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“You should sit down,” I tell him with a sigh, and he looks concerned.
He makes no move to sit. It’s like he wants to be ready to catch me if I try to make a run for it.
“What’s going on? Talk to me, and we can figure it out. I can help you,” he promises me, and I want to burst into tears.
“You’re too nice. I don’t deserve that,” I choke out, and he frowns.
“Pia,” he says softly as he tugs me into his warm embrace. “Please, just tell me what’s going on. I’ve been so worried.”
His hands smooth over my back, trying to comfort me as my tears seep into his suit. I’m not even sure when I started crying, but now that I’ve started, I can’t seem to stop.
“I lied to you,” I mumble against his chest.
“What?” He asks, pulling away slightly.
“I lied to you,” I tell him, louder this time. “I can’t keep working for you.”
“Okay, why not?” He asks.
“I just… I can’t,” I say, chickening out.
“Okay, I don’t understand, but maybe in time, you’ll trust me and open up. I still want to see you though. We can still be together,” he tells me as he tries to wipe away my tears.
“No!” I blurt out. “No, we can’t.”
I try to pull away from him, but his grip on me tightens.
“Pia,” he starts, and I shake my head.
“I can’t,” I say, a fresh wave of tears spilling onto my cheeks. “You’ll hate me.”
“I could never hate you,” he tells me vehemently.
I can’t take it anymore. I can’t keep lying to him. I can’t keep putting off the inevitable.
“I’m not Nichole,” I tell him, ripping myself out of his hold.
He reaches for me again before he blinks.
“What?” He asks.
“I’m not Nichole. I don’t know who she was or what her resume said, but I’m not her. When you offered me the job and called me Nichole, I should have corrected you. I didn’t deserve the job. You were offering it to someone else. I’m so sorry. You must hate me,” I tell him dejectedly.
I don’t know what reaction I expected from him. Confusion or anger, maybe even betrayal or disappointment.
Instead, what I get is laughter.
Levi starts chuckling and then full-on laughing, and I frown.
“What? What’s so funny?” I ask, swiping the tears from my cheeks.
“You thought that you had stolen someone else’s job?” He asks, still grinning, and I nod.
“Yeah, and I’m really sorry. I’ve felt so bad this whole time, but I really needed that job,” I try to explain.
“You didn’t steal the job, Pia. The only thing you stole was my heart.”
My mouth drops open, and he closes the distance between us, wrapping me up in his arms.
