Page 53 of Hooked On Him
Would it be too suspicious if I ordered his favorite food? I mean, I like Chinese too, so it wouldn’t look that weird.
Taking one last look around the room, I smile at my hard work. It’s not perfect, but it’s what one might expect when they rent out a fully furnished room.
And like I said, if he wants anything changed, I’ll do it in a heartbeat.
I place an order for some of Levi’s and my favorite Chinese food dishes, and fill the time by cleaning up the rest of my apartment. It’s that or pace around the apartment overthinking everything and driving myself crazy, wondering what I’m going to say to him.
There is no plan here. I’m going in blind. And everything could crash and burn.
I’m crazy. Yup, that's it. A crazy man.
Levi is going to realize it and run for the hills. I don’t blame him, I would too.
Although that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t run after him. But still.
I’m just finishing up wiping down the kitchen counters when there’s another buzz. Shit. Rushing to my phone, I see it’s around the time Levi should be here.
So, that is either Levi or the takeout.
Why do I hope it’s takeout? I’m not ready to face Levi. Ugh.
Heading over to the intercom, I clear my throat and press the button to talk. “Hello?”
“Hey. This is Uber Eats.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Come on up.” I buzz him in and wait for him at the door.
When he gets to the door, he knocks, and I open it to find a sweet older man named Dave. He’s often the Uber driver who delivers around my area. One time, I came home drunk and couldn’t get into my apartment because I left my keys inCharlie’s car. So I waited for him to come back with them, but I was starving, so I ordered food. Dave was the one to deliver it to me. He was so sweet and sat with me while I waited for Charlie. We got to talking and he told me his story. He drives for Uber as a way to help make extra money for his family. A few years ago, he got into a bad accident and couldn’t go back to his job in construction. I could see the look in his eyes, like he failed his family. It fucking crushed me. Now, any time he comes, I always tip him extra.
“Hey, thanks.” I take the food from him. “I added a tip on the app, but here’s something extra.” I hand him a twenty. His face lights up.
“You’re too good to me, Austin.” he takes the money, patting my hand.
“How can I not be!” I grin. “You bring me food. It’s the way to my heart.”
“It’s my job,” he chuckles, shaking his head.
“Yes, but I trust you to always have it here fresh and hot.” I wink.
“Enjoy.” He waves me off.
“Until next time, Dave!” I call after him. And that's the moment Levi rounds the corner.
I stand there frozen, bags of Chinese food in my hands. He nods his head to Dave in passing, but stumbles to a halt when he sees me.
“Austin?” his brows furrow.
“Hi.” I wave lamely. Fuck, my brain is broken right now. What do I do?!
“Do you live here or something?” Levi asks as he looks around.
“Ah, yeah.” I chuckle, rubbing the back of my head. I’m sweating now, like I’ve been caught doing something I’m not supposed to.
“How did I not know that?” He blows out a breath. “Well, hey, it looks like we’re going to be neighbors,” he chuckles, his own nervous look on his handsome face. “By any chance, do you know where 402 is?” He asks, looking at the other doors on this floor.
There are only four other apartments on his floor, so when he’s done, he turns back to me.
“I actually do.” I chuckle, feeling like I might spew all over the floor. Stupid plan, Austin. Stupid, stupid plan! Taking a step to the side, out into the hall, I show him the number on my door.
