Page 65 of Unexpected Prejudice

“Why?”

“Cause Levi’s there.”

“Did I miss something? How’d you know he’s there?”

“Because it’s way too hot for him to be wandering outside.”

Since the Vespa was gone, probably taken by Levi, I grabbed my BMX, and the pink bucket hat Levi bought me for my seventeenth birthday and dashed outside.

Riding to the public library with my BMX took less than an hour. It would’ve taken more if I’d stopped at every red light as I should’ve but didn’t. Let’s just say it was good that Andrei, Chief, or Levi weren’t with me. Those three were always so careful and cautious. What’s the worst that could happen? I already crashed into a car, a tree, a fence, and an ice cream truck and came out of it alive. And with ice cream. At least I had Kai and Diesel to have fun with when it came to skateboarding and BMX. Those two were dope. Diesel knew how to pull off some sick stunts, while Kai was the wildest dude on the planet.

Kai was also a very good skater, as long as he used his legs to skate and not his hands. Once, he showed me how to do a handstand on a skateboard, and he broke his arm. It was epic. Sure, the broken limb part sucked, but we had tons of fun in the ER. Kai kept pretending he was having seizures, only to freak the nurses. We were eventually kicked out of there and then got scolded by Chief when we got home.

I left my BMX outside the building and climbed the stairs leading to the library while whistling Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers.” I loved that song.

Once I entered the air-conditioned space, I understood how hot it really was outside. My T-shirt was plastered to my sweaty body, and I fanned myself with the fabric, trying to separate my skin from the damp clothes.

I skipped the first two floors and went straight to the third one, knowing where to find my Babydoll. I traveled down the aisle of adventure books, history, classics, and some encyclopedias before reaching the end of the space. And somewhere between Fiction and Romance was my Levi, sitting on the floor with his knees pressed to his chest and a book in his hands. The boy who had changed my world in so many ways and who, without a doubt, was the love of my life.

If I thought his smile was priceless, it was nothing compared to his expression when he was engrossed in a book. Levi held the most extraordinary love for reading—an unconditional love that would never change. He once told me that a love for a story was beyond anything physical, and that was the beauty of it—the ability to read a word and imagine a world.

I also knew he loved reading so much because of his father. They used to read a lot while his dad was still alive, and it was a way for Levi to remember him. I guessed the memory of his dad was spread between the pages of every book he read.

Not wanting to disturb his peace, I tiptoed over to him when— “Oh fuck!” I shouted as my Bluetooth headphones disconnected, and pop music filled the silent space.

Levi’s eyes darted from the book and focused on me just as I paused the song.

“Oopsie,” I mumbled with a clumsy smile and slumped onto the floor beside him. “I tried to be quiet.” I hugged one arm around his shoulder. “So, what are we reading?”

Closing the book, he flipped it so I could see the cover. “A dark romance,” he said as he handed me the book.

“What’s it about?”

He traced his finger on the cover. “It’s about beauty. But mostly, it’s about ugliness.”

“Ugliness?”

“Yeah, a beautiful young man charms people with his beauty, while keeping a very dark secret. He does terrible things throughout the book, and eventually, he’s discovered by his lover.”

“And what does the lover do?”

Levi chuckled and grabbed the book from my hands. “I’m not going to spoil it.”

I quickly reached over and snatched the book away. “Fine,” I said and opened it to the last page. “I’ll just start from the end—”

“No!” Levi yelped and quickly closed the book in my hands. “You can’t do that. It’s a crime.”

I chuckled. “Good. I’m familiar with that field.”

He tried to steal the book back, but I pulled it out of his reach, and he ended up pressed against me.

“Think you can overcome a thief?” I asked, but then he pulled out the big guns and started tickling me, going straight to my weak spots. “Stop! Stop!” I quickly dropped the book as I slapped a hand over my mouth, remembering where we were.

I was almost pressed against the floor with Levi leaning on me. Our faces were inches apart, so every freckle on his face was on full display. I was about to steal a kiss when Levi spoke. “I thought about it, and I’m willing to try.”

“Willing to try? Willing to try what?”

He looked away, breaking our eye contact before clarifying. “What you asked me before… the… you know… the threesome with Jordan.”