Page 43 of The Love Raffle

Levi breathed out. “Yeah. She drew the line at having a literalrockthrown at her while we were vacationing together in Brazil.” Speaking this aloud felt like a confession. A shameful confession for a heinous crime he’d kept secret for years, regardless of the world’s awareness of the fiasco. “She just…she loved me but couldn’t handle it anymore.”

“A rock? Jeez, did she get hurt?” Amber mustn’t have heard right. She was taken aback by the fact that a crazed fan would go to that extreme.

Levi bared his teeth as he cringed. “It only grazed her forehead thankfully, but itcouldhave been worse.”

Amber’s heart leaped to her throat. She rubbed it tenderly. “But why would they do all of that? No one’s throwing rocks at Fiona, right? Or did I miss something? You said things were crazy ‘back then’ but ‘back then’ wasn’t that long ago. You were eighteen what? Six years ago?”

“It was my first public relationship. Up till then, I’d been everyone’s pure sweetheart,” Levi said to her. He didn’t like being on a higher level so he got up and sat next to her on the floor.

Amber faced him, turning her head to do so. “So, they’re all docile for Fiona?”

“Oscar said something about people accepting us more because we’re ‘canon’ in the Captain Evolution comics or something.” Levi put quotes around “canon” then rubbed his palm against the nape of his neck.

Amber thought briefly of her wild encounter at the restaurant. “I guess that might have some truth to it. Did I tellyou about how one of your fans tried to kick my butt while I was working one night?”

Levi’s eyes popped. “Huh?”

She giggled, liking his genuine confusion and embarrassment. “It was just an angry teen.” She held the side of his face then licked her bottom lip. He couldn’t look away. He felt like he was under a spell.

Levi became mush in her grasp. “Ha ha…sorry about that.” How strange. “She didn’t hurt you, right? I know teenage girlsseemharmless but trust me, theyare not.”

Amber leaned closer, her lips curling slyly, and his body lit up with anticipation for what was to come. “She just kind of yelled at me.” Something in her made her move back. “But I guess that doesn’t happen to Fiona?” She let go of him, one hand on her knee.

Levi’s mood crashed and burned at the distance. “What? Angry fan attacks?”Why is this all coming out now?

Amber nodded. “Everyone loves you two together?” She interlaced her fingers, unsure of what to do with her hands. Her eyes never left his.

Levi scratched his jaw. “I guess? But she’s not out and about in public like you are. Who knows? Maybe if she went out for ice cream someone would pick a fight with her too.” He was trying to soothe her, but his choice of words was just insensitive. “Not that I’d want that for her.” He looked at Amber’s lap.

Amber hummed, taking a sudden interest in his silver refrigerator. “She’s…fun to be around, right? Like…it’s not painful being her fake boyfriend?”

Levi didn’t like the phrasing of this question. Was she concerned about his wellbeing or daring him to show more favor to someone aside from her? This fake relationship seemed to come up on every date.

Amber was waiting. She didn’t like Levi’s hesitation. “Is it hard to act in love with her?”

“Um.” Levi tried to construct the perfect response. He put on his best smolder and held both Amber’s hands between them. “Of course it’s hard. Who wants to be fake with someone they’re not connected to? I’d rather berealwith the one my soul chose as my own.Therealboyfriend of myrealgirlfriend.” He closed the short gap that separated them and kissed her nose.

Amber found herself intoxicated by the lingering scent of Levi’s body spray. It was a subtle yet alluring fragrance that seemed to heighten her senses. Her face flushed with a mix of excitement and nervousness as she realized that Levi was being surprisingly forward with his affection.

Unable to contain her delight, Amber’s smile grew wider, making her look like a love-struck fool. Her laughter bubbled up, a joyful sound that escaped her lips effortlessly. Without hesitation, she went in for a hug, seeking the warmth and comfort of Levi’s embrace.

Levi, too, could not resist the magnetic pull between them. He held her close, savoring the warmth of her body pressed against his. As their lips met in a tender kiss, a surge of electricity passed between them, igniting a passionate flame that neither could deny. Amber smiled, her lips melding with his, a gentle gasp escaping their mouths as they both agreed, without words, to deepen the kiss.

Later, the two packed up their leftovers and got cozy on the couch. Levi had shown Amber the voice command settings of his TV andboyhad she gone crazy. She chose a movie using her voice and sat back with him in the darkness. Both cuddled into each other’s warmth.

Levi had gotten a blanket to put over them. He resisted the urge to cover his eyes with each jump scare on screen. Amber’s legs were in his lap and her body was near. She seemedentranced by the film, but he would prefer tonottake the chance. What would she think of him if he whimpered like a kid over a horror movie?

Amber laughed at the detailed depiction of a hatchet’s blade slicing a man’s head clean off. “Wonder how much they put into that.” She rested her side against Levi.

“Heh…yeah. It looks um…hardly believable, right?” Levi squirmed in place, an arm around her.Hope she can’t feel my heart going a hundred miles an hour.He sniffed and then remembered his phone on the center table. When they’d migrated from the kitchen, he’d brought it here in case a call came through. It had been oddly quiet since Amber’s arrival. He knew it was late but that never stopped Rachel from bugging him. Levi didn’t know what she ran on, but it must be effective. The woman never rested.

Wait, it buzzed earlier.But he’d boldly disregarded it.Hmm.A chill settled in the bottom of his stomach.Bro, why am I scared?He was not at risk of punishment like a school kid neglecting their homework. He was a grown man who wanted a break.I’m not even usually up to check in on her two a.m. texts anyway.But he did wake to read them.Just in case.Was he a slave to his agent?

“What’s wrong?” Amber had wanted to point out the absurdity of a certain shot on screen when she spotted the paleness of Levi’s face. “Do you feel sick?” She drew back her legs, so they hung off the sofa. “Oh no, do you think the food we ate was bad?”

“What? Was the steak bad? Wait, doyoufeel sick?” Levi told the movie to pause. “They wouldn’t deliver bad steak. That’s not the way five-star restaurants operate.” He laughed but there was a nervous chuckle hidden in there. If ordering from Providence made Amber sickagainafter he had been warned the first time, he deserved to be beaten. “How many fingers—”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Amber cut him off.

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