L E V I
round two ||
january 2nd
[ 2:27 PM ]
"Did you meet her? Is she as gorgeous as her picture? Did she seem to like you at all? Do you like her at all? Please tell me there was some sort of spark between the two of us because you are not allowed back home without a woman!" Abri groans, sprawling out on the couch, moving the laptop with her, contorting her appearance. The laptop almost falls off the couch, and I utter a scolding.
"Abri!" I rake a hand through my hair, hearing the laptop fall to the ground with a crash. I see under the couch for a second before she lifts the laptop back up and I see her face again. She wears a sheepish expression as she sets it down on the coffee table.
"Whoops," she says, grinning.
I let out a breath. I haven't even said hi to her yet and she took control of the conversation right off the bat, bombarding me with questions I haven't even had time to process myself. But I knew she'd be wanting to know everything. I knew as soon as I saw her expectant expression.
In all honesty, I was just glad to see her face. It's been a few days since I've seen a familiar face, instead of new strangers, and suddenly I don't feel so alone here. I was told every Sunday afternoon I could chat with my family, so Abri will be getting an update every week from here on out. And so every Sunday I get to feel less alone.
I smile at her as she continues talking, not even noticing me.
"Levi?"
I raise a brow. "What?"
"Why are you smiling like that?"
I shrug. "I'm happy to see you?"
She groans. "It's been all of four days, Levi! You're not missing me yet are you?" she teases, pulling a pillow up under her chin.
You've got no idea, kiddo.
"No, no, of course not. That'd be unreasonable." I smile again, watching as she shoves a chip into her mouth.
"You still didn't answer any of my questions..." she reminds me.
I let out a sigh. "Which ones out of the fifty do you want me to answer first?"
She looks thoughtful. "Are you guys getting married yet?"
I do my best not to roll my eyes. "No. Next."
"Did you even meet her?"
"Yes. Next."
"Woah, woah, there's a lot to unpack from that question. Slow down, Levi James. Give me a minute to process you've met a woman... that in itself is amazing."
I let out a dry chuckle. "You know what, I'm thinking maybe I haven't missed you that much. Maybe we should do this another time, when I actually miss your sarcasm." I threaten to shut the laptop on her.
She objects immediately, "Okay, okay, Levi! I'll stop now!" She holds her hands up, as if that would stop me from shutting it. I pause, giving her a look. "Wow, Levi, I'm so glad you met a woman you are now dating. Please, tell me how you met her," she says in a monotone voice, chomping down on another chip.
I smile smugly, leaning back against the chair I'm currently sitting in. Outside the room, I can hear Linus singing and talking to himself, and I have to do my best to ignore him.
"She pulled me into a dance, we danced, we unmasked, and I saw her." I give her the least amount of information as I can, but it's only really because I only see her eyes right now, staring at me again, and I have to blink them away to prepare for Abri's demanding expression.
"You danced!?"
"It may not have been actual dancing, since I was kinda bad at it." I shrug.
"But you danced! With a woman! And you liked it!"
I frown. "Who says?"
"Um, your dazed look you just gave me. You must have been thinking about her." She gasps. "Please tell me you spun her out and pulled her back in when you danced."
"Even if I have to lie?"
She pouts.
But recovers quickly.
"And then what happened?"
"She said hi, then people bombarded her with happy birthday, and that's it. I didn't see her after that. I didn't see anyone after that. I went to bed."
"On New Year's Eve?" She shakes her head. "Did you at least stuff yourself all evening, as per our tradition?"
I give her a so-so motion.
"Did you think she was pretty?"
I'm too silent for the next moment for Abri not to react.
"You do! Aw, Levi, do you like her?"
"I don't even know her," I complain. "How could I like her?"
"You said in your interview you were going to keep an open mind? Were you glad you did?"
"I still have an open mind," I reply, keeping my mind off of her condescending family.
"Good."
