Her breath caught as Levi's lips hovered over hers. His hand remained on her jaw, the other still gripping her waist like if he let go, something would vanish.
"You got me black tea I didn't ask for," he murmured against her lips.
Alexa's voice was barely a whisper. "You're welcome."
He didn't pull back. Didn't smile. Just tilted his head, his mouth brushing the corner of hers as he spoke again—lower now.
"You're trying to change me."
His lips slid to her neck, not kissing—just breathing her in. His words struck low, sending shivers through her spine.
"That's dangerous, Xandria."
She swallowed.
He pulled back only enough to see her face—flushed, uncertain, but not afraid. Not of him.
"You make me want to protect you more than I should," he continued, lips brushing the edge of her cheek now. "You make me feel like I still have a soul."
Alexa didn't speak.
Couldn't.
Because the way he was looking at her—like she was something he both craved and feared—made her heart pound so hard it hurt.
"You even wore my shirt," Levi said, voice rough now, as if it scraped its way out of his chest. "Sweet, quiet little Xandria…"
His hand came up, thumb brushing her lip.
"You know how my tea tastes," he whispered, leaning close again. "But I don't know how your lips do."
Then, slowly—without force or rush—he kissed her.
It wasn't wild.
It wasn't perfect.
But it was real.
Raw.
His lips were soft at first, like he was learning her. Like he didn't want to ruin this. Then deeper, surer, until she made a sound in her throat—a soft gasp that made his hand tighten on her waist.
When he finally pulled back, barely, his forehead touched hers.
"You're mine," he breathed, like it was a truth he'd fought for too long. "And I don't even know what that means anymore."
Alexa opened her eyes slowly, her fingers still tangled in his shirt.
"I didn't mean to—" she started.
"I know," he cut in gently. "That's what makes it worse."
She looked at him, lips parted, uncertain.
He didn't let go of her. Just held her there. Close.
Still trying to understand what the hell was happening inside him.
And for once, he didn't push her away.
He just stayed.
Letting her feel it.
Letting himself feel it, too.
For a long moment, neither of them spoke.
Levi stood still, forehead resting against hers, his breath brushing her skin as if he was trying to calm something inside himself. But nothing was calm.
Not when she was this close.
Not when her fingers were still clenched in his shirt like she didn't want him to move.
Not when her lips had just touched his—and now everything felt different.
Too different.
His heart was beating like it didn't belong to him anymore.
Alexa's hand loosened slightly, her voice small. "You regret it already, don't you?"
Levi didn't move. Didn't flinch.
He just breathed out slowly. "No."
Her eyes lifted to his. "Then why do you look like you want to disappear?"
His jaw tensed.
Because she wasn't wrong.
"I don't… do this," he said, voice low, rough. "Whatever this is."
"You kissed me," she said softly.
"I know."
"And you didn't stop."
He finally met her gaze again. "I know."
Her lips curled—not in a smile, not fully. Just something caught between relief and something she wasn't ready to name yet. "Then what now?"
Levi looked away, just for a second. But even in that second, the weight behind his eyes gave him away.
"I don't know," he admitted.
Alexa stepped back slightly, giving him space, even if every part of her didn't want to.
"I didn't mean to mess anything up," she said, arms folding over her chest. "I didn't come here to seduce you, Levi."
"I know that too," he said, his tone softer now. Almost tired.
He ran a hand down his face, then stared at the floor for a long second before finally sitting down on the edge of the bed. His elbows rested on his knees, eyes distant.
"I've been trying to keep a line between us," he muttered. "A wall."
"And now?"
He let out a slow breath.
"You climbed over it. With black tea. And my shirt."
That made her smile, a small quiet one. "Guess I'm dangerous."
Levi glanced up at her, eyes sharpening again, but not in warning this time. "You are. More than you know."
Alexa stepped forward again, slowly, and sat beside him.
She didn't reach for his hand. Didn't lean into him. She just sat close enough that her warmth reminded him she was still there.
Still real.
"I'm not asking you for anything," she said. "Not answers. Not promises. Just… don't shut me out."
He didn't answer for a long time.
Then, without looking at her, he whispered, "Stay."
One word.
That was all.
But Alexa heard everything in it.
And she stayed.
Not just in the room.
But with him.
Even as Levi sat silent, staring ahead, unsure what to do next—unsure how to stop the feeling building inside him.
****
Levi stood abruptly.
The moment felt too close. Too quiet. And too much.
He didn't say a word—just crossed the room and disappeared into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind him.
Alexa sat still on the bed, eyes following the closed door, unsure if she should've said something else. But then again… maybe silence was what he needed.
Inside the bathroom, Levi turned the tap, letting cold water rush into the basin as he gripped the edge of the sink, knuckles white.
"What the hell are you doing," he muttered, voice low and sharp.
He stared at his reflection—cheeks flushed, chest still rising faster than normal. The remnants of her scent still clung to his shirt.
"She's not a game," he snapped at himself. "She's not like the others."
He yanked the shirt over his head and threw it onto the counter.
"You let her wear your clothes. You let her kiss you. You—"
He stopped, jaw clenched.
Because none of it had felt like a mistake.
And that was the real problem.
He turned on the shower, steam starting to rise as he stepped inside, hoping the water would drown the thoughts clawing at him.
Meanwhile—
Alexa let out a small sigh, brushing her fingers along the edge of his pillow.
She hadn't meant for things to go that way. Not really. But now… now the room felt warmer. Safer. Like maybe—for the first time—she wasn't just surviving in his house.
She pulled the blanket back and slid under it, curling to one side. His scent was everywhere—cedar, something smoky, sharp and clean. It made her heart beat slower. Softer.
She closed her eyes.
"Just until he's done," she murmured, voice barely audible.
But part of her didn't want to leave at all.
And neither did he.
Even as the water ran, and Levi pressed a fist to the tile wall, jaw clenched, he knew the truth was already sinking in:
He was falling.
Hard.
And maybe he'd been falling long before tonight.
***
The bathroom door opened with a soft click, steam curling into the hallway like mist after a storm.
Levi stepped out, towel draped around his neck, sweatpants hanging low on his hips, his damp hair pushed back carelessly. He rubbed a hand over his face as he crossed the threshold to his room, the faint scent of soap clinging to his skin.
Then he stopped.
There—curled up in the middle of his bed like she belonged there—was Alexa.
Fast asleep.
His shirt still on her, rumpled now. One arm tucked beneath her head. The blanket half-kicked away.
Her breathing was steady.
Her lips slightly parted.
And for a moment, Levi didn't move. Didn't breathe.
He just looked at her.
At how soft her features were when she wasn't overthinking, arguing, or biting back against the world. At how… peaceful she looked, in a house that never gave anyone peace.
He should've woken her.
Should've told her to go.
But instead, he took a slow step closer. Then another. Until he was standing right at the edge of the bed, looking down at her.
His chest ached in a way he didn't want to admit.
"Damn you," he whispered under his breath.
Then, gently, he reached down and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders.
She stirred a little. Lips moving. Brow twitching. But didn't wake.
Levi stood there for a long moment, towel still clutched in one hand.
And then—
He sat on the armchair near the window. Quiet. Watchful. A hundred unreadable things in his eyes.
He didn't touch her.
Didn't lie beside her.
But he didn't leave either.
Because tonight, for some unspoken reason…
…he just wanted to be close.
To her.
Even if it was only in silence.