Not So Suddenly Soulmates, page 3
“Thanks.” Rhi took the bags, shuffled over to the table, and unloaded the Chinese takeout boxes.
Levi set plates and forks next to the food and sat down across from her. “Now what would be so bad about kissing me?”
“We’re best friends. Only friends. We don’t kiss. That would completely change our friendship.” Rhi plucked an egg roll out of the carton and took a bite. “Plus, you’re too conceited and probably suck at kissing.” Better make this a joke.
“You wanna bet?” Levi walked around the table and knelt so he was at eye level with her.
She shoved him away. “Absolutely not, weirdo.”
He stumbled back and fell on his butt. “You’re in for it now, Rhi Edgerly.”
“I’d throw food at you but this is too good to waste.” She popped a piece of sweet and sour chicken in her mouth and smirked at him.
Levi stood and pulled her against him. “Tell me you think I’ll be good at kissing or I’m going to prove it to you.” He lowered his lips toward hers.
“Levi—” Her whole body hummed. He’s my best friend. I shouldn’t want him to kiss me.
The front door burst open.
“Whoa.”
She pushed Levi back. “Freeze.”
Levi raked a hand through his hair. “What do you want, Robby?”
Robby held up his hands. “Looks like you two were getting pretty close to kissing there.”
Levi folded his arms across his chest. “Whatever. I was trying to convince her to go to the party.”
Rhi took a deep breath, her appetite gone. “I’m going to bed.”
Chapter Five
LEVI
May 10th
Levi searched the cabinets for something to eat then opened the refrigerator, staring blankly at the near-empty shelves. The only thing in there was the leftover takeout. He frowned and reached for a container.
Rhi breezed through the apartment door. “You’re going to insult my mother by eating before we go over there?”
Levi opened his mouth and then closed it, not sure what to say.
Rhi rested her hands on her hips. “Well, don’t just stand there. Come help me get the groceries out of the car.”
“Don’t we order those?” Levi shut the refrigerator and puckered his brow.
“I felt like going to the store.” She shrugged then disappeared out into the hallway.
Levi glanced at the clock before following her. “How much did you get?”
Rhi laughed and hit the button for the elevator. “Manda and I spent the morning together. Breakfast, mani/pedi, mall, and lunch. Then I dropped her off and went grocery shopping.” She held up her hands to show off her nails.
“Cute.” He propped himself against the elevator wall. “Are you sure you still want me to go with you tonight?”
Rhi waved a finger in his face. “How do you think my mother would take you canceling on her? It’s been over a year since you’ve been there.”
“I meant after last night.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “If you aren’t comfortable with me being there, I can bow out.”
“Oh, come on. You think that’s going to change our friendship? Clearly, I was upset and you were trying to get me out of my funk.” Rhi laughed as she stepped into the hallway.
“Right.” Levi forced a smile, followed her out of the elevator, and opened the front door of the apartment building for her. He grimaced when her back was to him, thinking how he’d spent most of the night doing everything he could to forget their near kiss.
She popped the trunk of her car and turned around. “Come on, slowpoke. Up late with another clingy lady?”
“I slept alone last night.”
She reached over and checked his forehead. “No fever. Are you sure you’re actually Levi? Or just some incredibly perfect copy?”
“I knew you thought I was perfect.” Levi laughed and grabbed a handful of bags.
Rhi rolled her eyes. “I said perfect copy—not that you are perfect.” She hoisted the remaining bags out of the car and shut her trunk.
“I mean, what’s not to like? Great body, good in bed, I carry groceries, and I’m never clingy.”
“And if you look up the definition of ‘modesty,’ your picture will be right next to it.” Rhi laughed. “Of course, the caption will be, ‘the above picture is the opposite of modesty.’”
“But you’re not denying the rest.”
“Well, you are carrying groceries.” She opened the door to the building and held it for him.
“I’m not clingy.”
“Maybe to your one-night stands. But did you eat at all today?” She pushed the elevator button and waited for it to open.
“Ten minutes ago, you yelled at me for trying to eat one of the few things we have in the fridge. I can’t eat and carry all of this.” Levi grinned as they stepped in. He stared at her across the elevator. Her lips beckoned to him. He wanted to drop the groceries, cup her neck, and kiss her until she admitted he was good at it.
“Why are you staring at me like that?” She inched closer to the door as it opened then hustled to the apartment door.
He followed and kicked the door closed behind him. “I still think you’d think I’d be a good kisser.”
She put the bags down and planted her fists on her hips. “You are dangerously close to breaking the freeze rule…and all because of your ego!”
“No way is this all about my ego. I’m just saying I know I’m a good kisser.”
Rhi laughed. “I’m sure you’re great, Levi. But it’s kind of weird thinking about kissing my best friend.”
“Weird? Why?” He bristled but inched closer to her. “You’re telling me you were creeped out last night?”
“No! I mean. It was different…but not creepy.” She glided away from him, bumping into the counter.
Levi stared at her lips. His phone chimed from his pocket. He shook his head and took a step back. Damn. This is about to go way too far. “Now who’s breaking freeze rules.”
Rhi smacked his arm. “You and your bruised ego started it.” She grabbed a grocery bag and emptied it onto the counter.
