Placing her phone to her side, she reached over to grab the remote sitting next to the empty takeout boxes. She scrolled through the movies on Netflix to find another movie to watch. It didn't take long to choose 'To All The Boys I've Loved Before'.

While the movie began, her phone buzzed. A text from Briella.

'Alright. No problem. Everything
going okay wit you?'

'Yeah. Everything is good.
How's your date?'

'Fantastic. We've agreed we
don't connect on a romantic
level but we're still having
fun.'

Levi swung the door open, causing Renna to jump. He wore a black towel around his hips. Water dripped down his bare skin. Renna looked away.

"Who ya talking to, huh?" he said, standing at the end of the bed, holding the towel with one hand while the other hand rested on his hip. "Someone I should be worried about?"

Renna didn't look up as she answered. "I'm texting with Briella." She typed her reply.

'Is something wrong? Why
don't you connect?'

Levi turned and pulled open his drawers. "What are you saying about me?"

"Nothing."

"Then, why so jumpy?"

"You scared me."

Bzz. Bzz.

'No nothing wrong. Just
better as really close friends.
We're getting ice cream at the
moment. Having fun. Wyd?'

"So, what are you talking about?" His towel dropped and Renna looked at the wall to avoid seeing him in her peripheral vision.

"Her date with Jensen."

"Are they on their way home?"

"No, they're getting ice cream." Turning a little to the side, she typed.

'Nothing. Watching movies.'

She could hear him digging around in his drawers for clothes. "So, she just texted you out of the blue to tell you she was getting ice-cream?"

"No, I texted her."

"To say what?" She noticed a slight bitter tone beneath his words.

"That I'm staying the night so she doesn't have to pick me up."

"Wouldn't she know that already. She dropped you off, didn't she? She would have seen your bags."

Bzz. Bzz.

'Is he behaving?'

She hesitated with both of them, and answered Briella first. 

'Yes.'

He stopped when I said stop. Sort of. He behaved. It's not a lie.

She took a peak to check if she could stop looking at the wall, but found him still to be half naked. "But I wasn't sure when I...I..."

"Oh, I see. So, you lied to me."

"I didn't lie. How did I lie?"

"You told me you planned to stay the night. Now you're saying you weren't sure." He flopped on to the bed beside her. Shirtless. Wearing boxer shorts.

"Well, I did plan it." She avoided looking at his half naked body. "I just wasn't sure if I would go through with it."

"Right. Sure. Now, let's see if you lied to me again." He snatched the phone from her hand before she had time to react, and began reading her messages to Briella.

Renna jump forward to get it back, but Levi slapped her hand away and rolled onto his back, creating distance.

"What does she mean, am I behaving?"

"Nothing," she said, still fighting him for her phone. "Just making sure everything is good."

"What did you tell her?" He tilted his head back to look at her.

She stopped. Sat back. "Nothing."

"You had to have said something to her about me. Why else would she ask that?"

"She's just protective."

He scrolled further up, reading more. When the phone buzzed with a new message, he scrolled back down to read it.

Renna leaned in closer to read it.

'If that changes. Let me know.

"She'll break my arms?" He scoffed. "I'd love to see her try. And who is she to say something like that? It's our relationship, not hers. She needs to mind her own business."

"She's just looking out for me. She's my— What are you doing?"

Levi typed out a text on her phone. "Replying."

"No please." She reached out for the phone, but he pulled it away.

He jumped off the bed, continuing to text.

Renna jumped forward but stayed on the bed. She pleaded with him. "Levi. Stop. She'll think it's me."

"That's the point." He looked up at her horrified face and grinned. Finishing his message, he let his arms drop to his side, keeping her phone. "Now, we wait for a reply."

"What did you say?"

His smile grew. "Don't worry about that?"

"Levi," she whined.

Bzz. Bzz.

He read the reply to himself, leaving Renna in the dark and worried.

"Levi. Don't. This isn't nice." Getting off the bed, she jumped for her phone. She grabbed his arm, but he ripped out of her grasp before she could touch her phone.

He laughed as he spun around, the phone in the air, trying to write the text message.

"It's not that big of a deal," he said, holding the phone straight up above his head so Renna couldn't reach it even when she jumped.

Bzz. Bzz.

Renna gave up; stood in front of him, watching him type another text with a sly smirk.

He pressed send and tossed the phone onto the bed. Renna raced for it despite Levi standing still with his arms crossed.

She read the messages from top to bottom, holding her breath he didn't say anything that would require an explanation or an apology.

'If that changes. Let me know.
I'll break his arms.'

Levi's reply:

'Not necessary. We're very
happy. I love him and we
are doing perfectly fine.
Thanks tho.'

'That's good to hear. So long
your happy and he's respecting
you. Stay safe. Talk to you later.'

'I'm going to bed soon.
Won't be able to talk
tonight.'

'Alright we'll talk tomorrow.
Goodnight.'

'Goodnight.'

She locked her phone, placed it down, and glanced up at him. "Why would you do that?"

"It was a joke." He leaned back on his set of drawers. "It's funny."

Not a very funny one. He didn't say anything bad, but she didn't like the idea of Briella texting Levi while thinking she was talking to Renna.

He gave a quick glance back at the movie playing on the screen behind him. "What do you want to do now?"

"I don't know." I feel like cooking or baking something. To relax. But I don't know if—Oh. "Oh. I almost forgot," she said, jumping off the bed. "I got something for us."

"Oh really? What is it?"

She dove into her bag and pulled out the cardboard box. Turned around, she lifted the lid to show the two cupcakes inside. "Dessert!"

"Wow. Nice." He straightened up and stood in front of her.

"I made them," she beamed. "And decorated them."

"Cool." He took one and admired it for a second before biting into it.

She waited for his reaction, bouncing on her toes. He hadn't tasted her baking yet until now. Butterflies fluttered like crazy in her stomach watching his expressionless face while he chewed.

With a full mouth he said, "Not bad. I like the little stars on top."

"Thanks." She took her cupcake and dropped the box to the floor with her bags. Biting into it, icing smeared up her nose.

Levi chuckled. "You're supposed to get it in your mouth."

She purposely slathered icing on her cheek, and giggled.

He laughed and took another bite. "A perfect end to an almost perfect night."

♡