cat food for Titi, but had gotten derailed by the idea of introducing Vito and Titi to one another.
It was inevitable—the two were going to have to cohabitate sooner or later. Lexi’s 18-month lease would be up in March, and while she’d never seen herself as the type of person to move in with a romantic partner that quickly, it made sense for her and Fezco.
Plus, nobody ever told her how much fun it would be to plan out what their future shared space would look like. They’d already reached agreements on most of the big issues: they’d take Lexi’s bed, as it was far comfier, and Fezco’s would go into storage until they decided to move into a bigger place, then it would be perfect for a guest bedroom; Lexi had far better cookware, so she’d bring hers and Fezco’s would be a nice gift for Ash when he moved into his own place; Lexi’s couch, which had been a steal when she’d first found it at a thrift store, was clearly on its last leg and could be discarded or, possibly, also pawned off on Ash.
The only remaining issue was Vito and Titi.
Fezco was pushing for a playdate but Lexi didn’t want to try anything with Titi until she was 100 percent positive that Titi actually liked her. Which, at the rate they were going, might not ever happen.
Then Fezco told Lexi that he just held Vito whenever he left the apartment with the lizard, and her anxiety spiked through the roof.
“How about a leash?” Lexi offered.
“That's downright disrespectful, Lex,” Fezco responded simply.
Lexi rolled her eyes dramatically. “ Fine ,” she gave up. “Fine, let your poor girlfriend worry herself to death.”
Fezco grinned before quickly kissing her on the cheek. “Aight, you win, let's get the carrier,” he said, and Lexi wondered if he purposefully goaded her until she pulled out the “girlfriend” card. She knew he liked hearing her say it—in his defense, she'd been unknowingly holding out on him for months.
(When people asked about their relationship, Fezco liked to say that he'd been dating her for six months before she realized they were dating, which skipped some of the more vital points but was still mostly true.)
“Yo, baby, look at these costumes,” Fezco said, dragging her down the aisle to a display of Christmas outfits for lizards.
“Why do they have Christmas outfits out? It’s the first week of November,” Lexi said.
Fezco, ignoring her comment, said, “Hear me out, okay, what if we dress up as Santa and Mrs. Claus, and Titi can be an elf, and Vito can be a reindeer?”
“Doesn’t Vito already have a Santa hat?” Lexi questioned.
“Aight, I’ll be the reindeer,” Fezco said. “If you okay bein’ married to my lizard.”
“I’d love to marry your lizard,” Lexi said suggestively.
Fezco sighed. “‘Preciate the innuendo, but c’mon, Lex. That’s my son .”
“I’m sorry,” Lexi said with a not-at-all-sorry smile.
“You ain’t see me makin’ jokes ‘bout yo’ kitty,” Fezco continued.
“Mm, please do,” Lexi joked, rubbing her hands up and down Fezco’s arm, moving closer to him.
“‘N now you tryna give me a boner at the pet store,” Fezco said, reaching out to squeeze her waist. “Can’t take you anywhere.”
“You love me,” Lexi said, smiling at him.
Fezco leaned down slightly to kiss her. “Too much fo’ my own good.”
Lexi wrapped her arms around Fezco’s arm and leaned her head against his shoulder, taking in the costume display. “I think Vito has more clothes than I do.”
“He’s a fashionable man,” Fezco said. He reached over to tousle Lexi’s hair. “Can I get the costume?”
“You don’t need my permission,” Lexi said.
“Ain’t wanna make decisions my girl ain’t comfortable with,” Fezco said.
Lexi pressed her smiling cheek against Fezco’s arm affectionately. “I support it,” she said. “But you should probably tell Faye before she shows up with the exact same costume.”
“You right,” he said. He took a step forward to grab the reindeer costume but hesitated. “What if we do the elf costume? ‘N they both elves?”
“Vito and Titi?” Lexi questioned.
“Yeah,” Fezco said with a shrug. “‘M serious. We can make it our holiday card or som’n.”
Lexi smiled warmly, taking in the oddly nervous look on Fezco’s face. “Are we doing holiday cards?” she asked softly.
“Course we doin’ holiday cards,” Fezco said with a scoff. “Gotta have some good artifacts to show our grandkids someday.”
When Fezco said things like that—which happened often, and almost always randomly—Lexi chided herself for ever thinking he wasn't in this as deep as she was. He’d proven himself, over and over and over again, despite how much she pushed him away due to her own confusion.
“We might have to do some photoshopping,” Lexi said. “I don’t think Vito and Titi will be photo ready.”
“You worry too much,” Fezco said.
“You don’t worry enough ,” Lexi replied.
Fezco smiled and kissed her cheek. “Reindeer or elf?”
Lexi thought for a few moments. “I like your original plan. Vito as a reindeer, Titi as an elf.”
Fezco grabbed the reindeer costume off the shelf. “Let’s go find us an elf costume,” he said, throwing his arm around Lexi’s waist. “‘N plan a playdate, gotta get the kids acquainted.”
Lexi let out a dramatic sigh as they started walking toward the cat aisles.
“Yo, you think Suze’ll put us on her fridge?” Fezco asked with faux-nonchalance.
“We’re definitely going on the fridge,” Lexi said, smiling to herself. “If we’re really lucky, we might make Facebook.”
Five Months Earlier
Lexi knew Fezco hadn’t signed up to meet her mother. She knew she had no right to ask him to meet her. It wasn’t even worth mentioning to him. She could easily come up with some excuse as to why he couldn’t make it.
“My mom is coming to visit next weekend,” Lexi blurted out.
“Should I meet her?” Fezco asked.
“You don’t have to,” Lexi said.
Fezco removed his hand from underneath Lexi’s shirt and took a half-step back—a half-step was all that was allotted in the broom closet down the hall from Lexi’s office, where they’d been embroiled in a makeout session until Lexi’s outburst.
“I should prolly meet her,” Fezco said.
“I can just make an excuse,” Lexi said. “And, I mean, it kind of works, right? Like, you avoid meeting my mom, and then a few weeks later, we break up?”
Fezco was silent for a few seconds. “Makes me seem like an asshole, don’t it?” he said quietly.
