There was a thrilling rush of heat taking over both as she teased his lips with hers. She was playing around with the kiss as if she was tempting a reaction out of him.

He replied eagerly with a warm kiss and a hot steady hand around her neck.

The words that he said echoed in her head. He liked her. It was such a comforting warm feeling that took over her whole body despite the tension in the air between them. She wasn't sure what liking her meant for him, but she hoped it meant she could have him for a short while. His hands slid down and he grabbed her by the waist.

He kept her close, kissing her back with equal enthusiasm, but he never got to finish what he wanted to tell her like why he had hesitated in pursuing her. Telling her everything including the story about his brother was still hard. Maybe he could not say anything at all. He could make his past irrelevant with her. Showing her love without the heaviness. He was confident in that.

There was one thing that all men in his family had in common, and that was they took commitment seriously. Once they found their person, they were all in. Full commitment or nothing at all. And Tai was the right woman for Aleksei.

He lowered his lips down to her neck and she tossed her head aside holding him close. His grip on her tightened.

Her eyes opened halfway for a moment, and at that very moment, she noticed someone outside the window. When she took a better look she noticed a person holding a camera and then that person retraced their steps and vanished.

"Aleksei.." She nudged him away. "I just saw someone out the window."

"What?" He asked still in a daze.

"Someone was taking pictures of us. I saw a person with a camera." She hastily got up and grabbed the jacket from her chair putting it on.

"Are you serious?" He got up and grabbed his things in a hurry. "Was it a girl or a guy?"

"I don't know, I just saw someone and they panicked when they got caught and ran off. I think they noticed through the camera lenses."

Aleksei took her hand. "Come on. Show me exactly where you saw that person standing.

***

Lev leaned over the counter in the kitchen when Nikita showed up, leaving his empty coffee mug in the sink. Things were awkward between them for a full day now.

"Are you by any chance free, right now?" Lev suddenly broke the silence, making Nikita tense up.

"Yes, why."

"Want to have lunch with me?"

"What?" Nikita asked, trying to avoid the jolt of panic. This was not a ..date invite right?

Lev raised his phone showing him the chat with Aleksei. " He has reservations at this place but he and Tai are in school studying so they can't make it."

"He and Tai?" Nikita didn't recall Tai saying anything about a date.

"It was last minute but they were supposed to go on a date today. So are you free? Wanna go?"

Nikita was having trouble getting all the information through his head. While he was thinking, Lev pulled out his pack of cigarettes and zippo out of his pocket. "Just go get ready, I'll smoke one outside." He headed towards the small balcony on the villa leaving Nikita to process how this was going to go down.

Half an hour later, Lev and Nikita were in the restaurant sitting opposite each other, waiting for the meal to arrive. Nikta was hiding his fidgeting under the table and the unsteady leg under the chair. He was trying to look calm on the outside but his heart wasn't having it. He knew Lev had probably forgotten all about their little incident as he didn't look uneasy at all around him. He probably didn't think twice about it. But Nikita replayed the scene over and over in his head and he couldn't help himself thinking this looked like a date.

"So you didn't know Tai and Aleksei were going on a date?" Lev asked Nikita, taking a sip from the water.

"No. I didn't." Nikita answered, reaching for the water himself. He was going to have a chat with Tai later about this.

"Mm well. It was a surprise for all of us." Lev said, thinking about how surprising it was Aleksei finally got the courage to do something about his unhealthy crush on Tai.

"This is a nice place." Nikita looked around the restaurant. The tall windows allowed a lot of light in, there was a lot of nice privacy between the tables and there was subtle music in the background. The chatter of people was almost unnoticeable. The tables were covered with a white linen tablecloth and the utensils were placed over the table, on aesthetically folded napkins. Once the food was ready, it was elegantly presented in front of them.

The place had been a top-notch restaurant, no wonder Aleksei didn't want to let the reservations go to waste, Nikita concluded. Even after the meal, Lev was making small, lighthearted conversations so the atmosphere remained normal between them, so Nikita figured that pretty much sums up how this was going to continue to unfold.

When they left the restaurant, the day was still holding out outside with only a few clouds covering the sky.

"Should we head back home?' Nikita placed his hands in his pockets taking a breath of fresh air.

Lev lit a cigarette and glanced at Nikita. "What's the rush?"

"There's no rush." Nikita awkwardly smiled.

Lev brought the cigarette to his lips taking a hit and then dusting off the ashes from it. Nikita nervously avoided looking at him. Everything Lev did for some reason, was enticing to him.

"Are you nervous, about being alone with me?"

Nikita looked at him completely taken back by the question. "No um..why would I be?" Was this about yesterday, Nikita wondered. About their little incident?

