Amia
What in the world was I thinking?
A blush crept across my cheeks and I lowered my eyes. What had come over me? I knew better. This was Levi for Goddess sake! I knew Levi, I’ve known him for a long time. I knew what to expect from him and that’s why I was drawn to him now. Shit was hitting the fan and he was safe. I refused to use him.
I refused to think about the pet name he just used for me and I refused to think about what it did to me. I refused to focus on the way my heart skipped a beat. I refused to think of how much I liked it.
I knew Levi, but when he did things like that and said things like that, he wasn’t like the Levi I knew. He gave me glimpses of a part of him I didn’t know, a side I’d never seen before. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that Levi and I was reminded of the time in the classroom. The asshole had the decency to chuckle and I relaxed when I no longer felt his gaze on me. He pulled away from the driveway and I let out the breath I didn’t know I had been holding.
“Just like that?” I asked.
“Just like what?” Levi asked.
“A girl asks you to go home with you and you accept, just like that?” I asked.
“Are you jealous?” Levi asked. I scoffed.
“I’m not jealous,” I said.
“I’m only teasing, Ami. You’re not a girl. Some girl didn’t ask me to go home with me, you did. I would have denied anyone else.”
That confession did things to me I didn’t want to think about. I felt soft, I felt like jelly in my seat. I was taken. I shouldn’t be feeling this way. I didn’t want to be accused of being a whore. I didn’t want him to think of me that way. I don’t think I could take it if he thought of me that way too. I forced myself to look out the window and once again, the lights and buildings became a blur as we raced by.
The car stopped and I looked forward. In front of us was a twenty foot black gate. Vines, branches, and greenery grew from it and outward covering the rest of the gates. Someone walked toward the car, but Levi didn’t roll down his window. An ethereal looking man dipped his head and turned back. A minute later, the gates opened and Levi pulled forward.
“This is where you live?” I gasped.
I thought what I had was a dirt road, a driveway of sorts. What we drove down was a driveway or road. Levi’s home wasn’t the home I remembered. The road went up, up, up. It was almost like we were going up a mountain. At the end of the road was a wide cement driveway. It was more like an outdoor parking lot outside of his house. Again, the wrong word for it. Levi’s house was massive, like a mansion. A tall all-black mansion with two stories and too many windows to count. The rooftops were pointy and behind the mansion was a forest. Trees went on and on for miles.
“This is where I live,” Levi said.
He turned left and parked in front of a few windows. This was bizarre. He turned off the car, hopped out, and in the blink of an eye he opened my door. I stepped out and he grabbed my hand to help me up.
“Thanks…” I whispered.
He turned from me and didn’t let go of my hand as he led me toward the front doors. They were tall, so tall. They were made of glass and black framed. Beautiful designs ran over the glass. They opened and I wondered if it was automatic. Only when we got inside did I see two people with their heads bowed who held the doors open.
“Don’t follow me and don’t allow anyone upstairs,” Levi ordered.
Ordered.
“Thank you,” I said.
They didn’t lift their chins to look up at me and they didn’t say anything. Levi pulled me forward and I followed him. The house was dark and dimly lit. He didn’t give me time to take off my shoes or look around. We were headed up a flight of stairs and down a hallway. When I looked back over my shoulder there was no one there. They had listened. I had so many questions.
Where had the wealth come from?
How long had he lived here?
Where was his mom?
He pushed a tall black door open and I gasped as he pulled me in. He let go of my hand and closed his door. I looked around the room. The first thing I noticed was the darkened windows. Floor to ceiling windows that didn’t let any sunlight in. Vines, branches, leaves that ran up the walls and over the ceiling. An insanely large bed that sat against the wall on the left. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling and looked like it could be made of diamonds. His bed was covered in black blankets, black billows, and even the walls were painted black with intricate designs. A fireplace, the largest one I’d ever seen was on the right wall with an odd shaped sectional. It was shaped like the letter u and had a rug on the floor made of what I suspected was the softest fur.
I turned to look at Levi. He was still standing by the door, his eye were on me. Was there something I was supposed to see? Was I supposed to know something? I felt like he wanted me to figure something out, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I had so many questions for him. I took a step toward him, but my eyes caught on his damp clothes. Guilt ran through me.