I ask her questions about home, about what she's doing to keep herself busy, school, work, Emmie, and everything in between. She spent New Year's Eve with Emmie at her house, which brought me some relief. I didn't want her spending it alone. She went on and on about how she was so excited about the masquerade, since it was filmed, and she said she even saw me in a few parts, and then she went on and on about how handsome she thought I was, yet, as she was talking, I can only picture Charlotte's face. I didn't get too much of a chance to dwell on her features, the slight curve of her lips as she smiled at me, or even the slight color that graced her cheeks when her mask came off, but I did notice her. I noticed her beauty. I couldn't miss it. No one could. And yet... when I picture her face, I picture her father next to her, and that's when I stop picturing her.
It doesn't make any sense to me, why I'm here. Even after the mask, after dancing with the princess, holding her gaze for longer than I ever should have. It just takes me back to the harsh reality that I don't wish to relay to Abri. I'll be home by week's end. And not because I don't think me and the princess will get along, but because of how her family sees me, and how they will continually view me.
That night was fun. Even if most of it was spent on the sidelines. The best part was the uncharted territory, the part where I danced with the princess and held her closer than I've ever held anyone. But the harsh reality hits me in the face every time.
It doesn't matter. I shouldn't be here. Not even if Charlotte looked at me like I should be.
She doesn't know, does she? How badly her father wants me gone? How obvious it is that I don't fit, that I don't belong, that she shouldn't look at me like I do?
I fit at home, with Abri, in that garage, in that house we made our own. I left adventures where they belong when I came home seven years ago. I don't need any more of them.
But I know that hurts Abri, because she wants me to have them. She doesn't yet realize, though, that raising her... that was my biggest adventure yet... and I wouldn't give that up for anything, not even for coming to a castle and meeting a princess.
"Onyx had been telling me that you need to buy a tie for the next event," Abri quips.
"Tell him I had the opportunity to wear one and I chose not to."
"I told him you looked fine without one."
I nod. "Good. Tell him that if he wants me to wear a tie, he's gonna have to make a trip out here and put it on me himself."
"Oh, I'm sure he'd love that." She snorts out a laugh.
I chuckle. "I know he would."
"Oh, hey, Emmie's calling," Abri announces. "I gotta go. Give Charlotte a great big kiss for me, will ya?" She gives me a smirk, picking up her phone, making a kissy face at me. I shake my head at her as she wags her brows at me.
"I'll be sure to do that," I mutter, shutting off the laptop.
Her face disappears, and immediately I wish I could see it again.
january 4th
[ 7:12 PM ]
It's different being surrounded by the selected without masks. Other than the obvious, which is all of us being on ice instead of a dance floor, things seem the same. I count eight others with me, besides Charlotte, who is in between two of them at the moment. I find myself watching to see if she'd approach me, as she did during the ball, but she's kept her distance, but I could hardly blame her. I had a mask on during our dance, and most people don't know what to think when they actually see me.
I let out a breath, shoving my hands inside my coat pockets. I inhale deeply, getting used to the cold surrounding me. I haven't been skating in years. I always liked it, but I never went unless I was invited to.
Charlotte falls to the ground suddenly, and I cringe.
That's the third time tonight.
The beginning of the night, she'd put on a smile, seeming ready to get out on the ice, and even though she kept her smile on for the most part, I saw a slight panic after her first fall, which resulted in her laughing it off and accepting help from Linus, who was with her when she fell. She does the same now, letting out a nervous laugh, keeping her eyes on her feet as if she's expecting to fall again, and accepts another selected's extended hand.
But I can see behind the nervous smile. She can't skate well, even if she could hold her own in the beginning. And her outfit doesn't help break her fall, which is probably why she's more shaky than before. Her sweater looks warm, but her short gray skirt and black leggings don't look too practical, seeing as she's fallen on her behind more than once.
Charlotte adjusts her fuzzy earmuffs, another added accessory to her outfit, and excuses herself off the ice. I don't hear her excuse, but I watch out of the corner of my eye and see her head straight for the hot chocolate that has been set out for us.
I go full circle around the ice, seeing Charlotte on the sidelines, drinking her hot chocolate, chatting with a few selected's who have come up to her. I can practically hear Abri's voice in my head, yelling at me to go and talk to her too, but I ignore it, and stay on the ice.
Linus makes an appearance next to me, doing his best to keep up with my stride. I notice his glasses have fogged up at the bottom, but he doesn't seem to mind. He's talking to me again, although I can hardly hear a word.
I notice he has his notebook in his hand again and I almost roll my eyes.