"Because I'm one of the sinners. I know it's probably hard for you to be with us three in the villa." Lev answered, giving him a sympathetic look.

Right, that. Nikita smiled. "It's hard to keep up with moods, but I'm getting used to it."

"I don't think you'll be getting used to it anytime soon. We are all fucked up in a way."

Nikita raised a brow suspiciously.

Putting out his cigarette, Lev headed down the street making Nikita speed walk after him. "Will you at least tell me where we are going, before you take off?

"Last chance for you to back out."

"Back out for what?" Nikita stopped in his walk abruptly.

Lev grabbed the door handle, before entering the tattoo and piercing shop. "In or out."

Feeling the nervous excitement from the provocation, Nikita walked over to Lev. "Go ahead then." He really hated losing.

The shop owners greeted Lev and glanced curiously at Nikita.

"He's here to get his ears pierced." Lev pointed at Nikita and then took the catalog, opening it up and showing Nikita the piercing options.

"Wait, wait.." He took the catalog, with shaky hands. "Are you serious right now?"

"It's on me. You said you wanted to pierce your ears." Lev leaned over the counter while looking at Nikita.

"I did say that but.." He nervously glanced at the pictures. Those were some hardcore piercings. "You pick then. I can't see them." Nikita handed him the catalog back. Some of them were extreme.

"You're seriously making me pick for you?" Lev took the catalog and smirked.

"I trust you won't pick something too crazy," Nikita answered.

Lev was staring at him with curiosity for some time and then turned towards the girl behind the counter. "He'll do a lobe ear piercing. I'll pick the earring."

She pulled out two drawers of earrings and then instructed Nikita to go and sit down on one of the chairs.

"I did it a little higher so it looks cooler." Lilo smiled at Nikita after it was done. "It's going to feel like it's burning for some time, but that's normal." She had placed the earring in fast motion. "Congrats on your first piercing."

She picked up the hand mirror and handed it to Nikita. He stared at it for a good minute before laughing. " I actually did this."

Lev touched the earring gently. "Suits you."

After they left the salon Nikita could still feel the burning sensation, but he was too happy to care. Especially since the earring he wore, Lev had chosen it himself. They walked over to the car, when a group of girls passed them by, checking them out. One of the girls brushed shoulders with Lev, giving him a flirty smile.

Nikita felt like a cold shower had been turned on over his head.

"Do you always get that much attention?" He asked unsure why.

Lev glanced down at him with a smile. "I guess so, but would it sound arrogant if I say I'm used to it."

Nikita smiled and looked away. Of course, he would be used to it by now. He was tall, with broad shoulders and he stood out from the rest of the guys in school too. He had that subtle aura around him that almost seemed disinterested and calm most of the time, but it was really attractive.

"You seem used to it too." Lev said. "Tai said there were girls in line wanting to date you."

Nikita had a more important topic to discuss. "Have you dated a lot of women?"

"I have dated." Lev answered calmly.

"I see." Nikita sighed. So, it was girls after all.

"You?" Lev asked.

Nikita nodded, not caring anymore. "I've dated, but the last one turned into a summer fling gone bad."

"I'm going to see if they have any new games." Lev changed the topic and entered the first gaming store he saw.

The place was huge and it had so many shelves with games that Nikita wondered if he had mistakenly entered a bookstore. The game options were numerous.

Lev headed straight into a particular section. He suddenly didn't feel like talking about who Nikita had dated. He was curious at first and then realized the very notion made him jealous. He didn't feel like talking about his own raunchy past either.

Nikita followed him quietly as he browsed through the games. It seemed like Lev was already familiarized with the place.

"Does the ear hurt?" Lev asked absentmindedly, picking a game.

"It's fine." Nikita's mind was preoccupied with so many things that the pain was the last thing he thought about.

Lev placed the game back and glanced at Nikita. "It seems kind of red. Let me see." He trapped Nikita between his body and the shelf, leaving no space between them as he leaned over.

"I said, it's fine." Nikita answered feeling a bit flustered. He didn't want to nudge him off cause that would mean physical contact and he was already confused as it was. At this distance, he could see the second-day aftershave beard on Lev's face and his long lashes. Not to mention the subtle cigarette scent on his shirt mixed with cologne that was like a drug on its own to Nikita's senses.

Lev suddenly locked eyes with Nikita. "Why are you so nervous?"

Nikita looked away.

Lev took a breath and summoned the courage he needed to ask the next question."I've been wondering for a while now.. Do you like me?"

Upon hearing those words said at such proximity Nikita took a step back feeling the shelves dig into his back as he glanced at Lev. "If this is a joke, you're taking it too far."

Lev's eyes fell to Nikita's lips. "What if it's not a joke?"

aren't you glad this wasn't the cliffhanger ;)