I freeze and look at Drew. They go to NYU?
Today really is my lucky fucking day.
“Levi and I go to NYU, too. Sophomores.” Drew pipes up and leads us to the exit.
“That’s cool. You can show us the ropes.” Mable grins at Raina who giggles like a schoolgirl.
“I’d love to.” I look directly at Raina. “You’re gonna love it here.”
“I already do, Levi.” She gives me a small but playful smile. A hint of her earlier daring ways.
My mouth goes dry, and I run my hand over my face, through my short beard. The way she says my name, the sounds rolling off her tongue, stirs something inside me. I want to hear her say it. Over and over.
Fuck, I’m in trouble.
Chapter Five
Raina
Um, who am I right now?
Seriously, who the fuck am I right now?
I can’t believe I kissed him.
I cannot believe I kissed him.
As the foggy haze starts to lift, I want to crawl into a hole.
Since when do I kiss random guys?
The cool night air nips at the back of my neck, and I pull the hood up on my sweatshirt. The rain eased up, but the air grew cold. Summer’s dissipating into fall, and soon it’ll be winter, my favorite season of all.
Yes, I’m that girl who likes, no loves snow. I can’t wait to see the city dusted with the pretty white fluff.
I look over at Levi as he downs half his hot dog in one bite. He catches me watching him and smirks.
My face heats, the warmth spreading down my neck.
I honestly could pinch myself. Is tonight really happening?
After the guys dropped their instruments off, Mable and Drew took off together, foregoing Levi’s idea of a bar. Levi offered to take me around the city, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to explore. More for me to tell Anthony in hopes of convincing him this is the better city.
“Where are you from?” Levi asks before tossing the last of his dog in his mouth.
I swallow the bite I just took. Who knew hot dogs from a street vendor could taste so delicious? I was starving and couldn’t say no.
I may be shy, but I’m not shy about shoving my face full of food. “About two hours south of here, a town in New Jersey. But I’ve always been fascinated with this city.”
“Me too,” Levi agrees.
“You live close?” We pass by various shops and bars, the streets loud and busy, the city alive with nightlife.
“Yeah, I’m about an hour north of here. I used to ride the train down here a lot with Drew when we were in high school.”
“I guess I found the perfect people to hang out with,” I offer a shy smile while inside I wince at my attempt at flirting. I can’t believe I said that, but how can I not flirt with him? He’s hot, and more musically talented than I could ever dream to be. The more time I spend with him, the more I want to crawl inside his brain and figure him out.
All night, I’ve snuck glances at him. Am I really here? Walking around with this sexy as fuck guy?
Did I really fucking kiss him earlier?
Light brown hair with just the right amount of stubble on his face, a backward baseball cap (have I mentioned that’s one of my favorite looks?), and a pair of jeans that hang on his hips with a hint of swag. He pairs it with a simple T-shirt. I never thought a plain tee could look so good.
He’s a few inches taller than me, and I imagine myself fitting perfectly into the crook of his shoulder.
“Your own tour guides for free? You are lucky.” Levi nods in agreement and winks.
My knees weaken as that one simple wink sent tingles through my spine.
How does he wink so fucking sexy?
You got this, Rai. It’s only a cute guy.
Only the hottest fucking guy you’ve ever come close to hanging out with. Never mind kissing out of the blue…
But you know, no big deal.
I try hard to focus on our conversation and not how delicious he is. “Mable grew up here. She knows every inch.”
“Every inch, hmm? That’s what she said.”
I burst out laughing, the familiar joke reminding me of Anthony.
Levi can’t hold back his own laughter. “Most girls balk at that joke.”
“Not when you grow up with an older brother who thinks he’s the world’s funniest dude.”
“Ahh, so I take it you can keep up with the guys?”
My face flushes more. “Uh, I think so?”
Wow, Raina. Way to go.
Damn, he’s got me tripping over my words. A little flirting and I act like a middle schooler.
Levi laces his fingers with mine, and I jolt at the unexpected touch. He gives me a squeeze before releasing my hand. Cold replaces his warmth, and I wish he hadn’t let go. But that one simple gesture removed a layer of my shell. So I ask the one question I want to. “Do you write your own lyrics?”
Levi hesitates, a small slip in his step as we walk up the busy street. I wonder if it’s hard for him to open up about his writing like it is for me?
When Mable almost announced I write lyrics earlier, I wanted to disappear. Writing for me is very personal, and while those close to me know I do, it’s not something I put on blast.
Or maybe he doesn’t like to talk about himself? Or his music in general.
“I do. Around the time I started to sing more. High school maybe? Before that, I was all about learning guitar and learning how to read and write sheet music.”
“I always wanted to learn an instrument, especially piano. Never happened but my family was big into music.”
“Really? I could teach you. I know piano, too.” Levi looks curious as he leads us down the street I recognize from earlier. I can’t believe he can play the piano, too.
I imagine him teaching me, leaning close on the bench as his fingers rest on top of mine, gliding them along the keys. A warm rush runs through me, and I almost trip over my own two feet.
“You good there?” Levi laughs, and I want to melt into the ground. “How about we grab a coffee? Get warm and tell me all about your musical family.”
“Trust me, it’s not that exciting. But a coffee sounds great.”
He stops in front of Cafe Amore, the same cafe where Mable took me. Levi knows of this place too? It makes sense he would. He’s in his second year here, and it’s not far from the school.
“After you.” Levi opens the door, and my nose fills with the scent of coffee and chocolate, making my mouth water yet again.
“This is quickly becoming my favorite coffee shop.” I shrug my coat off as Levi pulls out a chair for me.
“You know this place?”
“Actually, Mable brought me here. Earlier tonight.”
“So she does have good taste. I wasn’t sure with that pink hair of hers,” Levi teases.
I laugh as we both sit down. “That’s Mable for ya.”
“I want to know about Raina. What makes her tick. Do you always kiss random guys?” He chuckles, and his dark eyes lock on mine.
I blush from his gaze. Suddenly, it’s like I don’t know myself. My mind is empty once again, my mouth dry and at a loss for words.
Kiss random guys?
I groan to myself. I’m an idiot.
“What can I get you two lovebirds to drink?” A bubbly voice interrupts the moment, but the perky waitress only embarrasses me more. Lovebirds?