Page 62 of Stroke of Fate

When he pulls back, I force myself to ignore the pang of disappointment from the loss of his touch. Instead, I watch as he peelsoff the backing of the heating pad before carefully placing it where I point. Once he’s done, he slides my sweatpants back into place, giving my hips a tiny squeeze before releasing me.

“Let’s eat some of this cake.” Levi pats the space next to him. “I’m starving.”

He settles back on the couch, and I sink in beside him, our shoulders touching, legs pressed together. His body heat seeps into me, and a content sigh slips past my lips as I relax into the cushions.

“I thought you already had dinner?”

“I’m hungry again.” He offers me a fork, which I gladly take.

We take turns sampling each cake before picking our favorite—chocolate for me and carrot cake for Levi.

“This is so good.” I groan. Levi has an amused look on his face, like watching me is far more enjoyable than the cake on his plate. “How’d you even know this would hit the spot? Sisters?”

He shakes his head. “No siblings, but I grew up with a single mom. We’re close. She told me there’s not a lot that something sweet can’t fix. And if that doesn’t fix it, I must have fucked up bad.” He grins around a bite of cake.

“Your mom sounds like a smart woman.”

“She is. And she’s an amazing person.” His voice carries a warmth that makes me smile.

We’ve shared very little about our personal lives, but that’s mostly on me. I thought keeping him at a distance would be easier if I knew nothing about him. But despite my efforts to keep him at arm’s length, he’s managed to slip through the cracks.

“Do you see her often?” I ask, wanting to know as much as possible before our night ends.

“Not as often as I’d like with swimming and school. But I grew up a few hours from here, so I always try to head home during the holidays and long weekends.” He says. “And she tries to come to as many home meets as she can when she’s not working.”

“So, you’re a Colorado native?”

“Born and raised.” He confirms. “Are you close with your parents?”

“Yeah,” I say without hesitation. “They’re great, very supportive, and always let me make my own decisions.”

And that never stopped, even when I told them I wanted to transfer. Naturally, they were hesitant about me moving so far away, but they understood why. The next day, my mom scoured the internet for suitable apartments, and my dad helped me complete the paperwork.

I will always be thankful for the life my parents gave me, but I'm even more grateful for their unconditional love.

Blinking away the heaviness of my thoughts, I add, “I’m an only child too, but my best friend has three younger sisters who I practically grew up with.”

“She didn’t want to transfer with you?” Levi asks, stealing a piece of my cake.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I steal a piece from his plate.

“No, Pia received an academic scholarship, so transferring wasn’t an option. But she is coming down for my birthday at the end of October.”

Setting his empty plate down, Levi grabs his phone. “A Halloween baby?” His lips curl as he glances up from the screen.

“Yes.” I watch his fingers move across the screen. “What are you doing?”

When he’s done, he turns the screen toward me. His calendar app is open, and the weekend of Halloween is blocked out. The words ‘Bear’s Birthday Weekend’ are written in capital letters.

"So I don’t forget the most important day of the year." He flashes me a smile that makes my poor heart flutter. “What are we doing for your birthday?”

“We?” Despite my insides melting at the idea of a ‘we,’ I’m glad my words come out steady. “You’re planning on sticking around that long?”

Even if we still have the project tying us together, I could gather most of my answers through observation alone if he decides to stop participating. However, the thought of him backing out doesn’t sit as well with me anymore.

“I’ll be here for as long as you let me, Teddy Bear.” His voice is quiet but firm.

My eyes widen at his words. Before I can respond, Levi plucks the last piece of cake off my plate with his fork. He lifts it to my mouth, and on autopilot, I open up for him.

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