“Okay, well, I avoid having you meet my mom, then,” Lexi said, crossing her arms.
Fezco nodded slowly. “Or, I could just meet yo’ mom.”
So, it was settled. Fezco would meet Suze.
Lexi tried to prepare him, but Fezco was very insistent that mothers love him and he would require no prep. Which would be fine. Probably.
It was just that . . . Lexi had a complicated relationship with her mother, like any woman in her 20s does. And the more she stressed about it, the more she realized she wasn't worried about Fezco making a bad impression—she was worried about Suze making a bad impression.
It was silly. It didn't matter if Suze seemed erratic and mean in front of Fezco—they'd never see each other again after this one encounter.
Still, the stress was radiating off of Lexi, and, as always, Fezco noticed.
“You worried 'bout me meeting yo’ mom tomorrow?” he asked as they took an evening walk through their shared neighborhood.
“That obvious?” Lexi asked, squeezing his hand.
Fezco smiled at her gently. “What’s stressin’ you?” he asked.
“I don’t want to unload on you,” Lexi said, shaking her head.
“Lex, c’mon now,” Fezco said, pulling her closer as they slowed to a stop at an intersection. “I’m here for you.”
Lexi sighed. “I have a complicated relationship with my mother,” she said. “Let's just leave it at that.”
Fezco nodded, then pulled her into a hug. “It's gon’ be okay,” he quietly assured her. “Anything you need, you let me know. You need me to fight yo’ mom, I will.”
Lexi pulled back with a giggle. “You don’t need to fight her,” she said. “I love my mom, it's just . . . I guess you'll see.”
Fezco brushed a loose curl behind Lexi’s ear. “How ‘bout we pick up some junk food so you can decompress after dinner tomorrow?”
“That sounds perfect,” Lexi said. “Thank you.” She rose up to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, but as she pulled back, Fezco turned his head to steal a kiss on her lips.
Lexi hid her blush against his arm as they continued walking.
The following day was nothing short of exhausting, as Lexi spent the day with her mother and sister. There wasn't too much drama, though there was an incident at the mall as Lexi reached for a nice pair of plaid pants and her mother scoffed and said something about Lexi dressing “manly.” It made no sense, until Cassie came out of the dressing room in a ridiculous frilly pink dress and Lexi remembered the standard she was being held to.
Sean had beaten them to the restaurant and learned that the entire party had to be present before they could be seated, so he greeted the women out front and, as far as Lexi could tell, made a dashing first impression on Suze.
Fezco wasn't late, per se—the reservation was for 7 and it was 6:57. But the rest of the group was basically twiddling their thumbs waiting for him, slowly raising Lexi’s anxiety levels.
Soon enough, Lexi saw Fezco rounding the corner, carrying flowers, and her heart leaped as a secret smirk crossed her face. She rushed over to greet him and he ducked down to give her a kiss on the cheek.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered. “How was today?”
“Not so bad,” Lexi whispered back. “We’ll talk about it later.” She led him over to where everyone else was gathered. “Mom, this is Fezco,” she said.
“Ms. Howard,” Fezco said, stepping forward and holding out his hand for her to shake. “It's a pleasure to meet you.”
“Please, call me Suze,” Suze said, shaking his hand, throwing a secret, approving look toward Lexi.
“These are for you,” he said, handing over what turned out to be one of three bouquets. “And for you,” he said, turning to Cassie as he handed her another bouquet.
“Those must be for me, then?” Sean asked, gesturing to the last bouquet, and everyone had a good laugh at that.
Fezco handed the last bouquet to Lexi as Suze proclaimed, “that is just so thoughtful.”
As they walked inside, Cassie pulled Lexi back.
“Having him bring flowers is cheating ,” she quietly accused.
“I didn't tell him to do that,” Lexi replied, stifling her smile.
As they approached their table, Lexi watched with satisfaction as Fezco pulled out Suze’s chair for her.
“Such a gentleman!” she exclaimed, and Lexi caught Fezco’s eye as he winked at her from across the table. Once Suze turned her head, Cassie punched Lexi’s arm.
“Ow!” Lexi softly shouted.
“Girls, no fighting,” Suze scolded despite the girls being out of her line of sight. A mother’s intuition. “Acting like children,” she sighed, mostly to herself.
“Sign of a healthy sibling relationship, in my opinion,” Fezco said, taking his seat, smiling over at Suze. “Lucky they ain’t boys, they’d be knocking over tables ‘n shit.” After a pause, he added, “‘Scuse my language.”
Suze stared at him blankly for a second before erupting in laughter. “He’s funny,” she said to Lexi, who in turn smirked at Cassie.
Dinner went off without a hitch, and Fezco was doing his best work yet. Lexi could tell Sean was taking cues from him, and she felt a little bad about it. Sean was the one who actually had to prove himself, yet Fezco was clearly stealing the show. He asked all the right questions, gave all the right answers, and if Lexi had another glass of wine she'd probably try to give him a reward blowjob for handling her mother so well.
When the check came, both Fezco and Sean reached for it before Suze swatted both their hands away. “You've impressed me enough!” she exclaimed. “My treat.”
Outside the restaurant, Fezco and Sean held back to allow Suze to grade their performance.
“They're wonderful,” she said, smiling at her daughters. “And you both seem very happy, which is all that matters to me.”
Cassie gave Suze a quick hug before her and Sean had to run off to catch a movie, leaving Lexi alone with her mother.
“Sean is just so wonderful for her,” Suze remarked, watching the two walk down the street.
“He is great,” Lexi said softly. “And Fezco?”
Suze smiled, glancing over at Fezco, who was still hanging back to allow them some privacy. “I like him,” she said, simply. “But I always knew you'd pick a good one. You don’t need someone the way Cassie does. I don’t have to worry about you.”
The comment was a punch to the gut. It was stupid, maybe, that Lexi wanted her mother to worry about her. But just because she didn't need someone, didn't mean she didn't want someone. And shouldn't her mother care about who she wanted?
Her thoughts were interrupted as Fezco approached them.
“Suze, lemme give you a ride back to your hotel,” he said.
“Fezco, your car is like ten blocks away,” Lexi said. “The hotel is closer than that.”
