Don't Write Me Notes || Levi x Reader

9. it doesn't count if it's for learning purposes

.

The rest of the day, surprisingly, goes pretty well.

For the most part, it's just small talk. You and Levi play cards with your uncles and listen to your aunts gossip by the fireplace. You help your mother out with dinner after a not-so-subtle quip of "why don't you make yourself useful, hm?" and Levi, despite you telling him that he doesn't have to, sticks with you and helps you out.

Dinner's okay, not as tense as it was the night before, and there's a family game of spoons that gets much too aggressive (Sasha tackles Jean to the ground at one point), but soon enough, everyone begins to wind down. The kids get ushered to bed, your grandparents say goodnight, and then finally, you and Levi escape to your room.

"All things considered," you say as you shut the door behind you both, "that went pretty well."

"If you look up passive aggressive in the dictionary, you'd find a picture of your mother," Levi says as he sits down on the bed.

You grin. "Told you she was bad."

"It's almost impressive."

"Keyword, almost."

"Tired?" Levi asks, and you shrug. Kind of. "It's only nine."

"We could find a movie or something," you suggest, gesturing to the television. Levi raises his hand with an open palm, and you get the hint; you grab the remote from the dresser and toss it to him. Levi starts to flip through channels when your phone buzzes twice, and you pull it out of your pocket.

Hitch (21:11): by the way!! supposed to be a massive snowstorm tonight starting in an hour or two, so if you want to use the hot tub, now's your chance !!

Hitch (21:12): after Marlowe and I get out of course

"Hitch says we can use the hot tub," you say, turning to Levi.

His eyebrows rise. "Hot tub?"

You pause. "I mentioned that the lodge has a hot tub, right?"

He stares for a moment, then nods. "At some point, yeah. I packed a bathing suit."

"Do you want to?"

"Sure." 

No hesitation at all. Huh. "Okay," you say, and when he tosses the remote back to you, you barely catch it in time. You glare at him as you set it down. "A bit of warning?" 

"We locked eyes. That was your warning."

"A pretty shitty warning." You shoot Hitch a quick text, asking when she'll be done, then look back to Levi. "You want to get changed first?"

He nods, and after a quick pitstop to his suitcase, he vanishes into the bathroom. About ten minutes later, you and Levi are both changed into bathing suits and you've gotten the go-ahead from Hitch that the hot tub is yours to use. With a massive fluffy towel wrapped around you, you lead the way out of your room and down the hall towards the back deck, Levi right behind you.

The entire wall between one of the many sitting rooms and the back deck is made of glass, which appeals in the sense that when you draw the curtain, you get a gorgeous view of the woods. But now, the curtains are all drawn, and it's too dark to see anything nice. You move to the sliding glass door, peering outside. "They're not there," you call to Levi. "We're good."

"Ladies first," Levi says.

You glare. "It's cold."

"The hot tub won't be."

"Fine. Fine," you repeat, steeling yourself. It'll be ten seconds of cold and then you'll be good. Ten seconds. "Okay, fine, I'll go."

You count to three in your head, then open the door. Immediately, all you feel is cold, but as if on autopilot, you unwrap your towel to hook on the wall, then somehow make it to the hot tub. You let yourself sink into the hot water, going all the way up to your neck. You can't help it; you groan. It's stingingly hot, but your body's starting to adjust. "Okay, that wasn't even bad. You need to get in here," you call softly, paddling your way towards one of the seats built into the hot tub. "This is perfect."