CHAPTER 8Levi
Levi
The next morning, Levi found Owen propped up in his bed, fully clothed, watching him sleep. It startled Levi so much that he instinctively yelped. Unknowingly tangled in his blankets, he fell back and off the bed, his pillow falling with him.
Owen howled with laughter. He peered over the edge of the bed where Levi was sprawled on the floor and drawled, “Rise and shine, sugar lips, we’re fixin’ to git you hitched.”
Owen quickly rolled away as the pillow came flying towards his head. Levi untangled himself and managed to stand up.
“Thank the gods you’re wearing underwear! I don’t want to look at Little Levi,” Owen chirped.
Levi was seriously contemplating where he could hide Owen’s body after he murdered him when he said, “Ivy got blueberry muffins from that bakery you like, plus some other stuff.”
Levi perked up a bit. Blueberry muffins were his favorite breakfast food.
Owen sauntered towards him and took a strong sniff.
Scrunching his nose in mild disgust, he said, “Definitely take a shower before you come down. There’s a mustiness to you that could be considered an appetite ruiner.
Everyone’s already here,” before he jogged out of the room and out of harm's way.
Levi sighed and looked at the clock. It was only 5:45 AM, and his blood pressure was already climbing.
This is a foreshadowing of things to come , he thought to himself as he entered the bathroom and started the shower.
After his shower, Levi joined everyone in his kitchen.
Yesterday, Ivy worked her magic and managed to get him a priority appointment with Perfectly Paired Matchmaking . He was officially a client. Everyone decided to take a couple of hours off from work this morning to help him rally for the assessments he would have to complete.
Ivy promised she would bring breakfast, and she followed through as promised. Levi’s mouth watered as he eyed the massive spread of breakfast foods, juices, and coffee on the large island.
It was an early morning grazing board of breakfast foods; the rainbow-colored assortment stood out against the glittering black quartz countertops. There was nothing Levi loved more than a smorgasbord of food options.
“All this food almost makes up for me finding Owen in my bed,” Levi said, placing one of the last blueberry muffins on his plate. He was lucky there were any muffins left at all.
Owen grinned at him widely, mouth full of raspberry danish as he leaned against the counter opposite the island, stuffing his face. Isaac was beside him, looking slightly more civilized, using a napkin instead of a plate.
“Having the keys to your house is the biggest perk of being your security guy,” he garbled through the food in his mouth.
“I’m probably the most attractive person you’ve woken up next to in months, and for your information, good sir , you wouldn’t be the first to fall off the bed after waking up to me either. ”
Isaac gave Owen a long-suffering glance. “I think months is a bit of an exaggeration…and they probably fell off the bed in horror.”
Owen gasped in mock outrage at Isaac’s rebuttal while Levi scowled and threw a handful of grapes at them both. “I need new friends and new locks.” Levi scooped up the remainder of his food before joining the ladies at the table.
The kitchen was the heart of the home and where his friends preferred to gather. His favorite place to lounge was at the large kitchen table within the eat-in breakfast nook, nestled against large windows with the best views of Joia City. He never used the formal dining room.
There was a concerning amount of paperwork spread on the dark wood-stained table. With empty plates set before them, Ivy and Grace—Isaac’s wife—were chatting over half-finished coffee. They must’ve been here longer than he initially thought.
Ivy gave Levi a once-over, carefully examining his face, no doubt assessing the level of exhaustion that still lingered there.
“You look a lot less like hell than you did yesterday,” she said, eyes sparkling and promising nothing but trouble.
“So, eat up, buttercup. You're going to need the energy for this.”
Grace rolled her hazel eyes as she laughed, shaking her head at Ivy, her auburn curls bouncing as her shoulders shook.
Her tone took on a more serious note as she asked, “But seriously, Levi, how are you doing with all of this?” She reached over and squeezed Levi's hand in an extra show of support.
“I think I’m doing less okay than I initially thought,” Levi said slowly, trying to focus on the warmth of her hand as a distraction. There was a jumble of feelings whirling around like a tornado in his mind, making it tough to pin them down.
He was acutely aware of Owen and Isaac's eyes on his back as they held their breath waiting for his reply. It was uncomfortable, like he was a bug inspected under a microscope. Their gaze prickled at his skin.