“It's a nice night, anyway,” Suze said, smiling. “I think I’ll enjoy the fresh air.”
“At least let us walk you back, then,” Fezco insisted.
“ Such a gentleman,” Suze said to Lexi before she smiled back at Fezco. “Let's go!”
Fezco offered his arm to Suze as they started walking in the direction of her hotel, Lexi hanging back a few steps, stewing.
Fezco had been perfect . Sure, he'd gone a little above and beyond, but it wasn't forced , it was genuine . He was always so genuine . He deserved better than an “I like him.”
Lexi watched as Fezco and her mother laughed about something a few steps ahead of her. He really knew how to turn on the charm. If she weren't so pissed at her mom, and if her relationship with Fezco were real , she would probably appreciate the moment.
She lingered back the entire walk, unable to hear their conversation, and she would think they'd completely forgotten about her if it weren't for Fezco turning to look back at her approximately every ten steps.
Finally, they arrived at Suze’s hotel, and Lexi gave her a tense hug in parting. As soon as the doors closed, Fezco turned to Lexi. “What do you need more than anything else right now?” he asked.
Lexi thought for a moment. “A hug,” she decided.
Fezco wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close, lifting her off the ground an inch as Lexi buried her face in his neck, feeling more secure than any woman should with a man who is only pretending to date her. He set her back down and started to pull back, but Lexi pulled him in again. “Just a little longer,” she mumbled against him.
“Could stay like this the rest of my life,” Fezco said back. Lexi giggled and pulled away from him.
“It wasn't that bad,” she said.
Fezco nodded. “That's good,” he said. After a pause, he continued. “What else you need right now?”
“Ice cream,” Lexi responded immediately.
Back in her apartment, snuggled up under a blanket, with a bowl of ice cream in front of her, Lexi decided to unload on Fezco, who was idly tracing his fingers up and down her arm, watching her intently.
“You did so good,” she started, looking up at him. “And all she said was ‘I like him.’ I mean, Sean was great, but you did so much better, and yet, she was gushing about him !”
Fezco smiled softly. “I did kinda kick his ass, didn't I?”
Lexi playfully punched his arm. “You're missing the point.”
Fezco grabbed her hand, interlocking their fingers. “I think she was gushin’ ‘bout Sean ‘cause she's worried it ain't gon’ last. And she ain't worried ‘bout that with us.”
Lexi’s brow furrowed. “What makes you say that?”
Fezco studied her face for a few seconds, hesitating. Finally, he said, “Because she told me.”
“What?” Lexi asked, letting go of his hand and scooting an inch away from him. “When?”
“On the way to the hotel,” Fezco responded.
“What did she say?” Lexi pressed.
Fezco shrugged. “She was sayin’ she hopes she sees Sean again, ‘cause he seems real good for Cassie, ‘n I was jokin’, sayin’ I hope she feels the same way ‘bout me, ‘n she goes ‘I think we both know you'll be around a long time.’ Or somethin’ like that.”
Lexi could tell her face was flushing, but she ignored it. “Oh,” she said softly. “I guess you did a little too good.”
Fezco chuckled, reaching for her hand once more. “That make you feel better?”
Lexi nodded hesitantly before scooting closer to Fezco once more and leaning against him. After a millisecond, she pulled away once more.
“It's just,” she started. “She said something else that bothered me.”
Fezco reached over to rub her back soothingly, urging her to continue.
“She said she doesn't have to worry about me, because I don’t need someone like Cassie does.”
Fezco was quiet for a few moments. “The fuck does that mean?” he eventually uttered.
“Right?” Lexi replied. “I mean, just because I don’t need to be in a relationship doesn't mean I’m not susceptible to making mistakes in one. But she, like, doesn't even care.”
“That's fucked up,” Fezco said. “She say shit like that to you a lot?”
Lexi shrugged. “Kinda. Like, I love my mom, but she's not very secretive about Cassie being her favorite.” She let out a long sigh. “I mean, I’m probably overreacting. It's not like it's a bad thing that my mom views me as independent.”
“Yeah, but she should still care ‘bout what you doin’ with yo’ life,” Fezco responded.
“Exactly!” Lexi exclaimed. “That's exactly it.” She leaned forward to kiss him softly. “It’s too bad I won't have you around for this in the future.”
Fezco huffed quietly.
Lexi moved to retrieve her bowl of ice cream before returning to her position lying against Fezco. “It's funny she thinks you'll be around forever. Little does she know.”
Fezco remained silent, his hand slowly tracing up and down Lexi’s side.
(He would later admit that it hurt his feelings when she said things like that.)
“What’d you think of my mom?” Lexi asked without turning to him.
Fezco’s hand froze. “Feel like that's a trick question.”
Lexi smiled, closing her eyes as Fezco’s hand resumed movement. “It is,” she decided.
She could feel Fezco softly laughing beneath her. “I loved her,” he said.
Lexi turned slightly to look at him. “Correct answer,” she said before kissing him sweetly.
A week after the pet store run, Vito and Titi had their first official “play date.” It consisted of a lot of hissing and hiding and ended with Lexi in tears.
“Now we have to break up,” she sobbed into Fezco’s shoulder.
“We ain’t breakin’ up over this,” Fezco said, rubbing her back sympathetically.
“They hate each other,” Lexi cried. “And we’re both gonna get defensive and we won’t be able to compromise and then we’re gonna break up.”
Fezco sighed loudly. “I think you gettin’ a li’l ahead of yo’self.” He ran his hand over Lexi’s head, trying to soothe her. “Vito ‘n Titi gon’ learn to get along, ‘n we gon’ be together forever.”
Lexi lifted her head up and nodded hesitantly. “You’re right,” she said, followed by a loud sniffle. “You’re right,” she repeated.
The following three attempts turned out much the same way. Fezco suggested that, just maybe, trying to get them to bond four days in a row was stressing them out, which was why each attempt seemed worse than the last.
Lexi agreed, but she was still pretty insistent that this get figured out as soon as possible. Their relationship was on the line, after all.
(Fezco quickly assured her that their relationship was, in fact, not on the line at all.)
