Charlotte's POV...
We spend the next day at Levi's flat so we can kill some time before our evening flight back to Boston.
His friends Andy and Landon keep us company. They've been living here taking care of the place while Levi's been away, and I can tell by the way Levi slowly wheels himself around through each room, that he feels out of place in his own home.
I sat next to Levi on his couch listening to him talk and joke around with his friends, but he wasn't acting like himself. He held my hand the entire time and sometimes he would stare off into the distance while Landon and Andy bickered about who knows what. When I'd nudge him back from where ever his mind wondered off to, he would squeeze my hand and give me a little smile.
I hope he's not regretting last night. I know I'm not. Last night was amazing for me and I hope it was for him as well. I was nervous at first, afraid of him seeing me naked for the first time and wondering if my petite body would turn him off, or how his injury would affect his arousal. I worried for nothing because his body was extra sensitive in certain spots which caused his limbs to shake with pleasure. Everything felt perfect, yet today he seems sad.
I've caught Andy glaring at our locked hands with disapproval more than once today but I can't figure out what he doesn't like about it. Am I not good enough for his best friend? Or does he just think this is an odd relationship for us to start?...Like maybe most people will think. Things will be different when we get back to Boston. I'll have to figure out how to balance professional with personal. Trust me, I've had plenty of time to think about how wrong this relationship could be, he is my patient after all. I've never before experienced this kind of happiness as when I'm with him, so I'm going for it. Just because Levi and I might seem strange or different to Andy and whoever else, doesn't mean it's a bad thing.
"Can you help me into my chair?" Levi whispers in my ear.
"Sure," I gladly say, I then bring his chair close to him and guide his left arm, making him do most of the transfer on his own. He thanks me then rolls himself out onto his balcony and closes the glass door behind him.
Andy gets up and follows him out there, leaving Landon and I in the living room. We both look out towards Andy and Levi arguing about something then we look back at each other.
"So you and Levi huh?" Landon breaks the discomfort in the room.
"I was waiting for you two to finally realize how you feel about each other," he smirks.
"Is that a good thing or a bad one? Because Andy seems to disapprove," I point over at the two arguing outside.
"You seem like you really care about Levi, and lately Levi only seems happy when he's with you or talking about you, so that's good enough for me. Andy's just worried that's all. When Emma left Levi it nearly destroyed him, then he didn't talk to Andy and I for almost 4 months!" Landon reminds me.
He continues on... "Andy always hated Emma and how she only cared about herself. Andy tried convincing Levi she was only with him for status, but Levi didn't listen to him. When Levi ignored our calls after his accident and after Emma abandoned him in Boston, Andy was really upset with them both and now he's wary of any woman hurting his best mate again."
That's understandable that he'd be mad at Emma, but Levi? I clear my throat thinking of how to defend Levi before responding to all of that information.
"Levi was hurt when Emma left, he thought he was worthless because he was confined to a chair and needed everyone to help him with normal everyday things. He didn't want his best friends to see him that way and he was afraid you would treat him differently, so he tried pushing you away before you had the chance to give up on him first," I confess to Landon.
"Yes that sounds like Levi," he says more to himself than to me.
Landon sits back against the couch and crosses his arms. I can see that he's thinking about what I said. I look back at Levi and Andy and I'm relieved to see Andy sitting on a patio chair, that their arguing has stopped.
I turn to Landon again, who's still sitting there quietly and I continue to tell him, " Levi felt like he didn't deserve anyone, I think he still feels that way, and I'll do whatever it takes so he doesn't feel like that anymore."
"And that's why I think you two will be perfect together," Landon chirps, then taps my knee as he gets up to join Andy and Levi on the balcony.
The sounds of laughter coming from the three of them makes me less anxious, so I let them be and make my way to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As I go to grab some ice from the freezer I notice the fridge door has a picture of Levi and his friends toasting together at some party. Looking at them all together happy like that makes me smile, until I go to close the freezer door and notice a picture of Levi with Emma. They're standing together, Levi's arm around her shoulders while he's kissing her on the cheek. I must've been staring at that picture a little too long because the three guys startle me by strolling into the kitchen laughing and I frantically try to hide my face while I catch the lone tear rolling down my cheek.
"What's wrong?" Levi asks me.
"Nothing.. I.. I had something in my eye," I stutter.
"Well let's go then! I've got to get you two to the airport before you miss your flight," Landon blurts out.
Thank goodness it's Landon taking us and not Andy, I think to myself. Knowing that Andy isn't too keen about all of this makes me feel a little weird around him now .
As we head out to the car, me following behind Landon, I look back to catch Andy stopping Levi. "This isn't going to end well," I hear Andy say slightly louder than a whisper so that I can hear him.
