Page 42 of The Love Raffle

“Home?” Amber raised one of her brows. “Yourhome. Not mine. This is just another place for me.” She sat back to admire the décor of his apartment. The theme was white and orange. The home of the real Captain Evolution resembled a spaceship in a sense.

Levi forgot she’d never been here. “Well…that could change. I mean, who knows? Maybe one day youwillcall this home.” He sipped sparingly at his drink.

Amber lowered her chin, looking at him. She was resisting the urge to furrow her eyebrows at him.

Levi avoided her eyes at all costs. They hadn’t known each other that long. Was he overdoing it? “Uh…anyway, let’s talk about—”

“Have you ever moved in with someone?” Amber placed her hands on her lap.

The music was loud once more. This time Adele’s “Someone Like You” blared over their awkward silence. His playlist must have gone through all the seventies hits and started up other love songs.

Levi searched for the answer in the recesses of his mind. “Uh, well…no, but I have thought about it.” She once again wasn’t freaked out by him.Maybe I should stop tensing up around her.Amber was not someone to fear.Am I comfortable with this girl?He admired the way her lashes fluttered unintentionally.

“Really?” Amber held her glass by its bowl, sloshing the liquid around.

He pictured Jenny’s wide silver eyes. “Yeah, actually. She was um…my first girlfriend in the spotlight. I don’t know if you heard of her. Jenny was her name.”

Amber could not recall Levi dating someone with that name. Not that she kept track of his every move. “Was? Is she…” She gasped. “She died?” she leaned in to whisper.

“What? No, no. No, she’s alive.” Levi shook his head. “She’s alive. Don’t worry.”

Amber sighed with relief. “Oh, good.” That was a drastic conclusion to draw, wasn’t it? “Of course she is.” She could see the sadness behind Levi’s eyes. “Wait, so like…what happened? Was it an ugly breakup or something?”

Levi sighed, his emotions overwhelming him. “Nah,” he said, his voice breaking unexpectedly.

“Oh.” Amber covered her mouth, concern etched on her face. She immediately got up and went to his side, rubbing both of his shoulders. “What happened? What’s wrong?” she asked, worry lacing her words. Seeing Levi cry was a shock, as she had never witnessed this side of him before. She couldn’t help but wonder if he still had lingering feelings for his ex. Her heart twisted, and a knot formed in her stomach.

“No, it’s not like that.” Levi tried to compose himself, realizing he hadn’t meant to react so strongly. He chastised himself inwardly for showing such vulnerability. “You know what? Never mind. I was just—”

Amber interrupted him, her voice firm but compassionate. “Hey, if we don’t talk about this now, it’s going to hang over us all evening,” she said, releasing her grip on his shoulders and standing up straight with her hands on her hips.

Levi reached for a napkin, wiping his eyes and then his nose. He felt embarrassed by his outburst, but also grateful for Amber’s support. Her presence was comforting, and he knew he couldn’t keep his feelings bottled up.

Amber’s expression softened as she noticed the redness of his eyes and nose. With a reassuring smile, she squatted down in front of him and gently took both of his hands in hers. “Come on,” she said softly, her eyes filled with empathy.

Levi sniffed, trying to regain his composure. “It’s really not like…she didn’t hurt me, okay? It was a mutual breakup,” he mumbled, his voice filled with a mix of vulnerability and relief.

Amber blinked, processing his words. “So?” she responded, her voice gentle but firm. “Even if it was a mutual breakup, it’s okay to feel sad or hurt. Emotions don’t always follow a logical path, Levi. What matters is that you’re allowed to feel whatever you’re feeling, and I’m here to support you.”

Levi massaged the back of Amber’s hands with his thumbs. “Talking about exes is weird.” He averted his eyes.

“Is it to you? Cause I don’t mind too much…except now Iamwondering if you still have a thing for this person.” Amber stared at their hands.

Levi’s brows went up. “Huh? No. No way. I’ve completely moved on. It’s just that, well…”

Amber met his reddened eyes. They carried this innocence akin to a puppy. So large and unassuming. Almost unreal. Did people just look like this? He softened her heart with no effort.

“I don’t like what happened to her because of my fame. It’s like I gave her some of the worst months of her life being with me, you know?”

“What do you mean?” Amber asked, her brows crinkling.

Levi squeezed Amber’s hands. “I was probably eighteen when we dated. Considered a Hollywood heartthrob. Had all of my passionate fans marking my every move and wanting to be with me.” He let go and put his arm on the table, turning his face to his half-eaten steak. “I met Jenny, we hit it off and people noticed, and I happily came out and said we were a thing. The general public thought we were adorable, but my fans werepissed.”

Amber changed position, sitting with legs crossed rather than stooping. The floor looked clean enough to eat off, so she wasn’t worried about dirt. “So what? They posted nasty comments on her social media pages?”

Levi tapped his fingers against the table. “Not only that. She’d get publicly harassed too. Like when we went out and stuff. Fansalwaysknew where we were and would be waiting outside restaurants and clubs for us with paparazzi.” He saw the camera lights clear as day. All the shouting came back too. “Fans would always yell horrible things at her when we walked by. Calling her a slut and all sorts of other insults. They’d even find her when weweren’ttogether. The harassment was ridiculous. She had to put out a restraining order for someone at one point.” He clasped his hands on his lap, fiddling with his fingers.

Amber hung onto every word. “Oh my God, that must have been a nightmare. So, it all just…got to her?”

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