Falling in Love with Fashion

FILWF Ch 6 'Levi' Pt.2

We start walking down church street. As we approach the crosswalk, I begin to notice people looking in my direction. Not a lot, but some are gawking. I look over my shoulder, and notice a billboard ad inside an H&M store and I try to hide my face. Levi looks at me suspiciously, and her eyes start scanning our surroundings to see what's causing me angst.

"Is everything okay?" She ask as we stop at the crosswalk due to the traffic lights turning green.

"Yeah."

"Okay, then why are you hiding your face." She continues looking over her shoulder. And I'm praying that the light turns red so we can cross the street.

Her silence makes me even more anxious, and I glance in her direction, and Levi is looking in the direction of the H&M store exactly where the huge campaign ad is being displayed. I shut my eyes tightly in disappointment and inhale deeply. When I open my eyes Levi turns to look at me and I smile nervously. She smiles back and calls out, "Red light."

We cross the street in silence. I glance in her direction, and she's looking straight ahead. I have no idea what to say? Didn't know what she was thinking? Or whether or not she's upset because a lied--technically it was a white lie--but I honestly don't know what to expect.

To cut through the blanket of silence which is killing me, I ask her, "How often do you visit the city?"

"Um," her round baby doll eyes look up at me while in brief thought, "twice a year, at most."

"Oh, so is this your first visit for this year?"

Levi nods her head once, and looks straight ahead. "Yes it is."

"Will you be visiting again?"

She shrugs her shoulders and tells me, "Maybe."

I know her answer was meant to be vague on purpose. And, I understood why. She's testing me, to see if I'm interested in wanting to see her again. Not going to lie, I did want to see her again. The perplexing thing is that I don't feel no hesitation about it.

Now more than ever. She knows it's me up on that campaign ad and yet she didn't bring it up. So, that meant something to me. It tells me she's not impressed by it. It also tells me she is interested in getting to know me for me, and that, that's something I don't get very often. "We're almost there." I refer to where we were going to eat.

****

South Sea port is widely known by natives and tourist alike. It's filled with clothing stores, restaurants, water taxis, bars, and the Historical ships. From time to time they have farmers markets, and tents where hand crafted jewelry sell their merchandise, as well as small art galleries.

The distinct smell of salt water from the river for some isn't appealing. For me being the person that I am, I enjoy coming here, even during the fall. It's  a bit nippy out, but nothing too severe. The cooler air is due to us being so close to the waterfront. The beauty of this place is that visitors can also appreciate the beauty of the Brooklyn bridge especially at night when it's lit up. An amazing sight to see if you ask me.

Levi walks side by side with me, smiling delightfully as we enjoy the different sights. I like enjoy seeing her smile. It's  like a child, and it holds so much sincerity. To be honest it makes her seem innocent. Her face lights up with so much joy. It's hard to fathom that one person can be filled with that much exuberance. "I hope you don't mind the smell of salt water."

"What," she laughs lightheartedly, " I use to come here all the time when I was a teenager. It brings back a lot of fond memories."

"Then I'm glad I brought you here." Levi, hooks her arm around my arm and I'm taken aback by it. Then again, this is her. She's  excited and just carefree. So I allow it, it feels ... right.