So, Lexi agreed to give them more time, and Fezco got two stuffed animals to try to desensitize each of the pets. Lexi ended up sending him back to the store, insisting that the stuffed animals needed to look like their living counterparts, and so what was meant to be a quick errand turned into Fezco and Lexi ordering custom made, highly realistic stuffed animals based on pictures of Vito and Titi. And then Lexi put the lizard plush in Vito’s tank and Titi’s collar on the cat plush in order to “scent” the items. Fezco thought she was going a little overboard, she could tell, but he knew better than to tell her that.
In the end, Vito ignored the cat plush entirely; Titi, on the other hand, used the lizard plush as a kicker toy. Lexi cried over it, and Fezco said, “At least she gettin’ exercise.”
Of course Titi’s the problem , Lexi thought. Just like her mother .
Fezco discovered that the best course of action was to just leave it alone for a bit.
A few days later, Fezco was subjected to a schedule change that had him working on Thanksgiving.
“Baby, I am so sorry,” he apologized to Lexi for the near-hundredth time. He’d stepped away from work to call her immediately and share the bad news.
“It's fine,” Lexi lied. It was not fine, but it wasn't his fault, and so she couldn't take out her frustration on him.
“If I leave right when my shift ends I can make it to yo’ mom’s by 5, I think,” Fezco said.
“My mom’ll be wasted by then,” Lexi said with a half-laugh. “I’ll just ride up with Cassie and you can skip this one, we can do a mini celebration in the evening.”
“You sure?” Fezco asked quietly after a few seconds' pause.
“Yeah, it’ll be fine,” Lexi said.
“And Ash?” Fezco asked.
Lexi had forgotten about Ash. He was supposed to tag along with Fezco and Lexi—a shocker, really, how easily he’d agreed to go when Fezco made the offer.
In Lexi’s honest opinion, the kid would probably be relieved to find his Thanksgiving plans with his brother’s girlfriend’s family canceled.
Especially considering he didn't like said girlfriend.
He’d never outright said it—at least, not to Lexi’s knowledge. Fezco had told her plenty of times that Ash liked her, didn't have any issues with her, honestly, he's just “like that.”
But Lexi knew it wasn't true. Sure, maybe Ash was “like that” but she could still sense that he didn't like her. Honestly, it was Fezco's fault—he’d set her up to make the world’s worst first impression.
“Do you think he'd still want to come?” Lexi asked, chewing on her bottom lip.
“I mean, I ain't wanna just cancel on him,” Fezco said.
“He can definitely come,” Lexi said quickly. “I just—do you think he’d want to?”
Fezco sighed. “You right,” he said. “Kid’s prolly not gon’ go if I ain't there.”
“Maybe it’ll be better this way,” Lexi said quietly. “You two can hang out on your own.”
Fezco was quiet for a few seconds. “You ain’t wanna be there?”
“No!” Lexi answered quickly. “I mean, yes, I want to be there. But I probably won’t get there until kind of late. I just mean, you guys would have some time to yourselves before I show up.”
Fezco let out a long sigh. “Yeah, aight,” he said, and Lexi could hear the disappointment in his voice. She wanted to make things better for him, she just didn't know how. “‘M sorry, makin’ you split up yo’ day ‘n everything.”
“It's not your fault, Fezco,” Lexi quietly reprimanded. “It's just shitty circumstances. Maybe try not to work on Christmas.”
Lexi could hear Fezco’s smile. “Do my best,” he said. “I gotta get back to work, I love you.”
“I love you,” Lexi said back, her face flushing as she said it. No matter how often they said it—which turned out to be very often—Lexi still felt a thrill at acknowledging their devotion. “Have a good day at work, okay?”
“I will, baby, I love you,” Fezco said.
“I love you,” Lexi repeated. Before they could get trapped in an endless “I love you” cycle, Lexi quickly hung up with a rushed “bye.”
The next order of business was to call Suze and inform her that Lexi would be sans guests.
“Oh, but what about his poor brother?” Suze responded to the news. “You're sure he wouldn't want to come?”
Lexi sighed. “He's only coming because of Fezco. He doesn't like me that much.”
“Why doesn't he like you?” Suze pressed.
“I don’t know, Mom,” Lexi replied softly before Suze cut her off.
“Well, there must be a reason.”
Lexi groaned loudly. “I mean, it's not like he openly says he doesn't like me, but I can tell.”
“Honey, I think you're being paranoid,” Suze responded with a boisterous laugh. “Did you even invite him?”
“No, not yet, but I’m sure he’ll say ‘no’ when Fezco tells him,” Lexi said.
“Maybe he’ll want to come,” Suze said.
“Yeah, maybe,” Lexi said.
She couldn't imagine a world where Ash would want to spend that much time with her and her family. She also felt bad—most of his peers were probably back home for the holiday, and he’d be spending the day completely alone. Sure, he’d be able to see Fezco later in the day, but the point of Thanksgiving—aside from glossing over the devastating effects of colonialism—was to spend time with loved ones.
It would be okay, though. Lexi could bring back leftovers for Fezco and Ash, and they’d have the evening to hang out. She’d just have to leave her mother’s early—after enduring a long day of third-wheeling Cassie and Sean—and show up at Fezco’s late, ready for a long evening of third-wheeling Fezco and Ash.
She wished there were some sort of compromise to be reached.
Then it hit her.
“What if I just host?” Lexi suggested before she had even completed the thought.
“ You want to host Thanksgiving?” Suze asked with another boisterous laugh. “Be my guest.”
“Mom, I’m serious,” Lexi protested, though she wasn't all that serious—the logic was coming together quite rapidly. She hadn't yet figured out if it was a good idea, though she was speaking as if it were. “We can get you a nice hotel so you don’t have to worry about driving home late, and Fezco can just come when his shift is over.”
“You gonna cook all that food?” Suze asked.
“It’s six people, Mom,” Lexi said. “I think I can manage.” After a few seconds, she added, “And you can help when you get here, right?”
Suze let out a cackle at that. “Hm,” she pondered for half a second. “Gets me out of cleaning the house. You gonna book that hotel for me?”
And before Lexi had a chance to regret it, she was hosting Thanksgiving.
