Chapter 26

465 36 5
                                    

LEVI

"Remind me again why we're here?", Fabio asks, sounding more moody then I have ever heard him. He's usually acting like a Golden Retriever. Always happy and nice.

That seemed to stop applying for a few hours, since we entered this restaurant. Together with the entire Formula One grid.
Cause after spending a day together at the beach, we also have to eat together.

It's either torture, or the girls are really hell-bent on team bonding.

"I've been asking myself the same thing, bro", I mutter. Apart from Lewis who is having the time of his life making jokes and laughing with his daughter while he's holding her on his lap, none of us seem really excited to be here. Fabio is in a mood, I'm going insane having to watch Yvonne smile and bite her lip from across the room knowing I came close to kissing her today, and Chris... Well, he's not sad, or in a mood, but he's the one who took it upon himself to make me and Fabio smile again.

"Because you want to spend time with your super cool friends?", Chris tries.

I raise an eyebrow at him. He only smirks, shrugging innocently.

I look at Yvonne who is sitting next to Aria, Lia and Naomi, and is currently laughing at something Aria said. A chill goes down my spine and I get jealous. I also want to know how I can be the one who makes her smile like that.

Our eyes meet and I twitch the corner of my mouth at her, while she looks away flushed.

I swallow hard, and take another sip from my drink.

"Yeah, Chris, but you see, the difference between us is that you don't have people hating you", Fabio hisses.

"Or ones who you almost kissed and now you're only wondering how their lips would have tasted on yours."

"You're disgusting", Fabio counters, clearly not in the vibe to talk about love.

"No", Chris says, looking at the two of us. "The difference between us is that you care, and I don't. Fabio, I have no fucking clue what you did to Axel Enar and why the fuck he's staring at us from across the table like he'd want to kill our, but you can just ignore him. Let it all out on the race track. And if he does anything stupid, I have a teaspoon and am not afraid to use it."

I can hear Fabio mumbling something in Italian, before I look at Axel. That guy really seems to want to kill him. I wonder what poor Fabio did. Fabio, like Chris, would never hurt anything. He's even more polite than Chrissy, who sometimes has theories about slow murders with teaspoons. I can hardly imagine him doing anything to Axel.

"And you Levi, stop staring at her like she's the one you'd like sprawled on your table instead of your pasta. You're scaring the poor girl away", Chris adds.

"I'm not-", I want to lie but he raises an eyebrow, cutting me short.

"Lev, spoiler alert, I know you. And the look on your face now... You'd want her for breakfast, dinner and desert."

"What does he get for lunch?", Fabio decides to help dig my hole.

"Really, Fabio? That's how you want to play? I thought we were on the same team."

"When did this turn into you trying to steal my teammate?", Chris asks, faking being offended.

Yet the tone caught Lewis' attention, who is now staring at us. "You're leaving?", he asks me. He notices the grin on Chris' face and gets it, but he still decides to play along. "After everything we've been through?"

"I'm not leaving you, Lewis. Not for someone like him."

"I take that personal", Chris counters.

"I take you personal", I reply.

"Yeah?", he doesn't back down. "Want me sprawled on your table like your sweet little dove? I can offer you such a delight, Lev."

"Fuck you", I hiss.

"I wouldn't go so far, it's clearly not me who you want to-"

"Christopher", I cut him short.

He smirks. Bastard.

"Now, where were we", he continues like nothing happened. "Oh, yeah. Me offering you free therapy."

"You're the reason I need therapy", I mumble.

"Levi, it's okay to want to kiss someone", Chris says, and Lewis starts chuckling. Chris goes on: "When reaching a certain age, people are faced with these things they call hormones. They make us want crazy things. Like kissing your wife."

"But what if she doesn't want it?", I ask, deciding to completely dismiss the first part of his talk.

"Just ask her", Fabio suggests.

"Yeah, just ask her, man", Lewis agrees.

"But I-", I want to back away as Chris shouts "Yvonne".

Christopher Graves, now I'm definitely killing you.

Yvonne looks up, her brown eyes going to Chris, then landing on me. I can see the way they seem to be troubled, not knowing what is happening or what to do.

Trust me, dove, I feel the same.

"Levi was just thinking-", Chris starts but I cut him short.

"You look pretty." She smiles at me, and I take a deep breath. "I was just thinking you look pretty, dove. You always do."

Her cheeks turn red and I notice Aria smirking, softly hitting her in the rib cage with her elbow. I turn to look at my best friend and roll my eyes at her, but she only smirks brighter, sending me an air kiss. It's then she pulls Yvonne back into the conversation, and her gaze wonders off me.

A void fills my chest.

"You're welcome", Chris says in a singing tone.

"I'm going to kill you", I mutter, making Fabio laugh. This whole things was worth it, if only because he's feeling better.

"I know that", still Chris, still in a singing tone. "But at lest I'll die a happy man knowing I helped you get your girl."

I don't counter anymore. He smirks at me and pats me on the back.

"Now, Fabio, how can I be of your service?", Chris turns to his next victim.

UnchasableWhere stories live. Discover now