10

The next day, I was ready. Or at least, I thought I was. Levi had no idea what he was walking into.

I sent him the challenge early in the morning, grinning as I typed.

Cora: Escape room. You and me, 7 PM. Be there or admit defeat now.

His response came back quicker than I expected.

Levi: An escape room? Is this supposed to be difficult?

Cora: Just show up. Or you're already scared.

Levi: Scared? Of you? Don't make me laugh.

I smirked to myself as I tossed my phone aside. Levi didn't know what was coming.

At 7 PM, I arrived at the escape room venue—a slick downtown spot with industrial vibes and a reputation for being tough to crack. I chose their hardest room, "The Vault." The concept was simple: break into a high-security vault, crack the codes, and escape before the guards "catch" you. It was notoriously difficult—perfect for throwing Levi off his game.

He showed up, as expected, annoyingly on time. Of course, he strolled in casually, dressed in his usual black jacket and jeans, like this was just another one of his victories waiting to happen. I wasn't about to let him get comfortable.

"You sure you're ready for this?" he asked, his signature smirk already in place.

I folded my arms and met his gaze evenly. "Absolutely. I hope you brought more than just that attitude. You're going to need actual brainpower tonight."

He chuckled, that deep, infuriating sound. "I'll take it easy on you, don't worry."

"You won't get the chance," I shot back, already walking past him toward the entrance. I was going to wipe that smug look off his face tonight, once and for all.

The staff walked us through the rules and then led us into "The Vault," locking the door behind us. The room was dim, with heavy metal walls and a ticking timer displayed on a screen above the vault door. Scattered around were cryptic symbols, tools, and pieces of paper that hinted at the puzzles we'd need to solve.

I jumped into action immediately, scanning the room for anything useful. Levi, as usual, acted like he had all the time in the world, poking around lazily while I was actually figuring things out.

"You're just wasting time over there," I said, eyeing him as he fiddled with a lock on a drawer. "That's not even part of the first clue."

He didn't even look up. "Maybe I like taking my time. You're too impatient."

"Or maybe I actually know what I'm doing," I shot back, already moving on to the next clue.

Levi finally straightened up, his eyes glinting with challenge. "You sure about that?"

I glared at him, annoyed at how calm he seemed. "Let's make a bet then. First one to solve the next puzzle wins control of the room."

His eyebrows shot up, clearly intrigued. "Control of the room, huh? Sounds interesting. You're on."

"Good," I said, determined to beat him. I was halfway through deciphering the first clue when Levi, to my horror, casually strolled over to the vault door and input a code I hadn't even realized was part of the puzzle.

The lock clicked open, and I gaped at him in disbelief. "How did you—"

He grinned, leaning back against the vault door. "You're underestimating me, Cora. Again."

I clenched my jaw, refusing to let him see how rattled I was. "Lucky guess."

"Keep telling yourself that," he said, clearly enjoying himself. "Now, I believe I'm in control of the room."

I scowled. "You might've gotten that one, but it's not over yet."

"Oh, it's far from over," Levi said, that smirk back in full force. "But now we're doing things my way."

His confidence was infuriating, and yet, I couldn't help but feel that same magnetic pull every time we were locked in this kind of battle. It was what kept us constantly at each other's throats—neither of us willing to back down, both of us loving the thrill of outsmarting the other.

We worked through the next set of puzzles, and I had to admit, Levi wasn't all talk. He was faster than I expected, spotting patterns and connections before I did, much to my irritation. Each time I thought I was onto something, Levi would already be two steps ahead.

I wasn't used to this, to losing ground to him so quickly. It threw me off balance, and he could tell.

"You're getting a little quiet over there," he said, barely glancing up as he input another code into a monitor. The light flashed green, signaling another solved puzzle. "Not like you, Cora. Usually, you've got more to say."

"I'm just focusing," I snapped, not wanting to admit how rattled I was. I couldn't let him see how much he was getting to me.

"Is that what it is?" Levi's voice dropped a notch, and I could feel him looking at me from across the room. "Because it seems like you're struggling to keep up."

I straightened up, glaring at him. "I'm fine. And I'm going to win this."

Levi laughed softly. "I wouldn't count on it. We've got ten minutes left, and I'm way ahead."

The clock was ticking, and we were down to the last puzzle. My mind raced as I tried to solve the combination that would unlock the vault's final door, but the pressure was getting to me. My hands were clammy, and I could feel Levi's gaze on me, waiting for me to slip up.

He was faster this time, too.

Just as I thought I had the answer, Levi calmly entered a final code into the vault keypad. The vault door swung open with a satisfying click, and the timer stopped with two minutes to spare.