Four and a Half Months Earlier
“What do you mean he doesn't know ?” Lexi half-shrieked at Fezco as he drove them to Ash’s dorm, where they'd be picking him up and taking him out to lunch.
Fezco had just informed Lexi that, for the entirety of their six-month fake relationship—which had recently developed into a week-old real relationship—his brother didn't know Lexi wasn't actually his girlfriend.
Ash had been duped and swindled, much like everyone in Lexi’s life. The only problem was that everyone in Lexi’s life got to meet and interact with her fake significant other; Ash and Lexi had never met.
Which meant, from Ash’s perspective, he was about to finally meet his brother’s girlfriend of six months, who, up until this point, had been avoiding meeting him.
“He's going to hate me,” Lexi said, burying her face in her hands.
“He's not gon’ hate you,” Fezco said quietly.
“He thinks I’ve been avoiding meeting him for months , Fezco!” Lexi exclaimed, head still buried in her hands. This was a disaster .
“C’mon, Lex, ‘s not like I said ‘she ain't wanna meet you.’ I just said you were busy,” Fezco said, punctuated with a shrug.
“Busy for six months straight?” Lexi shrieked again, dropping her hands.
“You bein’ loud as shit, baby,” Fezco said. “Promise you won't start yellin’ at him, too, when we pick him up.”
“I’m not yelling!” Lexi shouted.
Fezco chuckled before reaching across the console to grip Lexi’s hand tightly. “I promise, baby, ‘s not a big deal at all.”
“Maybe not to you, but this means a lot to me,” Lexi said.
“Means a lot to me, too,” Fezco said. “‘N I promise, he ain’t gon’ care that it took so long.”
“You don’t have to say ‘so long’ like that,” Lexi said curtly.
“‘M just sayin’, I gave you plenty of opportunities,” Fezco said, rubbing his thumb over the back of Lexi’s hand.
“It wouldn’t have made sense for me to meet him, because we were only pretending to date,” Lexi argued.
“‘N the fact that yo’ fake boyfriend was tryin’ to do real couple shit wi’ you, that ain’t clue you in at all?” Fezco asked, throwing a smirk toward her.
“Not in the slightest,” Lexi said, beaming over at him. Fezco pulled her over to give her a quick kiss.
Soon enough, they arrived at Ash’s dorm, idling outside as Fezco informed him of their arrival via text.
Less than a minute later, Ash strolled out of the building. Lexi recognized him from the array of pictures she’d seen from Fezco, but he still looked a little different. A little more intimidating.
“Yo,” Fezco said as Ash opened the back door and slid inside. “This Lexi.”
“‘Sup,” Ash said, nodding toward her. “Cool to see you actually exist.”
Lexi let out a nervous laugh.
“Quit playin’, man,” Fezco said as he pulled away from the curb, starting their journey to lunch.
“Not playin’,” Ash said. He turned his head to look at Lexi. “Thought he got real good at photoshop or som’n.”
Lexi attempted a smile as she looked back at Ash. “Am I really that elusive that you’d think I don’t exist?”
“Elusive?” Ash scoffed. He surreptitiously eyed Lexi up and down. “You out of his fuckin’ league.”
“I don’t think so,” Lexi said with a short giggle.
“Nah, ‘s true,” Fezco said, smiling at her. “Even if he’s just bein’ a shithead.”
Over the entirety of lunch, Lexi tried to forge a bond with Ash, but he was far too standoffish.
“What’s your major?”
“Economics.”
“How do you like your classes?”
“They aight.”
“Are you looking at any internships?”
“Nah.”
She was halfway through asking him if he’d made a lot of friends when Fezco patted her leg gently, signaling for her to be quiet.
Fezco then went on to recount a semi-mundane story about one of his coworkers mixing up two medications. When he’d told Lexi the story, he used generic names, but Ash seemed to fully understand the convoluted drug names Fezco was using.
Midway through the story, Lexi spoke up. “Are you interested in pharmacy?” she asked Ash. He and Fezco exchanged a look. “I can't understand him when he talks like that.”
Ash shook his head adamantly as Fezco smiled. “He's just smart as shit,” he said, nodding toward his brother.
“Man, shut up,” Ash said, sinking into his seat. Lexi feared she shouldn't have spoken up at all.
After they dropped Ash off, Lexi turned to Fezco with a death glare. “That went horrible,” she despaired.
“It was fine, baby,” Fezco said. He moved to kiss her, but she turned her head away in protest, so he kissed her cheek instead, causing her to blush. “You worry too much.”
“Fezco, he hated me,” Lexi argued as Fezco started driving them back to his place. “And I can't say I blame him. Why wouldn't you tell him the truth?”
Fezco idly grabbed her hand. “‘M sorry, baby,” he said. “He don’t hate you. He's just shy.”
“I feel like you're lying to me,” Lexi said. She pulled her legs up on the seat, leaning against the door as her hand remained interlocked with Fezco’s over the console.
“I ain't lyin’,” Fezco said with a half-chuckle. “He's just . . . like that.”
“What does that even mean?” Lexi said, exasperated.
“Shit, Lex,” Fezco said, glancing over at her. “Kid had a hard life. He’s a li’l guarded. Don’t mean he don’t like you.”
“I think it does,” Lexi said, closing her eyes.
“You impossible, you know that?” Fezco said.
“But you love me,” Lexi said quietly.
Fezco was silent. Lexi’s eyes snapped open and she looked over at him, a wicked grin on his face.
“Course I fuckin’ love you,” he said.
“You're supposed to say it quicker than that,” Lexi protested. “I thought I was gonna get dumped because your brother hates me.”
Fezco laughed. “'M teasin’,” he said. “Promise. Ain't ever gon’ dump you.”
“You say that now,” Lexi said.
“Say it every day for the rest of my life,” Fezco said noncommittally—a stark contrast to the heavy weight of commitment in his statement. It almost took Lexi’s breath away, how sure Fezco was, and how casual he was about it. Like: This is it. Let's get comfortable. We’ll be here a while.
Lexi considered herself as devoted as her boyfriend, though not nearly as optimistic. She couldn't help but operate in worst-case-scenarios, waking Fezco up in the middle of their very first night together as an official couple to ask if he was sure he wanted to be with her.
