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Others were entering the reception hall. Grace rushed over to Nicholas, and I could hear her voice in the distance telling him to get off the floor. Classical music started playing softly in the background.
“Anna, I–” Before he could finish, however, people flooded around us, entering the venue and putting space between us.
Levi pushed through the crowd to get to me, and I stayed firmly planted, convinced I forgot how to walk. Slowly, the crowd dispersed as people found their seats, and Levi made his way to me, taking my hands in his.
“Anna, I wanted to talk to you.”
The music changed in an instant, and the DJ said, “Please welcome the bride and groom, Emily and James!”
I knew we needed to move out of the way, and Levi helped me to step aside, never letting go of my hand as we took some seats not too far from the entrance. In the nick of time too, since Emily and James entered the ballroom to the roar of applause.
Whatever Levi wanted to tell me, it would have to wait. I was honestly relieved by the distraction; it gave me a chance to steady my heartbeat and plan for whatever he might want to tell me. I assumed it would be about the end of our fake arrangement, the deadline coming up. I wasn’t sure I was ready for that conversation yet, and my shaking hands likely gave my feelings away.
Levi stroked my hand as if trying to calm me.
And it worked.
Because of course it did.
Levi always managed to make me feel safe. I wasn’t much of a people person, but Levi was one of the few people I never had anxiety around - unless I started thinking about how our relationship would soon come to an end.
Emily and James went right into their first dance, breaking tradition a bit and surprising everyone. They had trained for this moment, breaking into a beautiful waltz that made it seem like the two of them were dancing amongst the clouds. The music was soft and romantic, and I found myself leaning into Levi, resting my head on his shoulder, my knee touching his. I yearned to be closer to him, to touch him.
Soon. Soon, we’d have to have the talk, but at that moment, I was content to forget about the future and live in the present. Levi put a hand on my knee, and I looked up at him and smiled. Levi’s lips pressed against my forehead, and I could have melted.
The couple ended their dance with a kiss, and again, everyone in attendance cheered, standing up to celebrate them. Levi helped me to my feet and only let go of my hand to clap alongside everyone else.
We quickly moved to our assigned seats - I was to sit by my sister and Levi would join the spouses at a table nearby. We split up and went our separate ways, and as I took the seat between Emily and Grace, Grace whispered, “Looks like you two made up.”
I nodded at her but didn’t say another word. I found Levi in the crowd; he was staring at me.
I wanted dinner and the speeches to end, and I didn’t at the same time. I hardly heard James’ best man give his speech, and I was grateful that I told my sister I couldn’t speak - public speaking wasn’t my forte - and Grace was doing the maid of honor speech instead. I wasn’t sure if I could focus on the words. My head was spinning, and it wasn’t just Levi dancing around inside my skull.
It was everything.
My family. My beautiful, amazing family. They drove me absolutely batshit crazy sometimes, but I loved them and would miss so much of their lives when I left.
I didn’t even touch my champagne, as the stress got to be too much for me. My stomach was rumbling and twisting into knots. So much so, I finally decided it would be better to have the conversation with Levi so I could enjoy the rest of the evening.
As soon as Grace finished her speech and everyone had finished eating, the DJ opened the dance floor for everyone. I rushed over to Levi, who was already heading toward me.
“Anna, I–”
“Levi, we need to–”
“Go ahead,” we said at the same time. I chuckled. “Seriously, go ahead. I just wanted to say we need to talk.”
He cleared his throat and I felt like I might pass out as I waited for the dreaded ‘This ends now’ speech.
But that’s not what I got.
“Anna, I know I said I would never give up my dreams or my life here in Sunville, not after what happened with Beth, but I’ve come to realize something,” he said, speaking almost too quickly. This wasn’t like him at all. He took my hands in his and stared into my eyes. “Dreams change and mine have. Before you came along, my dream was to live a quiet life on my farm, alone for the most part. However, none of that holds a candle to what I dream about now.”
“What do you dream about now?” My voice cracked.
He smiled shyly. “I dream of a life with you. Either here or Tanzania or wherever your job takes you. I dream of what it would be like if we could stop pretending and try this for real.”
“Levi–”
