Chapter 10: 07

The next few days passed in a blur of work and distractions, but Levi's words—and the strange shift in our dynamic—kept gnawing at me. I tried to bury myself in my projects, pushing thoughts of him to the back of my mind, but they always found a way to sneak back in, like an unsolved puzzle I couldn't leave alone.

I hadn't seen him since that night outside the auction. In fact, it felt like he'd made a deliberate effort to stay out of my orbit, which only made me more suspicious. Normally, Levi couldn't go more than a few days without finding some way to poke at me, challenge me. But now? Radio silence.

And that silence was starting to drive me crazy.

By the third day, I found myself actively seeking him out—keeping an eye on messages, waiting for that inevitable smug message that never came. It was unnerving, like waiting for a storm that never hit.

Finally, on Thursday evening, just as I was about to leave the office, a familiar figure was standing near my car door. Levi stood there, leaning against the frame, arms crossed. His expression was unreadable, but there was a tension in his posture that made me sit up straighter.

"Levi," I said, forcing a casual tone, though my heart raced at the sight of him. "To what do I owe the pleasure? And how did you know where I worked? Never mind, Spencer must have filled you in."

He didn't smile. "We need to talk."

My stomach twisted. "Okay... about what?"

He stepped forward. That simple action—suddenly made the surrounding feel much smaller. He moved closer, and I could feel the weight of his presence in every step.

I stood up, more to keep myself grounded than anything else. "Look, if this is about the auction—"

"It's not about the auction." His voice was calm but firm, and it stopped me in my tracks.

I stared at him, confused. "Then what is it about?"

Levi took a breath, as if choosing his words carefully. "I've been thinking about what happened between us the other night."

My heart pounded in my chest, but I kept my face neutral. "You're being awfully vague, Levi."

His jaw clenched slightly, and for a moment, I thought he might back down, revert to his usual deflective self. But then his eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made it impossible to look away.

"You and I—this thing between us, Cora—it's not sustainable. We keep circling each other, pushing each other's buttons, but where is it going? What are we really trying to prove?"

I blinked, completely thrown off by the directness of his question. "I don't know," I admitted, hating how uncertain my voice sounded. "I guess... it's just how we've always been."

"Exactly," he said, stepping closer again, closing the gap between us.

I swallowed hard, unsure of how to navigate this new terrain. For so long, Levi and I had operated in this space of competition, one-upping each other, locked in a constant battle of wills. It was familiar, even comfortable in its own twisted way.

"What are you saying?" I asked, my voice quieter now.

He hesitated, "I'm saying I don't want to keep fighting you all the time. I mean we are not kids anymore."

I stared at him, my mind reeling. "So what? You want to be friends now?"

He let out a small, almost bitter laugh. "Friends? I don't think we were ever meant to be just friends, Cora."

My breath caught, and I felt a jolt of something—something dangerous—coursing through me. But before I could even begin to process what he was implying, Spencer interrupted, completely unaware of the tension.

"Cora, you won't believe what just happened—" she started, then froze, noticing Levi's presence. Her eyes darted between us, her brow furrowing. "Am I interrupting something?"

Levi took a step back, his expression immediately shifting to a more neutral mask. "Not at all. I was just leaving."

Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving Spencer staring after him, her mouth slightly agape.

"What the hell was that?" she asked, turning to me, wide-eyed.

"I have no idea," I muttered, still trying to make sense of the whirlwind.

But deep down, I knew exactly what it was. Levi had just cracked open something between us, and now I had to figure out what the hell I was going to do about it.

★★★★

The following day felt surreal, like I was walking through a fog that refused to lift. Levi's abrupt exit left me in a daze, and as I replayed the scene over and over in my head, I couldn't shake the feeling that everything had suddenly shifted.

Spencer, having seen me in a state of near-collapse, was oddly insistent on sticking around for the rest of the day. Despite my protests, she had managed to wangle her way into my office under the guise of "helping me sort things out," which really meant making herself uncomfortably present while I tried to salvage whatever remained of my sanity.

"Okay, spill it," Spencer demanded as soon as I closed the office door behind her. She flopped into one of the chairs across from my desk, making herself at home like she was here for a long visit. "What did Levi say to you?"

I stared at her, the words from the previous night still echoing in my mind. "He said he didn't want to keep fighting."

