Reservations

Thane lifted his brow at Levi’s response and gave a slight nod. It kind of did make him cringe until a second message came.

“I’ve never had hobbies like cooking. I’ve always worked and focused on school. I started working out in my free time, so I guess that’s my hobby.”

His grin grew, remembering how he’d appreciated all that time Levi spent in the gym.

“No significant other? Either in California or Maryland.” Thane asked hesitantly. He wasn’t sure about that question. Maybe he should have waited. It was a very clear fact-finding question, potentially showing interest, and that was the last thing he needed—Levi having those kinds of feelings for Nathaniel.

“No, never. I definitely haven’t had time for that. What about you?” Levi asked.

Thane nodded. Good answer.

“No, no real dating. It hasn’t worked well for me in the past, but I’ve met someone recently. I’m extremely interested in him. I don’t know if he feels the same. Well, I’m almost certain he doesn’t. I’m not sure if I should pursue him. I’m beginning to think he might be a bit too good for me.”

Thane pushed send and shifted his position, sitting back against the headboard, touching the base of the lamp, waiting for the light to slowly turn on. He loved that feature. Not too blinding, but his eyes were well past the glare, thanks to the cell phone. Levi’s message took a little longer this time. He scanned the length of the response before he started reading. This was working. They were talking as friends. Levi was opening up to him. Erin had nailed it when she’d suggested this idea.

“That’s funny, I’ve met someone recently too. We had a good time together, but he’s not interested in anything I’m interested in. I had such a great time. It’s been a struggle letting go. Probably because between meeting him and you reaching out, you’ve both given me hope for the future. Something I lacked. Things were dismal at best. Seriously, thank you for everything.”

Thane stared at the words, hopeful that perhaps Levi was talking about him. Had Levi let go of some of the anger from their last meeting? He started to type and paused with his thumbs hanging in the air in mid-motion. What did he say? He knew what he wanted to say: give the guy a second chance, things aren’t what they seem.

No, he absolutely couldn’t say that, because what if Levi was talking about someone else? After a minute more, he slowly started to form words, backing out more than he typed until he settled on a message.

“I’m glad to hear you have hope. That’s a terrible thing to lose. As long as he’s a quality guy, perhaps you should give him a second chance. I don’t know how you feel about second chances, but he might pull himself together enough to surprise you.”

Thane pushed send and closed his eyes. He honestly had no idea what Levi wanted out of a relationship or if the guy even wanted one at all, but Thane found it suddenly hard to breathe, and his heart pounded as anxiety raced through his body at the thought of Levi possibly giving him another chance.

Again, Erin had been so right—a clear relationship mastermind. Thane was so into Levi Silva he couldn’t even think properly.

The phone vibrated in his hand, and he still couldn’t look down. A revelation he’d come to last night, and the true bottom line, was that Levi was too good for him. Levi had worried that Thane saw him as nothing more than a whore. Hell, Levi wasn’t the whore…Thane was. He had his work cut out for him to even be able to stand on the same level as someone like Levi.

On a deep sigh, Thane slowly lowered his gaze and slid a finger over the power saver that had popped into place.

“He’s quality, no question there. Honestly, I’m not even sure how I feel. I know he pulled me out of my shell, let me be a me I didn’t even know was me. He’s most definitely quality. I guess I would have enjoyed doing what we were doing. I wouldn’t even have wanted exclusivity. IDK. He’s stuck in my head. It was that good.

“What about you? He can’t be better than you. You seem like a really good guy.”

Thane barked out a laugh at the last line. Not that good a guy. Look what he was doing right now. And just sentences like “he’s stuck in my head” and “he’s quality, no question there” eased him on a level that made no sense. All his anxiety vanished with those two telling sentences.

“Thank you for the compliment. I’m finding I’m not as good as I thought. I’m assessing my next steps; you should too. I bet this guy appreciates you more than you realize. How could he not? No one’s stupid enough to let the keepers get away. You just need to make sure to protect yourself. Men can be assholes.”