Not So Suddenly Soulmates, page 4
He took two steps back. “Um.”
Rhi padded over and bumped arms with him. “See, even the young ones can’t help but flirt with you.”
Kym’s face reddened even further. “Rhi!”
“Your face matches your shirt now.” Rhi chuckled.
“Be nice.” Levi put his arm around her then peered at Kym. “No offense, but you’re a little young for me.”
Kym stormed into the dining room.
“Hitting on my little sister?” Edge stood in the doorway.
“No, never. I mean, she’s way too young. I may sleep around a lot but I draw the line at legal.” Levi drew a line in the air with his hands.
“I was talking about Rhi.” Edge winked before turning and heading into the dining room.
Levi wrapped his arm around Rhi’s waist and pulled her close to him. “Well in that case, Rhi and I have a secret sex room in our apartment.”
Rhi laughed and smacked him in the arm and stepped away. “Oh please, your bedroom isn’t a secret to anyone. You have a different girl in there every day of the month.”
“Y’all sound like you need a therapy session. And I get paid by the hour, so you might want to get in here before I start charging you,” Jen called from the other room.
Rhi walked into the dining room and smiled at the scene in front of her. Her mom and Dad sat next to each other at the round table, the next two seats waiting for her and Levi. Mason sat next to their father and next to him was Lex, Chelsea, and Kym. Edge and Sara came next with Milo sat on a booster seat next to them.
“Sit next to me, Aunt Rhi.” He pointed to the empty chair next to him.
“Well, of course. Your grandma wants to sit next to Levi.” Rhi plopped down in the seat next to Milo.
Levi sat down between her and her mother. “They left the seat of honor for me.”
Leon leaned forward. “Makes it easier for her to smack you in the back of the head.”
Levi nodded. “And with Rhi next to me, I’ll get it from both sides.”
Rhi looked over at Mason. “How’s college going? Have you decided what you’re going to do with your life yet?”
“Be a bum on Mom and Dad’s couch?” He smiled.
“You’re more than welcome to. I don’t know what I’m going to do with an empty house once the girls are gone.”
“What?” Levi pouted at Jen. “How come I didn’t get the offer to be a bum on your couch?”
“Because she’d have to buy stock in bed sheets and laundry detergent.” Rhi bumped his shoulder.
Jen shuddered. “Not to mention the amount of therapy sessions I’d be giving away to all the girls you’d be sending home.”
Levi glanced over at Rhi. “We should try that next time. You can come out dressed like Sigmund Freud and ask them how they feel about their mothers.”
Rhi laughed. “You think I plan my morning routine? The only constant seems to be me being woken up by some random woman who was way too loud.”
“Which routine did you use today?” Lex snorted.
“I was out of the apartment early, so none. Yesterday morning, I started with the threesome thing but got annoyed and kicked the girl out.”
Chelsea studied Levi. “How ever did you kick her out on your own?”
“Very funny. I slept alone last night.”
Everyone at the table turned to stare at Levi, some blinking, some with their mouths open.
Jen reached over and checked Levi’s forehead. “Are you sick? Should I have made chicken soup?”
Levi rubbed the back of his neck. “Just wasn’t into anyone.” He looked at Lex and Chelsea. “Are you two officially dating yet or are you still hiding it?”
“You knew?” Lex stared at Levi then Rhi. “Both of you?”
Rhi nodded. “We’ve all been just biding our time waiting for you two to admit it.”
“And you’re not weirded out or anything?”
“Why would I be? You’re my sister and I love you no matter what. And Chelsea’s been here so long, she’s already another sister to me.” Rhi beamed and glanced around the table. Her family could be a handful at times but they were always there for each other and their love was strong.
“Just like Levi and Sara, it doesn’t matter if they’re friends, wives, girlfriends, or boyfriends. When you’ve been around that long, you’re family.” Mason nodded.
“I told you no one would be upset about it.” Jen reached over and squeezed Lex’s hand. “We all just want you to be happy.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Lex gave her a small smile.
Levi’s stomach growled. “And now it’s time to eat. Rhi didn’t let me eat anything today.”
Rhi rolled her eyes. “Because I locked the refrigerator and the cabinets?”
“No. But you didn’t leave any groceries in the house either.”
“Poor baby…left with nothing but leftover take out.” Rhi shook her head.
Lex grinned. “I don’t know how you two are ever going to live without each other. You already act like an old married couple.”
Rhi laughed. “Minus the whole sex thing.”
Levi smirked. “So exactly like an old married couple.”
Jen smacked him in the arm. “I’ll have you know—”
“No, no, no.” Levi held up his hands. “I do not need to know about my secondary parents’ sex life.”
“Ew!” Kym covered her face. “Do you all have to be so embarrassing?”
Leon picked up a bowl of garlic bread. “Time to eat.”
Chapter Seven
LEVI
May 10th
Levi wandered into their kitchen and put the leftovers in the refrigerator. “You wanna go see a movie? It’s still early and I’m not feeling the party scene. It’s almost non-existent on Sundays anyway.”
“Only if the theater is in our living room. I ate way too much and am ready to be in pajamas.”
