Page 87 of The Kiss Of Death
“You guys are together?” That information sufficed to make Yasmine put down her book.
“No,” I said.
“Yes,” Levi countered at the same time.
Yasmine grinned and went back to her book. “Sorry I asked. You guys clearly have things to figure out, and I have a book marathon to get back to, so if you’ll excuse me.”
“See, you wouldn’t want to bother your friend’s date with her books.” Levi’s lips curled at one corner as Yasmine frowned.
I crossed my arms. “A relationship doesn’t work like that, Levi.”
“I’m the only one here trying to make that relationship work, love.” He grimaced. “Actually, love doesn’t suit you. Maybe sweetheart? The point is, we define our relationship. I don’t see the problem.”
I opened my mouth to shut down his ego, but when our eyes met, I glimpsed a familiar emotion in his gaze—loneliness. It struck a chord. It was his birthday, and he wanted to spend it with me. I smiled, the child in me finding victory. I was finally breaching Levi’s cold heart.
“Fine, I’m coming because I want to, not because you told me to,” I asserted, jabbing a finger in his direction. With that, I retrieved my long gray coat and slipped into my matching boots while Levi took hold of my violin case.
“Why?” I asked.
“You’ll see.” He tossed his phone onto my bed next to mine. “I don’t want people to interrupt our date. You can go through my stuff when we’re done. My password is your birthday.”
“My birthday?”
His lips formed a stern line. “Does that surprise you?”
It’s like Levi just read a guide on what couples do, but while it came naturally for others, it felt too controlled and clinical coming from him. I left my phone beside his and called out, “See you later, Yas.”
She hummed, and I swung the door shut behind me. Levi’s gaze lingered on me, from the top of my head down to my toes, his hands casually tucked into his pockets.
“What?” I grumbled, fishing my ChapStick out of my vest pocket to swipe it across my lips. “You didn’t exactly give me enough time to get dolled up—”
He dipped down and pressed his lips on mine, kissing away my ChapStick. His dark, earthy scent filled my senses. He’d never kissed me softly before. It felt almost innocent. Vulnerable. Unlike him. He sucked on my lower lip, and a surge of electricity shot through me. But just as quickly as it began, he ended the moment when he pulled away.
He pressed his lips together, sealing in the taste of our kiss. “Tasty.”
I capped the ChapStick and slipped it back into my vest pocket. My probably flushed cheeks betrayed the frenetic pace of my heart as I made my way down the corridor. “You have to wait until the end of our date tomaybekiss me.”
I think?Not that I would know.
He reached out to take my hand, intertwining our fingers. “Our date hasn’t started yet.”
A surge of warmth flooded my stomach at the contact. I hadn’t held hands since Mom because I was too grown up to do that. But I missed it, and holding hands with Levi felt… indescribably good. Comforting. Safe.
He tightened his grip on my hand like he could break my bones easily. Maybe he wasn’t used to that either?
“Tell me something about you.” I shattered the silence that enveloped our footsteps. The halls were void of any other students, probably because it was only morning on a day off. “Maybe your favorite color?”
“I know yours is silver.”
“How did you know that?”
“The first ribbon you wore was silver. Knowing you, you certainly wore your favorite for your first day. You told me you liked my eyes when you were drunk. Plus, blood has a silver taste. And silver is strong but not as pretentious as gold,” he said, his gaze fixed ahead like he had everything about me figured out.
The wind whipped around us, carrying the tang of salt in its whispering breath as we stepped out from the shadow of the quad.
“What about your favorite color?” I asked.
“Take a guess.”
