GoodReadKaren clutched the bouquet of roses as she slid into the passenger seat of Levi's truck.
"Decided what you're in the mood for?" Levi asked as he buckled up and revved the engine alive.
Karen pondered for a moment, "How about a steakhouse?" "Perfect! There's this place on Rising River Avenue; that's all the rage in Eldorria City. The steaks are to die for. I'll take you there," Levi said as he raised his eyebrows playfully; his eyes were sparkling with a boyish charm.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtHis words and slightly awkward mannerisms had given Karen a hint.
She met his gaze, hesitated, and then ventured, "If you don't mind me asking... have you, um, never been in a relationship before?" Levi seemed caught off guard by the question. He instinctively ran a hand through his hair, "Well, there was this one time in high school, but it ended pretty quick with a call to my parents.” "That's it?" "Yeah. | was always buried in my studies, and once | started working, there was just never enough time to think about dating.” Karen believed him. His bashful expression wasn't something he could fake, but the more innocent he seemed, the guiltier she felt.
He was so pure, and she...
"Ahem... | think we should be upfront with each other," she finally said.
"Sure, shoot," Levi replied, earnestly turning on the dome light and parking the truck by the roadside to give her his full attention.
Karen moistened her lips with her tongue, took a breath, and said, "I'm not new to this. I've been in relationships before.” Levi nodded, "Then?" "I mean I've done some really wild things in the past.” She wanted to be honest, to lay her cards on the table so they both had a chance to choose, rather than having it come out later and deal with whether or not it mattered to him.
Levi took a moment to grasp her meaning. Under the dome light, Karen could see the blush on his cheeks spreading, his ears turning a shade of crimson.
He hadn't expected such frankness and that she broached this topic so directly.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I... I don't mind," he finally managed to say. "That's your past.” "Are you sure?" "Yeah. Everyone has a past, but it's the future that's important.” His innocence made Karen feel as though she was corrupting a young boy. She quickly switched off the dome light to hide her discomfort, "Let's get going. I'm starved.” "Alright!" Levi was genuinely a good guy as she spent more time with him. He was naive and confused, while he had a way of making thoughtful gestures that warmed Karen's heart.
Throughout the meal, he would wipe their utensils clean, place them before her, and prepare a stack of napkins and a dish for the peppers.
Learning that he was inexperienced had initially made Karen consider calling it quits, for she didn’t want to lead on such a decent person. But as the meal progressed, she decided to give it another chance.
He'd said he didn't mind, so any further fuss on her part would be pointless.
As they were finishing up, Levi excused himself to the restroom—Karen knew he was going to settle the bill discreetly. She pulled out a compact mirror to touch up her lipstick and caught a glimpse of a familiar figure reflected within.
Jeffrey! That persistent ghost from her past.
Karen snapped the mirror shut and glanced over her shoulder, relieved to see that Jeffrey hadn't noticed her and was busy with his own company.
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