He forced a chuckle and opened the refrigerator to put a package of cheese away. “Damn ego gets me every time.”
“Don’t you dare just throw that in there like you always do.” She snatched the package away from him and slid it into the bottom drawer. “Cheese is best kept in the vegetable crisper and farthest away from the freezer.”
Levi shook his head and pulled his phone out of his pocket. “I’m going to let you finish the groceries.”
“Put the veggies in the crisper.” She turned back to the mountain of bags.
“That’s the one with the cheese, right?” He read the text message from her mother.
JEN:
So glad you’re coming to see us tonight. It’s been too long. Bring your appetite. I’m making lasagna.
Rhi waved him away. “Go get ready to leave. We’re heading to Mom’s in twenty minutes.”
“She just texted me to say she’s making lasagna. She must miss me.” Levi laughed.
“Well, Mason’s home from school.”
“Mason doesn’t even like lasagna. She’s making it ’cause I’m going to be there.”
Rhi rolled her eyes. “Nice try. It’s one of his favorite foods.”
“But not his favorite favorite. It’s mine though. And your mom knows that.”
“If the meal comes with all your favorites, you might be right. If not, she just needed something that would feed a lot of people.”
Levi smiled. “I’m going to change.”
Chapter Six
RHI
May 10th
The front door opened the moment she climbed out of the car. “Aunt Rhi!”
She knelt and opened her arms for her almost six-year-old nephew, Milo.
He jumped and threw his arms around her neck.
“Hiya, buddy, I didn’t know you guys were coming home.” She hugged him then stood.
Milo laughed. “We’re visiting Grandma and Grandpa.”
She brought him around the car to where Levi was standing. “Do you remember Levi? He hasn’t been here in a long time.”
Milo squinted at him, nodded, and waved. “Hi, Levi.”
“Hey, bud.” Levi reached over and ruffled his hair. “You got bigger since the last time I saw you.”
“I’m in Kindergarten.” Milo beamed.
Levi chuckled. “Are you doing good in school?”
“Yup! Mom and I are going back to Minnesota tomorrow, so I can go back to school.”
The door opened and Rhi’s mother stood in the doorway. “Are you coming in or are you standing in the yard all evening?”
“Levi’s scared he might get caught with some weird disease like relationshipitis or more-than-one-night-together if he gets too close to anyone who’s married.” Her older brother Edge called from behind her.
Levi shuddered. “Those sound awful. Maybe I should stay out here.”
“Levi Morris,” Jen planted her hands on her hips, “if you don’t get over here right now and give me a hug, I will put you over my knee.”
Levi leaned over to Rhi. “You and your Mom look surprisingly alike in that pose.”
Rhi glared at him. “I think I’m going to be absent the next time you have a girl over.”
“Who’s going to kick them out for me then?”
The two of them walked toward the house.
Levi gave Jen a hug. “Hi, Mom.”
She squeezed him tight. “It’s been way too long since you’ve been here. No more breaks. You need to be here every Sunday with the rest of the family.”
“Yes ma’am. I’ll do my best.”
Jen hugged her daughter and motioned them into the house. “Come in, come in. I made all your favorites, Levi.”
“Salted caramel brownies?” Levi licked his lips.
“Sure did.” Jen nodded.
He glanced over at Rhi. “Told you.”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Stop stroking his ego. It’s big enough.”
“Come on. He hasn’t been here for at least a year. Of course I went all out.” Jen laughed and headed back to the kitchen.
Levi nodded to Rhi’s brother and sister-in-law on the couch. “Edge, Sara, nice to see you.”
“Don’t get too close. Marriage is contagious.” Edge chuckled and stood.
“Damn. Guess I shouldn’t have hugged your mom then.”
Rhi hugged her brother. “How long are you all here?”
“Sara and Milo are going home tomorrow. They’ll be back when he finishes school. I’ll be here until I finish getting the house ready to be sold.”
“You’re selling it?” She frowned.
He nodded. “Yup.”
“But that means there’s no chance that you’re moving back here.”
“Nope, we’re happy where we are. Minnesota is a lot more liberal than Indiana. We both love our jobs, and Milo’s doing great in school.”
She sighed. “I miss my big brother.”
“Miss you too.”
“Levi.” Leon Edgerly appeared in the hallway. “Good to see you. Come back to my office. I have some software I want you to look over.”
“Sure.” Levi disappeared into the back of the house with her dad.
Rhi considered following her mom into the kitchen but there was no way she could tell her what she was thinking.
Sara stood up and took her hand. “You look like you need an ear to bend. Let’s go to the back porch.” She dragged Rhi outside and they sat down on the wicker chairs looking out across the backyard. “How’s the dating scene going?”
Rhi rubbed her temples. “Terrible. The guy I went out with last night was a total creep. Tried to demand he pay for dinner so I would ‘owe’ him something.”
“What a jerk! Is Levi going to pound him for you?”
“Thankfully, he was at the same place and dealt with him right away. I sometimes wonder what I’d do without him. It’s dangerous out there.” Rhi ran a hand through her hair. “Being a modern, empowered woman sucks. Just because I like to have sex doesn’t mean I’m going to sleep with everyone I go out with.”
