24

I sat there, staring at the sketch Levi had handed me, feeling like I'd just been knocked off balance. The drawing was rough, not perfect, but there was something about it that made my throat tighten. It was the little things. The way he'd drawn the soft lighting of the restaurant, the way he captured the table, the plants by the window, and most importantly—me. He'd noticed how upset I had been, even if I had tried to hide it behind sarcasm and small talk.

Levi sat next to me, quiet and still, his gaze fixed on the pond in front of us. For a moment, the only sound was the soft rustle of the wind through the trees and the occasional crunch of leaves beneath my feet. Autumn was in full swing, and the air had that crisp, cool bite that made everything feel sharper, more real.

I turned the sketch over in my hands again, unsure of what to say. The tension between us was thick, like an invisible thread pulling tight with every second that passed. I could feel my heartbeat pounding in my ears, and I knew that if I didn't say something soon, I'd explode. But the words I needed—the right words—were stuck somewhere deep in my chest.

"You seemed upset last night," Levi said, his voice low, almost hesitant. I glanced at him, startled by the softness in his tone. Levi was never hesitant. Not around me, anyway. He always had something snarky or sarcastic to say, some sharp remark to throw back in my face. But now, he just seemed... uncertain. "I should've asked you about it."

I bit my lip, trying to decide how honest I wanted to be. The truth was, last night had hit me harder than I wanted to admit. More than it should have. And what bothered me even more was that I cared at all. I shouldn't care. Levi wasn't mine. He wasn't supposed to matter like that.

"It was Mia," I blurted out before I could stop myself, my fingers curling tightly around the edges of the paper. "Seeing you with her just... got to me. I mean, I wasn't expecting her to be there."

Levi turned his head to look at me, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Mia?"

I let out a shaky laugh, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. "Yeah." I shifted uncomfortably on the bench, staring at the drawing in my lap. "It's just... it felt like I didn't belong there. Like I was intruding on something."

Levi's eyes softened as he leaned back on the bench, his arm resting casually along the back of it. "You think I'd invite you somewhere if you didn't belong?"

I knew he was talking about that dinner.

His voice was steady, and there was no teasing edge to it, no sarcasm. He sounded serious, and the sincerity in his words hit me harder than I expected. I swallowed, my throat tight, and looked down at my hands. I hadn't realized how much I needed to hear that.

"I don't know, Levi," I admitted quietly, still avoiding his gaze. "Sometimes it's hard to tell with you. One minute we're bickering and competing like we've always done, and then the next... it feels like there's something else. Something more." My fingers traced the edges of the sketch absentmindedly, my voice barely above a whisper. "And I don't know how to handle that."

Levi was silent for a moment, the tension between us thick and heavy. I could feel the weight of his gaze on me, but I couldn't bring myself to look at him. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. I had never been this honest with him—or with myself—about what I was feeling. And now that the words were out there, hanging in the air between us, I was terrified of what he might say.

"Funny," Levi said, his voice softer than I'd ever heard it. "I was about to say the same thing about you."

I finally looked up at him, my breath catching in my throat. His expression wasn't smug or teasing like I had expected. Instead, he looked... vulnerable. Like he was just as unsure of where we stood as I was. His dark eyes searched mine, and for the first time, I saw something raw, something real, flicker behind them.

I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. What could I say? That I hated how much I cared? That every time I was around him, I felt like I was on the verge of falling off a cliff and had no idea how to stop it?

But I didn't say any of that. I just stared at him, my mind racing, trying to make sense of the chaotic swirl of emotions that had been building up inside me for weeks.

Finally, Levi broke the silence, shifting on the bench so that he was facing me more directly. "I'm not great at this, Cora," he said, his voice low, almost unsure. "I've never been good at, you know, talking about stuff like this. But I want you to know... I notice. I notice when something's bothering you."

I blinked, the words sinking in slowly. He *noticed.* All this time, I thought Levi was just going through the motions, playing his part in our back-and-forth rivalry. But he had noticed how I was feeling—how I had been feeling—and he cared enough to say something.

I didn't know what to do with that. My heart felt like it was stuck somewhere between racing and stopping altogether.

"You didn't say anything." I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper.

Levi sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "I didn't know how," he admitted, his gaze dropping to his hands. "I could tell you were upset, but I didn't want to make it worse by bringing it up in front of everyone." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "But I know now that I should've asked. I should've talked to you."

I stared at him, trying to process what he was saying. Levi wasn't just brushing off what had happened; he was owning up to it. He was admitting that he'd made a mistake, and that... that was something.

"Thank you," I said softly, my voice filled with sincerity. "For noticing. And for... this." I held up the sketch, the corners of my mouth twitching into a small, hesitant smile. "It means more than you know."

Levi's lips quirked into a grin, but it wasn't his usual cocky smirk. It was softer, almost shy. "Well, don't get used to it," he said, his tone light, though his eyes were still serious. "I'm not planning on making a habit of sketching you every time we hang out."

I laughed, the tension between us easing slightly. "Yeah, yeah. Wouldn't want you to ruin your bad-boy image."

Levi chuckled, the sound low and warm, and for the first time in days, I felt like I could breathe again. The weight of all the unspoken things between us wasn't gone, not completely, but it felt lighter somehow. Manageable.

Levi stood up suddenly, stretching his arms above his head as he looked down at me with a playful grin. "Come on," he said, offering me a hand. "Let's grab some coffee or something. I've been sitting here long enough."

I hesitated for a moment, still processing everything that had just happened, but then I took his hand, letting him pull me to my feet. "Fine," I said, trying to keep my voice light. "But you're buying."

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Oh, am I now?"

"Yep. Consider it a payment for the emotional whiplash you've given me over the past few days," I teased, shoving the sketch carefully into my jacket pocket.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Fine. Deal."

As we walked away from the park, side by side, our shoulders almost—but not quite—brushing against each other, I couldn't help but feel like something had shifted between us. Something real.

And while I still wasn't sure what was happening between us, I knew one thing for certain: whatever it was, it wasn't going away anytime soon.

And maybe, just maybe, I didn't want it to.