Page 28 of Levi

He’s taking this fake dating bullshit seriously, which I won’t lie, I appreciate, especially knowing my uncle is on the other side of the bar with some of his friends and one of the guys from the team. Just what I need is for them to see Levi flirting with a puck bunny or something—then they would catch me lying and that, for sure, won’t help me.

“Levi, I meant to tell you, I can’t meet up tomorrow for a run,” Jax says from across the table.

“Aww, are you wussing out because you have a day off?”

“No fucker, my little sister is coming into town tomorrow and I want to actually hang out with her. I don’t need you there. Besides, that’ll give you more time to hide Quinn from us,” Jax jokes, and Levi shoots him a glare.

“Fuck off, I’m not hiding her.”

“You’re also shit at letting us get to know her, which, given everything going on, just seems a little fishy,” Jax smirks, and I’m confused.

“What?” I ask, immediately sensing the shift in Levi’s demeanor as he tenses up.

“I’m just not sure everyone understands as much as they think they do,” Jax says cryptically, walking away without another word, leaving me fucking stumped.

* * *

It’safter midnight when we finally head back to Levi’s house, and needless to say I’m glad we were able to rent a scooter to get home because I, for one, am in no shape to drive—or walk home. Thankfully Levi can handle his alcohol better than me, plus he stopped way before me because he is in charge of the scooter. I’m pretty much useless, my arms wrapped around his back like I’m a damn koala as we both stand up and cruise down the street.

I normally don’t drink this much because I hate the way I feel the next day, but tonight felt like as good a night as ever to let loose a bit. Everyone was so happy. Even my uncle was smiling at everyone, although he did give Levi a bit of a talk for the way he celebrated his hat trick. Apparently, it upset my sister.

I laughed at my uncle when he told me that, actually laughed at him because for fuck’s sake, he blew me a damn kiss; we didn’t fuck on the ice. It was awesome having the guys high fiving each other, including all of us as well.

My favorite part of tonight, besides seeing how happy Levi was when he scored that third goal, was when Jax came over and thanked me for all my help. It’s been little things so far, like helping him with the recovery aspect as well as some stretches and strengthening exercises to prevent anything, but it still felt good to have him acknowledge my role in his healing process.

It felt even better to know that just a few little changes are helping him feel more confident already. A lot of it was already put into place by him knowing his body and knowing he needed to work on his strength, but I love that it’s already noticeable since last season. Hearing that not only does he feel stronger, but that he feels like he’s skating so much quicker and with so much more agility, makes me thrilled, and even I’m impressed with his progress.

It was even better having him come up and thank me for all my help right in front of Ally and my aunt and uncle. My aunt was sweet, giving him a big hug, much to the dismay of Ally. My uncle was polite of course. I mean, he is his coach and all.

But all of that made it a night full of celebrations, plus it eased my nerves when it came to how to act around Levi. I mean, I’ve hung out with him and his friends before, but I’m almost positive they knew our arrangement. Now, it just feels weird because I know they know the new arrangement, and I guess I don’t quite know how to act anymore.

When I feel the scooter start to slow down, I hold on even tighter as we come to a stop. Keeping the scooter steady, Levi helps me get off before putting it on the sidewalk.

“This is a tomorrow problem,” he grumbles before grabbing my hand and leading me up the stairs to the front door.

He’s been confusing me ever since Jax got all weird on us. I tried to ask Levi what that was all about, but he wasn’t interested in talking about it. I thought for a while that he was mad because he got all quiet, but he also hasn’t left my side all night, even when the guys tried to get him to play a round of pool.

I know the logical answer is that he’s just doing what any good boyfriend would do, but damn, this whole fake dating bullshit can get super confusing. Just having him constantly touching me, little kisses on my forehead…it was nothing blatantly in-your-face obvious, but it was enough to make me feel like he was claiming me.

And dammit, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t fucking love that a whole lot.

We head straight into the kitchen where Levi starts by getting us both Advil, because now we are apparently at the age that hangovers sneak up on us, and instead of sort of feeling like garbage for a few hours, I usually feel like a dumpster fire for an entire day or two.

“Here you go, Angel,” Levi says as he passes me the water, his fingers grazing mine as he does, the simple touch sending shocks down my fingers.

“Thanks,” I mutter quietly, my mouth suddenly dry as I drink down the water.

Setting my glass down, I watch as Levi takes the medicine, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallows, and it’s hotter than it should be. Then, when he leans back against the counter after finishing with his own glass and placing it on the counter, he crosses his arms over his chest, and I feel like I’m going to melt into a puddle right here.

He’s wearing a fitted blue shirt, one that allows me to see the perfect outline of his muscles, from his biceps all the way down to his abs. With the crook of his finger, he lifts my chin up, forcing my gaze back to his, and I hadn’t even realized he was moving.

“My eyes are up here, Angel,” he says with a little smirk. Busted.

“No shame in my staring game. You’re fucking hot, and we both know it,” I admit with a shrug.

“Is that so? You’ve seemed so nervous around me that I figured you were starting to get the ick or something.”

“No, I just felt like I was kind of in the way. All your friends wanted you to hang out, and those girls kept trying to get your attention,” I ramble, trying to look away, but he holds my face still.

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