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“This is so good.” I groan. Levi has an amused look on his face, like watching me is far more enjoyable than the cake on his plate. “How’d you even know this would hit the spot? Sisters?”

He shakes his head. “No siblings, but I grew up with a single mom. We’re close. She told me there’s not a lot that something sweet can’t fix. And if that doesn’t fix it, I must have fucked up bad.” He grins around a bite of cake.

“Your mom sounds like a smart woman.”

“She is. And she’s an amazing person.” His voice carries a warmth that makes me smile.

We’ve shared very little about our personal lives, but that’s mostly on me. I thought keeping him at a distance would be easier if I knew nothing about him. But despite my efforts to keep him at arm’s length, he’s managed to slip through the cracks.

“Do you see her often?” I ask, wanting to know as much as possible before our night ends.

“Not as often as I’d like with swimming and school. But I grew up a few hours from here, so I always try to head home during the holidays and long weekends.” He says. “And she tries to come to as many home meets as she can when she’s not working.”

“So, you’re a Colorado native?”

“Born and raised.” He confirms. “Are you close with your parents?”

“Yeah,” I say without hesitation. “They’re great, very supportive, and always let me make my own decisions.”

And that never stopped, even when I told them I wanted to transfer. Naturally, they were hesitant about me moving so far away, but they understood why. The next day, my mom scoured the internet for suitable apartments, and my dad helped me complete the paperwork.

I will always be thankful for the life my parents gave me, but I'm even more grateful for their unconditional love.

Blinking away the heaviness of my thoughts, I add, “I’m an only child too, but my best friend has three younger sisters who I practically grew up with.”

“She didn’t want to transfer with you?” Levi asks, stealing a piece of my cake.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I steal a piece from his plate.

“No, Pia received an academic scholarship, so transferring wasn’t an option. But she is coming down for my birthday at the end of October.”

Setting his empty plate down, Levi grabs his phone. “A Halloween baby?” His lips curl as he glances up from the screen.

“Yes.” I watch his fingers move across the screen. “What are you doing?”

When he’s done, he turns the screen toward me. His calendar app is open, and the weekend of Halloween is blocked out. The words ‘Bear’s Birthday Weekend’ are written in capital letters.

"So I don’t forget the most important day of the year." He flashes me a smile that makes my poor heart flutter. “What are we doing for your birthday?”

“We?” Despite my insides melting at the idea of a ‘we,’ I’m glad my words come out steady. “You’re planning on sticking around that long?”

Even if we still have the project tying us together, I could gather most of my answers through observation alone if he decides to stop participating. However, the thought of him backing out doesn’t sit as well with me anymore.

“I’ll be here for as long as you let me, Teddy Bear.” His voice is quiet but firm.

My eyes widen at his words. Before I can respond, Levi plucks the last piece of cake off my plate with his fork. He lifts it to my mouth, and on autopilot, I open up for him.

“You need anything else?” He asks casually- like he didn’t drop an atomic bomb of words on me.

I chew and swallow the last bit of chocolate goodness, giving him a small shake of my head.

Standing, he grabs our empty plates and heads toward the kitchen. I’m left staring at his broad back, the muscles flexing and moving beneath his shirt as he walks.

***

My eyes slowly open as the sound of someone moving around my apartment stirs me awake.

It takes me a minute to figure out why I’m on my couch and not in bed, but gradually, bits and pieces from the night before come back to me.

Noticing Levi isn’t beside me, I look around and spot him slipping on a shoe by the door.

“You’re leaving?” My voice comes out groggy, and I clear my throat.

Surprise flashes across his features when he looks up at the sound of my voice. Why is he acting like someone trying to sneak out unnoticed?

We talked into the early morning hours before falling asleep on the couch together. Not exactly a reason to leave without saying goodbye.

Unless he woke up regretting our night together…

I try not to let the thought sting.

“I have somewhere to be and wanted to freshen up first,” he says as a way of explanation. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

Somewhere to be? On a Sunday? And it requires him to freshen up?

I shift under the covers, ignoring the unease settling in my stomach. Just because we spent one night together doesn’t mean he owes me anything more than a vague answer. Vague answers like those Hunter gave me whenever he was suddenly too busy to follow through on our plans.

Shaking thoughts of my ex away, I refocus on Levi.

“I’m a light sleeper,” I say, tucking the blanket under my armpits.

He slips on his other shoe before closing the distance between us. I move my legs aside, creating space for him to sit on the edge of the ottoman.

Taking my hand, he slowly runs his thumb along my palm. The rhythmic motion sends a shiver of pleasure through me.

“I enjoyed spending time with you last night,” he murmurs.

I run my tongue along my teeth, noticing how icky they feel. Tucked against Levi’s side last night, getting up to brush my teeth like usual was hard.

“Yeah, it was nice.”

He lifts a brow at my lackluster response. “Just nice?”

“Fine, a little more than nice. I enjoyed it, too.” I admit, digging my teeth into my bottom lip to stop the giddy smile from spreading.

Looking pleased with himself, he squeezes my hand. “Come with me to the bonfire this weekend. Invite your friends, too.”

I’ve seen posters on campus about the annual bonfire. Nibbling my lip, I wonder if he means as his date. The words sit on the tip of my tongue, but I don’t have the nerve to say them out loud.

So, I swallow them down and say, “Are you asking me or telling me?”

“We’ll ride together,” is his only response.

Telling me it is, then.

I study his face. High cheekbones, a strong, defined jaw, and those full lips I’ve fantasized about more than I care to admit.

What I’m searching for, I don’t know.

Maybe some sign that he isn’t the kind, thoughtful guy he was last night. Perhaps it was just an act. One that’s harder to hide in the daylight.

The thought of getting hurt again weighs on me more than I care to admit.

But all I see when I stare into his whiskey-brown eyes is sincerity, and my heart squeezes with a mix of hope and fear.

“Okay, I’ll ask them,” I finally say.

I swear a smidge of relief crosses Levi’s face, but it vanishes so quickly I wonder if I imagined it.

“I’ll see you soon.” He gives my hand one last squeeze, and then he’s gone.

Blowing out a frustrated breath at Levi’s vagueness, I pull my eyes away from the front door. Feeling around for my phone, I find it tangled in the covers near my feet.

I need to use the bathroom, but first, I text the girls about the bonfire in our group chat. Their replies come nearly instantly; as expected, they’re both in. Elsie is particularly excited that we’ll be going with Levi’s friends.

I’m excited, too. But that doesn’t stop my brain from wandering in all the wrong directions.

Why did he run off like that?