Page 63 of Picking Daisies on Sundays

“It was probably the way her butt looked in that dress,” Lexi commented, making us all laugh.

“Is he coming to the show?” Daya asked.

The exhibit was after the wedding. Bella said Levi practically had the job, and Sarah’s wedding would only confirm that he was committed. I didn’t know what would become of us then. But there would be no point in our ruse lasting to that point.

“I’m not sure,” I said. And it was the closest thing to the truth I had said this month.

29

To be close to you was to be haunted by

what I couldn’t have and to be reminded of how much I truly wanted you

I think if Vera were here right now, she’d physically combust. Because when I decided earlier today to go to Levi’s class early, I hadn’t expected to find him at the front of the lecture hall in his glasses.

Levi had mentioned that the professor he TA’s for offers him a lot of freedom in the class to teach. But I hadn’t expected to find him standing at the front of the class completely alone, teaching like a dark academia dream.

He had on a brown sweater that matched the color of his hair, the same shade of a wooden, walnut-stained bookcase you’d find in the corners of a smalltown bookstore. His hands anxiously adjusted the bridge of his glasses as he spoke, returning back to the safety of his trouser pockets to keep from fidgeting. Despite the nervous ticks, he looked in his element standing at the front of the room. A room completely filled with women, and only one guy at the front.

I had been looking forward to this moment all week, because experiencing him teach firsthand during high school when he got

me through writing persuasive essays was one thing. But to see him teach a classroom full of college students was like witnessing an athlete make it to the Olympics.

I stood outside the open door, listening to him discuss the agenda for the next class as a girl in the back of the lecture hall spoke up.

“Mr. Coldwell, could you say that in French this time?” All of the girls began giggling. My hand flew to my face to stifle a laugh.Mr. Coldwellwas the hottest thing I’d ever heard, and I’m a diehard historical romance film watcher, so that says a lot.

Levi laughed. It sounded like his embarrassed laugh when a blush hit his cheekbones and the sound came from his throat rather than his stomach. He ran a flustered hand through his hair, relaxing his tall stature against the surface of the desk behind him.

“If this was a French class, I would, but last time I checked, this was Austen Literature. Also, I said this before, you can just call me Levi,” he responded rather professionally. For someone who did quite a bit of flirting in high school, he had a difficult time receiving it without blushing. These girls were more forward than Bella.

“Levi,”the girl replied with a smirk on her face, “don’t you think it would enhance the romantic literature experience if you said it in French though?”

The image that formed in my mind of Levi speaking in French caused my bags to practically leap out of my hands in surprise.Dammit. I jolted forward in front of the doorway to grab them, bringing everyone’s attention to…me.

“Dani?” he asked in surprise, obviously unaware that I had been hiding behind the doorway watching.

Shit.

Brushing my hair out of my face, now crouched on the ground trying to collect my things, I replied, “Hey.” Very nonchalant of me.

Levi looked up at the auditorium of seats where everyone was staring at us, registering the attention I had gathered. “Class is over,” he replied, permitting everyone to gather their things and leave early.

Rushing over to me, he nudged his pant leg up, getting down on one knee to help collect my things. The only thing that could have made this more mortifying was if my heart rolled out of the bag with his name written across it, along with my dignity.

I began to apologize for the interruption but the sole male student I noticed earlier joined us on the ground to help me gather my things.

“Hey, thanks man,” Levi said in a more casual tone that I had expected, sweeping the last of my things into my bag and standing up.

“It’s not a problem, you looked like you needed the help back there anyways,” the guy said with a laugh, referencing all the girls giggling at Levi.

“With no help from you! I swear you enjoy witnessing my embarrassment.” They both laughed.

“Oliver this is Daisy—Dani, I mean,” Levi said in a stumbled manner. “Oliver’s one of my roommates.”

Oh!I had yet to see Levi’s apartment, but I knew that he shared it with three roommates. Oliver was cute but didn’t come off as the type to take a literature class, let alone an Austen literature class, with his football hoodie and chestnut slippers. Itleft me to assume that he took it to see Levi.

“Daisy?” Oliver said in surprise, like he was putting together pieces of a puzzle where one had been missing. He turned to Levi with a narrowed gaze before asking me, “Have you read Levi’s book?”