“So we’ve established you’re hungry. What does that stomach of yours want?”
“Anything with a drive thru. I don’t want to get out of the car if that’s okay?” I ask shyly.
“Anything for you Willow Tree.” He says before pushing the button to start his car. He revs the engine and turns the volume on the stereo up to full.
“You ready for the best ride of your life?” He wiggles his eyebrows at me and I burst out laughing.
“There she is!” He winks at me with a big grin on his face and takes off down the driveway.
We drove fifty minutes to a burger place Lev said he thought I’d love and he wasn’t wrong. We sit in the car eating the most amazing cheeseburgers, cheese fries and we both got strawberry milkshakes.
“This burger was definitely worth the dangerous driving.” I taunt as I take another bite.
“Dangerous driving? Just because my dear cousin drives like an eighty five year old grandmother with you in the car doesn’t mean how I drive is dangerous.” He scoffs as he takes a drink.
“Lev, you were doing eighty in a fifty and I’m pretty sure your wing mirror clipped the side of someone else’s car when you were changing lanes.”
He barks out a laugh and I shake my head at him. He’s wild, but he makes me laugh and it’s nice that he’s done this for me tonight to make me feel better.
“You gotta live dangerously sometimes little Wills. It’s good for the soul.” He says, slapping his chest a couple times while grinning at me.
“Should you even be eating this food if your fight is tomorrow by the way?” I ask because I’m genuinely curious.
“I thought fighters had to go on strict diets and weigh in and all that stuff?”
He chokes back a laugh at me while sipping on his milkshake
“Yeah, we do, but it’s not that big of a deal. I’m within weight range so I’ll be alright. You looking forward to your girls weekend in Boston?” He asks and I lean my head against the window and stare out as the rain hits against the windshield. I was excited before today. Before seeing the car again.
“I don’t know now. I know it’s ridiculous to think whoever is stalking me would know about Boston and follow me there, but I’m nervous now.”
He nods in silent agreement before turning to face me.
“If there’s anything I’ve learned in life so far Willow, it’s that you can’t let bad things stop you from living your life. It’s scary, but if you let fear take over you will become a shell of yourself, and to me that’s even scarier.”
I look at him and narrow my eyes.
“Who are you and what have you done with Lev.” He huffs a laugh at my teasing.
“You wound me Willow tree.”
He places a hand over his heart with a fake frown on his face.
“It’s hard out here being this handsome, funny and emotionally deep you know.”
“How did the doctors manage to get you out of your mother’s womb?”
He looks at me, puzzled by my question.
“Your massive freaking head. It must of taken a whole team.”
He throws his head back and laughs and seeing him being the lighthearted Lev I’ve come to know and adore again makes me smile too.
We grow into a comfortable silence, eating and listening to the hip-hop music he has playing in the car.
“So.” He clears his throat.
“Boston. Give me a straight answer, are you still excited?”
