Page 28 of Sidelined Love

I nod in agreement, and she turns her attention back to her math problem and I turn back to the textbook that is open in front of me. I've read over the same paragraph three times and still haven't retained any of the information I'm supposed to.

All because my thoughts keep drifting back to a certain someone and us hanging out briefly a couple of nights ago. I close my eyes and sigh as if the physical motion can remove the thoughts I keep having about him. It's all Levi’s fault, really. Not having to see him would make things so much easier, but he is determined not to let that be the case.

All of the times he's now come into Brewed Beginnings have been in the back of my mind even when I've done my best not to think about him. I didn't think much of it before, but then seeing him at the concert on the quad, it is like he threw me off-kilter. To think that the only reason I attended the event is because Jade thought it would be another way for me to do something out of my comfort zone and then, of course, I ran into him there as well.

Jade clearing her throat brings me out of my thoughts. “Earth to Hailey,” she says, making sure to elongate the ‘ey’ in my name.

I blink several times before my eyes focus on her. “Sorry, just thinking.”

“About the chess night?”

“No,” I confess with another sigh. “About Levi.”

After the concert, I knew I had to come clean. Jade now knows everything there is to know about what has happened between Levi and me. When she tosses her pencil down, I know that calculus is long forgotten now. “Oh? What about him? Is it about the fact that he likes you and you’re fighting your attraction to him?”

“Jade…”

“Then what was it?”

“The whole concert thing and—” I stop talking immediately when Jade's eyes widen, and she shakes her head so hard that I wonder if it's going to fall off her body. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, but you'll never believe who just walked into the library.”

My eyes shut involuntarily. It can't be who I think it is.

I open my eyes and slowly turn around. I find the man of the hour standing near the entrance of the library.

Levi runs a hand through his dark brown hair as he walks into the main area of the building.

His shirt, a simple gray tee, and black hoodie that looks soft to the touch, cling perfectly across his broad shoulders and chest, almost hiding the physique that has been crafted from the rink and the gym. He finishes the look off with a pair of dark jeans and white sneakers. Even from here, I swear I catch his piercing blue eyes scanning the room, looking for who knows what.

Jade leans forward and whispers, “What the hell is he doing here?”

I turn my head to look at her again and whisper back, “Maybe he's like us and wants to study here?” Although I didn't have a highly favorable opinion of him, my response made the utmost sense.

“But he's obviously looking for someone.”

“I can't help with that issue.”

I know that I should resist the urge to turn back around in his direction, but in this instance, I'm weak because I turn my head around again to find him. Of course, that is when he spots us, or, more accurately, he spots me. His eyebrows shoot up briefly before his mouth curves into a smile.

Fuck. I think he was looking for me.

As he walks over, I turn to look back at Jade and glare. To be honest, I don't know why I'm glaring at her. Maybe her asking me what I was thinking about and me admitting that I was thinking about Levi caused him to materialize.

So all of this is her fault. I'm just kidding. Kind of.

When he finally reaches us, I can't help but notice a subtle scent that I've never noticed before. It is woodsy and mixed with something else I can't quite figure out. Whatever it is, suits him and smells incredible.

I glance back at Jade and find her looking from Levi to me and back to Levi and then back to me. Her eyes continue to dance between the two of us because she knows something is up.Even if I hadn't talked to her about Levi previously, I know she would see right through my bullshit now.

Levi gives us both a brief nod before his eyes settle on me. “Hey,” he says casually, as if we bump into each other in the library every day. He keeps his voice somewhat low because of where we are. “Hope I'm not interrupting.”

I speak before Jade has an opportunity to. “If I said you were, would that make you leave?” There. That comment felt normal.

Levi chuckles, a deep sound that does something strange to my stomach, but I refuse to think about it. “Maybe, but then I wouldn't be able to ask for your help. That is a missed opportunity for me,” he says.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Jade sits up straighter, as if Levi has her full and undivided attention. “Help with what?” she asks before I have a chance to throw out my comeback. The tone of her voice suggests she finds this entire interaction far more amusing than I do.

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