*Present day*

Tessa

Tuesday started much like Monday on the Levi front. He left early for work- probably to avoid running into me- and didn't return until well after his office closed that night. Jason apologized for Levi's behavior when I joined him and Charlotte for dinner.

I shrugged it off, trying not to let it get to me. I wanted everything to go smoothly for Jason and Charlotte, so I didn't make a big deal of it. Besides, it's not like Levi and I are friends anymore.

What do I care if he avoids me?

At least I had a good distraction now that Charlotte was back in town. She's a school teacher, so now that it's summer vacation, she has almost the entire season off, and she's promised to spend as much time with me as she can while I'm here.

Thank goodness for that!

Catching up with Charlotte has definitely helped distract me from the ongoing saga that is Levi and me. I don't even know why I keep letting it get to me. It's not like he and I were ever going to work out. Once upon a time, I thought we would, back when I thought he cared, back when I thought we were meant to be.

Now that's ancient history. Yet, it still gets under my skin- he gets under my skin, and he hasn't even been around lately.

Charlotte could tell that something was bothering me. We were doing some last-minute wedding shopping earlier, and she kept giving me strange looks. When we returned to Jason's house, she finally asked what was wrong.

I debated what to say. I mean, why freak her out about what almost happened at the club? In the end, I told her everything, sparing no detail. After all, she's my best friend. If I can't talk to her, who can I talk to?

She was understandably shocked by my story, asking several times if I was sure I was okay after the incident. I assured her I was, mentioning that nothing actually happened since Levi was there in the nick of time to save me.

Levi...

If only he'd stop avoiding me. Maybe then we could finally have a mature conversation. Oh well, what's meant to be will be, I suppose.

Charlotte and I spent the rest of the day catching up and going over every detail of her plans for the wedding. She had everything organized in a binder that she started the second Jason proposed. I can't blame her; those two were always meant to get married. I'm not sure which one was more excited about the engagement- her or Jason.

I think he cried harder than she did when she said yes. Don't let him tell you any different- my big bro is a big softy. Especially when it comes to Char.

It makes my heart happy to see my brother and my best friend so in love. They truly were made for each other. Their relationship shows that true love can still exist in this crazy world we live in.

Halfway through Charlotte's explanation about seating arrangements, Jason came home. To say his face lit up when he saw my bestie would be a huge understatement.

As soon as he set his things down, he made his way to where we were perched on the couch. Jason gathered her up in a sweet embrace and told her he missed her. She did the same as she nuzzled against him.

Watching them together reminds me of what I'm missing. I never had that with Benji or any of my other boyfriends. I almost had it last summer with Levi until he showed me who he truly was.

I'd never been so hurt in my life. What he did- still stings to this day. I don't know if I'll ever be able to get over it completely, but perhaps we can be friends again someday.

Charlotte stayed for a while after dinner, prolonging her departure to her parents' house, where she'd been staying since her apartment lease ended a few weeks ago. Her folks are super old-fashioned when it comes to living with someone before marriage. So, they insisted she stay with them until after the wedding.

I have no idea what delusion they live with, but whatever they're trying to prevent- I'm sure that ship has sailed. Jason and Charlotte keep the PDA fairly minimal in front of company, but back in college, I almost walked in on them several times in compromising situations.

Let's just say Char's parents live under a rock if they really believe making them live separately will prevent them from having premarital sex. Charlotte all but lives here already anyway. Most of her things were moved here after her lease expired, so she didn't have to pay for a storage unit or cram things into her parent's garage. And she spends most evenings here as well, only going back to her parents' place to sleep to appease them.

When Jason started falling asleep on the couch, Charlotte decided to head out. I tried to convince her to stay, telling her to use me as an excuse for not coming home but Charlotte had an early appointment somewhere with her mom. She promised to come by afterward to hang out with me though.

So, Jason and I walked with her to the front door, saying our goodbyes as she collected her purse. Just as my brother reached for the door, it popped open, revealing a startled Levi on the other side.

It was the first I'd seen him in several days. I half expected him to disappear until the day of the wedding entirely. Yet, here he was, standing in front of me once again.

He looked at the three of us standing in the foyer, then awkwardly stumbled inside, refusing to make eye contact with anyone, least of all, me.

I barely had time to register that he was standing in front of me when he mumbled something to J and Charlotte and made a beeline up the stairs. The three of us remaining exchanged some confused glances before shrugging off Levi's behavior.

Soon after, Charlotte was driving away, and Jason excused himself to bed. I was still wide awake, so I camped out on the couch after turning out most of the lights, ready to engulf myself in a cheesy comedy to ease the tension Levi had created just a few minutes ago.

I made it about thirty minutes into the movie when I had to use the restroom. After quickly taking care of business, I moseyed back toward the living room, making it only to the corner of the hallway before slamming face first into someone's hard chest.

Levi.

Of course.

He was wearing a look of surprise as he gripped my shoulders to prevent me from falling on my ass. I looked up at him briefly, mumbling an apology, hoping he wouldn't make the situation worse with some smart-assed comment.

I was in luck- he seemed to be rendered speechless. That's when I realized his hands were still holding onto me firmly. "Um, Levi? You can let go now."

"Huh?" He sounded confused as I nodded to my shoulder.

His eyes widened as understanding flooded him. "Oh, shit! Sorry," he said, dropping his hands and stepping away, putting much-needed space between us.

Neither of us moved. We stood there for what felt like an eternity, just staring at one another awkwardly.

Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "Are you going to keep avoiding me like the plague? Or can we try to be civil for J and Char?" I asked him lightheartedly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

I let out a very unladylike snort as I rolled my eyes. "Okay, whatever you say, Levi."

"Maybe I'm just a busy guy, Tess. You should know all about that. You're a very busy girl, after all," he snarked as his lips twisted into a sneer.

Well, this conversation took a hard turn.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I fumed.

Levi pushed himself off the wall as he shook his head. "I think you know exactly what that means, Tessa."

Anger seared through me. I knew what he was insinuating, but he was dead wrong. I hadn't been with anyone since last summer. His accusation had me seeing red. All of my lighthearted, friendly banter ran right out the door.

He wanted to throw jabs? I could do that too!

"Not all of us are whores like you, Levi. Maybe you should figure out why that is instead of going around deflecting your problems onto everyone else!" I seethed as I stomped past him to the living room.

I expected a snarky comeback, but when I received none, I was both relieved and concerned. I wouldn't put it past him to come in here blazing with some ridiculous rebuttal.

Moments ticked by until I finally heard Levi stomp up the stairs. I breathed a sigh of relief. I honestly didn't mean to start a fight. All I wanted to do when I saw him was thank him for what he did for me at the club and ask him to let bygones be bygones.

That turned out swimmingly.

I guess it was a pipe dream. He just made me so angry when he started making ridiculous accusations. He had no right! For him to say those things after what he did to me last summer... He's lucky I didn't wrack him in the balls.

I'll just have to be on my best behavior the rest of my time here. If Levi wants to be an ass, so be it. That's his problem, not mine.  

A/N:

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