by Sofia Grey
My tears were receding, but I kept my face pressed to his shirt. “I wish you could see him. I wish you were real.”
“Do you know where he is?” His hands continued to soothe me. “You could take us both there. Just think it.”
Did I want to go back to the vets? Yes. I squeezed my eyes shut, thought of the kennels at the back of the vet’s consulting rooms, and opened my eyes to see Charlie staring at me.
“Hey.” Levi dropped to a crouch and held one hand through the bars of the cage. His other held me, our fingers tangled together. “He’s a handsome boy.” Charlie sniffed him thoroughly, always suspicious of strangers, and then licked his palm. Accepted him.
Fear had taken root as a solid lump in my throat, and I could feel fresh tears welling. Levi squeezed my fingers. “He’s strong, Jess. He won’t give up without a fight.” I hoped he was right.
Moments later, Levi slid his fingers through my hair, and tucked an errant strand behind my ear. “I’m sorry. I can’t stay as long as I’d like. Go get some sleep now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“You’ll be waiting on the wooden bench? Are you always there, Levi? I don’t dream of anywhere else at the moment.”
“Waitin’ for you, Jess. Only you.” He pressed the most exquisitely tender kiss onto my forehead and then disappeared.
I stroked Charlie’s head some more. Was this the last time I’d see my dog alive?
Chapter Twelve
I surfaced slowly the next morning, my memories a mixture of fear and calm. Levi’s soothing voice telling me Charlie was strong, mixed in with the desperate cab ride to the vet. I thought back to my disastrous date with Jack. If Mum hadn’t sent me a text, how much longer would I have stayed in the club with him?
I shivered, and tugged the duvet higher. Everything had changed in my year away. Charlie. The idea of Dad retiring. Jack being a complete asshole. Even Becca acting oddly with Toby.
Was anything as I’d left it?
The news from the vet was hopeful. My dog looked a little stronger this morning, but it was still too soon to tell if he’d make it.
When I checked the calendar, it was two weeks until Christmas. Mum and Dad insisted I stay out of the shop until the new year, that I needed time to get used to being at home again. My friends were all busy at work, and after visiting Charlie, I had the day to myself.
It was typical December weather in Manchester, icy cold and overcast, and not pleasant to be outside. I found myself heading for the warmth and lights of the Trafford Centre.
The Christmas decorations were just as lush and colourful as I’d hoped, and after wandering up and down the galleries, I ended up at the bench close to the cinema. I had an odd, déjà vu moment, when I wondered if Levi would be there. How stupid.
Even though I knew he couldn’t join me, I sat there and watched the world go by. Harried mothers with children clinging to their hands, office workers shopping during their lunch break, and bands of noisy teenagers all walked past me. Nobody I wanted to see, and yet I stayed. I felt closer to Levi when I sat there, and how crazy was that?
****
I watched my parents prepare dinner together, as they did most nights. It was one of their ways to unwind after a busy day, and was a routine as familiar to me as brushing my teeth in the morning. Was it my imagination or was Dad moving slower these days? His hair was more silvered at the temples, but his eyes were as bright blue as ever. Not as bright as Levi’s, but I’d never seen anyone with peepers like his.
My parents had the perfect marriage. Even when they argued, you could see the love underscoring whatever it was they disagreed on. I’d never marry unless I found someone to love me as much as Dad loved Mum. A foolish part of me had hoped to find that with Jack, but I knew better now.
“Hey, Dad. I know you were Welsh, but did you come from Snowdonia?”
He turned and smiled at me, reaching for Mum’s hand at the same time. “No, but my Taid—your great-grandfather—did. I’d been researching my family history that summer, when I met your mother. Why do you ask?”
A guy I’ve been dreaming about mentioned it. “No reason.”
I caught up with Becca in the evening, and managed to grab half an hour with her, in a quiet corner of the pub.
“How was Sx2?”
I grimaced. “Not my thing. Not the club, or Jack.” I looked up from my drink and met her sympathetic smile. “It wasn’t a good night.” I’d already told her about Charlie, but wanted to tell her about Jack face to face.
