Page 18 of Flawless Foundations

I pat the empty space next to me. "Have a seat."

She does and pulls her legs up under her, fully facing me.

"Drinks with the girls?" I nod in the direction she came.

"Yeah, Sara and Piper both live in the building. I don't know them well, but we've gotten drinks up here before." She smiles fondly.

"They seem nice."

"They are. Though Sara is a little much sometimes. She wants to start a book club." She shrugs, and I chuckle. She looks thoughtful when she adds, "Yeah, I'm not sure book club is my thing, but she was talking about this series about gamer boys that sounds right up my alley."

"So, how was your week?" I ask her, captivated by the fact that we seem to suddenly be able to hold a conversation that is snark free.

She lets out a big sigh. "That bad, huh?" I try to ignore the slight pang in my chest that we had not one, but two make-out sessions and she still had a bad week.

"Well, let's see. I had brunch with my mom, which under normal circumstances is fine, but I was late, and she has a zero-tolerance tardiness policy. Then I broke things off with Marshal, that was a strange conversation. Then I quit my job at Blush. So, not necessarily bad, but not great." She fakes a yawn.

"Wow, you definitely need a beer then." I snag one of my beers and hand it to her. When she takes it, her fingers brush mine, and I let my own linger. After hearing her mention breaking things off with Marshal, I've got a new sense of excitement.

"I do, I really do." She takes a healthy gulp. "How was your week, Levi?"

"Not nearly as eventful as yours. However, I did get some gorgeous blond to make out with me, not once but twice this week. I'm starting to think I need to hang out in that middle elevator more often.

She clucks her tongue and gently pushes my arm. "Whatever, she was clearly seduced."

A laugh deep from my belly tumbles out, and then we are both laughing. After a couple moments, I collect myself.

"So, tell me about how you quit." And for the next hour or so, we just talk. She tells me all about her week, and I just listen. I provide input when she asks for it, but mostly, it's just her unloading, and I'm happy that I'm here for her.

We each drink a couple beers, and when we realize it's late, she's sitting right up close to me, her head on my shoulder. Our fingers are intertwined, and it is the best damn feeling I've had in a long time.

She yawns. "I think I need to sleep."

I squeeze her hand. "Alright, let's go." I gather our empty bottles, stick them in the bucket, and I return them to the bar on our way to the elevators. We continue to hold hands as we ride the car down in silence.

I can't help but smile the whole way, feeling as if everything is right in the world at this very moment. Screw everything else going on, I'm as content as can be right now. I walk her to her door, pull her against me, and give her a slow, passionate kiss.

When we break apart, I tell her good night and slowly walk to my apartment. I get a few feet away when I hear her swear.

"What's up?" I ask.

"I forgot my key." She pats her pockets, feeling for it. "Em is out for the night too." She does a little growl and foot stomp, and I smile knowing she isn't paying attention to me.

"Well, it seems as if you've got two logical options. One, you can call down to reception and have them bring you a key. Or you can just stay with me tonight." She turns toward me as I give her the options. She bites her lips, contemplating. Of course, I know what option I want her to pick, but I won't push her into doing something she isn't ready for.

She puts a hand on her hip. "Stay with you, huh?"

"Yup. You can sleep on my couch if you want."

She narrows her eyebrows at me. "Okay, I'll stay."

I mentally fist pump the air but keep my cool by nodding. "Sure, come on." I turn and I unlock my door. I open it wide, allowing her to walk in before me. She's been here before, but only briefly, so she takes in the space as I turn on the living room lights. There isn't much too it. It came furnished. I'm not big into decorating, so it's pretty much a bachelor's pad.

"This seems to fit you," she says and walks around the big leather couch and plops down.

"Yeah, clearly, they had a single guy in mind when they furnished it. But I can't complain." I turn on some more lights, I don't want to give her the wrong impression with keeping the lights off.

"So, I've got some clothes you can change into unless you want to just stay in what you're wearing." she stands awkwardly between the couch and the hallways down to my room.

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