All This Time

25 ⦿ in which i give chase

"You look beautiful," Levi comments, leaning casually against the door jamb of the bathroom, watching as my hand gingerly sweeps bronzer over my cheekbones.

I glance at him in the mirror, a hint of a smile playing on my lips as our eyes meet. "Almost done," I say, replacing the bronzing brush with a blending brush. With featherlight movements, I gently blend the bronzer upwards on my cheeks and use the residue on the brush to dab my forehead and jawline.

The last weapon in my arsenal is eyeliner. The glistening tip of the felt pen drags over my top eyelid, sticking as close to my eyelashes as possible. The formula feels slick at first, but dries in a moment. I flick out the wings at the corner of each eye and reach for my mascara. Perfecting the cat-eye, I only apply the wand to the outer lashes, letting it flare enticingly. "Voila," I congratulate myself, moving my hips to make the baby-blue satin dress flare around my thighs.

"When's he getting here?" Levi asks, the tone casual, but to an astute listener, there's a slight tension around the word he.

"Um"—I pick up my phone, glancing at the screen—"should be here any second now."

"I can't believe Xander proposed." Levi tilts his head against the wooden door frame. "You think he knew?"

Again, the he is impossible to miss. "Wolf?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "I don't think so. He seemed as surprised as I was."

"He's good at putting on an act," says Levi, not without some bitterness.

I bite my lip, not knowing what to say to that. Shit. Now my teeth have lip gloss on them. I rub my finger over my front teeth, smudging the pink glitter of my gloss until it disappears completely.

"Has Xander told Graeme yet?"

Again, the silent judgment in his voice is unmistakeable. "No." I give him a severe look. "And don't you go blurting it out, either. He doesn't want anything to detract from Graeme's big night."

"Cross my heart and hope to die," Levi mocks, hand over his heart.

Despite his teasing, I know he won't say anything, so I just roll my eyes and pick up my Kate Spade purse, letting it sling from my shoulder. A small tweak of the crystal-fringe collar necklace to center it perfectly on my neck, and we're good to go.

Perfect timing, since a second later the doorbell buzzes loudly.

"Showtime," Levi says, inhaling sharply.

He reaches the door first, since I'm still struggling to pull on my white kitten-heels in the foyer.

"Wolf," he greets, somewhat stiffly.

"Hey." Wolf nods in that jerky dude-nod way, his words equally stiff.

They look uncannily alike in their black tuxedos and brushed-back, slightly curled blond hair. To complete the similarity, they even turn to stare at me at the exact same moment, their faces mirror-images.

Self-conscious at their perusal, I resist the urge to duck my head. "Hi, Wolf."

With more warmth, he nods his head. "Hey, you."

Levi rolls his eyes. "Are we ready to go?"

"My car's waiting for us below," Wolf replies.

"Great," Levi says, forced enthusiasm heavy in his voice. He holds out his arm to me. "Charlotte?"

Wolf's eyes narrow, but I take Levi's arm anyway, my hand nestled into the crook of his elbow. "I've got the keys," I murmur, my free hand pulling the door shut behind me. It bangs with finality.