The Summer Before

Chapter Forty-One

Levi

I couldn't believe it. Every chance I got, I snuck a peek at Tessa just to see if I'd blacked out and imagined everything that happened in that storage room. When she saw me watching her, though, and smiled sweetly in my direction, I knew it was real.

It would seem that no matter what happens between us, Tessa and I keep finding our way back to one another. Thank God for that!

I finish helping Charlotte's dad move prop boxes to the photo booth and chance another look at where I last saw Tessa. She's setting out table numbers with Leah, laughing about something, curling her full lips into a joyful smile.

Man, I've missed that smile.

It's the same smile I used to see on her face all the time when we were kids, and even more last summer until-.

Don't ruin it, Levi. Let it go, at least for tonight.

I shake the thought from my head as I let myself gaze back at Tessa. She's still wearing that smile and talking to Leah. As if sensing me, she glances my way, fixing those emerald eyes on my blues.

Her face softens, making her look content- happy even- as she looks at me. My heart swells at the thought that maybe we can fix everything and return to where we once were. The look in Tessa's eyes gives me hope.

As I start to get lost in fantasy again, I see her eyes shift to the left, looking at something before darting back to me with a hint of concern. Before I can process what that look could be about, someone next to me clears their throat.

My head snaps in the direction of the newcomer. Colin.

He's wearing a slight smirk as he takes a sip of water. His eyes glide between Tessa and me knowingly. "So, how's everything going over here?"

His tone is friendly, but I've known Colin for long enough to hear the undercurrent of his words. He knows there's something up between Tessa and me. Hell, she's probably filled him in on our little game and all the details that have played out so far.

I can't say I blame her. The game we started was intense, and if our friend groups weren't so tightly twined together, I'd likely talk to my friends about it too. But with Jason being Tessa's brother, Micah being Colin's boyfriend, and Landon having some weird thing going on with Leah, that was a non-option for me.

Clearing my throat, I tried to play it cool. "Everything's good, man. Just helping with whatever I can."

"I've noticed."

The way he said it made me nervous. It was almost as if he had a secret he was dying to share. Instead of playing his game, I said nothing, focusing my attention on anything but Colin- or Tessa.

When I didn't respond, Colin continued, "It was awful nice of you to help Tessa find that stuff in the storage room. She was back there for a long time. Must have been buried deep for her not to see it on her own."

There was a double meaning in his words, but I wasn't quite sure what his angle was. Colin has always been observant. He probably noticed the second my feelings for Tessa started to reappear.

That or he thinks we were back there fucking.

Instead of unpacking that, I nodded, replying, "Yeah, of course. It was no problem."