Levi

I couldn't believe it. Every chance I got, I snuck a peek at Tessa just to see if I'd blacked out and imagined everything that happened in that storage room. When she saw me watching her, though, and smiled sweetly in my direction, I knew it was real.

It would seem that no matter what happens between us, Tessa and I keep finding our way back to one another. Thank God for that!

I finish helping Charlotte's dad move prop boxes to the photo booth and chance another look at where I last saw Tessa. She's setting out table numbers with Leah, laughing about something, curling her full lips into a joyful smile.

Man, I've missed that smile.

It's the same smile I used to see on her face all the time when we were kids, and even more last summer until-.

Don't ruin it, Levi. Let it go, at least for tonight.

I shake the thought from my head as I let myself gaze back at Tessa. She's still wearing that smile and talking to Leah. As if sensing me, she glances my way, fixing those emerald eyes on my blues.

Her face softens, making her look content- happy even- as she looks at me. My heart swells at the thought that maybe we can fix everything and return to where we once were. The look in Tessa's eyes gives me hope.

As I start to get lost in fantasy again, I see her eyes shift to the left, looking at something before darting back to me with a hint of concern. Before I can process what that look could be about, someone next to me clears their throat.

My head snaps in the direction of the newcomer. Colin.

He's wearing a slight smirk as he takes a sip of water. His eyes glide between Tessa and me knowingly. "So, how's everything going over here?"

His tone is friendly, but I've known Colin for long enough to hear the undercurrent of his words. He knows there's something up between Tessa and me. Hell, she's probably filled him in on our little game and all the details that have played out so far.

I can't say I blame her. The game we started was intense, and if our friend groups weren't so tightly twined together, I'd likely talk to my friends about it too. But with Jason being Tessa's brother, Micah being Colin's boyfriend, and Landon having some weird thing going on with Leah, that was a non-option for me.

Clearing my throat, I tried to play it cool. "Everything's good, man. Just helping with whatever I can."

"I've noticed."

The way he said it made me nervous. It was almost as if he had a secret he was dying to share. Instead of playing his game, I said nothing, focusing my attention on anything but Colin- or Tessa.

When I didn't respond, Colin continued, "It was awful nice of you to help Tessa find that stuff in the storage room. She was back there for a long time. Must have been buried deep for her not to see it on her own."

There was a double meaning in his words, but I wasn't quite sure what his angle was. Colin has always been observant. He probably noticed the second my feelings for Tessa started to reappear.

That or he thinks we were back there fucking.

Instead of unpacking that, I nodded, replying, "Yeah, of course. It was no problem."

The second I looked at Colin, I knew I'd fucked up. His smile grew wide, making him look like the Cheshire Cat as he stared back at me.

Shit.

"So, you were back there with Tessa?"

Double shit. He definitely thinks we were back there fucking.

Clearly, she hadn't told him what exactly went down tonight in that storage room, and I'd just confirmed that she wasn't in there alone. I hope she won't kill me for that.

Whoops.

It was too late to deny it, so I didn't even try. "Yeah. She seemed like she could use some assistance. I just offered her what I could."

Colin's face contorted like he was fighting back laughter as his smirk reappeared. "I'm sure you did."

Way to dig the hole deeper dumbass.

Before I could clarify what I meant, his eyes flicked behind me.

"Hey, what's going on over here?"

Tessa's voice washed over me like a warm blanket. Thank God for a friendly face!

She came into view wearing a guarded look as she directed her question at Colin.

He smiled back at her. "Oh, Levi was just telling me how he helped you out back in the storage room."

The humor in his voice wasn't lost on me. He was enjoying watching me squirm. "How exactly did he help you out, Tess?"

"Colin," Tessa answered with a hint of warning.

He responded with a satisfied hum as he walked away.

When I turned to Tessa, I grimaced. "My bad?"

To my immense relief, she chuckled, letting me know I wasn't in much trouble for spilling the beans about our rendezvous in the storage closet to Colin.

"It's okay. Colin suspected the moment we returned that something went down back there. He just loves to tease me."

"Yeah, he may be under the impression that we were having sex."

Tessa's eyes flew wide. "What!"

I tried to quiet her as I looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to us other than Colin. Luckily Tessa's outburst hadn't nabbed anyone else's attention.

"I may have said something that could have been taken more than one way."

She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between two fingers. "I am never going to hear the end of this."

In an attempt to distract and soothe her, I moved a step closer to her before lowering my voice. "Well, if it would make you feel better, you could take it out on me."

It worked.

Her worry over Colin was forgotten as Tessa's eyes hooded over, meeting mine. They were full of desire, begging me to come closer, to help her out before she exploded.

I inched closer, daring to ghost my fingers down her arm. I leaned forward, grazing her ear with my lips. "I'd let you tease me all night long, Tessa."

When I pulled away, Tessa swallowed hard, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth. I could only imagine how ready she was for me, how hot and wet our encounter had made her.

It was a struggle to keep myself composed with my dick straining in my pants. I knew it was my own fault, but fuck, it was worth it.

I wanted nothing more than to sweep her in my arms and pick up where we left off in the storage room, blending into a mess of lips and limbs. I wanted to press her against a wall and make her forget that we had ever been apart. If the look in Tessa's eyes was any indication, that's exactly what she wanted too.

If we had been given a few more minutes, I'm sure we would have disappeared somewhere to relieve our frustrations. Alas, that was not in the cards for us. At least, not tonight.

Before we could make our next move, Charlotte and Jason walked over, informing us that everything was set and it was time to head out. I gave Tessa one last look, promising to pick up where we left off again tomorrow.

She returned my gaze with a similar promising glance before leaving with Charlotte. I tried not to stare as she walked away, but it was hard to peel my eyes away from her perfectly sculpted backside. The way her dress hugged her curves was sinful. And the outline of her ass as she swayed toward the door had me fighting the urge to run to her and claim her.

I needed to get home fast. There was a huge problem in my pants that needed solving, and since he couldn't have what he wanted, the fantasy of what was to come would have to suffice.

"So, I take it you and Tessa made up."

"What?" Jason's voice startled me out of my daydream.

"You and Tessa. I saw you two talking when Char and I walked over. You looked like you didn't want to strangle each other for once. Does that mean you guys made up?"

I smiled at the thought, grateful he didn't mention that I was just ogling his sister's ass as she left with his fiancée.

"Yeah, we're good now," I told him. my chest bubbled at the truth in my words. We were definitely good.

Jason slapped me on the back. "I'm glad to hear it, man. It's about time you two figured your shit out."

"Tell me about it," I chuckled.

We headed out, saying goodbye to Charlotte's and Jason's parents as they got ready to leave themselves. On the way to my car, all I could think about was how glad I was that Tessa and I were on the same page.

Things weren't perfect by any means, but they were getting better. I knew we still had a few significant discussions ahead of us- namely about what happened last summer- but that could wait for another day.

For the time being, I was content just knowing I had my girl back. Things could only go up from here, right? 

A/N:

Ohhhh Levi, you forgot to knock on wood, my friend...

Hope that doesn't come back to bite you. 

Thank you all for sticking with this story, if you're enjoying it, please leave a comment or a vote to let me know. Every interaction helps get the story closer to other readers, like yourselves who may enjoy it. And to those who've asked, this week is the big reveal... Find out soon what happened between Tessa and Levi last summer. 

👀

Also, I'm starting to plan my next book. I have several ideas ready to go, but I'd love to hear from you what tropes you enjoy most. What kind of story would you like to read next?