Free Messed Up by Molly Owens Page B

the conversation swiftly, “Nice hoodie, by the way.”
    “Do you like it? This incredibly hot guy let me borrow it. I don’t think I’m going to give it back anytime soon though,” I said, my adrenaline rush from earlier had left me feeling very ballsy.
    Levi grabbed the collar of the sweatshirt and pulled me gently toward him. He kissed me, this time slightly more aggressively. I let my hand find the back of his neck. His hands came around my body and pulled me closer to him. After the kiss ended we hugged and Levi said quietly, “I’m so lucky I met you.”
    “I’m glad you were so lucky,” I said smiling at him.
    “Can we get in your bed and just cuddle for a little bit?” he asked quietly. I nodded, because speaking is never easy with a heart that is fluttering like a hummingbird with ADHD. We climbed under the covers of my bed and I laid my head on his hard chest. We intertwined our fingers. I could feel Levi kiss my head gently. As I lay there looking at his strong hand laced around my own, I just kept thinking how gloriously unanticipated Levi’s presence in my life was. Could my life really be turning out this insanely perfect?
    We talked quietly for a while. Levi spoke in a low methodical voice, as he told me about his favorite books, music, and movies. I could feel my eyelids becoming heavy, and although I demanded that they remain open, wanting to hear every single detail about this amazing guy, I eventually let them softly shut. I felt warm in his arms, my head rising subtly up and down with his breath. I fell into a deep sleep.
     
    I woke up the next morning to find myself alone in bed. There was a note on my desk that read:
    Get a ride to work tonight. I’ll pick you up after closing.
    Glad you’re still in one amazingly perfect piece. -Levi.
     
    I smiled hugely to myself and did a little silent jumping around the room to celebrate.
     
    When my mom dropped me off at the yogurt shop, I found that I was working with Bryce Fanning. For once his presence didn’t cause me to roll my eyes and groan. His connection to Levi had given him with a new and improved status in my mind. Plus, there was the distinct possibility that we might even have the opportunity to talk about Levi, which seemed like a benefit as he was all that I could think about.
    We didn’t have much time for talking though; Yogurt Heaven was actually busy for the first time in a decade. We had a steady stream of customers forking over their hard earned cash for obscenely sized portions of frozen confections. I knew I’d be picturing strawberry yogurt with rainbow gummy bears every time I closed my eyes for a week.
    Things finally began to slow down, and I hurried around straightening up the shop so we wouldn’t have much to do for closing. Bryce, in contrast, pulled out a magazine which seemed equally dedicated to cars as to the scantily clothed women on top of them. He leaned against the counter reading . After restocking the carob chips and gum balls, I finally gave into my overwhelming desire to discuss the subject of Levi.
    I casually stood next to Bryce, trying to look uninterested, “So, you hung out with Levi last night?” I said as more of a statement than a question.
    “No,” he replied not looking up from his magazine.
    “Really, but he said...”
    “Oh,” Bryce looked up, startled, “Yeah, I mean. Chelsea, don’t distract me when I’m reading,” he went back to looking at his magazine, but his face looked a little strange, almost scared, “We hung out, okay.”
    Why so defensive, Bryce? “No big deal. Enjoy your little testosterone fest.”
    I went to the back of the store and started mopping. I tried my best not to let it bother me, but I couldn’t get Bryce’s reaction out of my head. I wondered if Levi had lied to me about being at Bryce’s house, but I couldn’t make sense of why he would. There was something on the tip of my mind that wouldn’t quit harassing me. I should remember to bring my iPod