He'd punctuated his reassurances by going down on her, which was a wondrous gesture that only stressed Lexi out more—she could not fuck things up with a guy who liked going down on her that much. She’d have to show her appreciation by going down on him .
(It was a miracle the two weren't trapped in an endless oral cycle.)
“I love you, too, you know,” Lexi said, leaning her head against the headrest, resolving to adopt some of his endless optimism.
“I know,” Fezco responded with a soft smile.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, save for the soft sounds of the radio that Lexi quietly hummed along to.
“You never told me why you didn't tell Ash the truth,” she eventually said quietly, bringing Fezco’s hand to her mouth to kiss repeatedly.
“‘S not a big deal,” Fezco said, reaching out with his thumb to gently stroke Lexi’s cheek, though it was a little difficult, seeing as Lexi refused to let go of his hand.
“What, you just forgot to mention it?” Lexi asked with a short laugh.
“Nah, it’s . . . “ Fezco trailed off momentarily, lost in thought. “Embarrassin’, to be honest with you.”
“Embarrassing?” Lexi asked, scandalized. Fezco wasn't the type to embarrass easily.
He glanced over at her, a blush creeping up his cheeks.
“Tell me,” Lexi pressed, leaning over the console to smush her face against Fezco’s. “Tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me—”
“Aight, shorty, gon’ make me crash this damn car,” Fezco said, chuckling, gently pushing her back down into her seat. “I hyped you up too much,” he said. “Before our first date.”
“What do you mean?” Lexi asked, her brows furrowing slightly.
“I mean,” Fezco said, followed by a sigh. “I spent a week gettin’ to know you, ‘n I thought you were cool, ‘n I told my brother ‘bout it.” He paused momentarily for effect. “‘N then you told me you ain’t actually interested.”
Lexi gasped.
“Fuck you gasping for?” Fezco asked with a laugh.
“I’m such a horrible person,” Lexi said. She released Fezco’s hand in order to bury her face in her own, mumbling her words. “I can’t believe I did that to you.”
“Ay, c’mon now, it ain’t a big deal,” Fezco said, his hand moving to rest on the back of Lexi’s neck. “Turned out pretty good fo’ me in the end.”
Lexi kept her face hidden. “But I was leading you on,” she mumbled.
“A week ain’t leadin’ anybody on,” he said. He squeezed the back of her neck affectionately. “Erybody gets disappointed on first dates. ‘N my disappointment still let me hang out wi’ a really hot ‘n cool girl, so I ain’t think it was worth mentionin’ to Ash.”
Lexi finally looked up. “Hot and cool,” she repeated.
“‘N smart,” Fezco added.
“ And smart?” Lexi teased. “Sounds like you’ve got the whole package.”
Fezco shrugged. He moved his hand to Lexi’s thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Took six months before she let me hit.”
Lexi’s jaw dropped and she playfully punched Fezco’s arm.
“I’m teasin’,” Fezco laughed. “Worth the wait, honestly.”
Lexi’s entire body flushed. It was worth the wait, and the mere week of their relationship had seemed almost a blur of genitals and mouths. The memory of their last session, which had happened right before they’d left his apartment to pick up Ash, flooded back to her.
“Should we try road head?” Lexi suggested, turning in her seat and reaching over toward Fezco’s jeans.
“Fuckin’, Lexi,” Fezco muttered. “We in the middle of the city, it’s broad fuckin’ daylight, ‘n we ‘bout three blocks from my place.” Lexi leaned back in her seat and sighed. “Maybe tonight we can go for a drive or som’n.”
“I’d like that,” Lexi said, smiling over at him. “But what about right now?”
Fezco eyed her up and down out of the corner of his eye. “Pick any piece of furniture ‘n I got you.”
“The counter,” Lexi answered immediately. “The shower,” she added. “The bed.”
“In that order?” Fezco said with a smirk.
“Yes,” Lexi said, reaching out for his hand once more. “Think you can handle that?” she teased.
“Can you?” he teased back.
After a haphazard parking job, Fezco and Lexi started racing up to his apartment, laughing and kissing as they went. He pressed her up against his front door, kissing her deeply, mumbling tiny affections. Lexi had never been giddier. She’d never been happier.
“If you are even a second late clocking out, I swear I will bring a gun to that CVS to get you out,” Lexi hissed to her boyfriend as he got ready for work far too early on the morning of Thanksgiving. Lexi herself was still in bed, under the covers, with Titi curled up on her pillow.
“I hear you, baby,” Fezco said, pulling his pants on. He walked over to give Lexi a quick peck on the lips, then gave Titi a little kiss, then another peck for Lexi. “I love you. Call me any time, aight?”
“Okay, I love you,” Lexi mumbled, her eyes fluttering closed. A few more “I love you”s were exchanged as Fezco walked out, but as soon as she heard her front door close, Lexi rolled over and fell asleep for another three hours.
Her alarm, set for 9:00, did not wake her up. Rather, it was Titi biting her foot.
“Jesus, fuck,” Lexi shouted, accidentally kicking Titi off the bed. “Fuck,” she muttered again.
Lexi had just hopped in the shower when she decided it would be smarter to wait until after she'd done most of the nitty-gritty cooking before showering. And it'd give her a brief respite from any family drama.
Suze said she'd be there by 11:00, which meant Lexi didn't expect her until noon. It was fine—they weren't supposed to eat until 2:30.
(Cassie said that was a bad time to eat but Lexi said it was the earliest they could do with Fezco’s schedule so Cassie said they should just do dinner instead and Lexi knew it probably would have made more sense but they'd always done Thanksgiving lunch and she'd already told everyone else 2:30 and she wasn't going to cave to Cassie's demands. Er, suggestions.)
The worst part of cooking for a holiday, Lexi discovered, was figuring out at what point you were supposed to start cooking everything.
She didn't need to cook that much, anyway. Cassie had volunteered to bring dessert and Suze would be bringing plenty of prepared sides that just needed to be thrown in the oven for an undetermined amount of time. Really, all Lexi had to do was cook the ham and the potatoes. And the stuffing.
Shit, she’d forgotten about the stuffing. She didn't have any of the necessary ingredients, which was fine. Suze or Cassie could just run to the grocery store for her.
