I've decided to put little quotes at the beginning of each chapter from now on, just for fun and so I can share some of the things I've thought of but don't really fit into the story. So if you're interested, there may be a few in the previous chapters, but not many, so go check them out?:)& Sorry it's taken a little longer than usual to do this chapter, I was a little stuck for ideas, but I know where it's heading now, so I should be more frequent. Thanks to the +200 reads I've acquired over the past 4 days, that's amazing! Ly guys X
~I guess we're all just searching for that thing that makes us different~
My stomach rolled pleasantly as the smell of Levi's cooking twisted through the kitchen. Steam covered the window above the stove, creating silver layers of fog on the glass, dripping down into tiny tear drops.
Through the front windows, the sky was a dark glow of plated pearls, moving across the sky to capture all the natural lights within its curved claws. The front room light was on, bringing a spring feeling to Levi's home, a warm, gentle sentiment that couldn't be created artificially.
The feeling reached out, its warm fingers gently brushing against the top of my skin, making me shiver. This was my favorite time of the year, by far.
The thick pile of papers were still in the same place Levi's friend- Trent- had left them. "Hey," I said, eyeing the papers. Levi turned his head, an eyebrow raised in question. "What are all of those papers for?" I asked.
Levi followed my gaze for a second before replying. "Work. I'm normally in the office, but I called in a favour..." He trailed off slowly, eyeing me like he was waiting for my reaction.
"So..." Oh, oh. "Wait, so you've been taking days off work?" He nodded silently. "Why?" But I already knew the answer. He'd taken days off for me, because I needed him.
There was a moment of silence where just the light hum of the radio playing Fink- Warm Shadows, played throughout his immaculate kitchen. "You're going back tomorrow, right?" I asked. I waited for a reply that clearly wasn't coming. I stood from the chair, making my way around the table to the counter where Levi stood.
"I can work from home for a few days." He muttered.
"And why is it, exactly, that you won't go back to work?" He stayed quiet, and my heart began to feel like it was dragging itself through each beat, a slow and dead weight. "Do you not... do you not trust me here or something?" I felt a wave of embarrassment flush over me, painting my cheeks a deep crimson. God, he was regretting asking me here already, and we'd barely sat down to talk yet.
Levi's face changed from sheepish, to downright incredulous. "Is that... No, Laken. It's not that." He said sternly, looking up from the food and pointing those deadly amethyst eyes at me. They were like deadly weapons, fogging your mind.
I blinked a few times, trying to figure things out. "So- So why won't you go back to work?"
He hesitated, shuffling his hands around the trays stacked between us. "I just..." He sighed, and apparently it was his turn to look embarrassed. "You're going to kill me for saying this." I began to grow wary, watching him with a raised eyebrow. "I don't want to leave you on your own, alright? I want to be here when you are and make sure you're okay and that nobody can get to you. That might sound ridiculous to you, but that's just me. I wouldn't be able to think straight if I knew you were alone, here, in my house."
I took a step back, lifting a hand to my hip as I tilted my head. "Wait wait wait. So... You're not going back to work because, what? You want to take care of me?" I pointed a finger at him, feeling my anger flare like gasoline being added to a fire. "Listen here, sailor. I can- like I have told you many a times- take care of myself!"
