Page 12 of Breaking the Habit

Riley checked the clock for the eightieth time since sitting at her workspace. Three hours. Three full hours that she’d been editing photos, acting casual, and listening intently for John Stamos to whisper his “Oh hi” recording at her front door with a new arrival.

No sultry croons of her childhood heart throb.

Nobody to come in and “catch” her stylishly posed at her work desk.

No Levi to speak of.

By seven o’clock, her stomach was growling. All the incense she’d lit for his arrival had fizzled out an hour ago. She’d worked and reworked the same image, scowling at his perfectly handsome face as he lobbed an uppercut during practice earlier.

At this point, she felt delusional waiting for him to show. If she had his number, she’d have texted him with a terse “Um, where ru??!” and then gone straight to her favorite Indian restaurant for some vegetarian curry. But it didn’t matter. She hated that she’d been excited. That she’d used thegoodpatchouli.

But this was life. A series of lessons about men that she never learned, despite ample evidence to the contrary.

Clearly it was far too early to start dating. Not that she’d ever planned on dating Levi. No, he was a stand-in, a test subject for her love life at large. And he’d proven the obvious truth: men could only ever disappoint.

Even while she railed against men as a whole, part of her begged to differ. Implored her to soften, to think of #notallmen. Just because one douche ripped her heart to shreds didn’t mean all men would…right?

She pouted as she X’d out of screens on her computer. Sadly, a hopeless romantic remained buried deep inside her. Even reality couldn’t extinguish that poor, misguided optimist tending fire in the abandoned cavern of her heart.

When would the optimist learn?

Riley heaved a sigh as she shut her laptop. Soft acoustic strumming still pulsed through her studio-wide sound system, the chill backdrop she’d envisioned for a little hangout session with Levi that never was. It was better this way, since agreeing to have him over had been a mistake. At least she’d gotten her work done, several times over.

A rustling at the front door caught her attention, followed by the sonorous “Oh, hi!” of John Stamos. She sucked in a breath, all her internal organs seizing.

Levi stepped through the front door, looking bashful and broad-shouldered.

“Oh, good, I didn’t miss you.” He came into the studio, a big paper bag in his arms, dark leg hair peppering muscly calves. A tight gray T-shirt paired with black board shorts and shiny black sneakers perfected his off-duty look. She couldn’t respond.

“Wh—” she began.

“I meant to come right after practice,” he said, easing the paper bag onto the countertop. “But I got held up. So I brought dinner as a peace offering.”

The rest of her air slid out of her in a long whoosh. Her rumbling belly urged her to forget all previous irritation for a chance at eating whatever was in that bag.

She swallowed hard, stepping closer. Pushing up on her tiptoes, she tried to see what was inside.

“What’d you bring?”

“Oh, nothing much.” He shrugged, tucking some of that chestnut hair behind his ears. “Just some vegetarian curry.”

She narrowed her eyes at him, stepping back from the bags. The man might be a warlock—she had to tread carefully. “What did you say?”

“Vegetarian curry.” He smirked, bags crinkling as he revealed some of the boxes inside. “If I’m too late though, I get it.”

Levi set one of the takeout containers on the countertop. And that’s when she saw the business card stapled on top—Curry Up and Eat. It was her favorite Indian place. She didn’t know whether she wanted to cry or punch him.

“Wh—” she began again but ended up shaking her head. “How did you—”

“Let’s eat.” Levi laid out two big boxes full of curried vegetables and two smaller containers of rice while Riley watched like a famished street dog. He handed her a plastic fork and brought over the two arm chairs from near the window. Riley could only watch with wide eyes as he arranged everything.

“This is amazing.” She plopped down into the chair, her head swirling. “This is my favorite restaurant. Like, in the world. Why did you go there?”

Levi shrugged, but he couldn’t hide the mysterious smile on his face. She caught it—and she knew something was up.

“Just occurred to me,” he finally said, popping a piece of broccoli into his mouth. “This shit is good.”

“I don’t buy it.”

---