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My gaze slips down to Levi’s hand twisted with my own. But as quickly as he snagged it, he lets it go, my hand flopping at my side like a dead fish.
“Do you need a snack?” He holds up a bag of corn chips.
“Sure.” I open a cupboard, remembering where the drinking cups are from the time Levi made me dinner. I grab two and fill them with tap water. Then, I follow Levi out into Lucy’s living room, setting the cups on the coffee table and letting Levi do the rest.
He dumps the chips into the bowl he’s brought and sets his feet on the table.
“How long do you think it’ll take?”
Levi shrugs. “I wish I knew.”
“Is Miles or Owen up there? Can we text them?”
“They both went home for the night. Google says labor can take up to twenty-four hours, possibly even longer.”
“Hmm…” I look out into space, but I’m stuck back in that park, in Levi’s arms, thinking about how I wouldn’t mind staying there forever.
And then, there’snumber five.
I pop a chip into my mouth, listening to the crunch in my ears while trying to keep my head from fantasizing too much.
“You know when I met you, I had four of my twenty-three items checked off,” I say.
His full lips turn up in a smile. “And now, how many?”
“After tonight?” I say, a buzz in my stomach. “Ten.”
“Nice.” He sits up, taking a chip from the bowl. The quiet in the room feeling so very loud.
He peers over at me, waiting for more and I realize: I don’t want to stop fantasizing. I just want to be brave.I am not afraid. I am not afraid.
But, the truth is, I am a little afraid. And I am definitely a ball of nerves.
I blink, but then lock my eyes on his—warm and amber, like a pot of honey. “Did you mean what you said, that you want to help me withallthe items on my list?”
“I do,” he’s quick to say. “I know a great karaoke bar downtown. I’m not a fan of sushi, but I’ll try it again with you. I’ve got ideas. We can do this.” He’s so earnest. He’s so real. He is good and true, and when I’m with him I feel like everything is possible.
I gulp, then—“Number five,” I say like a dummy. No preface. No explanation. Just,doh,number five.
“Number five?” His brows pull down, he’s thinking, he’s questioning. Like he doesn’t remember. But Levi’s got that list memorized. I know it. He knows it. And he knows I know it.
“Yeah.” I sit up straight, pull in one leg, and face him on this couch. I tell my brain that it is one confident beast. Nothing fazes me. I am the girl who got one lousy cyber kiss from Toby Nelson—and that is no longer cutting it.
When I don’t say anything more, his expression changes—from question to accusation. He leans closer and I follow his lead, nothing but this bowl of chips between us.
“Meredith,” he says, his voice low and gruff, “are you saying you want me to find someone for you to kiss? Someone worth kissing?”
He’s going to make me spell it out. But I tell myself that I am the bravest. I lock my gaze on his, unrelenting, he isn’t allowed to look away. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
He blinks, but his eyes stay right where I’ve silently commanded them.
“Unless,” I say, “you fit that bill.”
Levi’s eyes widen, one brow arches up and he studies at me. “What’s your definition of worthy?”
My heart pounds, like a jackhammer. There’s a tremor in my fingers that I’ve mentally scolded to settle down. “Someone good.”
“Good at kissing or a good human being?”