“I’m sorry, hun. I always thought he was an arrogant prick, but you never saw that.”
I did now. “What’s the deal with Toby? You like him?”
Her cheeks coloured and she fanned herself with a beermat. “Have you seen the boy play rugby? Jesus. He’s fit.”
“And?”
“And nothing. He hangs out with Jack. And no matter how much I might be lusting after Toby, that’s enough to make me see sense. His first loyalty would always be to Jack-god’s-gift-to-women-Harper.”
I giggled, for the first time that day. “Are there any decent guys left in town?”
She shrugged and pulled a funny face. “Now you’re asking.” Fixing me with a smile, she raised her glass. “It’s my day off tomorrow. Let’s hit the Trafford Centre. We can go shopping, have a liquid lunch, and go the movies in the afternoon. What do you say?”
“You’re on.”
Chapter thirteen
For the first night since I’d left New Zealand, I didn’t dream of Levi. I tossed and turned in my bed, my thoughts consumed with brilliant blue eyes, and arms that could hold all my fears at bay.
Would I ever meet a man like that? Maybe I should go on holiday to Snowdonia and do some digging into my own family history.
The next morning, Mum gave me an update from the vet. Charlie was hanging on, and responding to medication, but the prognosis was still uncertain. Sadness draped around me like a blanket over my shoulders, but I tidied my hair, applied a little makeup, and went to meet Becca.
She hugged me. “I love your new haircut, by the way, Jess. It makes your cheekbones really stand out.” My friend’s mop of dark hair reminded me briefly of Levi, before I wrenched my focus back. Today was about spending time with real people, not mooning over someone who existed only inside my head.
Becca hustled me into her aging car, selected a noisy playlist from her iPod, and we set off for the short drive to the mall. The music was too loud to hold a proper conversation, but we had all day to catch up.
Over a platter of dim sum, we put the world to rights. Two glasses of wine probably helped, and I felt almost mellow as we wandered through the galleries, browsing the goods on display, and trying on a few clothes. Becca snapped up some leather boots in a Christmas sale, and I bought some more presents to add to the pile under the tree in Mum’s lounge.
The movies would be a good place to chill out, and we headed for the booking office to check the timings. We had to walk past Levi’s bench, as I now thought of it, and I gazed at it, as we approached. Instead of a hot blue-eyed guy, it was taken by an elderly woman with a mountain of shopping.
I paused, and checked my phone, in case there was any more news of Charlie, but there was none. While I stood there, lost in thought, Becca nudged me.
“There’s a guy over there waving at you. Yum-mee. Look right.”
What? I looked up, and saw Levi.
My heart thudded so hard that my ribs would be bruised. I must be asleep. But…memories of the day so far flickered through my head. No dream would be this long, this detailed.
“Now he’s kinda hot.” Becca's murmur shocked me into alertness. “Seems to know you.”
Levi strode toward us, looking the same as in every other dream, yet subtly different. He wore a scuffed leather jacket over the T-shirt, had a pack slung carelessly over one shoulder, and a cautious look in his eyes.
This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t.
Had I gone insane? I
f I was hallucinating, then Becca was too. None of this made any sense.
He paused, a step away from us. “Jess.” He was the only person who could say my name with so much feeling.
“Levi?” It came out as a squeak. “What, uh, why…I mean how? How did you get here?” I flicked my hand at the nearby shops. “Here.” I repeated.
“Waitin’ for you, Jess.” He’d said that in my dream. I dug both fists into my temples. There had to be a rational explanation, I just couldn’t see it.
“Um, if you’re not going to introduce me, I’ll do it myself.” Becca thrust out a hand to Levi, who shook it firmly, his gaze never leaving me. “I’m Becca Maddingly, Jessie’s best friend. And you would be…?”
“Levi Hapuku.” He dropped Becca’s hand and reached out to me. “We met in Wellington. You haven’t forgotten me already, have you?” Mischief danced in his eyes, and I swallowed down the hysterical laugh that threatened to erupt.
“We did?”