A little after 10:30, there was a knock on Lexi’s door. Was Suze, by chance, early ?
Lexi was in for the surprise of her life when she opened her door to find Ash standing there. Titi also seemed surprised, immediately darting from her cat bed into Lexi’s room.
“Hi,” Lexi said.
“‘Sup,” he said, moving past her to walk inside, kicking his shoes off without needing to be told.
“You're early,” Lexi said.
Ash shrugged. A familial trait. “Thought you might want some company.”
“That's really nice,” Lexi said with a warm smile.
“What time yo’ sister gettin’ here?” Ash asked.
“Um, not until around 2:00, probably,” Lexi answered. “Why do you ask?”
Ash smirked at her. “Wanna see if she's hot in person.”
Lexi let out a shocked laugh.
“C’mon, don’t be jealous,” Ash said. “You're hot, too.”
“Ash!” Lexi half-exclaimed, half-laughed.
He rolled his eyes in response. “Like you ain’t fuckin’ know.” He looked around her kitchen, taking in the surroundings. “You need me to do anything?”
Lexi smiled to herself. Something told her Ash hadn’t shown up so early of his own accord. Rather, it might have had something to do with an anxious text Lexi had sent to Fezco upon discovering she was missing necessary ingredients for stuffing.
“Yes, actually,” she said. “Would you mind running to the grocery store for me?”
The morning passed without a hitch. Or, mostly hitchless. Suze showed up on time and, oddly enough, got along fantastically with Ash.
“That boy is a hoot,” she said as she passed by Lexi to check on the green bean casserole, wine glass in hand. Upon realizing the two were quite the duo, Lexi had sent the two out into the living room while she focused on the cooking. The only issue with that was she desperately needed Suze’s help, leaving Suze to run back and forth constantly. And letting Suze run back and forth into the kitchen allowed her to top off her glass of wine each time, which was only a recipe for imminent disaster. “Why don’t you go hang out with him for a bit, leave me to watch the food?”
“I don’t know, Mom,” Lexi said, nervously biting her lip. She’d attempted to look very busy every time Suze had walked into the kitchen, though there was only so much one could do with mashed potatoes before it started looking suspicious. “I don’t think he likes me,” she admitted.
“Lex, he’s a teenager,” Suze said matter-of-factly. “He doesn’t like anybody.”
“Yeah, but he especially doesn’t like me,” Lexi argued.
“You’re just sensitive,” Suze snapped back, and Lexi swallowed back her hurt feelings—it was nearly 1:00 and the first time her mother had insulted her that day. By all accounts, it was a pretty good day.
Lexi managed a solid 5 minutes of sitting in awkward silence with Ash before she ran back out to the kitchen, garnering a rather dramatic eye roll from her mother. It wasn’t an explicit insult, but Lexi added it to her list, anyway. Then she reminded herself that Suze was on her fourth glass of wine. The things she said couldn’t be taken too seriously.
Regardless, Lexi desperately needed something to do, so she figured it was about time to take her shower. She pulled out her phone to send an update to Fezco.
Fezco ❤️❤️
Suze and Ash are getting along famously
Fr?
Yes!
She thinks he’s hilarious 🤣
How are you doin tho
Missing my bf 😳
Shit he miss you too
How are you fr
Better than expected
Taking a shower to decompress
Without me? 🤨
Lexi couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips. She snapped a slightly scandalous selfie in her bathroom mirror to send to Fezco before relishing in the 15 minutes of bliss her shower allotted her before the water started running cold.
Cassie and Sean showed up a little after 2:00. Ash checked Cassie out gratuitously before shooting a “Yo” toward her and Sean.
“Do not hit on my sister,” Lexi scolded. Suze erupted in cackles, though Lexi felt a little bad, watching Ash’s ears pinken before he sullenly returned to her living room.
“Is Fezco on his way?” Cassie asked.
Lexi nodded. She’d called him at exactly 2:00 to ensure that he was on his way out of CVS. He told her he just needed to stop at home to change and he’d be over. “Should be here any minute,” she said.
“Where’s Titi?” Sean asked.
“Hiding,” Lexi said with a grim smile. “As soon as Ash showed up, she hid under my bed. She’ll probably be hiding until Fezco gets here.”
Cassie gave Lexi a sympathetic smile—she had been on the receiving end of multiple vents regarding Titi’s blatant favoritism.
“Oh, didn’t you say Fezco has a lizard?” Suze asked, refilling her wine glass. Lexi had lost count of how many glasses she’d had, which she silently tried to convey to Cassie in warning.
“Yes, he’s so cute,” Cassie said, clearly not receiving Lexi’s message.
“You’ve met the lizard?” Suze asked, turning to her. Cassie nodded. “Sean? You too?” Suze turned to him. Sean nodded. “Am I the only one who hasn’t met the lizard?”
“Mom, it’s a lizard,” Lexi said quietly. She felt harsh, but she couldn’t help but wonder if Suze had been that enthusiastic about meeting Titi. It was the principle of the thing.
“And I wanna meet the lizard!” Suze exclaimed, eliciting laughs from everyone in the room who was not Lexi.
“Let me call Fezco,” Lexi said quickly. “Maybe he’ll bring him.”
She went into her bedroom and closed her door before sitting down on her bed and pulling out her phone to call Fezco.
“Hey, baby, Imma be there in a minute,” he said.
“My mom wants to meet Vito,” Lexi said. “Can you bring him?”
“You sure you wanna do that?” Fezco asked.
“I’d just rather avoid a dumb argument,” Lexi said. “She’s already drunk.”
“‘M sorry to say I gotta prioritize your anxiety over yo’ mom’s drunk wishes,” Fezco said. “If it’s gon’ stress you out, I ain’t wanna bring him.”
“It’s fine,” Lexi insisted. “Titi is hiding, anyway.”
As if on cue, Titi crawled out from under the bed and hopped up next to Lexi, letting out a loud meow.
“I hear my girl,” Fezco said. “You sure, Lex? Swear you completely okay with this?”
“Yes,” Lexi said. “It’ll be fine.”
“Ion believe you,” Fezco said.
