Page 27 of Stroke of Fate

Outside my apartment, I hesitate before entering, unable to resist glancing at Levi’s door. My feelings are one big ball of confusion where he’s concerned. It’s unsettling and a reminder of why I should stay far away from him.

The ding of the elevator doors opening pulls me from my thoughts.

Shit. What if that’s him?

I want to see him again, but also, I don’t. I’m scared of what might happen if I let myself enjoy every crumb of attention he gives me.

Unlocking my door, I slip inside and lean against it. A few seconds tick by before I twist around to peek through the peephole.

Despite the distorted view, I can tell that it’s Levi. Strong jawline, thick black hair, muscular biceps—check, check, and check.

As he gets closer, I hold my breath in anticipation.

He walks past my door without so much as a glance in its direction.

I don’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

10 | LEVI

“Are we heading back to yours or grabbing something at the cafeteria?” Mack asks, slipping a clean t-shirt over his head.

After a grueling workout, we cleaned up in the locker room instead of returning to my place. Coaches' orders are that we have Friday afternoons off from training to ensure we're refreshed and ready for our swim meets on the weekend. But since competition season hasn’t started yet, Mack and I decided to hit the weight room this afternoon.

“Let’s do the cafeteria. I’m too hungry to wait much longer.” As if on cue, my stomach growls at the prospect of food.

“You hit the weights pretty hard earlier. You had some frustration to work off or something?”

I run a towel through my wet hair, causing my already fatigued shoulders to scream in protest. I hit a PR on my bench press today, but it had nothing to do with frustration. It's more like pent-up lust, which hasn’t let up since a certain someone moved into the apartment two doors down from mine.

“Nah, just had some extra energy to burn.” The lie falls easily from my lips as I swap the towel around my hips for a pair of boxer briefs. I’m not ready for a heart-to-heart about my new little obsession.

I haven’t seen Bear since the night at Static, but that hasn’t stopped me from waking up every morning with a rock-hard dick which has me chasing relief while images of her flash through my mind.

When she turned down my offer of a ride home, it felt like a punch to the gut. But I knew she had every right to refuse. Ihaven’t given her much reason to trust me. Even thoughIknow I’m a good guy, Bear doesn’t. And that’s on me.

Not to sound cocky, but I’ve never had to work this hard for a girl’s attention. Being on the other side of this is new territory for me. But something tells me she’s worth it.

“Should I see if the twins want to meet us there?”

I grab my bag from the locker before sitting down on the bench. “Sure, they’re probably done with their class anyway.”

When Mack’s phone buzzes through the empty locker room, I look up from slipping on my shoes, figuring it’s one of them with a reply.

“Twins are in,” Mack confirms.

“Cool, let’s get out of here,” I say, zipping up my bag. “My stomach is about ready to eat itself.”

***

With our trays stacked full of food, Mack and I head to our usual table by one of the large windows. We’ve deemed it our lucky table. Despite having one of the best views of the campus grounds, it’s always empty whenever we eat here.

As I scan the courtyard, the lucky table strikes again. Amongst the sea of students, I catch sight of golden-blonde hair blowing slightly in the breeze.

The fork full of pasta I was so damn eager to dig into stops midway to my mouth before dropping back onto the plate. My mouth waters for something else, or rathersomeoneelse. And she’s directly in my line of sight.

Sitting on a bench, totally oblivious to my ogling, is Bear. Thank fuck for the reflective window film. Her head is bent over an open textbook, a slight frown creasing her face as she reads whatever is on the page.

A piece of hair tucked behind her ear falls forward, and I watch, mesmerized, as her delicate fingers push it back into place. My fingers tingle at the memory of those soft strands beneath them, and my stomach clenches at the thought of how close our lips came to touching.

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