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c h a p t e r⠀0 3

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STILL VERY PREOCCUPIED with thoughts of the tall boy, I made my way back to the pub where my friends waited. I spotted Talia and Reeve chatting away, Talia wildly gesturing with her hands while Reeve had a look of adoration on his face as he studied her.

Axel glanced up when I stepped inside, briefly smiling when I sat down between him and Talia. He placed his hand on top of my thigh and I noticed the absence of his friend Levi. My curiosity wasn't that great, but of course I wanted to know who the person was that would be staying at my parents' house, so I remained slightly annoyed with the nonchalance.

"I got you a beer to help you relax, drink up babes." Talia slid a full pint towards me, thick foam dangerously close to swaying over the tall glass. She grinned and wiggled her eyebrows when I immediately picked it up.

Axel squeezed my thigh, earning my attention as I tilted my head to look at him, taking a long swig from the cold beer.

"Are you sure you should be drinking?" he murmured lowly.

I raised my eyebrows, wiping my top lip clean from froth. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He scratched the back of his head, a sheepish smile on his lips. "You know how easily affected you are, wouldn't want you to get drunk before we even arrive."

"I'm on vacation. I'll drink as much as I want, thank you," I grumbled, once again frustrated by the way he kept acting like my father.

It wasn't the first time he'd complained about me drinking and as far as I was concerned, he exaggerated it vastly. Making it seem like I had a problem with alcohol when in all reality he was the one who couldn't handle seeing me a little tipsy. Never had I drunk myself into oblivion or made a rash decision while being buzzed, I simply enjoyed having a cocktail to sip on while in the club, not much different from anyone else.

Axel was aware of what my life had looked like before he came along. When we had started dating, Talia and I still went out for the occasional night in the city and he didn't exactly approve. He told me how he was afraid I might do something bad, cheat on him or get used. Claiming it was hard for a girl to defend herself when she was intoxicated.

I had told him repeatedly that he needed to trust me, to stop making a fuss about it. To stop having me feel bad about something that wasn't inherently wrong.

"I'm just saying. I don't feel like taking care of you first fucking thing in the morning because you can't hold your liquor." Axel pursed his lips and raised his own glass of beer to his lips, hypocrisy written all over his actions.

"Piss off, seriously." I shook my head. "Since when have I had a problem with that? Stop trying to make me feel guilty over your own personal problem."

He huffed but forced a smile. "It's all fine, babe. Let's not fight."

I wanted to snap at him then, not to start a fight, but Clara suddenly widened her eyes at something behind me and let out a low whistle. "Holy fuck, is that Levi?"

Axel swivelled around in his chair, lips turning up in a wide grin. "It sure is. What's up, man? Been too long!" he called out the last words, starting to stand up.

"What the fuck happened with your hair?" The deep, smooth voice and equally deep chuckle sounded all too familiar, my body tensing with the realisation. "It's great to see you again, Axel."

I slowly turned my head to get my suspicions confirmed, witnessing the dark-haired guy who saved me from making a complete fool out of myself earlier slap a hand against my boyfriend's back. His pale blue eyes darted over the wide expanse of Axel's shoulder, blinking several times when they settled on me.

He looked perplexed when Axel stepped back, unable to tear his gaze away from mine. My fingers tightened around the cool glass as I gulped, trying to plaster on a smile and pretend nothing out of the ordinary just happened. Levi cleared his throat and averted his eyes, peeking at Axel who watched me with a slight frown.

"Wow, Levi, you look so good," Clara piped up, breaking the awkward silence as she sauntered over to Levi, who still stood frozen in his spot.

"Hey Clara, you grew up," he chortled softly, wrapping his arms around her shoulders in a quick embrace.

Talia kicked my shin under the table, her dark brown eyes narrowed as she leaned forward. "What the hell was that?"

"I literally ran into him outside the bathroom and might have uh, flirted a bit. Had no idea it was him," I whispered.

She bit her lip, trying to conceal a smug smile. "Well, shit just got interesting."

I let out a quick breath when Levi approached our table. Axel first introduced him to Reeve and Talia, before finally turning to me. He walked over and rested his arm around my waist, swiftly kissing my forehead. I tried to avoid furrowing my brows, a bit appalled that he somehow felt the need to mark his territory.

"And this is Rocio, my girlfriend and owner of the house we're about to live in," Axel proudly stated, pulling me even closer to his side while Levi smirked knowingly.

"Nice to officially meet you, Rocio. I'm Levi. Thanks for letting me join you on such a short notice." His hand darted out and I grabbed it, our fingertips momentarily brushing when we both pulled back.

"Nice to meet you, again," I softly laughed.

