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“There’s beer in the cooler,” Levi says before I sit down. I take one out and pop the top. “Anyone else need one?” I offer as a good faith effort to fit in with his friends.
“Yes, I’ll take one.” The blonde next to Levi says. Taking one to her, my mouth drops open when she hands it to Levi and asks him to open it. I try to hide my surprise, but Levi catches my eyes. He doesn’t say anything as he twists the lid off and hands it to her. Her sugar-sweet smile is enough to make me sick.
Walking back toward the open seats, I take the one next to the cooler, which could prove to be rather annoying if people think I’m going to be their gopher.
The blonde next to Levi curls her legs underneath her and leans toward him, clearly marking her territory. It hits me hard in the chest that he might have a girlfriend or someone he’s been seeing, although he didn’t tell me he was, not that I asked either. I assumed he was single.
“Zora, how do you know Levi?” she asks.
“Zara,” I say, correcting her. “We met at a video shoot.” I leave out everything important, like his daughter being the lead in my new music video or the fact that since I met him earlier in the week I have made excuses to see him every day and now I’m staying at his house.
I have never really felt jealousy before, until now. Not even when I watched my husband screw another woman. But watching this woman act predatory toward Levi really irks me. Clearly, she sees me as a threat, or she wouldn’t be acting this way. And Levi, what’s he doing? Nothing, except sitting there and sipping on his beer.
When the burly man who tried to kick me off the property returns, he has a guitar in his hand. Levi perks up and reaches for it, causing the blonde to move.
“Now that you’re back, allow me to introduce everyone to Zara, she’ll be staying with me for a while. Zara this is Buck, Quaid, Lori, Maylene, and Holly,” he says, pointing to everyone. Most say hi except for Maylene and Holly, and I’m fine with that. The message being sent is loud and clear. Too bad I don’t care. If Levi has a significant other, he can tell me himself.
“Are you going to play?” I ask.
“Yes, he is,” Holly says. “He’s the best.”
“I’m sure he is,” I say smugly.
“Haven’t you heard him play before?”
“No, she hasn’t,” Levi says. “We’ve been spendin' time away from music, getting to know each other.” There’s a collective gasp that I figured is coming from Holly and Maylene. I lean forward and notice that Levi is watching me. The bonfire is playing its part in making sure we can see each other.
He continues to hold my gaze as he starts to strum and tune his guitar, but as soon as he starts playing and the words to his song flow between his lips, his eyes are on mine.
I easily get lost in the sound of his voice and the lyrics from the story he’s telling us. It’s easy to imagine that there isn’t anyone else surrounding us, that it’s just Levi and Zara, along with a roaring bonfire, sitting in the middle of his yard, playing music for one another. That vision is quickly altered when people start clapping, and Holly has suddenly put her arms around his neck and is pressing her lips to his cheek. He smiles, and I hate thinking that he does so because he likes it and it’s not because he’s polite.
This is how the rest of the night goes. I sit across from the man that I want to be next to and watch a woman flirt with him. Every time he says something funny, she laughs obnoxiously and touches him. It bothers me and it shouldn’t.
When Quaid announces he’s calling it a night, everyone stands except for Holly. It’s clear to me now that they’re an item or have been in the past and she’s intending on staying, at least it’s a good thing that his room is at the other end of the hall and I won’t have to listen to them all night long. Levi stands and stretches, and thanks everyone for coming over. He pulls his friend Maylene into a hug, and once he releases her, she goes right to Holly. I try to hold back a smile, but it’s clear that she was told to take Holly home. Of course, I know better than to get my hopes up, but they are. They’re soaring high and blowing in the wind.
Levi comes over to me and leans his hands onto the arms of my chair. “I’m going to walk them out. Are you ready to go in?”
I shake my head. He grins. “I’ll be back in a minute or two.”
I’m tempted to lean forward and kiss him, but I don’t want to cause any issues with his friends.
As soon as he’s gone, I pull my legs into my chest and relax against the chair. The fire warms my face, and while it isn’t a cold night, it feels good. The slamming of doors has me counting the seconds until Levi is back. He calls out my name before he appears and takes the seat next to me.
“I’m sorry about my friends.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” he says. “They weren’t very nice to you, and it’s because of Holly.”
“Girlfriend?”
Levi gives me a sideways look and shakes his head. “No, definitely not. I only met her when they showed up tonight. I knew they were up to something though because they rarely bring people over.”
“They’re your friends. They’re looking out for you.”
He laughs. “Maylene likes to meddle. She used to be friends with Iris. . . it’s a long story, but the four of us have been friends since high school.”
“They didn’t seem too upset that Iris had died.” Levi looks at me quickly and turns away. “I’m sorry that was out of line. I just thought. . . well, I don’t know.”
