Page 33 of Playing the Neutral Zone

“Gone for food.”He smiled.“I saw you up here, so I thought I’d come and say hello.So, what are you researching?”

“You must be hungry,” I said, completely ignoring his question.

“So must you.I don’t recall you being this much of an early bird, and I know you never ate before nine in the morning at the earliest.”

How the hell did he remember all this stuff?I barely remembered what I had for dinner last night, and here he remembered shit that happened years ago.

“Yeah, come to think of it, I’m starving.”

“Good.Care to join me?”he questioned.

I nodded my head, zipped up my bag, threw it over my shoulder, and followed him out of the arena.

I satin my room eating potato chips, working on the start of an article to cover this weekend’s game.I grabbed my phone and opened up a new chat between Levi and myself and sent him a message.

Scarlett: Can I ask you something?

Levi: What’s up?

Scarlett: Would you allow me to interview you?

Levi: Why?

Scarlett: Well, you told me if I asked, you’d allow it.I’d like to write an article on you.

Some days, I really hated those three little bouncing dots and today was one of those days.Then his message came through.

Levi: We can talk about it.No promises.What are you doing?

I could tellfrom his short answer that there was no point in talking about it now.He meant what he said and that was his way of closing off the conversation before it even got started.

Scarlett: Work.

Levi: It’s late, you should be relaxing.

Scarlett: We never sleep.

Levi: We?Am I interrupting something?

Scarlett: No, we as in reporters.We never sleep, and just so you know, my room is empty.

Levi: You don’t need to explain yourself to me.If you have company, you have company.

Scarlett: I’m not explaining myself to you.

Levi: I beg to differ.

Scarlett: You are impossible.

Levi: Nope, just don’t want to interrupt something if it’s going down.

Scarlett: What makes you think I’d have messaged you and would continue chatting with you if, as you put it, something was going down?

Levi: I don’t know, maybe you’re reconnecting with Duncan, and he kisses like a lizard.

I couldn’t helpbut laugh out loud at his last comment.

Scarlett: *rolls eyes*

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