“I’m still upset and embarrassed about how I reacted in the Board meeting. I know I shouldn’t have let Tyler get to me the way he did.”He lowered his gaze and stared into his mug of coffee, as if the wisps of steam held the answers he needed.
“I’m tired,” he said hoarsely. A sharp crack of pain settled in his chest. “I’m tired of having to spend so much extra time preparing for meetings just to be on par with everyone else.
I’m tired of coming home alone to this uselessly large house that’s creepy at night…
and I’m simply tired of going through this life alone. ”
He looked up at both Ivy and Grace, both with eyes as glassy as his probably were.His knuckles were white from how hard he gripped his coffee mug. It was a miracle that the cup had not yet shattered.
“Don’t get me wrong, you’re the most amazing group of friends that anyone could ever ask for…but it’s a different kind of support I’m missing.” He looked longingly at Grace and Isaac when he sighed, “I want what you two have.”
Taking a shuddering breath, he absently shrugged, peering back into his coffee. It had grown cold, much like the rest of his life, Levi realized.
“After what happened yesterday, it seems more like a sliver of hope that sliced through the fog I didn’t realize I was trapped in. I’m actually kind of excited to go to a matchmaker. It’s unconventional, but nothing else has worked either.”
The silence that followed was thick and full of despair. No one uttered a single word, internalizing what Levi shared.
That is, until Levi heard what sounded like someone trying to conceal a soft sniffle behind him.
Confused, he glanced over his shoulder in time to catch Owen flipping his back to them, as if gazing out the kitchen window.
He brushed a hand over the bridge of his nose as he growled, “There’s nothing to see here, guys.
I’m simply admiring the general splendor of the birds chirping in the overpriced backyard hydrangea bushes. ”
“I dream of the day you admire the general splendor of anything that isn't your reflection, you closet POLmArK TV Romance lover,” Isaac said dryly, his eyes misty behind his glasses.
Owen's hackles rose as he twisted around, his voice growing marginally louder with indignation, “Who the hell do you think you are, sir? There is nothing wrong with a strong, virile man appreciating the comforting joy of a guaranteed happy ending—and in no way am I ashamed to admit that!”
“Is that a serious statement? I’ve caught you watching them so many times at our house after Gracie left the television on that channel—and every single time , you jumped like a baby deer in the woods who got spooked by a leaf blowing by,” Isaac fired back, whatever emotion he had been experiencing replaced with exasperation.
Owen sneered. “For someone who loves data and making fact-based decisions, you sure are comfortable throwing out wildly unsubstantiated and incorrect accusations! I jump because you like to lurk in the shadows and leap out at me like a serial killer once I’m invested in the new love blossoming,” he hotly countered.
Levi shook his head, internally questioning his judgment in friends for the umpteenth time that morning.
He turned his attention back to Grace and Ivy.
Continuing to bicker over the “mental health benefits” that Owen stated came from watching those movies, they were too engrossed in their argument to notice.
While Ivy's attention was on the spectacle unfolding behind them, Grace’s face held a twinge of regret, seemingly blaming herself for not trying to help him sooner.
She opened her mouth to speak, but Levi beat her to it.
“There is nothing you could have done to help—even I hadn't come to terms with what I’ve been feeling.
The only good thing Tyler's bullshit has done so far is make me realize it.”
He finished off his coffee and went to refill it.
He interrupted Owen and Isaac, their heated debate now focused on what Isaac referred to as “unrealistic occupations,” by loudly saying, “While I agree that this is a very controversial topic that I too am personally invested in, could you two maybe put a pin in this for later?”
They abruptly stopped, remembering where they were and why.
Sheepishly nodding their heads in agreement, they both began to relocate to the kitchen table where their two other friends were struggling to keep straight faces—but not before Owen pointed a finger in Isaac's face and said, “We are not done with this conversation.”
They were there for a couple of hours, but that had been more than enough time for Levi to immensely regret involving his friends…or at least two of them. If they took a shot of liquor every time Owen wove in a TV romance movie reference, everyone would have alcohol poisoning.
Not one to be outdone, Isaac would instantly counter Owen’s remark with what he felt was a logical rebuttal, and one that everyone needed to consider.
Levi wanted to punt them both off a cliff and into a lagoon.