You say we're just friends,
but I swear when nobody's around,
you keep my hand around your neck,
we connect, are you feeling it now?
'Cause I am.
- Better : Khalid
{Echo pov}
"I told him that we can't be more than friends. I don't want to hurt him again. Besides, he's probably going to find someone else anyways."
"I don't want to overstep but... is that what you really want? Don't you think you're hurting him by not telling him?" Layla asked.
"I...I don't know what I want, honestly I'm just confused. He came here, looking for me, suddenly confessing his love, and I'm just supposed to accept him? Apart from my cancer, I don't think a relationship would do me any good now, I don't know if I can trust him. Being friends is one thing, but being in a relationship just makes it all the more complicated, and I don't want that with Levi.
"Give the guy a chance, Echo. He loves you, I can testify for that. I watched him overcome his depression, and all he ever wanted was to find you, tell you he loves you. Not telling him about your cancer, can only complicate the friendship even more. Think about it, hmm?"
I sighed, "Alright, I will. Thanks Layla. I miss you, can't wait to see you soon!"
"Me too, see you soon! Take care, alright."
I knew I had to tell him sooner or later, he had to know. But, I guess I just wanted him to see me as, well, me, and not "the Echo that had a disease and might probably die". I didn't want him to pity me. I sighed, getting ready for my day at school.
"Good morning!" Nick chirped.
"Hi, Nick! Good morning!" I smiled at him, placing my coffee on my table.
"You look tired. Is everything okay?" He asked.
"I am, rough night, that's it." I assured him.
He nodded, saying "Come on, we're actually pretty late to class". He looked at his watch.
We went to our respective classes, and as usual the day went pretty fast. I love my job, it's a dream to be teaching the subject I love best. To think that I would have to stop working here one day, scares me, and that one day could be pretty soon.
"I'll take you home. You look too worn out to walk back home all by yourself. I brought my car, let's go." Nick offered, while we were walking out of the teacher's room, towards the exit.
"Echo!" I heard a familiar voice call from behind me.
I turned to see Levi.
"Levi! Hi..what are you doing here?" I asked, confused how he knew where I was teaching, realisation hit me when I remembered I told him where I taught the other day when we had lunch.
He came closer to me and put his arm around my shoulder, "Let's go for dinner! I'm hungry, let's go!" The sudden contact gives me goosebumps, I remember the days I used to watch him do this to Sierra. I quickly shake out of those thoughts.
Nick watched our interaction closely, and Levi practically looked him up and down, before looking back at me.
"Levi, Nick. Nick, Levi" I said, introducing them. Why were they giving weird looks to each other, ugh boys.
"Hi, I'm Nick, her colleague." Nick said, reaching out his hand to Levi.
"Levi, her boyfriend." Levi shook his hand, tightening his arm around me.
I rolled my eyes, "Not my boyfriend, I thought we established that." I glared at Levi before turning to Nick, "He's a childhood friend, we grew up together."
"Dinner, let's go princess." Levi casually said, trying to pull me away.
I said goodbye to Nick, and walked with Levi to his car. I nudged the side of his stomach, "Princess, really? What the fuck was that? Nick's a good friend, Levi."
"He looks like he wants to hold your hand, hug you, kiss you, all the things I want to fucking do with you." Levi grumbled as we reached his car.
"Y-you can't just say things like that. Let's just go, please." I sighed. He definitely made my heart skip a beat, and I have to admit being just friends with him was definitely going to be easier said than done.
"Hello? Alison, I won't be home for dinner. I'm with Levi." I called Alison to tell her I wasn't going to be home for dinner.
"I cooked extras', are ya'll at the restaurant already? I want to meet this Levi." She said.
"No, we're still in the car. Alright let me ask him." I told her.
"My housemate wants to meet you, she prepared dinner."
"Alison Bennet? Okay, let's go then."
How did he know her name, I thought. I quickly told Alison, we'll be back for dinner, and looked over at him.
"How do you know Alison?"
His eyes widened a little, like he realised he said something he shouldn't have, "I...I kinda did a mini background check on you."
"You what?"
"I can explain." He raised his hands in surrender.
"Layla didn't want to tell me anything about you, and I really wanted to know how you were doing, and if everything was going okay for you." He admitted.
"So, you literally decided it'd be a good idea to do a background check on me?" I asked.
"Yeah, I mean, woah woah, sit back down young lady." He said, as I got out of my seat to hit him, but he was all muscles and all that shit, I felt like I was hitting a damn brick wall or something.
"Your mom knew, by the way. We kept in touch." I said, looking out of the window, away from him. I wasn't angry, more amused in fact, he was trying so hard for me, and the guilt seeped in, thinking I should tell him about my cancer soon.
"My mom... talked to you? And she didn't tell me? What the fuck?"
"She loves me." I sticked my tongue out at him.
"And I do too." He suddenly said, putting me on the spot. Why does he do this to me, ugh? What part of being friends does he not understand?
{Levi pov}
I know I was overstepping, but I couldn't help it, I can't see her that way, I love her, I really do.
Seeing her with that Nick, he's just everything I'm not, he looked so gentle, so soft, like he was better for her but his eyes held desire and lust, like he wanted her. I want her too, but I don't just want her physically, I want every part of her, I wanted to consume her whole, call me selfish, but I want to be able to call her mine, and only mine, just as I was hers.
When I randomly said I loved her, after talking about my mom, I could see her blushing and looking away. I knew I had an effect on her, but she was scared, and I knew why, but was she even planning on telling me?
"Bonjour, welcome!" Her housemate welcomed us into their house.
I wonder if Alison knew about her cancer.
"Hi, Levi Black. Nice to meet you." I introduced myself.
"Nice to finally put a name to a face." She shook my hand firmly, leading us to the dining area.
"You're all the girl ever talks about," Alison said, surprising me. It's the second time I heard someone say this to me, Patrice and now, Alison.
"Shh, that's not true. I talk about other things too, okay?" Echo said, hitting Alison playfully, averting my eyes at all costs.
"Yeah, sure you do, princess." I said, causing her to blush even more.
We all sat down and Alison was a really fun person to be around with, I found out she was a fashion designer. Occasionally, I would glance at Echo, seeing how she smiled and how comfortable she was with Alison, made me so happy, she was in a safe place. I knew her parents and brother left Paris and went back to our hometown, because of her dad's job. She decided to stay here, however, and I could see why. She looked happy, but I could see the sadness and weariness in her eyes, the cancer must be taking a toll on her.
I don't think I will ever be able to just be friends with her. I want her to know that she deserves to be loved, every inch of her deserves to be loved, and I was going to do all I could to show her just that.
She came to the door of the apartment to send me off, "Come to my office tomorrow." I said, looking intently at her, my hands in my pockets.
"Why?" She was looking down, playing with her hands.
"I'll give you a tour, Lucas will be there too. Come say hi. I'll come pick you up from school, alright?" I softly asked her.
"Okay." She smiled, raising her fist for me to bump it.
I smiled back at her before raising my fist to bump it with hers.
As soon as I left, all I could think was how the hell was I going to convince her that "just friends" will not work?