Levi slyly winked, a playful grin on his lips as Axel darted his eyes between us. "You met already?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I was clumsy enough to run smack into him outside the bathroom, nearly fell over."

"She was lucky I reacted quick enough to catch her," Levi said, dropping his bag to the floor. "So, is there enough time to have some more beer?"

We gathered around the table after ordering a second round, everyone intently listening when Levi shared stories of his years in Australia. We had all of us enthralled with his deep and slow voice, with the way he lazily used his hands when he spoke. Once I felt his eyes on me, lingering just a little while longer than necessary, and when I looked back at him he quickly licked his lips and focused his attention elsewhere.

When they called for us to proceed to the gate, I realised we had completely neglected time. My stomach lurched at the thought of getting on a plane but I stubbornly denied the pills Talia offered. Axel had taken two, claiming he wanted to sleep, so he was already beginning to look out of it as we walked side by side through Heathrow Airport.

Clara made small talk with Levi all the way to our gate and I found myself wishing it was me he talked with. I wanted to be the one listening to his lovely voice and colourful language. The ridiculous thought was quickly dismissed when Axel practically fell asleep leaning against me in the line, a burst of laughter escaping me when he nearly tackled me to the ground.

Reeve acted fast and gripped his upper arm, keeping him upright until we could board the plane and find our seats. Axel mumbled something about waking him when we were about to land, nodding off as soon as Reeve had shuffled him into a window seat.

I climbed into the seat in the middle next to him, placing my purse under the seat in front of me before fastening his seatbelt. Light snores sounded from him already, his head rested on the side of the plane in an uncomfortable-looking position. I would never understand how people could sleep in such a narrow place, least of all in a massive tin can that soon would be over thirty thousand feet in the air.

"Mind if I sit here?"

My head snapped up at the voice talking on my left, finding Levi peering down at me with amused eyes. "Sure, go ahead," I said with a faint smile, clicking my seatbelt in place.

"You okay there, Ro?" Talia asked when I rested my head back, trying to calm the erratic beating of my heart. I nodded without opening my eyes, bringing my hands up to undo the tight ponytail that had given me a headache by now.

"Afraid of flying?" Levi lowly asked, a whiff of his cologne hitting my nostrils when he straightened back up from putting his bag in place beneath his feet.

"Not afraid exactly, but I don't really enjoy it," I mumbled, shaking my hands out in front of me before placing them down on my thighs, wiping off the clammy feeling.

Levi bumped his knee to mine, accidentally or not, but it made me open one eye to glance at him. He was already looking at me, bottom lip tucked into his mouth. I tipped my head to the side, opening both eyes to inspect the flecks of different shades of blue in his, a much darker ring outlining his irises.

I momentarily flicked my eyes over the aisle behind him, slightly bothered with how he seemed to have no trouble with our stare down. Clara struggled to get her huge bag to fit under the seat with low curses spilling from her mouth while Talia snickered behind her hand. Reeve shook his head at the girls and muttered something about needing a whiskey.

"Hey," Levi whispered, forcing me to look back at his breathtaking features. "You good? Can I get you anything?" He grinned cheekily. "Hold your hand maybe?"

I huffed lightly and turned my head forward again, about to tell him I had a boyfriend to do that for me when a particularly loud snore came from the person who supposedly should help me calm the inner turmoil I felt. I winced and wiped my hands on my trousers again before pulling them through my hair.

Levi snorted quietly. "If my girlfriend was afraid of flying I sure as hell wouldn't go to sleep until I made sure she was relaxed enough."

"You have a girlfriend?" I curiously asked, concerned over his words. Seemingly Axel did not at all mind ignoring my mild anxiety.

"No, I don't. Doubt I'd be on my way to Ibiza without her if I did. But I'm just saying, hypothetically. How long have you been with him?" he quietly questioned, head still turned my way.

"Five months. We met—" The lights in the cabin suddenly dimmed, cutting my words off as a nervous rush shot through my stomach. I gulped and looked up towards the front of the plane in panic. The flight attendant announced that turning the lights down was standard procedure while taking off at night time, nothing to worry about, but my body still sat stiffly against the firm seat.

"Rocio," Levi urged and I tore my eyes back to his. "There you are. Tell me about how you met Axel."

I took a deep breath, trying to ignore how the plane bounced and swayed as the pilot steered it onto the strip. "We met at school about half a year ago, in the hallway. I almost bumped into him too."

Levi chuckled, dimples showing while he pushed his fringe off his forehead. "Convenient. Is that how you pick up guys – randomly run into them?"

I felt my cheeks heat, aware he was joking but the suggestion provoked a foreign feeling within me. "No, I'm just a bit clumsy, or perhaps scatterbrained."