"Levi?"
My attention snaps to Linus. "What?"
"Oh, I only asked what your favorite memory of the palace has been so far?"
I stifle a frown and keep my expression passive. "Can I ask why?" I see him writing in his notebook already, then he pauses, looking at me through his foggy glasses, which only makes him look a bit less put together than I have ever seen him. His outfit is probably the most practical out of everyone here. Linus isn't one for style, but for safety it seems, as he has a rather bulky coat, a thick pair of gloves, a wool hat, and cargo pants. He even has a knitted scarf wrapped around his neck. The only thing he needs is a pair of fuzzy earmuffs.
I hide my smile.
"Oh, writing everything down helps me remember, and I want to remember everything from my time here," Linus explains, his pen still poised above his notebook.
I nod slowly. "Even an answer from me?"
He smiles. "Of course. I'm going to eventually have a character that's like you, so this is also partly research, partly doing my duty as your roommate. So... favorite memory?" He doesn't waste anymore time.
I clear my throat, spotting Charlotte near the sidelines, backing off from a selected who seems to be taking steps closer. My chest tightens.
"Uhh..." I mutter, distracted. "Chatting with my sister Sunday afternoon." I skate closer to the sidelines.
"I didn't know you had a sister."
"Yep. Abri." Charlotte's expression shows her awkwardness.
"Ab-ri," Linus sounds out the name and I know he's writing it down at the same time.
Charlotte clutches her cup closer to her chest.
"Why is it your favorite memory here?" Linus asks, but I can barely hear him. I've already skated too far away from him, and by the time I remember he still needs an answer, he says, "Nevermind, I'll ask you later. You look like you're about to do some rescuing."
I turn my head slightly to see him skate away.
My gaze is brought back to Charlotte when I hear her mutter, "Oh, really, I'm not looking to get back on the ice just yet. But I will come join you when I am." She does her best to smile, but the perks of having a sister who wears her expressions on her face, and who has the same smile when rejecting a guy's advances as Charlotte, gives me a chance to do what I usually do for Abri.
I tap the guy on the shoulder. He's about six foot, light brown hair hung over his eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line, obviously not happy about being rejected by the princess.
"The princess would obviously love to come out with you, only problem is, she already promised me a few loops around the ice." I never break his gaze while I extend a hand out to Charlotte. I feel her hesitation, so I flash her a small smile, holding her gaze. I feel as if I'm back on the sidelines, letting her pull me into a dance. I know she doesn't know me, and she has no reason to trust me, but her hand grasps mine, and I immediately tug her forward. She walks wobbly on her skates to the ice, ducking her head to avoid the man's gaze, but he's more concerned with looking at me, his expression as cold as the ice beneath my feet. But he says nothing. He already sized me up, probably thinking what most guys think when they see me.
"I'm not picking a fight with that guy" I've heard multiple times.
Charlotte still wobbles as she gets onto the ice, but her expression shows her relief as we skate away. She's still grasping my hand, even tighter than before, but I know it must be because she's afraid to fall again.
"Thank you," I hear her say, still looking at her feet.
I nod. "Look up, princess," I say, half scolding, half teasing. She clutches my hand tighter, but lifts her head to meet my gaze. "You'll skate better if you stop looking at your feet," I say gently, but it doesn't come out quite as nicely as I wanted it to. She nods quickly, letting one arm hang by her side, keeping her head up.
We skate around the ice in silence.
"Why'd you pick ice skating as one of the dates if you can't do it?" I can't help but ask.
Charlotte glances at me out of the corner of her eye, but is more focused on not falling, even though she is still holding my hand. "I honestly don't know how to do half the group dates well. They were just something to do." She lets out a chuckle. "I actually do know how to roller blade, and thought that skill would just transfer over to ice skating, but that didn't happen." Her grip tightens again when she almost loses her balance. I clutch her arm, steadying her. She doesn't move for a second until she lets out a breath and we continue.
"You alright?" I ask, watching her try to continue to skate.
She nods. "Yes," she answers breathlessly. Her eyes lift to meet mine. "Thank you for helping me. Both times. But especially here. I didn't want to come back out."
"I noticed."
She swallows as we round a curve. "Where did you learn to skate?"
