Page 28 of Picking Daisies on Sundays

“Dani!” all six girls called, turning around to face me, revealing Levi who was hidden behind them in the doorway. His hair was soaked and pushed back. There were rain drops sitting on his clothes like sparkles. He wore a canvas jacket, a black T-shirt, and jeans.

He had a backpack pulled over his shoulder, and in his free hand, an umbrella that looked like it was mauled by a dog.

I gulped.

The room felt incredibly silent, and maybe that’s because it was. Was everyone watching us?

"I’m sorry I’m not dressed nicer,” he said with a shy smile. I couldn’t figure out if it was because we were going out on what was a date but not really a date, or because he was in a fashion university, where everyone was dressed for a night out.

“No, no,” I rushed to say. “I’m not wearing anything special,” trying to reassure him. It was true though; I was dressed in a mini dress that I made years ago from extra satin fabric that was polka-dotted with vintage pink flowers, paired with a sweater pulled over it, disguising my dress to look like a skirt.

The only thing that looked partially nice was my hair, which I had straightened, making it appear slightly longer than usual. But that was about to go out the window based on how his hair looked.

I couldn’t tell if I imagined his eyes wondering over my fairly bare legs. But he cleared his throat and spoke, sounding slightly flustered. “It’s raining.”

I released a small laugh, still unsure of how my voice was going to sound. “Oh really? I thought you had visited the car wash.” He laughed. My heart squeezed.

Why were we standing at opposite sides of the room? I couldn’t tell you. All I know is that if I got any closer to him, I’d lose the ability to breathe.

“Is it possible you have an umbrella?” he asked with speculation.

“Unfortunately, I’m not that prepared.” There was a moment of silence, where I think we both realized that we’re about to be alone for the first time since high school. Every instance we’ve seen each other in the past week had been in the company of his family.

This was going to be the longest amount of time where it was just us—and Jia from afar, of course.

“Is this yourboyfriendddd, Daniella?”Amelia, a freshman studying international business who joined the club last year, cooed.

I’m kicking her out of the club.

My face grew hot like the embers of a fire. My mouth immediately opened to say no, but our plan came to fruition in my mind like a stop sign. What if I said no and it somehow got back to someone in his family? Or if someone here knew Bella or her mom? This one instance of embarrassment would ruin everything.

I sucked up my embarrassment and practically whispered, “Yes.” Instead of looking for Amelia’s reaction though, I looked for his. I expected him to look horrified or confused, but rather I was met with the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.

He was blushing. His cheeks were pink, and his eyes were turned down, while everyone else’s were glued to him.

“Dammit,” someone muttered in the group, making us laugh. If I told them no, at least one of the girls here would’ve given him their number.

On that note, I collected my bag, said my quick goodbyes, and walked us downstairs to the exit. Opening the main door in silence, I began walking outside until a wave of rain came pouring down, causing me to stumble backwards—directly into him.

Whoa. His hands caught my arms as my back hit his chest,

keeping me from tripping over my feet. Some form of apology escaped my lips as I ran from his grip, trying to suffice any dignity I had left. I hadn’t accounted for how close we were, or how perfectly tall he was that if I pushed onto the balls of my feet, my lips would meet his.

I turned back to the rainstorm outside, and then down at my delicate clothes and bare legs, mentally swearing at myself for not wearing jeans or at least bringing my umbrella.

Without having a chance to form another thought, a jacket—his jacket—wrapped around me. It smelled of sandalwood and cinnamon, and was heavy on my shoulders, like a workman’s jacket meant to protect his skin.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Positive.” He lifted the collar of his jacket over my shoulders, trying to create a shield from the rain for my hair.

As gracious as the gesture was, my hair ended up almost as soaked as his by the time we got to the train. And as much as I was disappointed that my hair was ruined and probably made me look like a wet rat, it helped break the tension between us because we were more focused on dodging puddles and cabs, rather than trying to talk.

Josh was standing behind the hosting podium when we entered the restaurant. He pointed out where Jia and her date would be sitting, and then let us seat ourselves.

“You weren’t kidding—you really do this a lot,” Levi commented, nodding to Josh’s figure.

“Almost every other Friday night,” I laughed, because there was no point in trying to lie about it at this point.