Just a Kiss

DISCLAIMER: These lovely characters belong to the equally lovely Rainbow Rowell. I just missed them so much that I had to borrow them for a while. (:

Reagan put her hand firmly on Levi's shoulder and shoved him. His mouth disconnected from the blond girl's and his hip collided with the counter.

"Hey! What was that for?" he stared at Reagan, stunned, holding his now bruised side.

"You're an ass," Reagan sneered, crossing her arms. "That's what that was for."

"Ugh, I can't believe you have a girlfriend! Jerk!" Blond girl turned abruptly and strutted out of the kitchen.

"I brought Cath with me tonight." Reagan continued, unfazed by the other girl.

"You did?" Levi perked up, then made a realization face, then slouched and stopped grinning. "You... did?"

"Yeah, I did, Levi. She thought you liked her."

"I do like her! I just," he paused, thought, "I didn't know she'd be here tonight."

"Wow," Reagan said plainly. She looked like she was going to say something else, but changed her mind. She shook her head and left the kitchen to look for Cath.

Cath was sitting on the street by Reagan's car with her face in her hands. Reagan stood before her and looked down.

"Hey."

"Oh," Cath looked up. "Hey. The door was locked."

"You can cry in front of me." Reagan said once they were in the car. "I have a soul, you know. Also, you look like your tear ducts might explode if you don't."

Cath curled up in the passenger seat, and as much as she didn't want to in front of Reagan, she cried. She cried about Levi kissing that much older, much prettier girl. She cried about Levi kissing her, and then moving on so quickly. She cried because he didn't like her, she was right all along. It was quiet crying; gentle crying. In a situation like this, Cath would expect big, ugly, wet sobs from herself. Instead, she wept quietly into her hands while Reagan drove back to their dorm.

"I'm sorry." Reagan said.

"It's not your fault." Cath managed.

"Yeah, but I just expected better from him."

Cath and Reagan rode the elevator alone in silence. Before she went to bed, Cath checked her phone. One text from Levi: I'm so sorry. Can we talk?

She set her phone down on her desk. She wanted to cry again, but she wouldn't. She wouldn't let Levi have this much power over her. She crawled underneath her comforter and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

***

Cath awoke to the sound of her phone buzzing. Jut as she got her wits about her and leapt out of bed to quiet it, it stopped. She had six missed calls from Levi. She opened a blank text and stared at the blinking cursor. What to say? She settled on a vague and slightly mean message that said, I don't want to deal with this right now.

Cath went to take a shower and change, and when she came back, he was right there in front of her door. His posture was relaxed, but his face was anxious. He lifted his head and they met eyes.

"Cath! I need to talk to you!"

Cath, with her hair wet and her clothes from the night before in a bundle in her arms, turned away from him and caught the elevator at the last second. In the lobby, she ducked into the first open door she could find, the service stairwell, and closed the door. She leaned against the wall and sighed. Somebody was softly descending the stairs.

"Cath..."

No. She looked up at him, shook her head, turned to leave.

"Cather, talk to me." his hand was on her shoulder. She cursed herself for leaning into his touch.

"I know you're really mad at me." he said, not even smiling a little bit.

"Levi, I just want to know," she made painful eye contact with him. "Why?"

"Why did I kiss you? Or why did I kiss the other girl?"

"Both."

"I kissed the other girl because after we kissed, I didn't hear from you again. I got scared you didn't like me. I was feeling insecure, and that girl came up to me, and I thought, 'Cath doesn't want you, so why the hell not.' "

Tears were forming in Cath's eyes. "And you kissed me, because-?"

"Because I really, really like you, Cath."

Cath took a hesitant step towards Levi. Then another, and another, until she was right in front of him. She had to lift herself onto her toes to allow her lips access to his. Levi flinched a bit, like it had surprised him, but then he brought one hand to the small of Cath's back and pulled her into him. Cath's hands snaked into his chaotic hair and there was no longer any negative space between them.

"Does this," Levi nearly whispered, pulling away. "Does this mean you like me?"

"Of course, Levi." she said, nuzzling his soft flannel shirt. "I thought you didn't like me. Why did you run off that morning after we kissed?"

"I was taking precautions in case Reagan got mad at us. She's scary sometimes." he ran a hand through her hair and laughed softly. "And I was late for work. And I thought you didn't like me, remember?"

Cath looked up at him, into his bright turquoise eyes. Her hands were clasped at the nape of his neck and his rested on the curve of her lower back. They stayed like that for a moment or two, just studying each other.

"Now how's about we go up to your room and..."

"Levi," she warned.

"Let me finish! How's about we go up to your room, and find out what happens to Baz and Simon?" for the first time in a while, he grinned at Cath, and she realized just how much she liked him.