"Home." I look away from her. "I always went with friends when I was invited and I got pretty good."
"Have you had to teach others to skate?" she asks, smiling a little, keeping her balance.
I shake my head. "Most people don't admit they need help when they do."
"I didn't."
I hold back my smile. "You didn't have to."
She grins. "It was very obvious, huh?"
I give her a one-shoulder shrug. "I'm just glad I could help."
"You gave me more of a rescue than help," she mutters softly, glancing back over to the sidelines.
"Are we talking about skating or the other thing?"
Charlotte meets me gaze. "Kinda both."
I nod. "Well, you kind of came to my rescue the night of the masquerade, so I thought I could return the favor." I don't add that Abri would have also scolded me had she been here if I didn't do anything. She would have grabbed my ear and dragged me over to Charlotte, demanding I help her.
Not that I always need Abri to tell me what to do when it comes to women.
"Your rescue?" Charlotte asks.
"More like when you dragged me onto the dance floor." I can't help my smile.
She presses her lips into a thin line. "You were gazing longingly at the dance floor all night! Plus, you let me drag you out." She defends herself, even though there's no reason to.
"I see it just as a reason to get me to dance, or that's what I told myself."
"What else did you tell yourself that night?" she raises her brows.
It's different looking into her face now, instead of a masked one. Even though I didn't know it was her the night of the ball, I still can't get behind the fact that I can fully see her face and she can see mine.
"That it was okay for me to admit I couldn't dance."
She grins. "Well, Mr. Hernandez, just like you admitted you couldn't dance, I admit now that I can't skate very well, so now we're even. You don't have to think it wasn't okay to admit that now."
I stare into her eyes, holding her gaze, when I notice we're going right toward the edge of the rink. I quickly yank her back so she doesn't hit it, but she loses her balance, falling forward. I reach for her, but my legs slide out from under me. I hit the ice hard, letting out a groan, then I feel a body hit mine. I glance to my side, seeing Charlotte at my side, leaning against me, stunned. I reach out to her, about to ask if she's okay, when she starts laughing.
And it's not her awkward, nervous laugh I heard over the course of the evening, when she would fall to the ice every time. No. It's a real laugh. She clutches her side as she laughs, doubling over. She glances at me, tears in her eyes. "Are you okay?" she asks, still laughing, pulling me up.
I notice everyone pausing to watch us.
"So that's what that feels like," I mutter, groaning as I attempt to stand. I help Charlotte up, letting her right herself. She's calmed herself down, wiping away the tears from her eyes. Her earmuffs are lopsided, adding to her humor.
"You rescued me again," she states, holding onto the edge of the rink.
"We still fell." I ignore the pain in my legs as I stretch.
"It was worth it." Her smile is the realest I've seen all evening.
It makes me return it.
Charlotte reaches out her hand to me and I grab it, pulling her back onto the ice.
"Let's go again." She has new determination in her expression.
"Okay, princess." I oblige, tightening my fingers around hers.
—
BARD
I almost groan aloud as I see what has already started on the movie screen.
The whole theater is dark and quiet as I make my way around everyone to find a seat. The only available one is right in the very front, super close to the screen. It's seated next to one of the very few females in the room. Wynnie, I think. I know Charlotte has mentioned her multiple times, and I've met her once but it was more of a fleeting meeting, as I walked through the door as a "selected". I honestly don't know who all knows about my secret identity here, but I am assuming not many people.
I finally take my seat, aware that people can't see when I'm standing. I ignore the squeaking the chair makes as I get myself comfortable.
I should have just stayed upstairs in my room. It's been great, having my own room, my own space. Charlotte insisted it would be easier if I had my own room instead of sharing with a selected, and I have to say, it's the best idea I've ever heard. It's a chance for me to not pretend for once, and it's wonderful. Which is also hilarious, because all I really have the chance to do in the room is paint, so that's what I do. It's ironic.
But besides chatting it up with the rest of the selected, since I'm not on duty, is finding things to keep myself occupied. I'm supposed to check in with Charlotte soon about the selected, but other than that, and my date, I have nothing else to look forward to.
And I'm definitely not looking forward to watching this movie, She's The Man.
