Adoring Levi

thirty-three

Sunday arrived quicker than I expected it to, marking the end of the Halloween break.

The week was actually good; I worked more than usual so I have a bit more money now, I've actually left my house to meet up with my friends, and Levi and I have talked even more than we already do. Nothing has been awkward between us since Halloween, but I don't know how to feel about that. I mean, we held hands for at least thirty minutes, but neither of us have mentioned it. I should be glad that our friendship is still the same, that that moment was just a one time thing to cheer me up. I never wanted things to get too serious between us as it's guaranteed it'll end horribly, but every time I've seen him since then, I'd secretly wish I could just grab onto his hand to feel that same comfort again.

"Addie!" My head snaps to the side, frowning at Evie. She's sitting beside me on the couch, Rosa on the other side, her box of pizza already open. "You've been holding that box like an idiot. What are you thinking about?"

I look down at the box of pizza in my own hands, surprised that I almost forgot it was there. Mom decided to order pizza for my sisters and I; we all got our own ones. She said it was a treat for our last day of the break, but we know she's given up on cooking.

"Probably her boyfriend."

I slowly move my body forward, glaring at Rosa as Evie snickers. "He is not my boyfriend."

"Sure," she draws out, taking a bite out of her margarita pizza. I roll my eyes, shaking her head at her antics as I open my own box of pizza, almost smiling at the smell of it.

"I have a question," Evie states, turning to me. I raise a brow, prompting her to go on as I take my first bite. "So, there's this boy—"

My head snaps to the side, almost snapping from the speed. My eyes widen at Evie's slightly timid expression. "A boy?" I ask, the sound muffled from the food in my mouth.

She nods, her eyes flickering around the room to avoid my astonished face. Evie hates men. She's had multiple pining after her but they've always disappointed her, causing her to think the male species should be eradicated. I've never gotten the chance to give her advice on them since she never talked to me about it. I was distant from my family ever since our father left, so she probably assumed I never cared. She always went to Madeleine about her relationship problems, who would then tell me all about it at night before we went to bed. I acted like I didn't care about it; I didn't think Evie would appreciate me knowing about it, but it did hurt me to know that she didn't trust me enough to talk to me about things as simple as boys.

I didn't have a right to be hurt, though. It's my own fault she never went to me about it. I sit up straighter, swallowing the pizza as I stare at her. If she's asking me about a boy, then maybe I've been doing something right. Now is my chance to make up for the years of being a horrible older sister. "What about him?"

She leans forward, placing the box on the table while holding a slice in her hand. "So, you know how I was out yesterday?" I nod, noticing Rosa nod too as she eats. "Well, I was with him. We went for a really long walk and talked about so much. He said really nice things about me and we even held hands. I like him a lot and I think he likes me too, but I thought after all of that, he'd ask me to be his girlfriend. He didn't, so now I don't know what to think. I mean, if you hold hands with someone, that has to mean something, right?"