Chapter Text
Lexi exhales as she tightens the pale blue ribbon in her hair, kicking the stand for her bike so it stays upright against the wall and adjusting the straps of her backpack before she pushes the door open. The little bell announces her arrival and she sees Fez look up, a little smile gracing his face as he waves.
She pretends to look at the board, the extensive drink menu scrawled on chalkboards above their heads, she hears him chuckle a little as she makes a real show of it. Her mouth twitches, a traitorous smile threatening to give her away but she smooths her features out again. It’s a game they play, even though they both know that Lexi will take whatever recommendation Fez offers, trying a different drink each time she comes by.
And if the pretence of finding her favourite tea is an excuse to see him more often then that’s her secret. And if she notices him smile at her in this particular way, the way his fingers brush hers as he passes her cup and the way his eyes linger on her when she brings her homework and she’s sitting near the window then it’s all in her imagination surely.
“So, what’s it gonna be today Lexi Howard?” Fez asks, his tone playful. Lexi rolls her eyes in mock annoyance at his use of her full name, a smile breaking through as she pretends to deliberate “hmm…I don’t know, surprise me”. He smiles in the way she finds adorable, tongue between his teeth as he nods, asking her if she wants a fruit or milk tea. She opts for fruit and waits as he turns around and does his thing.
She goes to sit at her usual table by the window, which she loves to sit and people watch from. And if it also conveniently has a great view of the counter and Fez then again, it’s another secret she holds close to her chest. Fez has his back turned to her, forest green apron tied around his waist, the glint of his gold chain against the stark white of his t-shirt making her stomach flutter stupidly. She had never thought a guy wearing something as innocuous as a tight white shirt could give her butterflies but here he was.
Considering how much time Lexi spends here she thinks her not so small crush isn’t exactly hidden knowledge anymore though. Rue considers Fez a brother and if the way she elbows Lexi and teases them both is any indication then she’s been a lot more obvious than intended. Even Cassie and Maddy had asked her about Fez, telling her to make a move and Maddy had suggested doing something with a straw and made a joke about balls that left her cheeks cherry red and questioning her friend’s sanity.
And then there was Ash, Fez’s younger brother who dealt with all the baked goods and online orders somewhere in the back, face screwed up in disgust as he watched them flirt and banter. Although clearly it can’t bother him that much considering he slips her some desserts every now and again when he’s trialling something new. The juxtaposition of this fierce teenage boy baking pastries always makes her smile inwardly, Lexi is careful to take him seriously so he doesn’t feel self-conscious, though it’s hard when he has flour more often than not on his tattooed cheekbone. She had definitely heard him muttering something about simp behaviour and how many more drinks Fez could give her on the house.
So maybe Fez liked her too?
Lexi sighed at the thought, she knew how she felt, there was no denying it, she was crushing hard and had been for a while. As if on cue, she hears him making his way over to her table, making a dorky little flourish as he sets her cup of tea on the table. The sunset coloured liquid swirling as she stabs a boba straw through the plastic film. She can’t help but smile as he watches her take a sip, this is another game they play; guess the flavour. She takes a sip and then another, enjoying the mellow flavour of the tea and the rich boba. “Is it peach with…mandarin?” Lexi guesses, scrunching her nose endearingly.
“Almost Lex, peach with clementine” he replies smoothly, “new recipe I came up with, thought you might like it since peach tea is your favourite and all”. Lexi’s eyes widen a little and he comes to a stop, rubbing the back of his head bashfully as he realises what he’s revealed. But if the pretty blush gracing her cheeks is any indication, Lexi is more than okay with the fact he just admitted that she inspired this new drink. Hell half the menu could be dedicated to her.
“Imma let you work now, don’t wanna distract you from anything…” Fez says, watching her duck her head, a curly strand of hair, silken brown grazing her cheekbone. She looks up then and shakes her head, “you’re never a distraction Fez, well I mean, you are but a good one? I mean, I’m always happy to talk to you” she’s rambling and she knows it but she can’t help herself. “Word, me too Lex, but still I’m around…so when you’re done, maybe we can chill?” Lexi nods in response, smiling as she takes another sip of her tea and manages not to get too distracted, stealing small glances at Fez as she writes her history essay. He meets her gaze a few times and smiles at her encouragingly, eyes skating away and then back to her as he serves other customers.