The scene begins with a bunch of teenagers playing soccer on the beach. I am guessing who the main girl is, since she's the one kicking around the ball the most, scoring at the very end.
"Is this secretly a soccer movie?" I quip softly.
Natalia shushes me. I roll my eyes.
"Like Bend It Like Beckham, except with a Mulan twist on it," Wynnie speaks suddenly, and I glance over at her. She's still watching the movie, eyes on the screen, but her lips are curved into a smile. As if she can sense me staring, she meets my gaze, and lifts her brows. "And with Channing Tatum."
I wasn't expecting such a strong French accent, but then I remember she grew up in France, so that makes sense. I almost wonder how I know that.
"I've never seen Bend It Like Beckham," I admit.
Her eyes widen. "Next movie night." She smiles.
"Is it just as cheesy as this one?" I ask, watching the couple on the screen make out.
Wynnie doesn't answer for a second, watching the screen and the couple, then seems as if she pulls herself away from it to answer me, "No, cheesier."
I nod, watching the screen change to the main girl walking on a soccer field. "Can't wait."
Natalia shushes me again, and I think even some of the guys do too.
The scene ensues the girl's soccer team getting cut, then them trying to join the guy's side, with the coach telling them no, which brings about the guy's team, who also shares the same opinion, even the tall blonde who seemed like the main girl's boyfriend.
It's as if I've watched it before, seeing the girl immediately dump the dude. Predictable.
I actually crack a laugh at the next scene, when the girl tells her mom she dumped her boyfriend, and the mom gets all upset, and starts using words like "rugged and chiseled" to which the girl replies, "Why don't you date him, Mom?"
Wynnie snorts out a laugh, and I chuckle.
"That was kinda sad," I murmur, watching the Mom giggle to herself at the question, then saying no.
"She could do better," Wynnie teases.
I nod empathically. "For sure. Although, who knows if she'll get anyone better than "rugged and chiseled"."
"Seems unlikely," she replies, covering my mouth, quieting her laugh.
More shushes.
Maybe I'll get kicked out.
I could only hope.
The movie continues, and I actually don't mind it. It's funny, entertaining, and I can see why Natalia picked it, and why half of the guys are actually glued to the screen. And I end up finding myself making the same facial expressions that the main girl makes, only because they are what make the movie.
Channing Tatum makes his appearance, or that's what Wynnie said. I glance at him. "Does he fit into the right category we want though?" I ask Wynnie, who turns to me.
"Which is?"
"The rugged and chiseled category?"
She laughs. "I think so." She nods, playing along, looking thoughtful.
We're silent for a moment.
"We also can't forget "great"," she whispers.
"Oh, right, of course," I affirm.
Wynnie meets my gaze, and we both grin.
I wasn't expecting to have a good time watching the movie. I honestly would have rather done anything else, but it hasn't been so bad.
I glance once more to the girl sitting next to me.
Not so bad at all.
january 6th
[ 10:58 PM ]
"Do you know how to use a gun?"
My head lifts slowly as I tear myself away from my book. I raise a brow. "What?"
Linus dips his head sheepishly. "I just need to know what certain parts are called." He walks toward me, handing me a piece of paper. There's a drawing of a gun, pretty well done actually. I glance up at him. "I meant to label each part before I left, but I totally forgot, and it's kind of important for the next part of my story."
"What makes you think I know?" I ask, grabbing a pencil.
"You were in the Coast Guard, right?"
"Did I tell you that?" I ask, unsure if we had a conversation about that or not.
He shrugs. "I've heard you talking about it. I figured you'd know how to use it, and explain it better than Google could, anyway. So, can you name each part?" He nods toward the paper. I place the drawing over my book and begin writing the labels.
Linus watches me in silence.
I add a few things on the paper, on the side, talking about how they feel, how heavy they are, different kinds of bullets, best distance for accuracy, anything he may need to know in order to write a scene with a gun. I have no idea what he's going to do with all this information, but he seems like the type of person who'd use it somehow.
I hand the paper back to Linus and he takes a look. He reads the whole paper, eyes glued to it, taking it all in. He doesn't move, and I go back to reading my book.
"Wow," I hear him mutter.
"Helpful?"