“Unfortunately, people talk and some will assume you’re more…open…than you are.” Sara patted her shoulder. “At least you were able to get out of there without any physical injuries.” She shuddered.
“I ate part of my dinner at the bar and the waitress talked my ear off trying to pump me for information about Levi.” Rhi blew out a deep breath. “I ended up going to work for a while then came home and interrupted a party. Tried to sneak in and avoid everyone but that didn’t happen. Levi moved the crowd over to Robby’s, ordered Chinese food, and made me talk to him.”
“That’s sweet. Not many guys would do that.”
Rhi focused on her hands. “He almost kissed me last night.”
“I’ve seen him kiss you a lot over the years. That’s not surprising at all.”
“I meant on the lips. I had this momentary lapse where I was imagining kissing him and I made a joke about it. It continued for a bit until we were in the kitchen. He was holding me against him and lowered his head to kiss me.”
“Why didn’t you let him?”
“Robby came in and interrupted us.” Rhi picked at a nonexistent piece of lint on her pants. “I freaked out. Called freeze and went to bed. Not that I slept. I laid awake the entire night thinking about what his kiss could have been like.”
“Have you talked to him about it today?”
“No. I left early this morning and spent the day with Manda until it was time to come here. I think it almost happened again while we were putting away groceries but then he stopped and we joked about it again.”
“Why don’t you talk to him? Or get it out of your system and just kiss him?”
“I don’t want to ruin our friendship. What if it’s awkward or gross? Or even worse, what if it’s amazing? He’s never going to give up the bachelor lifestyle, and I wouldn’t ask him to.”
Sara rested her elbows on her knees. “What did you just tell me about being a modern empowered woman?”
“That just because I like sex doesn’t mean I’m going to have it with everyone.”
“But what you’re referring to is the reputation that follows you around. Shouldn’t it be the same way with Levi?”
“You’re right.” Rhi blew out a breath. “I don’t want to screw up our friendship.”
Sara smiled. “I get that. Your brother and I were in a similar boat when we got together. We’d known each other since diapers. The two of us and Jason were inseparable. I was worried when we got together that it would ruin our friendship but it strengthened it instead.”
“How did it do that?”
“We recognized the little things we did for and with each other as showing how much we loved the other.”
“I mean, Levi and I do love each other, but it’s just as friends.”
Sara put her hand on Rhi’s shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with the two of you staying friends.”
Rhi took a deep breath. She knew she couldn’t imagine her life without him in it. But did she love him as more than just a friend? “I don’t know.”
“Take the next week to think about what you’d want in a relationship. Think about the person you want to spend the rest of your life with. Look at the things you do with Levi and the strong friendship you already have. You may find that the two line up better than you think.”
Rhi nodded. She opened her mouth to say something but the back door creaked open.
“Mom said to tell you dinner’s ready.”
“Well hi to you too, Lex.” Rhi stood and gave her sister a hug.
She patted Rhi on the back and took a quick step away as if hugging her older sister was a burden. “Is it true Levi came with you?”
Rhi smiled. “Yep.”
Lex rolled her eyes. “No wonder Kym’s putting on makeup. She’s always thought he was dreamy.”
“He’s a little old for Kym.” Sara shook her head.
“Can we go eat now? Or are we going to make this whole thing more awkward?” Lex rocked on her heels.
“We’ll be in in a minute.” Rhi motioned for Lex to go ahead of her then sat back down. “She’s a little weird today.”
“She finally came out on Friday. She’s dreading telling you because she thinks you’re going to freak out. We’ve all told her you’re not but I’m sure she’s even more nervous with Levi being here.”
Rhi frowned. “I’ve never freaked out about anything like that. I’m so glad she;s ready now. It’s not like we all didn’t know. Is Chelsea officially her girlfriend?”
“Dad caught them kissing in the living room the other day. I think that’s why they admitted it. He didn’t say anything when it happened but she came out that night at dinner.”
“How’d dinner go after that?”
“I believe Mom said ‘it’s about damn time’ then asked if someone could pass the potatoes.” Sara laughed.
“Have they shared with the rest of the family? Aunt Serena told me at least five times how cute of a couple they’d make.”
“She’s not wrong. I think they’ve told her parents too but I’m not sure.” Sara looked at the door. “We should probably join them so Lex doesn’t slink out again.”
“After you.”
Rhi followed Sara into the house and down the hallway that led to the kitchen.
Kym walked out of her room wearing a tight maroon long-sleeve midriff shirt and a short black A-line skirt. She grinned at Rhi. “Did Levi come?”
“Glad you’re excited to see me.” Rhi hugged her sister. “Yes, he’s here.”
Kym squealed and rushed toward the dining room, plowing into Levi as he stepped around the corner from their father’s office.
He caught her arms to steady her before taking a step back. “I love your Mom’s lasagna too but no need to be in that much of a hurry.”
Kym blushed and brushed her brown curls out of her face. She planted her hand on her slender waist, cocked her hip to one side, and straightened her back. “Hi, Levi.” She twirled a piece of hair between her fingers and batted her eyes.
