A boy girl love

Chapter 26: The boy next door

Levi looked at me curiously as I came in. He was sitting on his bed now and he had even pulled on a shirt although it remained unbuttoned. I kind of felt bad to make him wear his shirt when it felt uncomfortable to him. He was covered in bandages after all.

"You know..it might be more breathable for the bandages if you remove your shirt." I said without looking at him, my face going hot at that. Levi chuckled but he didn't comply. After a long while he said. "I honestly have forgotten a lot. I don't remember how I could have introduced Hans and Richie to you."

"Well Levi. You know, that's exactly how you can tell if someone is lying or not. You didn't introduce Hans and Richie to me. They introduced themselves and I somehow got along with them. You know, you will instinctively know if it is true or not even if you have forgotten. Just think whether it would be something that you would really do or not. Use your instincts to guide you." I told him and he smiled. I hoped he got the hint that I was telling him whatever Richie told him was a lie.

"I know it must be true that we are dating then. I instinctively feel we are close. But it's hard to believe because I waited so long for you to accept me." He told me with a smile and I stared at him agape.

"M-Me?" I asked awkwardly. He laughed softly.

"Yeah. Didn't I tell you that?" He asked awkwardly. No! This is awkward as hell, I thought as I stared at him. He rubbed the back of his neck in the same gesture he made whenever he was nervous.

"Well, I did like you even before we fought as kids." He admitted and my eyes widened as my shoulders sagged. Just don't say this! I thought wildly but couldn't say it.

"That's..kinda.." I said breathlessly as I tried to find appropriate words. Please stop! Was all I wanted to say.

"Do you remember how you used to leave food outside for me?" He asked me. He looked kind of uneasy. I was too. I just didn't know how to stop it and then I realized what he said.

"Me..food?" I asked dumbly. When did I ever leave food outside for him?

"Yeah. You saved me then." He told me as he looked up at me seriously.

I just stared at him with dread. Wait! The cat that I thought I was feeding... was him? I used to put out all the remains of food in a dog bowl and keep it outside. I did it because I felt someone was rummaging our garbage bin for food.

Dad suggested that it might be a cat looking for food and then I started leaving out food. It was dad who again said I had to put the food in a clean plate because even cats like to eat in clean plates. Perhaps dad even knew. I used to put out water and food after every meal like an idiot. I had no idea I was feeding my scrawny looking neighbor. I coughed uneasily. I think he will be very disappointed if he knew I never intended to feed him.

"You called me names but you were always kind." He told me and I flinched. Er, it wasn't quite like that.

"Before I knew it, I really fell in love with you. I knew my mum was supposed to marry your dad. So, I went up to your dad and asked for your hand in marriage. I figured we could do what our parents weren't able to do." He said and my mouth dropped in shock.

"You..us...marriage?" I asked dumbly, stars appearing in my vision.

"Your dad agreed. I said I wanted to marry you and he said he consented and asked me to look after you. I told him I would protect you forever." He told me quietly in recollection and then looked up at me. He frowned when he saw my expression. It made me realize I actually should look delighted if I was his lover. I tried to imagine how a lover would sound like if they were told something really cute.