Half of My Heart ✔️

36 | piece by piece

I hold up the two dresses in front of me, examining myself in the mirror. I compare the deep green cocktail dress against the shimmery gold dress. Examining the green dress, I notice it's the same color as the shirt Jack was wearing on Thanksgiving.

I put the green dress back into my closet and start taking off my clothes to try on the gold dress. Before I get the chance to put on my heels, there are two knocks on my door.

I look through the peephole and open the door, letting Levi inside. "You didn't tell me you were coming by," I say emotionlessly, walking back to my closet to find my heels.

"Not happy to see me?"

I sigh as I take out my heels, wondering if we're going to just pretend that our last conversation didn't happen. "Am I that easy to read?" I say sarcastically.

I walk over to sit in my desk chair to strap on the shoes. Levi sits on the edge of my desk in front of me, sits down, takes the heels from my hands, and begins to put them on for me. I sit back, watching him and waiting for him to say something.

Levi's fingers brush over my ankle as he puts the strap through the small buckle. "I thought of an excuse on the way here, but I forgot it. I just wanted to see you," he admits. He looks me up and down at my finished outfit. "Is this what you always wear when you're alone in your room?"

His eyes stay on me as I stand up and walk over to my full-length mirror to examine the whole outfit. I begin to get the notion that Levi doesn't feel any need to address what happened.

I sit down in my desk chair, facing toward him. We have a small staring contest for a few seconds, neither of us saying a word, until Levi starts laughing. Watching him, I crack, letting a small smile grow. "Stop doing that," I insist, looking away from him to gather myself.

"Stop doing what?" He asks innocently, still laughing. His brow eyes always seem brighter when he's smiling like this.

I gesture to him. "I don't know. Being . . . you," I say stupidly. "You were mean to me last time we talked. 'Maybe Jack's free', remember that?"

I stand up to start taking off my dress, but Levi takes my wrist and guides me so I'm standing between his legs in front of him. "I'm sorry," he says, his face just below mine. My hair falls like a curtain around us, making it feel as though we're in our own little world. I feel his hands gently land on my waist, pulling me even more toward him. Up close, his eyes are even brighter.

His smile as he looks at me makes it nearly impossible to remember why I was mad.

His hand draws up to push a lock of hair behind my ear. "I like the dress," he says.

I smile. "Really?"

He nods. "I think it'd look better on the floor," he says. I roll my eyes. "But that's just me."

His index finger grazes over the thin strap as he moves his face closer to my neck. I shy away. "Levi . . ." I say. I turn my attention back to packing to hide the redness of my cheeks. "Slow, remember?"

I walk away from him to resume packing clothes into my backpack. Levi leans back, leaning back and relaxing on my bed. "Slow doesn't have to mean boring."

"Slow means thinking before we act." I look back at him. "Not acting on every impulse."

"Why not? Our impulses are usually right."