11

Two days later, I found myself standing in the middle of the park, staring at the setup Levi had managed to pull together for this so-called "community event." There were tables lined with pies, banners strung between trees, and a small stage where a local band was setting up. Kids darted between clusters of adults, their laughter ringing through the crisp afternoon air. A couple of food trucks had stationed themselves along the path, the scent of fried food and sugar mixing with the breeze.

And then there was Levi.

He was by the pie-eating contest area, talking to some volunteers, and despite the crowd, my eyes honed in on him instantly. His hair was slightly tousled from the wind, his sleeves rolled up just enough to be distracting, and when he laughed at something one of the volunteers said, I felt an irritating flutter in my stomach.

I hated that he had this effect on me.

I hated even more that he knew it.

"You made it," his voice interrupted my thoughts, and I realized with a start that he was now standing right in front of me, looking annoyingly smug.

"I told you I'd be here, didn't I?" I shot back, shifting my weight to one leg and crossing my arms, doing my best to seem unaffected.

Levi’s gaze flicked downward for a split second, lingering, before he met my eyes again. "You always keep your promises, Cora?"

There was something in the way he said my name—like it was familiar on his tongue, like he had been saying it in his head for years. And maybe he had.

"Don't flatter yourself, Levi," I said smoothly. "I'm just here for the free pie."

"Of course." He leaned in just enough that I caught the fresh citrus scent of his aftershave, something I recognized before I could stop myself. "But you're gonna have to earn that pie."

I narrowed my eyes. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

He stepped even closer, voice low and teasing. "You're entering the pie-eating contest."

I blinked, trying to process the ridiculousness of what he just said. "Are you insane? I am not shoving my face into a pie."

Levi tilted his head slightly, his grin widening. "Scared you'll lose?"

"Hardly," I scoffed, closing the gap between us before I could think better of it. "But if I enter, you better be ready to lose, because I'm not going easy on you."

His eyes flickered with something—something unreadable but intense. "Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it."

The way he was looking at me made my pulse stutter. There was history in that gaze, but something else too. I had spent years assuming Levi thrived on our rivalry the same way I did. But now, standing here with the late afternoon sun catching the edges of his hair, I wasn’t so sure.

Levi chuckled softly. "You're really going to make me work for it, huh?"

"Work for what, exactly?" I asked, my voice dropping into a challenge.

He leaned down, his lips just a breath away from my ear. "You know what."

My breath caught, and for a second, the world around us disappeared. But before I could respond, someone nearby called Levi's name.

He straightened, breaking the spell between us with an infuriating smirk. "Come on, Cora. Let’s see what you’ve got."

Spencer showed up just in time to witness the chaos, her eyes wide with excitement. "Are you seriously doing this?" she asked, barely containing her laughter.

"I guess I am," I said, trying to sound casual even though my nerves were through the roof.

Levi was already sitting down, rolling up his sleeves, looking far too cocky for his own good. "Ready?" he asked, his voice dripping with amusement.

I sat beside him, and as soon as I did, his knee brushed against mine under the table—deliberately, I was sure.

"I hope you can handle losing to me, Levi."

"Funny, I was about to say the same to you."

His grin was so infuriatingly attractive that I had to look away before I did something reckless, like lean over and kiss it off his face.

The announcer started the countdown, and I glanced at Levi one last time, determined to win this ridiculous contest just to wipe that smug expression off his face.

But as soon as the pies hit the table, I knew I was in trouble. I could barely get through half before I was laughing too hard, thanks to Levi’s ridiculous commentary and the way he kept trying to distract me.

"You’ve got a little something…" he said, pointing to the whipped cream on my cheek.

"Oh, do I?" I wiped at it with the back of my hand, but Levi shook his head.

"Here, let me."

Without warning, he reached over and swiped his thumb across my cheek, his touch lingering a second too long. His thumb grazed my lips for the briefest moment before he pulled away, and I froze, my heart pounding.

Something shifted in his expression then, his playful smirk faltering.

It was the kind of look that made me wonder—had he been paying attention to me longer than I realized? Had he always been this way, just subtle enough that I never noticed?

Before I could even begin to make sense of it, the announcer declared Levi the winner of the contest.

He stood up, arms raised in victory. "Better luck next time, Cora."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "This isn't over, Levi."

"Oh, I know," he said, voice low, filled with something heavier than teasing.

And as I watched him walk away, I knew he wasn’t just talking about the pie.

Okay, um wow. Levi is already going all in and it's leaving Cora confused. What is Levi trying to do? What do you guys think?

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— sky