Page 27 of Sunset Catchers

Shit, maybe this isn’t a good time. I should’ve texted him before. I falter under a line of anxiousness that starts behind my belly bottom, pulling my whole body taut.

“I can come back later,” I say, already turning around.

He shakes his head, “No, stay. Now’s a good time.”

My left elbow brushes his stomach when I walk into his cottage. The table and chairs we picked up earlier are in front of the wall of cabinets and appliances making up the kitchen. I am pretty pleased with my find.

Just like the kitchen cabinets, the table is made of oak and is the perfect size to fit in six people comfortably. The backs of the chairs tuck under the table, so they take minimal space, which is great to maximize the available square footage that leans on the tighter side.

The only thing we’ll need to do is reupholster the seats in a denim blue velvet I chose that pulled in a shade found in the floral backsplash. While in my cottage hand painted roses adorned the pink tiles, here, it was little blue flowers on a light-green background.

The smell of coffee lingered in the air, with the same underlying orange scent that clung to Levi’s skin.

“I’ll be out of your air quickly,” I reassured him. “I just need to get a few paint samples up.”

“Take your time. I’m just finishing up something.”

He sits back down in front of his computer.

Unlike the other times I’ve come in here since Levi temporarily moved in, I will be able to snoop without having him at my side.

I am embarrassingly thrilled.

You can tell a lot from a person by the objects they chose to fill their home with. Even more so when it was a temporary one. Then, you’d know what the person chose to bring had to be some of their favorite items.

Example: I know Levi is a coffee snob because, instead of the generic pod machine Kit bought for the cottages, there’s a fancy chrome model sitting on the kitchen counter and a bag of Italian espresso beans, right next to where I drop my supplies.

And, well, it has eyes. Levi added some googly eyes on the front, so it sort of looks like it’s smiling at me. Should I greet it?

“Quick question.” Levi looks at me. “Did you buckle up your fancy espresso machine in the passenger seat and talk to it the whole way here?”

He winces. “I did,” he admits. Not the talking to it part, though.”

I snort. “Sure.”

Grabbing two of the cans and brushes, I go to the bathroom and get the two color options on the wall; a light blue and a sunny yellow. There are a few typical guy items arranged neatly on the counter; deodorant, hair products, and a small clipper.

The jars of face creams, though, are a surprise.

I silently giggle imagining Levi doing his skincare every night before going to bed. Other than that, there’s one single dark blue towel with orange stripes hanging from a hook on the wall and a black bath mat on the floor in front of the shower.

I go back to the kitchen, giving a small glance at Levi, who is absorbed by his computer screen, to swap my cans of paint.

The bedroom is next.

I feel a smidge awkward to invade Levi’s privacy, but I avidly take in every detail even so. His bed is a mess of linens and pillows. My ears get hot, suddenly flustered by the image my mind is conjuring of Levi sleeping, his broad chest naked with the stripped, light-grey duvet slung low on his stomach. My elbow, from the earlier brush of his body, can confirm that there’s some definition happening underneath his clothes.

There’s a bag neatly tucked against one of the walls. Levi is also stuck living out of his bags until I find a dresser to put in this room.

What piques my interest most are the books piled up neatly beside his bag. After dropping my supplies on the floor near the door, I quietly made my way over to the pile. I recognize a few of the titles, the books being a mix of science fiction and horror. Not my favorite genres, but I can admit that I am pleasantly surprised by Levi’s reading choices. Or that he reads at all honestly.

“Snooping around, are we?” My hand flies to my throat to trap my shriek.

Levi is leaning against the doorway, his arms casually hanging over his stomach, eyes blue and bubbly. He’s changed out of his work attire and is the epitome of casualness in a pair of dark blue fleece shorts and a white t-shirt that presents his biceps in a very nice way. There is what I can only assume is some web designer pun printed on the front.

Huh. Levi is a total geek! A hot one! With tattoos, apparently!

There are numbers written in a gothic font right above his knees. I’m glad my untattooed knees are on the floor, because they feel suddenly weak.