“Go change. I’ll do the same, grab a couple beers, and meet you on the couch.”
“Sounds good.” Rhi disappeared into her bedroom.
Levi strolled into his room and changed into pajama pants.
“Make mine chick beer,” she hollered as he walked to the kitchen.
“Always do.” He grabbed two bottles out of the refrigerator, and plopped down sideways on the couch.
Rhi came out and sat down next to him. “Don’t we have a shirts rule somewhere?”
“A shirts rule?”
“Levi must always wear a shirt when hanging out with Rhi.”
“Negatory. Levi must never be forced to wear a shirt…unless he’s leaving the apartment.” He stretched his leg out behind her then pulled her into his arms so she was leaning against his bare chest.
She grabbed the remote and flipped through the options on Netflix. “What do you want to watch?”
“I don’t know. You pick something.”
She sat up and shifted to look at him. “Okay, something is off. You slept alone last night and you’re not hogging the remote to watch some crazy action-filled fuck fest.”
Levi snorted. “I watch more than that.”
Rhi turned off the TV. “Come on.” She reached out and took his hand. “Talk to me. You don’t ever hide things from me.”
“After you went to bed, I had no desire to go back to the party so I turned in. No biggie.”
“And tonight? You leaving to go out after this movie?”
He shook his head. “After that big of a meal, I’ll be lucky if I don’t fall asleep on the couch with you.”
“What did you and Dad talk about before dinner?”
Levi took a deep breath. “Software stuff and a possible job opportunity.”
“What? Working for my dad?”
“Sort of. I guess Mason is more into the sales side of the company. He doesn’t want to be behind a desk. He’d rather manage sales, install, and repair.”
“The stuff Larry does right now.”
“Right. He asked if I would be interested in taking over the software development side someday.”
“That’s awesome. You could own part of the company and not have to work for anyone else.”
“It would also mean moving back to Bryton.”
“That’s not such a bad thing, is it?” She smiled at him and leaned over to give him a hug. “This is amazing news. I’m proud of you.”
Levi paused. “I know your trust fund doesn’t mature until next year, so if you need help affording this place when I move out, I can do that.”
Rhi sat up. “You think you’re leaving me in Indy and moving home alone?”
He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “What about your job though? You shouldn’t have to give that up to move back with me.”
“I can telecommute until I find something closer. It’s not like social media can’t be run anywhere as long as I have access to the internet.”
Levi stared at her before he pulled her back against him, kissing the top of her head. “You’re the best.” His head spun. She’s willing to drop everything, search for another job, and go back to Bryton without a second thought. Do best friends do that for each other?
He shifted lower on the couch and she snuggled in close. Heat radiated from her hand the moment she placed it on his thigh. He rubbed his fingers along the silky skin of her arm. Why have I never noticed how soft her skin is?
She sat up and moved near the other armrest. “Been a couple days, eh?” Her face reddened and she folded her legs under her.
“For what?” The words were out of his mouth before he realized how hard he was. “Shit.” He snatched the blanket off the back of the couch and pulled it over his body. “Sorry.”
“There’s no reason to be sorry.” She grinned. “It happens, and last time I checked, I wasn’t a bad looking girl.”
“You’re hot, Rhi. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re not.” Levi shifted in his spot. “I think I need to grab a cold shower.”
“You don’t have to hang out and keep me company. Go pick someone up. I’ll think of a new way to kick her out in the morning.”
You’re the only one I want to pick up and I wouldn’t be kicking you out in the morning. He shook his head. “Whoa.”
“What? Did you like that idea?” She laughed.
“No. Not feeling it.” He blew out a deep breath. “I’m going to…” He let the words trail off, turned, and hurried to his room.
Chapter Eight
RHI
May 15th
Rhi sat at the kitchen table swiping through the matches on her dating app. It had been almost a week since their almost kiss and everything seemed to be back to normal—for him at least. She’d barely slept. If he’d just admit he was interested in me, I wouldn’t even go out. I’d rather stay in with him anyway.
Levi took the seat next to her. “Anything good?”
She inhaled the scent of his cologne and smiled. “If by ‘good’ you mean good material for a comedy, yeah. I’m killing time before the concert.” She handed Levi her phone. How could she get her profile to end up on his account? She knew everything about him and they had the same interests, so it was weird he hadn’t shown up on hers. “How about you?”
Levi shook his head and passed his phone over to her. “I think I’ve swiped by everyone on the site.”
Rhi scanned through his matches. “Oh, here’s one. ‘You want a bad girl. I’m bad at everything.’”
“Ha.” He held her phone up and shrugged. “He’s a Kindergarten teacher.”
“I don’t like kids enough to be with a teacher.” She looked closer at the profile. “It also says he’s a coach but they require him to teach to get paid.”
“Fucking assclown. Who writes that on a profile and doesn’t get fired?” Levi cringed.
“Evidently this guy.” Rhi sneered and peered back at Levi’s phone. “This one put a cat filter over her face and is pretending she’s a cat.”
Levi shook his head. “Nah. Not into the furry thing. How about the guy dressed like a unicorn?”