I just keep walking, pretending I don't know what they're talking about when Levi surprises me by responding, " Well I think you're wrong."
Levi stays unexpectedly quiet the entire ride to the airport, throughout the humiliating security search, and all the way to our gate. Only when I left him sitting in the waiting area so I could check in his chair and come back, did he simply say, "Thank you."
Once again we were the first ones onto the plane. The flight attendant gave us enough time to walk down the ramp so we could sit in the front row before the other passengers made their way down. Right after I help him into the isle seat, he grabs the arm rest and his body stiffens. "Ow!.. Damnit!" He yells out, trying to reach for his left leg now in full spasm. I quickly unlock his leg brace and apply pressure to his thigh and knee with my hands, massaging his muscles until the spasm stops. I look up at him, his expression a mix of pain and anxiety. His breathing picks up, he's about to panic and I know it's because he's afraid the other passengers will start to board and witness this ordeal. I press my hand down firmer onto his leg with one hand, step my leg over him so I'm standing in front of him and lean towards his face, planting my lips onto his. He tries to speak, but I stop him, kissing him again.
I pull away just as passengers start to enter the plane and he keeps his gaze on me. His lips slightly parted, his eyes wide, he's calmer now so I carefully move his left leg to where it should be and climb over him to the window seat.
"Are you okay?" I softly ask him.
"Um, yes I am now, thanks, " he says back.
"Do you want to talk about what you and Andy were arguing about earlier today?" I nervously ask him. Levi's been way too quiet this evening and after the leg spasm he just had, I know it's because something's really bothering him, probably something Andy said to him.
"I don't want to talk about it," he groans.
I try a few more times to persuade him into talking, but he shut me down every time. He's content holding my hand while I rest my head on his shoulder. Three hours into the flight, he finally speaks, "Thank you for coming on this trip with me, I wouldn't have gotten through it without you," he softly says, then leans his head on mine and falls asleep.
Everyone at rehab's happy to see us when we get back. Nate informs me that I looked like crap and probably need some sleep. He tells me he'll cover the rest of the day and instructs me to go home and come back tomorrow. I thank him for running things while I was gone, then follow Levi to his room to drop off his luggage.
As soon as we enter Levi's room, he closes the door and locked it behind me. Before I can ask him what he's doing, he grabs my waist and pulls me onto his lap. He then brushes his finger softly down my cheek and his thumb across my bottom lip, triggering a fluttery feeling in my stomach. "You're so beautiful," he says to me before tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear, and pulling me towards his perfect lips.
"Come rest in bed with me for a while," he says.
"Levi, we can't do this here, believe me, I want to.... but not here, I have to be professional here," I grudgingly say.
"Bring me with you to your place then, just for today?" He shyly asks.
"You haven't had any therapy in the last 24 hours," I remind him.
"We can do some at your place, then you can take a nap because Nate says you look like crap," Levi giggles.
"Fine, you can come," I tell him. His moods change so quickly, so seeing him happy and joking around with me makes it hard to deny him.
" I don't want to take my wheelchair," he sternly says. " I want to walk with you."
"Okay", I say, a little confused.
We get to my place and I'm thankful now that I chose to live in the apartment building with an elevator. Levi asks me to walk him around on a tour of my apartment. It isn't too fancy but I have plenty of room for myself, a big kitchen, living room area with a huge couch and flat screen TV, hardwood floors throughout and two bedrooms... one I use as my office.
" I like your place," he says to me while I walk him over to sit on the couch.
"Glad you like it," I tell him. " Will you be alright here for a bit while I take a quick shower and change?"
"Yes sure, hurry back," he smiles.
I hurry into the shower and let the hot water pour over my tired muscles. I feel like my stomach is doing flips and my heart races every time I think about the way he touches my skin. I crave being close to him all the time. I've never felt this urge with anyone else before. I could stay enjoying the hot shower for another hour, but I just want to get back to Levi.
I throw on a light pair of sweats and a t-shirt then make my way back to the living room. Levi is lying on his side, fast asleep on the couch. I grab a blanket and start to cover him with it, when I feel him tug on my pants and pull me down to him. He shifts himself closer to the back of the couch so I can lay down too. He wraps his arm around my stomach and squishes me into his chest and rests his face in my neck. I feel his lips gently brush the base of my neck and it sends a shiver down my spine. "The things you do to me Charlie," he breathes into my neck then gently kisses me.
Our bodies are aching for more but our minds are exhausted from the complete lack of sleep in the last two days, and jet lag on top of it. So we decide to snuggle together on the couch, his arm and leg nestled tightly around me, holding me close against his chest until we happily fall asleep.