New York, New York

New York, New York (03)

That afternoon, I was relieved when the school day ended.

Yup. Definitely in over my head.

I waited for Molly in the courtyard as we'd agreed on earlier. It was sunny, and still warm enough to be out in a t-shirt. I found a bench under a shady tree, and sat down, flipping through my hefty calculus text book. It was going to be a long year. I tossed it aside, letting out an annoyed breath at the same time. Stupid calculus.

That's when I heard it. Quiet at first, and then slowing growing in volume. I looked across the court yard to see none other than Levi, seated in the grass leaning against a sign marking the Academy's date of establishment, strumming on an accoustic guitar.

I couldn't help but stare. He wasn't just playing the guitar. His fingers moved up and down the frets, making the instrument sing. The way he danced across the fretboard was almost graceful, and the sounds his actions produced even more so. It was a soft, sweet, yet intricate melody that I didn't recognize.

Levi caught me staring.

He waggled his eyebrows at me, and nodded to me. I waved back, and grinned. He motioned with his head for me to come to where he was. I raised an eyebrow and chuckled. He stopped playing.

"Why don't you come sit with me now Sophie?"

"Looks like my 'hard-to-get' approach isn't going to work." I laughed. To my great surprise, he strode over to me. I couldn't believe it.

Levi proudly crossed the lawn, and plopped down beside me on the bench. "And how did the classes go? Overwhelmed yet?"

I guffawed. "It's intense."

Levi rolled his eyes. "What isn't, at this institution?"

I stayed silent. He obviously knew it better than I did. I decided it best to change the topic. "So, you actually took my number."

"I did. With I tip like that, how could I not?"

"Mmm," I nodded. I looked at him slyly. "So, now I kow three things about you."

"And they are....?"

"You work at a pizza place, you're a guitar guru, And you can easily be bribed."

"Yeah, bribery, sure. Well, I know somethings about you too," he countered.

"Sure you do," I rolled my eyes.

"Wanna bet?" He demanded. I shrugged. "You can tell a lot about a person by their ways."

"Read me," I challenged.

"Another day, another time."

I raised my eyebrow at him, and smiled. "I guess you're just not up to it."

Levi grinned. He had a nice smile. His teeth were straight, but he had a little gap between his two front teeth, which I found kind of cute.He had a dimple in his chin when he smiled, and his eyes twinkled when the sun hit those green tones. I couldn't help but return his look.

"Give me your phone," he ordered.

"What?!" I cried, "You can't-"

However before I could truly protest, he had easily slid it out of my pocket and into his hand.

"What are you doing?"

"I can't tell you," he said.

"Can you at least promise you're not going through my text messages?" I demanded.

"No promises."

I swiped for the phone again, but he handed it back to me easily this time.

"From that, I can deduce that you're a person who very much values their privacy and belongings," he chuckled.

"Got that right!" I nodded firmly.

"Sophie?" Molly called from across the court yard. I looked up. I had forgotten I was waiting for her. She strolled over to me, and smiled.

"You're the guy from the restaurant, aren't you?" She asked.

"Sure am, the one and only," Levi told her.

"I'm Molly," she said, extending her hand.

"Levi," He nodded, shaking it. He let go quickly.

"Are you ready to go Sophie? Or...."

"Nah, she's good. I was just leaving anyway," Levi explained, standing and picking up his guitar.

"Is that so?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow with a smile. He grinned at me.

"I can't spend all day flirting with the ladies," He shrugged apologetically, "Things to do, people to see."

"Sure," I smiled.

"Seeya," he said. I waved, turning my back and walking with Molly to the car.

I stayed silent, thinking about Levi. How handsome he looked, how the sun shone on those emerald eyes of his....

"How lucky is that, that he goes to our school?!" Molly exclaimed.

"I found him first," I warned with a laugh, "Hands off."

"Don't worry. He looks way older than eighteen. Probably much too old for me!" She pouted.

I grinned to myself. Was it too good to be true?