Sweet Dreams, Tennessee

The Dream Synopsis

You stood by Levi's side as he paid for your meal, handing cash over to Oluo who had now been shifted to manning the cash register due to his minor tongue injury. Oluo gratefully accepted the money with his two hands as he bowed down. The cash register dinged as he pressed a button or two, a receipt of sale began printing.

As it was printing, Oluo fished his phone from his back pocket and turned it around to show the screen to Levi. Curious, you leaned towards Levi to see a photo of a guitar on the screen of Oluo's phone.

Oluo had his nose in the air as he smiled proudly, "I just bought this bass after saving up for months. My dream is to one day be as good as you, Humanity's Greatest Bassist!"

Levi nodded his head once in approval, "Great. Just a tip, make sure you play with good posture. Your breathing should be regular and deep. Always remember that your bass should be an extension of your body, so you should feel relaxed and comfortable holding on to it." He gave Oluo an awkward thumbs up, as if trying to encourage him.

You bit your lip, it was kind of cute when he tries to be polite.

Oluo turned his phone back towards him, furiously typing down everything that Levi had said, "Yes, yes, thank you so much for your advice, sir!"

"No problem. Have a good evening."

You thanked Oluo and waved him goodbye as you followed Levi out of the restaurant. Your hand rested on your tummy, rubbing it slightly. You had to come back here with Sasha again, that ramen was certainly one of the best you've ever had!

"Mind if I smoked?" Levi asked as he leaned against his bike that was parked beside the restaurant building. You shook your head as he scooted to the side, making space for you to lean against his bike too.

He placed a stick of cigarette between his lips and brought his left hand up to cup it, lighting the cigarette with a lighter in his other hand. Once it was lit, he took a short drag and looked away from you to puff out the smoke.

Levi's phone dinged in his pocket. He sighed, reaching towards his pocket to fish it out. He smirked and tilted his phone towards you, "He really might be my biggest fan yet."

You chuckled as you saw that Oluo had tagged Levi in one of the photos you took, thanking Levi for the wonderful piece of advice. He also showed off the order chit that had been laminated.

"How does it feel to have someone look up to you like that?" You asked curiously. Nanaba popped in your head as you asked. Your entire life had always been you looking up to others such as her and your father, you doubted that there was anyone who looked up to you. What would it feel like to be on the receiving end for once, you wondered.

Levi shrugged, fidgeting with the cigarette between his fingers, "Feels oddly weird but it does encourage me to work harder, in a way."

"Oluo said his dream was to be like you. What's yours?"

Levi shook his head, "It's pretty boring, so I've been told. Trust me, you don't want to listen to me ramble on about it."

You frowned, feeling your anger start to rise a little, "What? Who in the world would say such a thing?"

Levi paused, taking a deep breath in. He tapped his foot and frowned, "Someone I thought I could confide in and trust."

You nodded, still feeling angry but you decided against probing any further. He could always open up to you whenever he felt ready.

He broke the silence again after a few puffs, "I told you about my mom once, Kuchel. Think I told you that you reminded me of her because of how... Strange your name is."