Adoring Levi

twenty one

I can't bring myself to talk to him. It's been ten minutes and no words have fallen between us. Mom texted me, saying she's shocked that my father even came. She knows it was an unwanted surprise for the both of us so she's letting me stay out for a while, but I need to be back at around half five since that's when they'll start cutting the cake. It's almost five right now, so we have another thirty minutes.

Levi, surprisingly, hasn't said a word despite his usual need to fill up any silence. He's been ambling behind me, his hands shoved into his pockets as he follows me without a complaint leaving his mouth.

There's a dark brown wooden bench a few feet away from us. I'm not in the mood for anymore walking, so I speed up towards it, taking a seat at the edge of the bench. Levi catches up quickly, leaving as much space between us as possible.

The silence is unsettling. We both have our hands in our laps, hoping to make our bodies curl into themselves to distance ourselves even more.

The walkway isn't too busy. There's a few people strolling by, some holding hands with their partners, some on their bikes and others with their children. My eyes land on a man and a small girl on his shoulders in the distance. As they get closer, I can see the girl holding onto the man's head as the breeze blows her own hair into her face, giggling as he talks. He has a bright smile on his face as his hands are gripping onto the girl's feet, most likely ensuring she doesn't fall off his shoulders.

The pair that I'm assuming are father and daughter stroll past us. The man must spot my eyes on them as he turns his head towards us, particularly looking at me. He nods slightly, making me do the same, hoping I don't look like I'm about to break down once again. Seeing a happy family only worsens my mood. I always wonder how my life would've turned out if my family wasn't as fucked up as it is.

Once he turns away, my eyes drift to the floor. "Why did you come here?" I ask, not wanting to prolong asking the question that's been on my mind.

"Your mom told me to." My head turns to his, a slight frown on my face. "She was worried about you, so she asked me to make sure you're okay."

I hum, fiddling with the bracelet on my wrist. "You didn't need to."

"I wanted to," he adds quickly, his eyes leaving mine for a split second. "Did you know that he's Sophia's step-dad?"

"How do you know that?" That was a stupid question. Of course he knows. I'm guessing he dated Sophia long enough to meet him. But then, I'm almost a replica of my father and that's something Levi would've noticed, just like Sophia did. So why didn't he say something to me before? "Have you met him?"

He shakes his head. "No, but he's seen me before. When I was with Sophia, she showed him a picture of me. He recognised me after you left."

After I left? Fuck. He saw me. He saw everything. I try to remain calm, hoping the slight panic bubbling again isn't shown through my eyes. "I... What did he say?"