He cocked his head slightly to one side, eyes searching my face. “We danced at Mighty Mike’s. And went up the Rimutakas together.” His hand closed around mine, and he tugged me gently into his embrace. After a long frozen moment, I snaked my arms around his neck and let him hold me. I was trembling from head to toe, but when I breathed in the oh-so-familiar forest scent of his skin, my racing heart began to calm down.
“I’ve surprised you.” His voice rumbled over my head, and sent a fresh set of tingles through my blood.
“Yes.” Everything about him felt familiar. Safe. Even if it made no sense. “I didn’t expect to see you. Ever. I don’t understand how you’re here.”
“I’ll explain later.”
Explain? How would he possibly be able to do that?
“Hey.” Becca interrupted. “Instead of going to the movies, why don’t we grab a coffee? I can see you two might like some time together. We can all get acquainted.”
“Sounds like a plan.” I was glad when Levi replied. I wasn’t capable of speech. God knew how I’d explain this to Becca, when I couldn’t rationalise it myself.
I disentangled from Levi, and shoved my treacherous hands in my pockets. Left to their own devices they’d probably grab hold of him and never let go. Maybe I was psychic? Dad had always muttered about having a sixth sense he couldn’t explain away, and I might have inherited that, although why it’d never manifested before was anyone’s guess. Or maybe I was just crazy. First the talking wolf-dog, and now Levi.
“Where to, girls? I’m a stranger here.” He hitched the pack higher on his shoulder, and smiled. Jesus. That smile was doing funny things to me. I shoved away the memories of dancing with him, of his molasses sweet voice in my ear, his hands on my skin.
Inside, I jumped up and down, and pointed at him, while squealing like a little girl. You’re real. Really real. With Becca beside me, I had to behave normally, and try to pretend I’d met him in the usual way. All the questions I wanted to ask would have to come later.
Becca snagged us a table at the nearest café, chatting with Levi as we sat down. I followed in a daze and rapidly tried to pull myself together. I couldn’t stop staring at him. I wanted to touch his chest, rub my knuckles across his delicious stubble, and to convince myself he was really there.
“So,” she began in a bright voice. “You met in Wellington? That’s cool. Are you here on holiday? Or did you fall madly in love with Jess and follow her half-way around the world?”
Levi’s smile was for me alone. It promised sin and pleasure in equal portions, and I felt my cheeks heat. How did he do that? Just one look and I was squirming in my seat. “Something like that,” he murmured. Dipping into the little bowl on the table, he pulled out four sachets of sugar and dumped them all in his black coffee. Becca and I both watched, bemused. “What? I need the energy.” The lazy smile flashed again. “I’ve been awake for most of the past thirty hours, and I’m going to crash soon. Can you tell me where I can find a backpackers?”
I forestalled Becca’s question. “They’re called hostels here, and I’ve no idea. Where were you planning to go?”
He shrugged. “I’ve got friends in Snowdonia. I was heading there.”
Becca leaned forward, her drink forgotten. “It’s hours away, do you have a car? And if you’re tired, you shouldn’t try to drive so far.” She glanced at me, and winked. “I could put up a folding bed for you above the pub if you like. It wouldn’t be very comfortable, though.”
Levi opened his mouth, but Becca continued. “Hang on. Don’t you have a spare room at your mum’s, Jess?”
They both looked at me, Becca the picture of innocence, and Levi with amusement. “Yes, we do. You’re welcome to stay at my parents.”
Fifteen minutes of small talk later, we all squeezed into Becca’s car along with Levi’s pack, and our shopping, and then we headed for home. We would have stayed longer, but Levi looked wiped out and ready to crash at any minute.
When Becca parked outside Mum’s, she gave me a quick hug. “Come and see me tomorrow. I want to know everything.” She’d be lucky. I didn’t know anything myself. At least, not yet.
Of course, Mum and Dad were both already home, so there was still no chance to talk privately with Levi. I’d texted Mum to warn her, and they both came to meet Levi the moment we opened the door.
“Sorry about this,” I muttered. I fully expected a cheerful welcome for him. My parents loved to meet my friends, and were usually perfectly genial hosts.
I closed the front door. “Mum, Dad, this is Levi.” I was in the process of wriggling out of my coat when I realised my parents—and Levi—were all silent.