“No way! And wasn’t that a fake profile?” She looked at her phone and let out a breath. No to unicorn guy. “She’s cute. Oh wait. She’s in Jamaica. Whoops.” She scanned through more profiles then clicked the button to see if there was anyone in his saved history. She laughed when she saw her own profile. Maybe something was there after all.
“What?” He glanced over her shoulder.
She swiped on the screen before he could see her profile. “Another furry funny.”
Levi handed her the phone back. “Guess it’s the bar then.”
“Concert with Megan, remember? You’re on your own.” She loved going to concerts but wished Levi was going with her instead of Megan. They were friends but he made things fun.
“Oh, right. I should scalp a ticket somewhere and go with you two.”
Rhi tapped her fingers on the arm of the couch. “Megan will just get drunk and hang all over you. You know she’s wanted you for years.”
“Not interested in the slightest. She’s a nice girl and all but being your friend makes it awkward.” Levi laughed.
She continued to swipe through his matches. “Wait, here’s one. She’s a wannabe reality TV star.”
“Nice.” Levi grabbed his phone and read the bio. “She’s cute and sounds like she might be into a one-night stand.”
“Perfect for you.” She tossed her phone on the coffee table. Guess it’s back to business as usual. More one-time dates and one-night stands.
Levi sent the lady a quick message. “If all goes well, we both have plans tonight.”
“Have fun with your reality star.” She sprung to her feet. She didn’t want to talk about his date.
“Probably not as much fun as you’ll have with all the guys at your concert.” Levi stood and wrapped his arms around her.
She shoved against his chest. “You wish. I’ll come home shouting because my ears are blown. And I’ll be surprised if I don’t have a contact high.”
Levi laughed and pulled her in for a quick hug. “Please don’t let anyone take advantage of you. Call me if you need me?”
“Why, Levi Morris, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you cared.” She smiled as her body warmed.
“Maybe.” He shrugged. “Now go get dressed. Wouldn’t want to make Megan wait.”
Rhi darted to her room. What if he comes home with the reality star? Could I kick her out in the morning without acting like a jealous bitch? She picked up the dress off her bed. Nothing changed. We’re not dating. It wasn’t even a kiss…
Just…
Almost.
Chapter Nine
LEVI
May 15th
Levi yawned as he waited for his date. Why am I here? I want to be with Rhi not with some random wannabe reality star. He glanced at his watch and grabbed his phone. It wouldn’t take much to scalp a ticket so he could join them.
LEVI:
Fifteen minutes late. Another ten and I’m meeting you at the concert. I’ll risk Megan hanging all over me.
He took a sip of his beer and stared at the door, silently planning his escape.
A woman shimmied in wearing a fur wrap around her shoulders and talking loudly into her phone.
“No, I won’t. I’m going on a date.” She rolled her eyes and turned to the three people behind her, all carrying a piece of filming equipment. “Remember, anything too bad can be taken out in editing.” She pulled off her sunglasses and fluffed her hair as she looked for the hostess. “There you are. I’m here to meet Levi Morris.”
Great. Levi sunk down in the booth.
The hostess turned around and quickly spotted him. “He’s right this way, miss.” She flashed a grin and escorted the woman to Levi’s table.
Levi held out his hand. “You must be Stephanie.”
“Oh please, call me Stephie. That’s what everyone on the show will be calling me.” She looked at the three men videotaping everything. “Make sure to edit out that last part. We’ll start the introductions over.” She smiled back at Levi. “Levi, wonderful to meet you in person.” She air-kissed both of his cheeks.
“Great to meet you too, Stephie.” He motioned to the seat across from him. “This place is top end. I’m sure you’ll enjoy whatever you have.”
She made a gesture to the others and waved a hand in the air. “Please, no promos. I’m not paying anyone one cent of the money I make for this. And believe me, it will be a lot.”
“Ohhkay.” Levi sat down. “What are you filming?”
“It’s a reality television show about myself, of course.” She gave a smile for the cameras. “Tell me about yourself?”
“Well, I’m a software developer at a firm downtown.” He paused.
“Oh, no, that won’t do.” She made the cut sign to the cameramen. “You need to be something different. Something spectacular. Like the CEO of your own company. Something no one would believe because you’re so young. Right? Nineteen I’d guess?”
“Twenty-four. I’m not the CEO of my own company, and I’m not going to pretend to be anything I’m not, no matter how many cameras are here.” Levi shook his head.
“Oh, I see. A rebel without a clue, I see.” She gave a haughty laugh and motioned for the men to roll again. “Such a rebel and so young. How old were you when you first started at your company?”
“I started working there in college and became a full-time employee after I graduated.”
“No way you’re a college graduate. You’re way too young to have graduated already.” She rested her head on her hands and batted her eyelashes at him.
Levi’s phone chimed. It better be Rhi ready to save me from this fresh hell.
“You’re not going to read a text while you’re on a date, are you? That’s rather rude.”
“Lady, you brought cameras and three men to our date. You’re recording me, without my permission, and trying to make me something I’m not. If my phone goes off, I’m going to answer it.” Levi grabbed his phone.
