Page 60 of Just Between Us

“Tell me about Shanghai,” I say, desperate to silence my own thoughts.

“Lots of lights, lots of people, lots of traffic,” he says. “It was nice, and it makes London look a little sleepy in comparison. But I’d take a quiet town over that any day.”

Levi has always struck me as the star of the show; he’s friendly with everyone and he could chat up the dreariest person in the room if needed but over the last few weeks, I realise he’s quieter than he presents, more pensive and watchful.

“I’ve always loved the idea that one day I’d move to a big house in the countryside. Do you know one of those old estates? I could spend years renovating it by myself until it’s perfect and then plant a garden and have chickens roaming around. But not just any chickens. I want the fancy kind with fun feathers.”

“Same,” I say. “I’ve always wanted a big house with lots of land although that’s pretty hard here.” I smile at him. “I can picture you walking around feeding the Silkies in the garden though,” I say, trying to get rid of the image of him doing any sort of physical labour whilst shirtless, tattoos tracing up his arms, dark hair falling over his eyes, sweat dripping down his back…

Chickens, Kai, think of the chickens.

“Yes, Silkies! I guess I just want to be somewhere I can see the stars,” he continues. “Cole would probably get tired of me all alone out there though.”

I glance at him. I can’t imagine anyone getting tired of him, much less Cole. He worships the ground Levi walks on. He shadows every step he takes, and like a spotlight, in every room, his attention is on Levi.

“I don’t know if that’s true. I think anyone would happily watch the stars with you. I know I would.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. I want to run to the road and get run over by a bus, maybe run to the nearest tube station, and launch myself onto an incoming train.

I feel Levi look at me, but I keep my eyes focused ahead. “We should probably get back,” he says after a moment, “And pick up Connor’s matcha since there’s a proposal on the line.”

My neck heats, every inch of me wishing to disintegrate. I laugh anyway, trying my best to ignore the lump in my throat. He must think it’s a weird thing to say for people who are just friends. Maybe I could excuse my feelings for Cole on Saturday due to the sub-drop (which I promptly Googled as soon as I got home) but this is undeniable.

I try not to think about it for the rest of the day, but both Levi and Cole keep popping up in my mind no matter how hard I try to stop them from doing so.

When I get back from work on Thursday night, I can barely keep my eyes open. My legs are heavy, and my body is begging for my bed. When I step into the living room, Jenna glances at me and grins.

“You have a gift,” she says excitedly. “It’s on your bed.”

I frown. “What?”

“I think it’s from your boyfriends…”

My frown deepens. “They are not my—” I don’t continue because Jenna is smirking, and I don’t have the energy to argue. I make my way to my room and on the bed is a black garment bag. I stand there for a moment, unable to move because I know what it is. A white envelope rests on top and when I open it, a white card is securely inside.

You seemed busy this week and might not have had the time to think of what to wear tomorrow.

Here’s an option in case you need it.

Levi & Cole

It’s a tux.

And it looks like it fits perfectly.

Jenna appears in the doorway and leans against the frame. “So?” she begins, “Is it from who I think it is?”

I turn to her, holding up the card. Jenna grabs it, her eyes moving over the message quickly. When she’s done, she looks at me with wide eyes. “Shit, Kai, this is…” She makes her way over to the tux and opens the jacket. “No way,” she says loudly, turning back to me, “This is a Savile Row.”

I look at her blankly.

“They retail for at least two thousand pounds and judging by the fabric, this one cost way more than that.”

I feel my face flush. I am not sure what to say. No one has ever gotten me anything so expensive and my chest tightens at the idea.

“I can’t keep this,” I say.

Jenna’s eyes almost pop out of her head. “Are you insane?”

“All good last time I checked,” I try to joke but she’s not laughing.

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