Not Yet
Levi pops a peanut in his mouth, cracking another one open as he eyes the door. “I’ll admit, I was surprised you called me,” he says, smirking as his gaze lands on me.
I nod, placing my beer down on the table and reaching for the metal bucket of peanuts. “Yeah, well…I’ve got to find a way to reach Lori, and I know that the two of you’ve become pretty close.” I pop the nuts in my mouth, hesitating before I throw the shell onto the concrete floor with the others.
Levi raises an eyebrow. “Does this mean she finally told you that we didn’t sleep together?”
I laugh, rubbing my shoulder. Shamefully, I asked Lori about her relationship with Levi the night of the banquet and was so relieved to learn the truth. “That may have come up.”
“And now that you don’t want to punch me in the face, you want my advice?”
“Basically,” I admit with a nod.
“All right.” His eyes move to the door and back again before he gestures to me, making me wonder who he’s watching for. “Shoot. What’s up?”
“So…” I begin, sitting up straighter as I scoot to the edge of the booth seat, to avoid having to shout over the loud atmosphere of the restaurant. “She asked me to go to the banquet with her, and we had a fun time. Thanks for that, by the way, she told me it was you that encouraged that decision.”
He snorts, nodding. “I may have given her a little push in the right direction.”
“Well, I asked her out again and she said yes. It was another successful evening, and I thought we were on the same page.”
His eyes are wide, his lips pucker as he nods his head then clicks his tongue. “And what page was that?’
“Well…I told her how I felt,” I say as I shrug. “That I wanted us to be together.”
He sucks in a breath through his teeth and shakes his head. “Oh, shit.”
I relax into the back of the booth again, throwing my hands up in defeat before folding my arms. “What? Why is that so bad? Why is she avoiding me?”
“Haven’t you ever heard the saying that you need to learn to walk before you can run? You know her better than I do, so you know what a big deal it is that she’s opening herself up to you. Give the woman a second to catch her breath.”
“Okay,” I agree, nodding. He is wise for someone so young, I made the right decision calling him for advice. “How do I know when she’s had enough time?”
His head tilts as he rubs the back of his neck. “I’m not sure I can answer that for you, but I think there is one person that could help you speed things along.”
“Cat?”
“Yep,” he says, nodding slowly. He takes a sip of his beer, giving the door another check, then his watch, before his attention lands on me again. “She’s the only person who will be able to get through to Lori.”
I groan, running my hands through my hair. “That’s what I’m afraid of. Cat hasn’t been very willing to listen to what I have to say.”
“Then you need to make her hear you. It may be the only way.”
My stomach knots with worry, knowing he may very well be right about that, but every time I’ve thought all hope was lost with Lori, destiny would step in to save the day.
“Well, I think fate brought us together, and I’m not going to give up on her without a fight.”
Levi scoffs, shaking his head. “I don’t recommend saying that to her.”
“What the hell are you doing here!”
My eyes move over to the red-head standing next to our table, a hand on her hip as she glares at Levi with fury in her eyes. It’s Eric’s assistant from the photography studio, I recognize her from Lizzy’s wedding. I thought Eric told me that Levi was good friends with her, but the look she’s giving him isn’t very friendly, and I’d caught her eyeing him the same way the night of the wedding.
“Roxy, hey!” Levi says smirking. “You remember Steven.” He gestures to me, and she slides her eyes over, giving me a forced smile before returning them to Levi. “We’re about to have dinner, would you care to join us?”
“Are you mental?” Roxy grits.
Levi laughs, shrugging. “I’ll admit this place isn’t that great, but—”
“Did Eric tell you I’d be here? Is that it?”
My eyes shift back and forth between them, the curling of my lips revealing my amusement. Apparently, I’m not the only one dealing with some drama in the romance department.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You’ve never been a good liar,” Roxy says with a huff. “You came here trying to screw up my date.”
“A date?” Levi’s chuckle is laced with condescension. “What kind of a loser would bring you to a place like this for a date? You should dump him now and join us.”
She narrows her eyes, her nostrils flaring. “Just leave us alone,” she says before turning on her heel and storming away.
My glare settles on Levi, he looks a little ashen as he shrugs then takes a drink of his beer. “Seems I’m not the only one that could use some advice,” I tease.
The next day my phone rings, and I’m surprised to see Lori’s name flashing across the screen. For the past week she’s been dodging my calls and sending me one-word responses to my text.
“Hey, stranger.”
She laughs, and my heart stammers at the sound. “Don’t be such a drama queen. I’m calling you now.”
I sigh, but it’s one of relief because she called and she sounds like herself and I’ve missed her.
“That you are, and to what do I owe this pleasure?” I tease, wondering if Levi had intervened on my behalf. If so, I owe him big time.
“I thought we should talk. You know, about…”
“Us?” I ask on bated breath.
“Yes, exactly.”
My fist punches the air in victory. “I couldn’t agree more, but I’d rather we not have that conversation over the phone.”
“I thought you might say that. What are you doing now? Can you meet me at the park? I’m just finishing up something with Julianna.”
My head bobs as if she can see me, and I’m moving toward the door before I even respond. “Walking out the door now.”
Twenty minutes later, I’m in the park, making my way over to the bench Lori is sitting on. It’s a perfect fall day, the sun is shining, and the leaves are blowing in the light breeze. A smile spreads across her face when she sees me, and she comes to her feet.
“Hi,” she says as I come to a stop in front of her.
“Hello.” I’m dying to kiss her, but I have no clue where she’s planning to go with this talk. So, I settle for pulling her in my arms for a quick hug.
“Do you want to take a walk?”
“Lead the way.” My heart hammers in my chest as I take her hand, my muscles relaxing a little when she begins to walk without pulling away. “I admit, I was starting to take your lack of communication this week personally.”
She squeezes my hand, giving me a shy smile as she turns to meet my gaze. “I’ve been a little busy this week. If I tell you with what, you have to promise not to tell Eric.”
My brow creases, but I nod in agreement. “Promise.”
“Julianna is pregnant,” she beams.
“Wow, that is fantastic news. Eric is going to be through the moon when he finds out.”
“I know. Of course, in true Julianna fashion, she wants to make a big production out of telling him, and I’ve been helping her with her little project. That’s why I was at the park, Eric’s sister and I were helping her take some pictures.”
“Well, I must say that while I’m happy for her and Eric, I’m mostly relieved that you weren’t merely avoiding me all week.” Stopping, I pull her into my arms. One hand holding her close, the other tucking her hair behind her ear. She sucks in a breath, her eyelids fluttering as I drag my knuckles down her jaw line then sweep my thumb over her bottom lip. When I lean in, bringing my mouth close to hers, her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “I was beginning to worry I might not get to kiss you again.”
With a slight shake of her head, her mouth meets mine. Her kiss is delicate, though there’s an eagerness in the stroke of her tongue. She wraps her arms tightly around me, and her hands knead my back as if she’s trying to keep them from roaming. By the time she breaks the kiss, we’re both a little out of breath. Her eyes are still closed as I pull away, and I feel this overwhelming happiness as I study her beautiful face.
“God, I love you.”
The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. Lori’s eyes pop open, her face blanching as they focus on me. My chest tightens as her arms move back to her sides, and she pulls out of my hold. As if she’s going to respond, she clears her throat and her gaze falls. Instead, she turns in silence, and I’m certain my word vomit has screwed things up, until she takes my hand in hers before she continues down the trail.
“I can’t,” she says, her voice little more than a whisper. “Not yet.”
My heart drops into my stomach, but those two words, not yet, keeps it afloat.