Page 41 of The Love Raffle

“Yup. But don’t worry. I asked them to hold the shellfish,” Levi said as he carried the food to the dining room.

Amber gave an eye roll and then took her place at his round table. “Wow, do you polish this yourself?” Her reflection was visible on the glass surface.

Levi put her Styrofoam bowl in front of her. “Would I sound like a pampered prince if I said I didn’t?” He sat down and opened his own bowl.

Amber took a whiff of the fresh steak aroma. “Smells incredible.” She popped her bowl open, and the steam hit her face. “Mmm.” She wiped away the moisture left upon her cheeks. She looked up and noticed Levi had his phone out to take her picture. “Um…is photography going to be your new thing?” she giggled, picking up her fork.

“Sorry. Is it overkill? Sometimes my memories aren’t enough to get me through the gaps between our meetings,” Levi said, setting his phone aside.Wait, that sounded a tad bit obsessive.“Wait, no, what I meant was…”

“Aww.” Amber melted at his nervous babble. He may have come off as cool and aloof in interviews and movies, but Levi Marks was just a big ol’ dork. Sometimes, Amber feared that their time apart would lead him to other people. Moreinterestingpeople he met while working. The guy was a movie star after all. She’d heard that celebrities tended to lack in the personality department but wasn’t sure how true that was. The possibility of Levi meeting someone more extraordinary than she was during day-to-day activities was not impossible at all. After all, hedidwork with one of the coolest actresses in Hollywood…and was also in a fake relationship with her.And trust me I knowshe’s a cool person because I googled her and watched interviews.Not that she was obsessed. She just…liked…researching?It’s hard, okay.Avoiding Liona was close to impossible. How could shenotbe uneasy when Levi seemed enamored for this girl in magazines, articles, photos,andaccording to gossip?I know how he really feels but…She shook away her wandering thoughts. “I think it’s sweet that you want to capture every moment to look at later.” She picked up her knife and fork.

Levi wassorelieved. Every time he thought he’d messed up, Amber would always reassure him.Is she just really sweet or does she secretly think I’m a weirdo?He was still out of practice with this whole relationship thing. It had been a while. “Really?”

Amber nodded while reaching for the rose at the center of their table. “Yeah.” She twirled the flower by its stem. “This is real?”

Levi pointed his steak knife at the rose. “Yes, it is.” A bashful chuckle left his mouth. “I figured you liked roses, so I got some for our special night.” He took a bite and chewed.

“So thoughtful.” Amber popped a piece of steak in her mouth as well.

Levi rose when he remembered to pour their wine. “What’s your favorite brand again? Of wine that is.” He picked up the bottle.

His phone buzzed, shaking the table.

Amber chewed and swallowed then reached for her napkin to wipe her lips. “I’m a sucker for any kind of red wine.” She wondered who’d just messaged him. “I think you got a message just now.”

Levi had been getting those like crazy. Rachel kept coming up with ideas for him and Fiona to keep the hype going. Anticipation for his next movie was through the roof and they had only just started filming.I hope we won’t have to keep them invested for all the filming.“I’ll take a look at it later.” Work needed to stay where it was. “I could guess you were a red wine girl. You lost it the first time we met at your place. Remember that?”

“I was notthatdrunk.” Amber’s cheeks heated at the mention. “I was just…tipsy.”

“Right.” Levi had opened the bottle and was now filling Amber’s glass. “Tell me when to stop,” he said cheekily.

“Keep going till it’s full. I want to be carried home by the end of tonight,” Amber joked.

Levi laughed.

Once both their glasses were filled, Levi sat to keep eating.

“Wait, when did you say the episode was coming out?” He couldn’t wait to see Amber on TV.

“OfAll About Love? That’ll be out this Friday.” Amber snapped both fingers and winked.

Levi’s eyes went wide. “Woah, already?” Where had the time gone?

Amber swayed happily. “I know, right? I can’t wait— Oh, did I tell you I got a part that I auditioned for a while back?”

“Seriously?” Levi smiled with his glass in hand. He swirled his wine before sipping.

“Yeah, it’s…insane.” Amber loved how things were looking these days. Aside from those little insecurities, of course. She thought of the catalyst of all this good fortune.It’s just two roles, though.“It’s for this new show called,A Season for Us. I was so nervous in that audition room. I felt like they didn’t even notice me. This was shortly before I went onThe Love Raffle. I didn’t expect to land it but…Oh and I have another audition next week—”

“Woah, slow down.” Levi laughed at her words, feeling pride swell inside him. “You paying Beca for overtime or what?”

Amber giggled with wine in her mouth, causing some to shoot out.

“Geez!” Levi jumped in place then snatched a napkin from his silver napkin holder. “Careful there.”

Amber’s cheeks turned red. She took the napkin and wiped her nose and mouth. “Wow…” She saw the laughter in his eyes. His body jerked too. “If I’m not blowing up over shellfish, I’m spitting my wine through my nose. Ugh. Can’t take me anywhere, huh?”

“Where’s anywhere? This is home.” Levi put his arms on the table, leaning closer with an easy smile.

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