I stared at him in disbelief as he stepped through the open door, his smirk somehow even more infuriating than usual. "I believe that makes me the winner."

I scowled, trying to hide my disappointment. "You got lucky."

"Luck?" Levi raised an eyebrow, looking far too pleased with himself. "That was skill, Cora. Admit it."

I crossed my arms, refusing to give him the satisfaction. "I'm not admitting anything."

He stepped closer, his expression softening just a little. "Don't take it too hard. You'll get another chance—maybe."

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't stop the small smile tugging at the corner of my lips. "Enjoy this victory while you can, Levi. It's not happening again."

His grin widened. "I'm looking forward to the rematch."

As we walked out of the escape room, I couldn't help but feel a strange mix of frustration and excitement. Losing to Levi wasn't something I enjoyed, but I couldn't deny that it kept the fire between us burning.

And I knew, without a doubt, that this wouldn't be the last time we'd face off.

The next day, I was sitting opposite Spencer eating the brownie quietly.

"You're not still thinking about Levi, are you?" Spencer asked, across from me with a dramatic sigh.

"Who said I was?" I countered, raising an eyebrow.

"You have that look," she said, stirring sugar into her coffee. "The 'I'm pretending I don't care but secretly I do' look."

I rolled my eyes. "I do not have a look."

"Please, you're practically a human emoji." Spencer sipped her coffee and gave me a knowing grin.

"Besides," she continued, her eyes twinkling with mischief, "how can you *not* think about Levi after everything?"

"Are you kidding?"

And I knew, without a doubt, that this wouldn't be the last time we'd face off, her grin widening. "Oh come on, Cora."

I threw a napkin at her. "You're delusional."

"Maybe," she said, dodging the napkin with a laugh, "But you can't deny there's something between you two."

I tried to hide the smile tugging at my lips. "Whatever."

Spencer raised an eyebrow. "I bet there is something because he wouldn't be doing this."

She pointed toward the door, and my heart skipped a beat. Levi walked in, holding what looked like a very large, very questionable stuffed animal.

"Is that a llama?" I asked, my voice filled with equal parts confusion and amusement.

"Looks like it," Spencer said with a smirk. "Your knight in fluffy armor has arrived."

Levi walked over to our table, the stuffed llama draped over his shoulder like a misplaced fashion statement. "Hey, Cora. Hey, Spencer."

"Levi," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "What's with the llama?"

"Oh, this?" Levi said, adjusting the stuffed llama for better balance. "It's for you. A peace offering."

"A peace offering?" I repeated, incredulous. "For what exactly?"

"For being the best person ever to let me win and also I hope this eases your poor heart." Levi said, giving me a lopsided grin.

Spencer burst out laughing. "You brought a stuffed llama to make amends? That's amazing."

Levi shrugged. "Well, it's either this or a singing telegram. I figured the llama was less... intrusive."

I took the llama, which was surprisingly soft and quite cuddly.

Levi took a seat at the table, "I just wanted to check in, see how you're doing."

"I'm doing fine," I said, adjusting the llama so it was sitting upright.

Levi nodded. "Fine sounds good. Speaking of fine, do you want to come help me with something?"

"What kind of something?" I asked cautiously.

Levi leaned in with a mischievous glint in his eye. "I'm trying to put together a community event at the park this weekend, and I could use an extra pair of hands. Plus, there's supposed to be a pie-eating contest."

"A pie-eating contest?" I said, laughing. "You really know how to sell it."

"Yep," Levi said with a grin. "I promise it'll be fun. Plus, you can keep the llama."

Spencer nudged me with a playful nudge. "You should totally go. It sounds like a blast."

I looked at Levi, who was trying hard to look earnest but failing miserably. "Alright, alright. I'll come. But only if you promise to save me a slice of pie."

"Deal," Levi said, reaching across the table to shake on it. "I'll even let you pick the pie flavor."

As we shook hands, the café door swung open, and in walked a very dramatic couple dressed as characters from an old movie. They were talking loudly about their "epic" plans for the day, and their over-the-top antics quickly drew everyone's attention.

"Is that a reenactment of Casablanca?" Spencer asked, her eyes wide.

"Looks like it," Levi said, trying to stifle a laugh. "And it seems like today is full of surprises."

We all laughed, the absurdity of the situation breaking the tension. As I looked at Levi, I couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, things were starting to feel a little more normal. Or at least, a different kind of normal.

As we finished our coffee and said our goodbyes, I couldn't shake the feeling that the day had only just begun. The universe had a knack for throwing unexpected events our way, and I was curious to see what would come next.