“Ladies.”
He finally turns to me, and he’s shorter than I remember. If I’m 5'5", then he must be, like, 5'10".
He isn’t as tall as—never mind.
“Hey, Lana,” Levi says, his cheeks red from the alcohol, the smell of liquor heavy on his breath, and his blond hair a bit in sweaty disarray. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Over his shoulder, Natalia and Isabelle grin and nod, both of them giving me thumbs-up. Like a teenager, I bat my lashes and toy with a strand of my hair. If I were sober, I’d think this was pathetic. I haven’t flirted in years.
Oh well.
“I’ve been working,” I try not to slur. “But I gave myself this weekend off.”
Levi smirks, showing a hint of his white, straight teeth.
“Hey! What teeth whitener do you use?” I ask, louder than I intend.
Levi laughs anyway. “Crest!”
“Thank you!” I grin.
Levi laughs, amusement in the dull green of his eyes.
“I used to have the biggest crush on you, you know.”
“No way.” I try to make it sound flirtatious, but I think it just sounds like sarcasm.
I miss him.
He chuckles with a nod. “Probably since we were sixteen.”
My cheeks are burning—and quite honestly, so is my throat—both from the tequila I’ve forced myself to drink. Other people drink to forget. Why can’t I?
Except, I’m remembering. There is no winning.
“Impossible,” I tease.
“Yeah.” Levi rakes his fingers through his greasy-looking hair. “But you were always with Christian, ya know?” Levi shrugs. “I knew you two were a thing and…”
Fuck this.Levi was not supposed to bring back those memories. This bar interaction wasn’t for this... it was for sex! Maybe.
Good sex that I haven’t been able to have in four years without thinking ofhe-who-shall-not-be-named. This is meant to be my ‘rebound’ after four years.
“And then you guys were a thing, so…” Levi says, “I backed off.”
“He left,” I blurt. A burp bubbles up my throat, but I press my lips together to keep it in. “He’s gone.”
He’s gone and I hate it. Just as much as I miss him.
I need more tequila.
This is why we don’t think of him.
No. No more alcohol.
Even the alcohol makes me think of him—and sometimes resent him.
“Right,” Levi grimaces, scratching the back of his head.
