Silence fell between them while Thane opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again. A range of expressions crossed Thane’s handsome face before his face scrunched up as he spoke, causing Levi to laugh at the silly look. “I don’t want to answer that.”
“Just tell me,” Levi encouraged.
“I wish you three would move in here and forgo the on-campus housing,” Thane confessed.
“Thane…” Levi started shaking his head.
“No. I don’t like that tone, Levi. You use that tone when you’re fighting me, but you’re also fighting us…” Thane explained.
“Listen to me. I’ve known you a total of six months. What if this doesn’t work? I’ll have given up my campus apartment. Luke would have to change schools again…” Levi emphasized the two most important points that had come to mind consistently all night.
“But the same argument holds if in six more months we decide we want to live together. If we keep going like we are, I’d be staying in that apartment with you, or Luke would have to drive into Baltimore every day to go to school,” Thane reasoned.
Levi hadn’t thought about it like that. After a second, he dropped his chin to his chest. His stupid emotions were all over the place. Thane was serious about their moving in together, and for some reason, that just changed everything.
“Babe, my feelings for you are so deep. I have so much I want to say that I haven’t, and I’m not going to on the phone, but I’m also not going to voluntarily walk away from you. What can I do to show you how serious I am?” Thane asked, his tone changing to one of concern. That always got Levi. He loved Thane’s voice and had to close his eyes as the goose bumps raced across his arms, imagining Thane being there with him. He’d have moved into Levi’s personal space by now, trying to find an answer to Levi’s growing melancholy.
“I don’t know, Thane,” he answered truthfully.
“I do. Luke can walk everywhere here. I’ll get him a job at Sweet Suds until I get a restaurant opened around here—which will be soon. He’ll have friends here, Levi. If it doesn’t work out between us, you can take the basement apartment, or I’ll take the basement apartment until Luke graduates—whatever you want. I don’t care, because I don’t see us ending like that. I just don’t. Neither of us went into this lightly.”
Levi listened and about halfway through Thane’s explanation, he lifted his head and stared at Thane. “Erin said she’s moving into the basement. Her, Corey, and somebody named Brock or something like that,” Levi said.
“Erin’s on my shit list.”
That made Levi laugh, knowing that wouldn’t bode well for Erin. Thane didn’t let go of his grudges easily. He started to speak when the alarm clock in Thane’s room went off.
“Go start your day. I’ll pick you up tonight.”
“You go to bed. You look exhausted, and you’ll need to save your energy. It’s been little more than twenty-four hours, and I’m really missing you. I’ll talk to you later. Text me when you wake,” Thane said, pushing himself out of bed while trying to keep his face in the phone’s view.
“I will. I’m sorry I’m always so difficult,” Levi apologized.
“You aren’t at all, babe.” Thane stood and stretched, giving a solid yawn that was contagious. “You’re perfect the way you are. I wouldn’t change a thing. Go to bed. We’ll talk more tonight. Dream of me.” Thane blew him a kiss and grinned that super-sexy smile Levi loved so much before disconnecting the call. Levi was slower to lower the phone. He wiggled under the covers still dressed in his T-shirt and shorts. He was either going to have to be all the way in or end this completely. Thane was too much of a force. He’d have them married before he ever realized how incompatible they were.
Chapter 26
Levi pulled Thane’s car right along the edge of the loading zone about the same time he got a text that Thane had already made it to baggage claim. It was late, or early rather, almost two o’clock in the morning. Levi put the car in park and checked all the mirrors then opened the door, stepping out to scan the area. There weren’t many cars around; he also didn’t see security anywhere, but he did see a group of passengers beginning to exit the airport just a few feet away.
He decided to take his chances. He clicked the key fob and jogged the few steps toward the front doors, spotting Thane coming through as he started to enter.
“Hey,” Thane said, sounding surprised, coming to an abrupt stop in the middle of the door. Man, it was so good to see him even though he looked exhausted and disheveled—a rarity for Thane.