AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He’d told her the ball was in her court and that he hoped she’d text him again.But making the decision to actually do it gave her anxiety.When she’d texted him to tell him she was home, it had been easier because he’dtoldher to do it.Making the choice on her own was impossible.If she did text him, she might come off as clingy or annoying, and if she didn’t text him, he might decide he didn’t like her.Not that it should matter since she wasn’t ready for a relationship.
It was nearly dark out when her phone vibrated with a text from a number she didn’t recognize.Disappointment flooded her, knowing it wasn’t Levi.When she opened the message, every muscle in her body tensed.
Unknown sender:When are you going to stop being a stuck-up bitch and come home?
Bitch was Zach’s favorite pet name for her.It had been a month since he’d contacted her and three months since she finally found the courage to leave him.He should have gotten the point by now.She wasn’t coming back.Not only had she moved to another town to get away from him, but she hadn’t responded to any of the messages he’d sent.Obviously, he must have realized she’d blocked him since he was contacting her from a new number.
Her hands shook as she read the message over and over.Why wouldn’t he leave her alone?She wanted to move on and forget he’d ever been part of her life.To forget about the narcissistic emotional abuse she’d endured for more than two years.The bruises he’d left on her arms from grabbing her and shaking her violently as he’d screamed in her face.The times she’d had to ice her cheek after being backhanded when she’d said the wrong thing or looked at him the wrong way.
The Little space she’d been in all day was gone in an instant, and all she wanted to do was crawl under the covers in bed and hide from the world.It was times like this she wished she had a sibling or best friend to cry to.Or that her mom was still alive.She didn’t know Remi well enough to vent to her, so she’d have to deal with it by herself.Something she’d been doing for much too long.
After blocking his new number, she turned off her movie and went to her bedroom where she’d be surrounded by all her stuffed friends.She always felt better when she could snuggle with Whiskers, her favorite stuffie of all.Although the bear Levi had given her was quickly becoming a favorite too.
As badly as she felt like crying, no tears came.She’d cried enough over the years.Making her cry had been like a trophy for Zach.Like he was pleased with himself when he broke her down enough that she couldn’t keep it together.When she’d left him, she’d vowed to never cry over that asshole again.
She stared at her phone.She wanted to text Levi.Even if he couldn’t respond because he was working, she wanted to talk to him.He made her feel safe and seen.It was strange.She barely knew him, and he looked physically terrifying.His eyes were dark, almost black, but when he looked at her, they seemed to soften.She’d noticed it the first time they’d met and again when she’d gone to Book Club.
It took nearly an hour for her to work up the nerve to reach out to him.Then another fifteen minutes of typing a message and deleting it repeatedly before she was satisfied with it.
Harper:Hi.
The second she hit send, she smacked her hand over her forehead.Hi?Really?That was absolutely the most ridiculous thing she could have said.He was going to think she was weird.But almost instantly, her phone vibrated.
Levi:Hi.
Levi:How was your day?
She bit her lower lip, debating what to tell him.Up until an hour ago, her day had been great.Should she say something about Zach contacting her?No.Definitely not.They didn’t know each other like that.
Harper:It was good.I was off work.How was your day?
Levi:Good.Did some drills and responded to a couple of calls.What did you do today?
Hmm.Should she tell him she spent the day in Little space?Remi, Carlee, and Ivy had made it clear that he was a Daddy.The idea of telling him felt too much, though, so she gave him a simplified version.
Harper:I relaxed at home.Watched a movie and had snacks.
There.That was light enough but still the truth.
Levi:What movie did you watch?
Crap.
Harper:Toy Story.
When the three dots didn’t appear right away, she started to panic.He probably thought it was ridiculous that she spent her day off watching an animated movie.
A few minutes passed with nothing, so she put her phone down and sighed.Well, so much for that.Even though she was sad he wasn’t interested after her answer, she was glad she’d told him the truth.
She’d repressed who she was around Zach because he thought it was some strange kink she was into.He wasn’t open-minded enough to realize it was a way for her to cope with her childhood trauma.To deal with seeing her father get so drunk he couldn’t remember the abusive words he would spew at her mother when he woke up the next day.Being Little was something she couldn’t change about herself.It was who she was, and she was tired of feeling guilty for it.She would never hide that side of herself again.
An hour went by with still no response from Levi, and with every minute that passed, she felt more disappointed.It was stupid.She’d told him she wasn’t ready for a relationship, and she’d meant it.At least she thought she had.The care and compassion he’d shown her the two times they’d met had been more than Zach had shown her during the entire time they’d been together.
The silence started getting to her, so she turned on another movie.Finding Nemothis time.One of her favorites.And she wasn’t going to feel silly about it, either.If Levi didn’t like her because of the movies she watched, it was his loss.Yep.She was not going to spend another minute thinking about him and his muscles and tattoos she definitely hadn’t fantasized about running her tongue over.
She was halfway through the movie when her phone vibrated.
Levi:I’m so sorry, kitten.We had a call.I should have told you that if we’re in the middle of a conversation and I stop responding, it’s because a call came in.When the alarm sounds, we drop everything and run.
