Promised pain

Eighteen

Lorenzo Petrov
"My hair is falling off." Levine's voice reaches me and I arch an eyebrow, stopping in my tracks as she walks out of the bathroom.

Towel wrapped tightly around her body, Jesus, I should've prepared myself for such an appearance, her blonde curls fall over her shoulders in coiled strands, "I'll turn bald." She complains.

Her brows furrowed deeply as a frown takes over her face, "You—won't." I assure cause currently, she looks like she needs the assurance, "Promise?" She looks up, my muscles tense and I gulp down the sudden lump in my throat as I focus on chopping off the veggies.

"Promise." I let out after a beat, she smiles softly and continues gently patting her hair with another towel, "And Why is your hair falling off?" I ask after a silence falls among us, her smile widens.

"From thinking." She raises an eyebrow as she makes a silly expression with her features and I cannot suppress the smile that easily spreads over my face.

"Overthinking." I correct and her eyebrows hit her hairline, literally, as if that's not some obvious shit, "No..." the way she even dismisses my intervention gives away her lie "Thought you said no lies." I call her out.

She did say that about five days ago, and I fucking pray that she sticks to her promise cause I understand now what she meant by risking invading my privacy cause she wanted to see the real me.

Omitting the invasion part, I definitely understand the latter, it feels as if I'm talking with different personalities and none of them are actually her, she said she couldn't speak about the reason behind her fraud mask.

But I'm a patient man, okay I'm not actually, but I'll wait if it means I'll understand and see her, "Fine. I overthink, shocking." She mocks, widening her eyes, before she sobers up and clears her throat.

Her eyes searching for...anything, "How did you know that?" She asks cautiously. "It's obvious." I raise an eyebrow, it gets obvious when she zones out all of a sudden, which leaves me with two options.

One being that she's fantasizing about something...great, the other is just overthinking, and with Levine's reactions, it's the latter most definitely,
"Whatever." She rolls her eyes.

"The problem is, I don't want to turn bald!" She exaggerates, holding up a finger as she brushes her hair softly with her fingers, as if she's rougher with it she'll actually turn bald.

"If it makes you feel better, you'd ace the bald look either way." I shrug, placing the food in the oven before I turn back to her, I find her grinning, the sight is a calming one, she swings her legs as she hops on a chair. Still in the damn towel.

"Of course I would." She exclaims, smiling, "What are you making us today?" She asks then, curious as she looks behind me, "Making you." I point out, scratching the back of my neck as I look at her.

Her brows furrow and a frown takes over her face as she waits for my clarification, "I have an important event I'll need to attend. You'll be completely safe here. But well, I figured you wouldn't want to accompany me to that, so here you go." I state all in one go and watch realization itching in her features.

"So—you mean that I can go with you." She chokes out, her words mixed together, my eyebrows rise in surprise, "Yes." I say instantly, I didn't expect her to want to go with me as I already said.

Not due to her being an introvert cause she isn't. Just thought it would be complicated explaining that to uncle Alexander who will probably attend that.

And before I explain that she holds up a hand, stopping me "I'll call dad to tell him...as long as you're okay with me going." She states calmly, watching my reaction.

I narrow my eyes "I want you there." I force out, a small smile softens her features and she plops down the chair, flipping her slightly damped hair over her shoulders, "Better start getting ready, I don't think I have any dresses." She explains, before her brows furrow in deep thought "I have one but—" she lets the words trail off.

"But what?" I ask when she doesn't clarify anything.
"Never mind. I'll wear it." She brushes me off with a dismissal wave, my confusion never clears though as I watch her disappear in her room.

*:･❀*:･

Jesus fucking Christ.
"What—is it bad?" Levine grimaces as she looks down at herself. My lips part further the longer I stare at her.

"You're fucking beautiful." The words roll out of my lips with ease, believing every single one of them, I understand now the but in her sentence, the but was emphasizing the fact that she'll have everyone's attention.

She's dressed in a long black dress, tight around her soft curves, fitting in all the right places, it has a long slit that initially starts from the middle of her thigh and ends at her calves, she's wearing heels too, which make her taller but still not as I am.

Her blonde hair is styled in soft curls around her shoulders, her eyes are emphasized with a dark mascara, and her lips are parted with red lipstick.

She looks elegant and literally majestic, I could stare at her for hours just like that "Thank you." Her gentle response comes back moments later as she stares up at me and my lips tip upward smugly when I realize she's checking me out.

She takes another step toward me, her hand reaches out and she pulls my tie down a bit I lean forward, "It's undone." She points out, I raise an eyebrow, "You're choking me." She's not, which is the reason she's grinning wider.

Easily catching my lie, "You look handsome too." She states under her breath, her cheeks reddening, "Yeah? Tell me about it." My response apparently doesn't surprise her cause she just nudges me in my shoulder, hard.

"You know all about it, Enzo." She raises an eyebrow and I feign shock so she clarifies "Whether you admit it or not, you are a narcissist." She points at me with her manicured finger, the familiar pink manicure calms something inside of my chest.

"I'm not, sweetheart, I don't think I'm better than everyone cause as you can see that sounds unrealistic and fucking stupid, however, I can put my looks into use, god didn't bless me with those so I can be modest about them." I point at my features all in one go.

"Your logic is nonexistent." She shoots back instantly, "It exists, you're just too stubborn to admit it." I shrug her off, sarcastically and she laughs, I smile without even noticing before I sober up.

"Let's go. We'll be late." I say gently and she nods before I place my hand on her lower back as we stroll away.

A vote is really appreciated.