"Cute," he drawled. "Must say I'm a bit surprised Axel didn't mention a girlfriend until he asked if I wanted to come with you. Not that we talk loads but we've definitely been in contact more than once the past five months."

I frowned. "Really, he never told you about me?"

Levi shook his head, shrugging. "Probably slipped his mind unless he deliberately left it out. I can see why he would want to keep a girl like you to himself. Although I would have a hard time not bragging if I were in his place. Where are you from, if I may ask?"

His smooth words did nothing to help the silly blush on my cheeks and I wondered if he did it on purpose. "I was born in Spain but I'm part Chilean. Dad is from Spain and had work in Chile. He met my mum there and she decided to move back with him to Europe."

Levi widened his eyes, sparks of interest in them. "How come you ended up in England?"

I briefly glanced out through the window when the plane came to a stop. Seconds away from taking off and here I was randomly chatting with a stranger like nothing else mattered. "Um, Dad got relocated some years after I was born."

My hand gripped the armrest between us with force, my body tensing up again when we started to move forward. I jumped slightly when a cool hand rested on top of mine, quickly glancing down to see his wide palm hide the whole of my hand. "So I assume you speak Spanish?"

I looked back at him, stunned with his indifference as he kept talking like normal. I nodded. "I do."

"That will definitely come in handy," he mused, keeping his eyes trained on me as the plane suddenly lurched forward.

I gasped quietly and pressed back in the seat, involuntarily turning my hand upside down to tightly grip his fingers between mine. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to focus on the soft touch of his thumb as it stroked over mine.

"It's fine, princess. You're fine," he whispered. "Say something in Spanish. Teach me something. Be as crude as you want, I don't mind."

"Tienes más cara que espalda," I rapidly spoke, eyes opening to witness him intently watch me with his head tipped to the side.

"I have no idea what you just said but it sounded hot," he snickered. "Keep talking."

"I just called you cheeky as fuck, basically." A light laugh escaped me and I started rambling random things in Spanish, up until the point where I felt the plane straighten out and the lights came back on.

Levi opened his hand and wriggled his fingers, clicking open his seatbelt. "See, wasn't that bad, was it?"

I breathed out, ruffling my hands through my hair to get rid of the sticky feeling. "Thanks for distracting me and for letting me murder your hand."

"Glad I could be of help." He looked over at Axel, who was fast asleep with his mouth partly hanging open.

I pursed my lips and bent down to retrieve my bag, digging up the small bottle of water I had managed to snag from the pub before we rushed to the gate. Clara leaned over and tapped Levi's shoulder, forcing him to divert his eyes from me and over to her.

They indulged in a conversation I couldn't find the energy to engage in and I caught Talia's attention by waving my hand above Levi's head. "I'm alive!" I grinned.

She shot Levi a meaningful glance before winking at me. "He still sleeping there on your other side? I could hear his snores all the way over here."

"Yeah. I'm starting to think you actually wanted to knock him out." I laughed when she shrugged, mock innocence on her countenance.

Reeve had picked up the laminated menu card and carefully swatted Talia in the face with it. "Would you ever do something like that to me?"

"Probably," she stated without hesitation. "You boys can be a handful sometimes."

"Oh, trust me, I know I can," Reeve waggled his eyebrows exaggeratedly, earning a scowl and a slap on his arm from her.

"Could you wankers not talk so loud? I can barely hear what Levi is saying," Clara complained suddenly, shutting down the easygoing and fun banter just as fast as a needle would pop a balloon.

I narrowed my eyes her way and parted my lips to tell her off, but Levi bumped his denim-clad knee to mine once more. He sat back in his seat and smacked his lips together. "Don't worry, our conversation was over anyway. Anyone up for champagne? I think going to Ibiza calls for a little celebrating."

Various hoots of glee and delight sounded from my friends and Axel stirred at the noise. One of the flight attendants shot us a harsh look and I ducked my head in embarrassment, unable to contain my laughter.

Levi cleared his throat once we all settled down, our eyes locking when I sat up and rested my head back. He smiled softly, gaze wavering over to Axel and then back to me. He blew a stream of air from his lips and reached out a hand to push back a strand of hair that hung in my face.

"Don't take this the wrong way, or do, but I have a feeling these weeks will be something out of the ordinary," he said very quietly, the back of his fingers swiftly brushing against my jaw when he pulled his hand back. His eyes settled on my lips for the briefest moment of time.

I parted my lips before pressing them flat together, swallowing harshly. I tried to fend off the forbidden things his words and actions made me feel. I had not planned for him to be such a likeable, enchanting character. It both thrilled and scared me, the possibilities of what could happen between us seemingly endless. I was certain he was right though - nothing about the upcoming weeks would be close to ordinary.