Chapter 41: 38

I spotted Levi the moment I stepped into the café. He was already in my seat—the one by the window—looking maddeningly comfortable as he scrolled through his phone. When his gaze lifted to meet mine, that stupid smirk of his appeared instantly, like he'd been expecting me all along.

I debated turning around and leaving, but that would mean letting him win. So instead, I squared my shoulders and marched over to him, trying to ignore the way my pulse quickened when his eyes tracked my every step.

"Carson," I said, dropping into the seat across from him. "Move. That's my table."

"Abel," he countered, leaning back in his chair and lacing his fingers behind his head. "Didn't see your name on it."

I narrowed my eyes. "It's implied."

He tilted his head, pretending to think it over. "Implied, huh? Well, if that's the case, I guess we'll just have to share."

I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off with a lazy grin. "Unless, of course, you're too intimidated to sit here with me."

"Intimidated?" I scoffed, even as my cheeks burned. "By you? Please."

Levi leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. The sudden closeness made my breath hitch, and he noticed—of course he noticed. "You're blushing," he said, his tone low and teasing. "Didn't realize I had that kind of effect on you."

"I'm not blushing," I snapped, my voice higher than I intended. I grabbed the menu to shield my face, but it was a flimsy defense. "It's just hot in here."

He chuckled, the sound rich and warm. "Sure it is."

I glared at him over the top of the menu, but that only made his grin widen. "You think you're so charming, don't you?" I said, trying to sound unaffected.

"I don't think," he replied smoothly, his eyes locking onto mine. "I know."

"Well, it's not working," I shot back, hoping he couldn't see how my hands trembled slightly as I set the menu down.

"Then why can't you stop looking at me?" His voice was soft, almost a whisper, but it held a challenge that made my heart stumble.

My mind scrambled for a comeback, but nothing coherent came to mind. I was *very aware* of how close he was now, his gaze steady and unwavering. "Maybe I'm just... trying to figure out what makes you so insufferable," I said, finally managing to string some words together.

"Insufferable, huh?" He leaned even closer, his voice dropping to a near-murmur. "And yet, here you are, sitting across from me. Almost like you wanted to be."

"I didn't want to—" I started, but he cut me off with a knowing look.

"You didn't have to," he said, his lips curving into that maddeningly confident smirk. "But you did. Interesting, isn't it?"

I felt the heat rise in my cheeks again, and this time, I had no excuse. "Don't flatter yourself," I muttered, dropping my gaze to the table.

"Too late," he said, his voice tinged with amusement. "But, for the record, I think you like this."

"Like what?" I asked, my eyes snapping back to his.

"This," he said, gesturing between us. "The banter. The back-and-forth. The way you blush every time I say something remotely clever."

"I do not blush," I said, my voice cracking slightly. His smile turned downright wicked, and I knew he'd caught it.

"Sure you don't," he said, leaning back in his chair like he'd just won the biggest prize of all. "But if you ever want to admit it, Abel, I'll be right here."

"Right where?" I asked before I could stop myself, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"Right where you need me to be," he said, his tone suddenly serious, his eyes meeting mine with an intensity that stole the air from my lungs.

For a moment, I forgot how to speak.

The weight of Levi's words hung in the air between us, thick and impossible to ignore. My mind scrambled for a response, but his gaze—sharp and unrelenting—made forming coherent thoughts feel like an Olympic sport.

"That's... presumptuous of you," I finally managed, though my voice betrayed me with its faint tremor.

Levi's lips twitched, but it wasn't the cocky grin I'd expected. This one was softer, more knowing, as if he could see through every layer of armor I'd carefully constructed. "Not presumptuous," he said, his voice dropping just enough to make my heart skip. "Just confident."

"Confident," I echoed, hoping repetition would buy me time to collect myself. "Or delusional?"

He chuckled, the sound warm and infuriatingly attractive. "Delusional would be thinking you don't enjoy this as much as I do."

I blinked, my face heating so fast I could practically feel it radiating. "I don't—enjoy—" I stammered, fumbling over the words like an amateur.

"Don't you?" His eyes sparkled with mischief, but there was something else there, too—something deeper, more sincere. "Because, Abel, you're still sitting here, letting me get under your skin."

"Maybe I'm just too polite to leave," I shot back, though the quiver in my voice didn't exactly scream confidence.

"Polite?" He leaned forward again, and suddenly, the table felt too small, the air too charged. "You? Since when?"

I opened my mouth to retort, but he wasn't done. "No, Cora. You stay because you like the way this feels—the push and pull, the tension. You're intrigued." His gaze flicked to my lips for the briefest moment before returning to my eyes, and I swore my heart forgot how to function.

"You think you know me so well," I said, my voice quieter now, almost breathless.

"I don't think," he said, echoing his earlier words. "I know." His lips curved into a soft smile, one that felt like a secret meant just for me. "And I know you're trying really hard not to blush right now."

I let out a sound somewhere between a scoff and a nervous laugh, my hands curling into fists under the table. "I'm not blushing."

Levi's grin turned downright devilish. "Prove it."

I froze, my mind racing with a thousand comebacks, none of them good enough. "You're impossible," I muttered, looking away in a futile attempt to hide my face.

"And yet," he said, his voice almost gentle now, "you're still here."

I risked a glance back at him, and the look on his face—equal parts teasing and earnest—nearly undid me. It wasn't fair, the way he could disarm me with a single look, a single word.

"Maybe I'm just waiting for you to leave," I said weakly, knowing it was a lie the second the words left my mouth.

Levi's smile softened, and he leaned back, his posture relaxed but his eyes still fixed on mine. "Hate to break it to you, Abel, but I'm not going anywhere."

And somehow, despite how infuriating he was, I realized I didn't want him to.

Levi Carson, with all his arrogance and charm, had again managed to leave me completely speechless. And from the way his smirk softened into something almost tender, he knew it too.