“I need you to believe that it would be less stressful for me to deal with Vito and Titi than to deal with my drunk mother asking to see my boyfriend’s lizard,” Lexi snapped.
After a pause, Fezco said, “I believe you. Lemme go grab him right now.”
“Thank you,” Lexi said.
“I love you,” Fezco said.
Lexi smiled. “I love you.”
After hanging up with Fezco, Lexi gave herself another two minutes to decompress and pet Titi. They both needed a bit of affection.
Lexi walked back out to inform everyone that Fezco was en route with the lizard.
“Suze, you ain’t know what kinda monster you just unleashed,” Ash said.
Lexi let out a short laugh. “Seriously,” she said. “I think those two share a brain cell sometimes.”
Ash chuckled at that. “Tell me he ain’t bringin’ that thing wearin’ some dumbass costume.”
“Well, there was a valiant effort to find a lizard-size turkey costume, but it appears nobody makes those.” Lexi said. “Thankfully.”
Ash chuckled again. “You fuckin’ funny,” he said.
Suddenly, Lexi’s day got a lot better.
It was improved further by the sight of her boyfriend walking through her front door, a small carrier in his hand.
“Happy Thanksgiving,” he greeted everyone with a wide smile, making his way over to Lexi to give her a kiss. “You good?” he asked in a whisper as he pulled away.
Lexi smiled softly and nodded. “Glad you’re here,” she whispered back.
Soon enough, the wine glass in Suze’s hand had been replaced with Vito. Lexi took it as a blessing in disguise, quickly confiscating the wine glass and pouring an iced tea for her mother.
Suze was only convinced to put Vito down by the announcement that all of the food was, miraculously, done.
Lexi’s kitchen table was quite small, so it was a tight squeeze to fit six plates. Lexi sat across from her mother, with Cassie and Ash on either side of her, with Fezco and Sean next to them, respectively. An odd arrangement, to be sure, but with how cramped the seating was, she felt as if she was sitting directly next to everyone else at the table.
Fezco offered to shut Lexi’s door to keep Vito and Titi separated, prompting Lexi to bite out, “It’s her home, not his.” Righteous indignation aside, Lexi was getting hangry.
That was the reason it wasn’t until about halfway through the meal that Lexi cleared her throat, calling everyone’s attention to herself.
“Um, can I just say something, really quick?” she said.
“Oh, honey, save the genocide lectures for later,” Suze said. “We’re eating now.”
“I wasn’t going to give a lecture about genocide,” Lexi said, clearly offended.
“No, see,” Suze said to the men, who were all experiencing their first Howard family holiday meal. “She does this every year, goes on and on about colonialism and genocide and brings the whole mood down.”
“I haven’t done that since high school,” Lexi said quietly. “And either way, I don’t think it’s a bad thing to acknowledge the real history of this holiday.”
“It’s real interesting,” Fezco piped in. “Lex ‘n I been talkin’ ‘bout it. Shit they don’t teach you in school.” He turned to Suze. “Ain’t you the one who told Lex ‘bout all this stuff? Think you the reason she turned out so smart.”
It was hard to tell who was blushing harder at that moment: Lexi or Suze.
“Um, actually,” Lexi spoke up, unable to hold back her elated smile. “I just thought, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, there are some things I’m really thankful for. And I wanted to share.”
Everyone at the table—even Ash—gave Lexi an encouraging smile.
“Obviously, I’m thankful for everyone here,” Lexi started, her eyes scanning across the table. “And, um, in that vein,”—her eyes found Fezco’s—“I’m really really thankful for the patience and understanding that comes with loving someone. And being loved.”
Lexi could see a few tears in Fezco’s eyes, and felt a few in her own, as he smiled at her from across the table, a secret moment between the two despite the four other people at the table.
“That was sweet,” Cassie said, patting Lexi’s leg, pulling her focus away from Fezco.
After finishing their meal, Suze insisted on doing the dishes as everyone recovered in the living room before dessert.
“Mom, seriously, I can do the dishes later,” Lexi said, sidling up next to her at the sink. “Come hang out with everyone.”
“It’s the least I can do after you hosted,” Suze insisted. “You did a great job, by the way.”
“You think so?” Lexi asked.
“Of course, sweetie,” Suze said.
Silently, Lexi picked up her dish towel to start drying the clean dishes. The two worked in silence for a few minutes before Suze spoke up again.
“I can see how much Fezco’s presence calms you.”
“Really?” Lexi asked, turning slightly toward her mother.
Suze nodded. “Think you’re gonna marry him?”
Lexi smiled. Optimism . “I know I am.” After a pause, “Just, not before Cassie gets married. I think she’d kill me.”
“Don’t worry,” Suze said. “I think Sean is gonna lock it down soon.”
“You think?” Lexi asked.
Suze gave her a playful smile. “She told him she’d kill him if Fezco proposes before he does.”
Five minutes later, Suze and Lexi joined everyone else in the living room. Lexi didn’t have a lot of sitting furniture, so Cassie and Sean were on the couch, Fezco was in the armchair, and Ash was on the rug, playing with Vito. Suze squeezed in next to Cassie and Sean while Lexi perched on the edge of Fezco’s chair.
Sean and Fezco were engaged in a sports conversation as Cassie attentively watched the Friends marathon on TV, and Lexi noticed how Sean’s hand toyed with the hem of Cassie’s shirt. It was something Fezco had done, back before she realized he had feelings for her.
She knew she’d been oblivious, but watching Sean and Cassie’s hands intertwine, then looking down at her and Fezco’s own intertwined hands, she laughed to herself at how much denial she’d been in. Had she really thought they were faking it?
Lexi was torn from her thoughts by the sight of Titi waltzing out of her room, passing Vito on the rug without a glance in his direction, and leaping onto Fezco’s lap. Lexi was halfway through saying, “Straight to her favorite,” when Titi jumped from Fezco’s lap into Lexi’s, then crawled up into her arms.
“Oh!” Lexi exclaimed as she held Titi close.
“See, babe?” Fezco said, rubbing Lexi’s lower back. “Told you she just needed time.”
“Yeah,” Lexi said, blinking back a few tears.
Just like her mother.