Dad sniffed the air, like a hunting dog scenting a rabbit. His eyes narrowed and he took a step forward. “Come with me, Levi. Let’s go and talk in the kitchen.”
Chapter Fourteen
Dad closed the kitchen door with a firm clunk behind him, and I was left staring at Mum. “What the hell? Levi only wants to stay the night, not move in or anything.” Dad had never behaved like this before.
“I don’t know, love.” Taking my arm, she guided me to the living room. “He’ll have good reason though. Let’s give them a few minutes to talk before we go and rescue your boy.”
I dropped my bags on the carpet and sank into an armchair next to the Christmas tree. As usual, it was completely overloaded with sparkly baubles and tinsel, and all the toys and trinkets I remembered from childhood. At least some things hadn’t changed.
One spinning ornament caught my eye. A tiny wooden wolf, carved in intricate detail. We had a full set of these, had hung them up for years, and I’d never given them a second glance. Now though, I looked at it properly. That crazy talking-dog in the pound had been a wolf, I was sure.
“Mum, where did these wolves come from?”
She looked up from her phone. “They were a present from some of your dad’s distant cousins. They were carved in Wales.” I knew before she said it. “In Snowdonia.”
“Levi has friends there. I don’t think I’ve ever been.”
“We took you when you were little. One of your father’s family research trips.”
“He doesn’t bother with that any more, does he?”
Mum stood, and walked to the windows, to adjust the curtains. “No, love. He told me some secrets are best left hidden. I think he found something he didn’t like.”
“What, like a murderer or something?” My imagination ran riot.
Her reply was halted when footsteps sounded in the hallway, and Dad came into the living room, followed by Levi.
Dad smiled, but it looked forced. Behind him, Levi shuffled his feet and stared at the carpet. Anxiety clawed inside my chest at yet another outbreak of craziness. Did my father already know him? How could that be?
“It’s getting late. Levi can stay tonight, and I’ll drop him at the station in the morning.” Dad’s voice was gruff.
I took a deep breath, and pushed to my feet. “What’s going on? You don’t act like this with an
y of my other friends.”
“Jessie,” he began, but Levi interrupted, his gaze seeking me, and locking on to my eyes.
“She deserves to know, Mr. Morgan.”
Dad shook his head. “I disagree.”
There was something terribly wrong with this picture. Common sense told me to trust my father, but my gut screamed to go to Levi. I covered the few steps between us, and reached out to take his hand. His fingers instantly tangled with mine, and the butterflies in my stomach calmed at the touch. “Dad. I have to know, whatever it is. I know you’re hiding something, but Levi is…” I groped for the right words. “He’s important. To me.”
“You met him an hour ago.”
Time to face up to the crazy. I lifted my chin and met Dad’s hostile stare. “I’ve been dreaming about him all week. Vividly. I know I’m about a psychic as a teapot, and I can’t explain it, but it’s like we’ve known each other for much longer.” I swallowed hard. I loved my parents, and hurting them would be the last thing I ever wanted to do, but this had to be said. “I don’t want to fight with you, but I won’t let you cut Levi out of my life. Not when he’s only just come into it.”
Levi lifted his free hand and ran his knuckles down my cheek, mimicking the thought I’d had earlier. Soft and gentle, he soothed me even with the high tension levels in the room.
Dad blew out a noisy breath, but then Mum cleared her throat, and the room fell silent. “I dreamed about you, Alec. You came to my dreams every night after we met. You followed me back to Yorkshire and convinced me I wanted to move to Manchester.” She stepped up, and slid her arm around Dad’s waist. “You’re not so different.”
“I don’t want our only child living half way around the bloody world.”
“Whoa.” This was getting out of hand. “What are you talking about now?”
“Your father’s worried that you’ll follow me back to New Zealand.” Levi’s smile suggested he was joking, but his eyes darkened.
I laughed. “Talk about a whirlwind romance. Do I get a say in this?” My words hung in the air and I looked back at Dad. Lines dug into his forehead, and his jaw tightened. He didn’t think it was funny.