Once she’s done and her essay is as good as it’s going to get, Lexi sighs and snaps her laptop shut, a dull ache forming between her eyebrows from staring at her screen for so long. She takes her hair out of the tight pony, her ribbon unfurling in her fingers, hair falling onto her shoulders softly as she packs her things neatly into her backpack. “You good?” Fez asks, his tone gentle as she props herself against the counter, her head tipping to the side to meet his gaze. Since the shop is now closed for the day he’s sitting on top of the counter, his warmth a comfort to her, their hands mere inches apart on the cool surface.
“I’m okay, just got a bit of a headache” Lexi admits, confused as Fez hops off the counter and starts fiddling around with water and a mug and draws a little tin out of one of the many drawers and starts stirring it in. Fez looks up then and smiles shyly at her look of confusion, “heard somewhere that camomile tea helps with that, can’t have you suffering on my watch” Fez says, and she chokes back whatever embarrassing sentence or sound she was about to let out at his sweet words. The more cynical side of her is crying out about the bar being in hell at this point but she can’t help it if she’s infatuated by him, this incident just adding to her admittedly huge crush.
He finishes up making the tea, setting the cup of tea between them and boosting himself back onto the counter, a small trail of steam rising from the drink. She holds the cup between her palms, the heat distracting her slightly as she blows lightly before taking a sip, closing her eyes as she relishes the brew. Admittedly, it doesn’t taste like much and she’s probably better off leaving now and sleeping off her exhaustion but she would much rather be here with Fez. As she sets the cup back down and asks him about his day, their conversation flowing as he tells her about a funny customer he had earlier, he shifts closer, hands flying around, animated and in full flow.
Lexi loves that she gets to see this side of him, he’s witty and acerbic when he really gets going and he never fails to make her laugh. He can be blunt too, in a way she appreciates, because he’s never unkind either. He stops mid-sentence as she shakes with laughter, and she shivers as he gently tucks an errant strand of hair behind her ear, his fingertips grazing her jaw lightly. “I like your hair like this…it’s pretty” and from the way he says it, solemn and a little self-conscious, she thinks he hasn’t had many occasions to say something like that, like he isn’t used to it.
Lexi decides to meet him halfway, holding onto his fingers where they rest on her neck, entwining her fingers with his. She wonders idly if he can feel the rapid beat of her pulse, as she draws closer to him, she wants nothing more than to kiss him, but she chickens out last minute and rests her forehead against his gently, brushing her lips over his cheek instead, just shy of his plush mouth. His little intake of breath and the way his eyelids flutter ever so slightly at their closeness, gives her confidence, maybe it’s not just her then.
They sit there for ages, their hands entwined between them, as they talk about anything and everything, about Rue and her sobriety, about Fez getting his GED soon and the play Lexi is in the midst of writing, after all the drama of Our Life, she promises her next one will be more mellow. Fez squeezes her fingers and teases her, "hope it's not too mellow Lex, that last one was fucking great". Lexi nudges him, knowing exactly which parts he was referring to, feeling like her heart is going to burst out of her chest all the while. They had barely known each other then, but he had been there anyway, front and center, Ash at his side. Bringing tea and a little celebratory lunch box cake with them, a miniature Lexi carefully piped onto the top. Ash usually made them all but apparently Fez had free styled a design for her that night. Lexi continues to take small sips of tea and when he drives her home later, insisting despite the fact that she has her bike, she realises belatedly that her headache has all but completely disappeared. She waves goodbye as he waits for her to go through the door, Fez looks down and realises she’s left her ribbon behind, the lightest shade of blue against the leather interior of his car, the sight of it like a token of affection, in the fantasy books Lexi had got him into.
Lexi places the empty cup of tea on her nightstand instead of throwing it in the trash, only now noticing her name scrawled on it, the way he always does without fail, a little crown formed of lines atop her name. She feels corny even keeping it, as if she needs proof that tonight happened, that they inched closer to whatever this is between them but she leaves it there anyway, falling into a dreamless sleep. The scent of camomile and Fez’s cologne lulling her into rest.