Love had never been a concept Levi had denied;
he knew it was real, had watched front seat what
an impact it could have on an individual. His father,
notorious in his line of work for being so cruel
and calculative, became the most whipped man once
he fell under his mother's radar. His parents shared
a complex form of love; perhaps not. Perhaps it was
simple, but his father was a complex person, a man
with too many sides for Levi to understand. They
clashed. Often. Until remaning within the same house
became unbearable and the young man found himself
going out of his way to arrive only in time for
dinner and bed. No complaints from the other party,
so long as his grades continued to excel and he remained
available to leave a positive impression at social
gatherings. Levi's relationship with his father was impersonal,
almost business-like. Yet he had watched his parents
share something that was theirs alone, INTIMATE and honest
while never really becoming a part of that. He had found
himself yearning for that same connection, but soon after
reminded himself that if he had failed to persuade his own
father to find it within him to love him, how was he intended
to convince a stranger?!
That same fear was - one way or another - the reason behind
his lack of girlfriends. He had come to have quite the
never ending list of flings, but no girl had been allowed
the title. Levi feared the day he chose to love would be
the day someone wrecked him beyond repair- more so than
his father had already done.
But Clarisse... he had been helpless her her. In every sense. From the moment
his eyes had met hers, he knew it would have been a waste of time to reject
the emotions she alone could inflict upon him. Eventually, they would catch
up with him so, rather than direct his efforts into burying sentiments, he
calculated the risks, knew he could come out of it with far too many battle
wounds to expect recovery, but embraced it all the same, took a leap, would
most likely do it all over again if the clocks were reversed. Because everything
this new girl was, lured every good thing about him into making an appearance.
He very well knew many girls had attempted to "snag" him up,
but allowed the first /humble/ shrug while waiting for their
friends to catch up with them.
“But never for the right reasons.”
Popularity, his looks, his possessions, maybe
even his skills... but none of the girls he
dared to spend time with knew the first thing
about him; they took a greater interest in
his last name and what it implied.
“I've been saving myself for someone special.”
It had to sound highly uncharacteristical of him,
but he found himself lacking concern as to how this
amount of honesty could come back and bite him in
the ass. Regardless, for safety measure, he gave
Clarisse a playful wink.
The silence which following, in which he could tell the Aussie
was pondering something of some importance, should have unsettled
the young Spaniard. And, to a degree, he did wonder what it was
she thought of him when she didn't feel obliged to fake her dislike
towards him. But there was also a sense of peace and it briefly
startled him, how comfortable the silence was, how easy it was
to simply be with her even when no words were being spoken.
And then a challenge took place and he knew it was only
a matter of time before she yanked the helmet from his
grasp, made her point. So petite but so much fire in her
gaze, such a need to prove herself and how wrong he was.
He enjoyed this all a little too much.
“I suppose we'll know
once we get from A to B.”
It didn't count as a victory until she actually rode with
him and Levi wondered if she possessed any fear at all. If
she did, it was currently masked with bravery and he patiently
waited, after having mounted his veihcle for her to join him,
after he had offered his jacket.
Simple explanation, in case she decided to question him.
“Come on. We'll be late.”
And he was looking forwards to feeling her slim
libs wrapped around his broad torso.
