Chapter Nine
RACHEL
“ W hat?”
My face drops as I look at Levi. His face shows the same confusion that mine must have. Nothing against Zach; I’m sure he’s a lovely guy, but that’s not who I had pictured being matched with.
“Uh, hi,” Zach says, appearing at my side. He looks a little younger than me with blonde hair and blue eyes. He’s handsome in a boyband sort of way. I’m sure he has a lot of girls following him around town.
But he’s not Levi.
“Should we, uh, go to the dance floor?” he asks, looking down at his feet.
“Yeah, sorry. Let’s do that.”
I follow him down the two stairs leading right to the dance floor. The other couples are standing awkwardly together, except for Cassie and Jacob, who seem to be engaged in some form of a bickering fight. Normally, I would laugh, but I’m too shocked to do anything but look at the stage in front of me.
As the only two people left, Levi and Samantha stand next to the mayor, looking down at us rather than at each other .
I wonder if they had the same expectations I did.
“Now that the couples have all been paired up, we’ll invite them to do their first dance together! Please welcome all the couples to the dance floor!”
‘Perfect’ by Ed Sheeran starts playing, and the couples around us start dancing. I can’t take my eyes off Levi as he takes Samantha’s hand and helps her down the stairs with her heels. He’s making sure she doesn’t fall while sneaking glances my way.
“Would you like to dance?” Zach asks, holding his hand out to me. He’s got a shy grin on his face. He looks nervous, which makes him look even younger than I originally thought he was.
“I’d love to,” I say.
I do want to dance, but not with him. I can’t hurt his feelings and tell him that, though. He didn’t ask for this any more than I did. We can’t help that someone from town thought we would be matched up. Maybe Levi is right, and it was all computer generated, all just for the town to have fun and an event to promote at the expense of those that were signed up. It’s not like this sort of thing would be able to really tell you who your true love was. Surely I would know my match better than some stranger in a town I’ve only been to twice.
Right?
Is that why I’m dancing with Zach but can’t take my eyes off Levi?
I wonder if he’s thinking the same thing. As we turn on the dance floor with our partners, our eyes meet every time we face each other.
“So, uh, Rachel. Tell me about you,” Zach says, drawing my attention away from Levi and Samantha.
“Not much to tell, really. I’m thirty-one, live in Vancouver, and am a travel blogger. You?”
“Twenty-seven. I’ve lived here my whole life and work at my dad’s mechanic shop. ”
Other than age, I can’t say on paper that I would have any more in common with Levi than I do with Zach. They both grew up in Candy Cane Creek and work in the family business.
“Where’s your favourite place to travel to?” I ask.
“I haven’t travelled much other than to go to Kelowna for my auto apprenticeship.”
I know Levi’s done some travelling. We briefly talked about the places he went to after studying Pastry Arts before deciding to come back to Candy Cane Creek full-time.
Zach and I chat a bit more, finding out that we really have nothing in common, all while I’m still meeting Levi’s gaze across the dance floor. He and Samantha don’t seem to be talking at all, letting me know their match is almost as good as mine and Zach’s.
I know that tonight's match doesn’t mean anything beyond this dance. Zach and I can likely part after this song and never have to talk again, but it has me thinking about what I really want.
And that’s Levi.
I don’t know what that would look like, considering I leave to go back to Vancouver in the morning, but I know I won’t let this opportunity pass. Not this time.
“What do you think is in the envelopes?” Zach asks as we turn, bringing Levi out of my line of sight again.
“Hmm? Oh, I don’t know. I forgot about it, to be honest.” Once the couples had started being paired up, I put my envelope in my clutch and tucked it away. I had been so caught up in everything else that was going on that it hadn’t crossed my mind.
Zach drops our joined hands and his hand from my waist, taking a step back. Pulling his envelope from his suit pocket, he opens the seal and pulls out the card. Looking over his shoulder, we both read .
Now that your quest is complete,
We know this is a match that can’t be beat.
If true love’s kiss is what you seek,
Go on, now, and take a peek.
Valentine’s mistletoe is spread around,
It’s there that your happily ever after will be found.
Either this is a fun way to try and get all the couples to kiss under the Valentine’s mistletoe and start some sort of lore about finding love in the town, or this match isn’t as random as I think it is.
Looking up and meeting Zach’s eyes, I try to look at him from another perspective. He’s not that much younger than me. He’s handsome, even if it’s still in a bit of a boyish way. His light blue eyes and blonde hair give him almost a surfer look, even though from what he’s told me, he’s far from being that stereotype.
“Do you think we were purposely matched up together?” I ask.
“I don’t know.” He reaches up and rubs the back of his neck, sneaking a glance over his shoulder.
I follow his gaze and see Levi and Samantha looking at their cards. As they read, they take a step away from each other before scrunching their faces in confusion.
“I don’t think Levi and Samantha are happy with their match.”
“No…” he trails off.
“I mean, it’s probably just a silly match. Just some of the people in town having fun. There’s probably nothing too deep about it.”
“No, you’re right,” he says, dropping his arm and looking at me. “You seem nice and everything, but I don’t think we have a…” he fights for the word .
“Connection?” I finish.
“Yeah.” We both laugh. “No offence.”
“None taken,” I say, holding my hands up in front of me.
When the song ends, the couples slowly stop dancing, some faster than others. I notice Levi and Samantha give each other an awkward hug before she darts off into the crowd, getting lost. Levi stands by himself, looking off into the void.
“You should go talk to him,” Zach says, looking across the dance floor.
“You wouldn’t mind? I mean, we are matched and all,” I joke.
“Nah, there’s someone I need to go find myself,” he says.
Leaning forward, he gives me a soft kiss on the cheek. “Good luck, Rachel.”
“You too, Zach,” I say.
Before he walks off, all I hear is a voice behind me saying, “You can’t be serious.”