Unforeseeable

Chapter 24

My fingertips trace circles on his chest and the morning light holds me like a child. His eyes are closed and he whispers my name in his sleep.
"I'm here, Levi. I'm here." My words are soft and he smiles to himself, his hand moving on top of mine. In my mind there is now no resemblance between him and Damien, they are two separate people. I have let Damien go, slipping through my fingers like a song I can't remember. He still means a lot to me, but most of the pain has gone. Even if it was just for now.
I rub my thumb over the back of Levis hand as he dreams. Maybe he is thinking about our heaven.
His eyes flutter open slowly. He smiles at me, eyes still glazed with dreams.
"Morning." I say, smiling at him as he tries to wake himself up.
"Hello, beautiful." He places a kiss on my forehead and wraps his arms around me, pulling me close against his chest. I tuck my head under his chin and close my eyes as he draws lines down my bare back.
"I don't ever want to leave this bed." I say into his torso.
"We can stay here forever if you'd like. Life can wait for us." I feel a smile creep onto my lips.
"I'd like that a lot."
I feel like I could fall asleep again in an instant, but at the same time I'm wide awake and fully aware as his fingers make contact with my skin. I close my eyes and let out a quiet sigh.
"I'm sorry if I hurt you yesterday."
"About Damien?"
"Yeah."
"I get where you were coming from. I'm sorry too, I got really upset about the entire thing." The conversation fades into silence before he picks up another one.
"What are we?" Confusion prickles my mind. He clarifies before I can ask: "I mean like.... are you going to be sleeping in my bed for now on?"
"Oh..."
"Don't feel like you have too of course-"
"No, I mean yeah. Well sometimes. On hot nights I'll sleep alone because I get restless, but it's winter. So we don't have to worry about that." A can't see, but I feel a smile creep over his face.
Nothing else is said for a long time.
•••••
I don't remember falling asleep again, but I wake up alone in Levi's bed. I sit up, pulling the duvet around my naked body.
"Levi?" I call out standing up and dropping the sheets back onto the bed. I pull on Levis shirt from last night and walk into the living room.
Where is he?
I wander around like a lost puppy for a while before I realise he isn't home. I shrug it off, walking towards my bedroom to get dressed.
Once I'm clothed and fairly decent looking, my stomach starts to growl. I walk towards the kitchen and flick through all the cupboards.
Empty
Empty
Empty
Where's all the food?
I sigh, realising I need to leave to house and venture to the grocery store to get whatever I can afford.
It's raining as I walk down the streets. Lots of people have their heads down, raincoat hoods pulled up over their heads as they sludge through the leftover snow. They all seem like they are in such a rush, and they blur past me before I can even acknowledge their faces. The store embraces me with warmth and the clerk greets me with a friendly smile.
"Morning Ma'am, hope you're staying dry." I smile at him, my soaking wet hair seeming kind of ironic.
"I'm trying." I slide out of the conversation casually and wander down the isles.
What do I want to eat?
Just add water cake mixture? Nah, don't feel like cooking anything. Doritos? Not in the mood for chips. Wandering around I come across a few isles filled with inedible things. Toilet paper, dishwashing detergent, condoms. My thoughts wander back to Levi as a smile creeps across my face. I pull out my phone to call him, I should see what he wants for lunch. It rings three times before someone picks it up.
"Hello?" Answers a curious voice.
"Hey you, where did you run off to this morning?"
"Oh... uh... my name is Lowell, the owner of this phone, Levi, is in the hospital." My heart hitches in my chest as my hand rises to my lower lip.
"What? Is he okay?"
"He was in a car accident and the doctors aren't telling me anything.
"What hospital are you at? I'm coming to see him."
I'm already running down the street towards the apartment before he can answer.
•••••
I crash through the door to the hospital like a tidal wave, heart racing in my chest. The receptionist stands up as she sees me "can I help you?" The eyes of people sitting in the waiting room flicker towards me in curiosity.
"I need to see Levi. He was in a car accident." My hands are shaking. A guy with chestnut brown hair and eyes gets up from his chair. He has a bandage wrapped around his hand and a small cut on his face.
"Quinn?" I turn to him, a blank stare as I try to place a name to his face. "I'm Lowell, we spoke on the phone. They won't let anyone see him."
"They have to. I'm his girlfriend." The words startle me as they leave my mouth but I'm too upset to react.
"Trust me, it won't matter. They won't even let me, and I'm his brother."