She shakes her head, letting out another giggle. “Sometimes it’s necessary to joke around about it. If I don’t, who will?”
I narrow my eyes at her, wondering whether she’s telling the truth. She has a point, but she could also be deflecting.
Stevie sighs, knowing why I’m still standing. “You need to calm down. I’ll let you know when something’s wrong.”
After a few seconds of observing her, the microwave beeps, and I give her a slight tilt of my chin before sitting back down. I open my bag of chips.
“Is that your dinner?” She pours herself a glass of water.
“Kind of. Not the first time I’ve had chips for dinner.” I shrug.
My roommate looks back and forth between me and the fridge. Pursing her lips, she opens it, grabs a new container, and sticks it in the microwave.
Before I can register what she’s doing, Stevie walks over to the couch and stuffs the already heated food with a fork into my face.
“Here.”
Shit.“No, I can’t. It’s your food.”
“Look, the other container is heating up, so if you don’t eat it, it’ll end up in the garbage since I can’t reheat it again.” She sticks it directly in front of my face. “Take it.”
The smell of teriyaki chicken with broccoli and fried rice almost makes me groan. I can’t help the annoyingly loud growl that my stomach makes, which makes Stevie smile.
Knowing there’s no point in denying the food, I grab it, along with her hand.
“Thanks, Bambi.”
I try to convey everything I’m trying to say through my stare. She’s a good friend, she’s an amazingly sweet woman, and she deserves all the good things that Jenny mentioned.
She looks down at our touch, and an odd tingle hits me straight in a place it shouldn’t. She blinks three times before smiling and gently pulling herself out of my grasp. Reasonable distance, that’s for the best.
“It’s no problem. I always make too much anyway.”
That’s bullshit. The girl is too humble for her own good.
I invite her to eat on the couch with me, but she takes it to her room to finish some work. After I finish the awesome fucking food, I wash the dishes and think about how Valentine’s Day is this weekend. I’m dreading the holiday and haven’t made any concrete plans yet, but something from earlier inspires an idea, and now I know exactly what I’m going to do on Saturday night.
Chapter Ten
STEVIE
Hearts, flowers, and chocolates, oh my!I can’t help but think while walking out of the local deli.
I tried to ignore that today was Valentine’s Day, the first Valentine’s Day in years in which I’m single. I didn’t think it’d bother me this much, but after experiencing what I did with Andrew, I can’t help but feel bitter. It also doesn’t help that I have no plans except to eat a box of chocolates and watchHe’s Just Not That into You.
I have officially become a walking cliché.
What Jenn said the other day was true, I need to make more friends who will appreciate me and put in the effort like she has. Maybe not as much as her because no one will ever compare to Jenny, but good people who like me for me. Levi and his friends are great, but I’m worried that if I have an argument with Levi, they’ll stop talking to me. They don’t seem like the kind of people to do so. Then again, neither did Andrew’s.
Walking back into the apartment after getting said chocolates, I spot Levi perched in the small breakfast nook with what seems to be Thai food he must’ve gotten from the new place in town.
He smiles, and his dark blue eyes focus on me. His biceps flex as he finishes putting the last food container onto the table. How does someone who looks like him not have a date today? I mean, seriously, the man is a little too perfect in the looks department. I could work out every day for hours and never look as good as him. When I showed Jenn a picture of him, her mouth and eyes hung open for thirty seconds. Then again, she also drooled over Brad. Not to say Brad isn’t good-looking in his own way.
He was kind when we met, but cocky. With light brown hair, brown eyes, some tattoos, and a nice smile, Brad looks like the spitting image of the bad boy next door. He can play the guitar and piano, has written multiple songs, and is willing to meet with me twice a week to cowrite and compose a song. He didn’t ask me out, but he complimented me tastefully. He was also very patient when it came to my stage fright. We finished a few lyrics and will continue working on them this coming week. He’s a pretty cool guy, but Levi’s the kind of man you read about in romance novels. Dark hair, blue eyes, a brooding musician…
“Hey, I got us some Thai food.” Levi holds up a container, and it breaks me out of my crazed, hormonal thoughts. Maybe I should get a book to fill the lack of romance and sex in my life. I’ll text Jenny about that later, she’s obsessed with romance novels.
Smiling at the easiness that has spilled over the apartment again in the past few days, I set my things down and join him.
