Page 104 of Sunset Catchers

“Well, I’d marry you if I didn’t love dicks so much.”

“We could’ve had a lavender marriage.”

“I don’t know, I’m kind of partial to pink,” I point out.

“Bummer.”

I open the door and see Levi standing there, hair still wet from a shower and gosh. I don’t think I’ll ever get over how handsome he is. It would be an affront to the gods of good looks.

“I’ve got pizza, snacks, grape sodas and a movie. You in?”

“Weird way to ask me to be your girlfriend, but yes.”

His eyes shine brighter than a supernova. I cleared my throat, grabbed a sweatshirt, his sweatshirt, and put it on. His pupils go full moon when he notices. Levi holds my hand all the way to his cottage.

The evening goes on exactly as it always did. Eating pizza on the couch in his cottage, sharing snacks and drinking sodas. He gives me a fair amount of time to watch new trailers of upcoming shows and movies, until he kindly suggests that now would be a great time to choose something for tonight.

We’ve done this plenty of times.

But when we’re done eating, instead of each sitting on opposite sides of the couch, Levi tucks me into his side, with my head against his chest, his arm thrown over my shoulders. He kisses the crown of my head whenever he pleases and twirls my curly hair.

Before, we were just orbiting each other.

Now, we’ve fully collided.

On Monday morning, we go back to our work routine, except that I wake up in his bed, and he kisses me, and he slips inside me, and sure, an oat milk iced latte still gets me going, but having sex with Levi is now definitely at the top of my list. The kind that’s both lazy and slow but hard.

We work all day and hang out all evening. I’m the small spoon to his big spoon, every night, in his bed.

Copy, then paste for Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday. Levi radiates happiness, and all the while, well, I’m skittish. I’m a stray cat that’s been left out in the cold for too long, after being thrown out of a house that was never even warm.

I’m apprehensive about what it’ll do to me, being on the other side of our current situation. And my heart is so heavy—I’m afraid that it’ll come tumbling down my chest cavity and run away, too spooked by being so content.

I wish Levi could crawl behind my ribs and cradle my heart in his hands and murmur soft words of reassurance.

It’s alright, you’re safe with me.

It’s fine, I’ll take care of you.

Trust me, I’ve got you.

Then, on Friday! On Friday, everything changes again.

A simple shift and yet!

The trajectory of my life is forever altered.

25

On Friday morning, I woke up to a bleary grey sky and mischievous blue eyes. I can only stare at how pretty he is. Truly, it’s annoying how very fond of Levi my face is.

“Let’s take a break today, pretty girl,” Levi tells me. A smile is playing on his lips, the sort that’s withholding a secret. I put on my most comfortable sweat suits and throw my frizzy hair into a high ponytail and forgo makeup entirely except for some hydrating, clear balm on my lips. They have been very busy lips; they deserve a little extra care.

While Levi drives us to his secret destination, rain starts pouring from the sky, reverberating loudly on the car’s roof, blurring the blooming cherry blossom trees and green fields we pass by.

He has one hand on the stirring wheel and the other on my thigh while songs pour in soft wavelengths from the speakers. It only takes fifteen minutes to get to our destination: Kit’s house.

“What are we doing here?” I ask.