He nods emphatically. "Thanks." He meets my eyes, grinning. "Anything else you know about guns? Or is it better if I don't ask? Cause, you know, you served and stuff, so I don't want to open up anything—"
"Linus," I interrupt, cutting off his babbling, feeling my stomach clench. He's right, it would open up something, memories stirred up in my mind, knowing they haven't been remembered in months. Abri would always ask, but she eventually learned not to, getting used to the silence she would get in return, then she stopped asking. Most people want to know about it when they find out, and I expected it to come up eventually. "You're curious, I get it." He sits down across from me. "But it's late."
He nods. "Yeah." He stands. "Thanks for your help again."
"Night, Linus."
He smiles then shuts the door.
january 7th
[ 5:34 PM ]
"Hey stranger."
I'm not expecting Charlotte to sit next to me.
"Princess," I greet her, holding my passive expression.
She smiles slightly. "I haven't seen you in a while." She sits back as dinner is served on her plate. I do the same as the food is now set on my plate. We're both silent as the server moves down the rest of the table, and when I turn back to the princess, I find her still looking at me.
"Have you recovered from the ice?" she asks, moving to eat her food. She takes small bites to start, and for a second I can't believe I'm staring at her, and forget she asked me a question.
"My back hurts a little," I say, biting into my spaghetti. "But that's probably because you landed on me." I give her a side glance.
She bites her lip, her cheeks heating with color, and that's when I realize she doesn't know I'm teasing.
"I'm just glad I was able to break your landing." I give her a smile so she knows I'm not serious. Her real smile appears back on her face, but her cheeks keep their color. I didn't think about her being embarrassed at falling on me. She fell so much that day, and I was truly glad I broke her fall. If anyone should be recovering, it should be her.
"So you're sarcastic," Charlotte murmurs, as if adding to her list of things she's learned about me.
I chuckle. "I'm also super bad at it, apparently. Or that's what my sister tells me."
ya
She shakes her head. "Not worse than me." She swallows a bite. "Your sister, what's her name again?"
"Abrielle. But if you call her that, she might hurt you. It's just Abri."
"Noted." She smirks.
"Charlotte?"
We both turn to the new voice.
A guy sitting next to me, well dressed, well mannered, a slight five o'clock shadow sitting on his chin, grins at Charlotte. "I didn't notice you sitting there." He ignores me, eyes only for the princess.
I dip my head, not wanting to inject myself in their conversation. Head down, I continue eating my food, noticing Charlotte not touching her food anymore. But she seems more focused on chatting with the guy sitting next to me, who ends up introducing himself to me.
"I don't think we've met... Ambrose Russi." He extends his hand.
I grasp it. "Levi Hernandez."
He nods. "The mechanic?" he asks.
I raise a brow.
"People talk," he says in explanation, taking a bite of his food. He turns again to Charlotte, and I disappear again, continuing to eat my food.
Maybe I should suggest I switch places with one of them.
I grin to myself.
The two continue chatting with each other, and I've already finished with dinner, so I sit back in my chair, glancing at everyone else around the table. I catch Bard's eye, who gives me a small smile. He glances at Charlotte, then back to Ambrose, then rests his gaze on me. He rolls his eyes at the two chatting next to me, and I can't help but grin. Then I realize he's in the same instance, with two people on the other side of him chatting, while he's sitting quietly in the middle. Bummer.
Eventually Ambrose pauses in the conversation, and Charlotte turns to me.
"So, Levi, you said that you had ice skated when you were little, right?" Her question is rhetorical, but I nod, surprised she remembered our conversation. Didn't she go on a bunch of group dates this week? "What else did you do as a kid? Did you play sports?"
I nod. "I did. I played basketball and football. Not for very long though. My mom always wanted me to focus on school, and when sports started to take over, she pulled me from the teams."
"She sounds like a smart mother."
A small smile spreads across my lips. "She was."
I don't meet her gaze, but take a drink of water.
"And out of high school, you went straight to the military?" Charlotte asks after a few silent moments.
I nod. "I did."
"How... how was that?" She cringes slightly, and I know it's a difficult question to phrase, or ever to ask. Most people ask out of courtesy, but most people don't ever want to hear the answer. Or they aren't prepared for it.
"Life changing," I murmur, taking another sip of water.