Spencer's eyes widened. "So, basically, he admitted he wants to be more than just your arch-nemesis? Did he have an ulterior motive, like world domination or something?"

"I don't think he's plotting world domination," I replied dryly. "Though, given how this whole thing has been going, I wouldn't put it past him."

Spencer laughed, the sound both comforting and disorienting. "Seriously though, Cora, that's huge. If Levi's actually dropping his usual snark and aggression, it's like the apocalypse is upon us."

I managed a weak smile. "Yeah, it feels like the end of the world. Or at least the end of my carefully curated routine."

"So what's next?" Spencer leaned forward, her eyes glinting with curiosity. "Are you going to call him? Text him? Send him a carrier pigeon? Because if you need help with the carrier pigeon, I'm your girl."

I sighed, sinking into my chair. "I don't even know what to do right now. It's not like we can just transition from bitter rivals to friends—or whatever this is supposed to be—without some kind of awkwardness."

Spencer's grin widened. "Well, awkward is kind of my specialty. I'm here to guide you through this transition with all the grace of a bull in a china shop. First step: figure out if Levi really means what he said."

Before I could respond, my phone buzzed with a message. I glanced at the screen and saw Levi's name. My heart skipped a beat as I tapped the notification.

Levi: I need to talk to you. Can we meet up later?

My hands felt suddenly clammy. "Speak of the devil," I muttered, showing the message to Spencer.

"Perfect timing," she said, smirking. "It's like he knew you were just about to have a nervous breakdown."

I quickly composed myself, tapping out a response. Sure, where and when?

Levi replied almost immediately. There's a café near your office. Let's meet there in an hour.

"Guess I'm off to meet my nemesis turned... something else," I said, slipping my phone back into my pocket. "Wish me luck."

Spencer gave me a thumbs-up. "You got this. And remember, if things get weird, just pretend you're in a reality show. It'll make everything more entertaining."

As I made my way to the café, I couldn't help but feel a mixture of excitement and dread. The café itself was a cozy little place with mismatched furniture and the smell of freshly brewed coffee wafting through the air. I spotted Levi seated at a corner table, his posture as rigid as ever, though there was an unmistakable edge of anxiety in his demeanor.

I took a deep breath and walked over, trying to appear calm and collected despite the whirlwind inside my head. "Hey," I said as I approached, offering a tentative smile.

Levi looked up, his expression softening slightly as he gestured for me to sit. "Hey. Thanks for coming."

I sat down across from him, the distance between us feeling both comforting and unsettling. "So, what's on your mind?"

Levi took a moment before speaking, clearly choosing his words with care. "I've been thinking about us—about what's been happening. I don't want to jump into anything without understanding what we're actually doing here."

"I agree," I said, nodding. "I've been trying to figure that out myself. Everything feels so... different now."

He leaned forward, his eyes searching mine. "I don't want to make things more complicated, but I need to know if you're open to exploring this—whatever 'this' is."

I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his words. "I'm open to it, but I don't know where it's going. We've spent so long being at odds that it's hard to imagine us being anything else."

Levi nodded slowly. "I get that."

We talked for a while longer. The conversation was filled with awkward pauses and uncertain laughter, but it was also honest and refreshing. For the first time, we weren't trying to one-up each other or throw barbs; we were just talking.

As we wrapped up our meeting, Levi stood up, and there was a brief, almost imperceptible moment where our eyes met. The intensity of the gaze was electric, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

"Thanks for meeting with me," he said quietly. "I appreciate it."

I nodded, feeling a surge of something I couldn't quite identify. "No problem."

As I left the café, I was met with the usual bustle of the city, but it felt different—lighter, somehow. The conversation with Levi had opened a door to possibilities I hadn't considered before, and while the path was uncertain, it was one I felt ready to explore.

Spencer's earlier advice echoed in my mind as I made my way back to the office. "Pretend you're in a reality show," she had said. It wasn't the worst idea. Maybe viewing my interactions with Levi through the lens of a dramatic TV show would make the situation less daunting and more manageable.

When I finally reached my office, Spencer was waiting for me, her expression a mix of curiosity and anticipation. "So, how did it go?"

I grinned, despite the swirl of emotions inside me. "It was... interesting. We didn't chop each other's heads off."

Spencer's eyes lit up. "That sounds like progress! Or at least like you've managed to avoid making things worse."

I laughed, the tension of the past few days lifting just a little. "Yeah, progress. Let's see how it goes."