She nods. "I can imagine." She bites her lip. "Was it nice to come back?"
I hear Ambrose shift, turning to me, and I know he's listening. "Yes and no." I realize how clipped an answer I gave, but I'd rather not share anything about coming home. It was filled with anxiety and grief, but mostly anger, at myself, at the Coast Guard, even at the mail workers for not getting the envelope to me sooner, and there were too many tears shed when I saw Abri again. My kid sister had grown up, and was without me or our mom for one year.
I hate to admit it, but it's enough of an answer for the princess.
She doesn't keep asking about my time served.
But Ambrose wastes no time in talking to Charlotte, keeping her occupied with questions that no one would ever think to ask, and I sit back, perfectly content to sit in silence.
january 9th
[ 3:13 PM ]
"How does it feel to have already been there for over a week?"
"Like I've been here for a week," is my answer. I don't look up from the laundry that fell down off the bed that I've been folding and putting away.
"Any progress in getting closer to Charlotte?"
I shake my head. "Nope, not much progress."
"Is that for her lack of trying, or yours?"
I shoot her a look. "Lack of time spent together."
"Didn't you tell me you had group dates going on? Ice skating?"
I nod, picking up the folded laundry and putting it back in the closet where it belongs. It's weird, coming in with it already folded this afternoon. I wasn't expecting it, nor was I expecting it to have been ironed. Abri does the laundry back at home, and I don't know if she even knows what an iron does.
I also wasn't expecting that when I sat on the bed, for it to go flying all over the floor.
"How was that? The ice skating," Abri keeps the conversation going.
I let out a breath. "Fine. They had hot chocolate, so that was nice."
She glares. "Levi, I swear you are trying to make falling in love so much more difficult than it needs to be!" She curls up against the couch, shoving her face into a pillow. I laugh.
"It's all done in order to spite you, so, in reality, it's your fault."
The pillow falls from her face, leaving her mom look she's perfected over the years. "Excuse me for wanting to have a sister. And a brother who has a wife who is literally perfect for him."
"You haven't even met her? How do you know she's perfect for me?"
"A woman's intuition," she quips.
I roll my eyes. "Tell me when you get that."
The pillow gets thrown at the screen. "Such a brat," she mutters. Then she grabs a bag of chips and rips them open. "Besides the princess, have you made any friends?"
"It's only been a week, Bri. You know it takes longer than that."
"Are you trying, Levi? Because that would make a difference." She plops another chip in her mouth.
I bite back a retort. She knows me well. She also knows how I felt about being forced to enter, and especially how I felt getting selected and leaving. So, yeah, maybe this is my way of putting my foot down, and rejecting giving them the satisfaction that I may actually enjoy my time here.
"I am a little," I say softly.
She sighs. "You are? Like, actually?"
I nod. "I am. A little. That's all."
She eats another chip. "I feel like I'm your mother, trying to get you to play nice with the other kids on the playground..." she trails off. "Okay, fine, you can slide for this week. It was the first week, you had to settle in, not to mention go on a group date with a bunch of dudes who are dating your woman. It was a lot."
I decide not to comment on her teasing.
"But will you please, please, try? For me? And for the reason that I'll kick you out of the house if you don't marry her?"
"Okay, yes, fine, I'll try. But you won't get anything else."
She groans. "Fine. That's good. Besides, apparently nothing else happened this past week that was exciting."
I look away, then give her a grin.
She drips her bag. "What happened?" Her face zooms closer to the screen.
"Charlotte and I may or may not have skated together and then fell, on the ice, with her slightly on top," I pause, cringing, "I broke her fall," I phrase better.
Her eyes widen.
"But yeah, that's about all that happened."
She gives me a look.
"I also rescued her from a dude who was attempting to get her to skate with him, which she declined, but he didn't back off, so I pulled her out onto the ice, telling the dude that she already promised to skate with me."
She grins. "Smooth, Levi."
I shrug. "The guy was a jerk."
"So you're her hero?"
"I wouldn't call it that."
"You wouldn't."
I prop the laptop up higher on my lap. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"
She nods. "Yes. It was. Thank you." She is still calm, which I'm surprised at.
Then she squeals.
Ah. There it is.