The Billionaire's Bridal Chase

Part 2 EP 15: We're In This Together

Levi stared at her, trying to process what Caly had just said. She had spoken so quietly, so tentatively, that for a moment, he wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.

“Make this work?” he echoed, his voice laced with uncertainty. “What do you mean?”

Caly looked up at him, her gaze steady but guarded. She pushed her plate away slightly, as if preparing herself for what she was about to say. “I mean… we’re in this situation, whether we like it or not. We’re supposed to be engaged, and eventually, we’ll have to make it look real.” She paused, searching for the right words. “I guess what I’m saying is, maybe we don’t have to make it look real. Maybe we can try to make it… real.”

Levi blinked in surprise. Of all the things he had expected her to say, this wasn’t one of them. His mind raced, trying to understand what she was suggesting. It wasn’t a simple proposition. They had been living together, bound by an arrangement that neither of them had chosen, and now, Caly was talking about taking that a step further—about crossing a line that they had both carefully avoided.

“You want to actually try to be… a couple?” Levi asked slowly, trying to gauge her reaction.

Caly’s eyes flickered with something he couldn’t quite identify—fear, uncertainty, maybe even a little hope. “I’m not saying we should jump into anything,” she clarified, her tone cautious. “But we’ve been living like this for weeks now, and it’s been… okay. I just think that maybe, if we’re going to be stuck in this situation, we should at least try to make it something that’s not completely miserable for both of us.”

Levi leaned back in his chair, letting her words sink in. He could understand her logic, in a way. They were already sharing a space, already pretending to be engaged. Maybe it made sense to see if they could make something more out of it. But at the same time, Levi wasn’t sure if he was ready for that kind of leap. Their entire relationship had been built on convenience, on necessity, and the idea of turning it into something real felt… complicated.

“You think we could actually make this work?” Levi asked, his voice filled with doubt.

Caly shrugged, her expression softening just a little. “I don’t know. But we won’t know unless we try.”

Levi studied her, noting the way her guard was slightly lowered, how she was opening up in a way she hadn’t before. He could see the vulnerability in her eyes, the way she was putting herself out there, even though it wasn’t easy for her. And in that moment, he realized something important: he didn’t want to keep living in limbo with Caly. He didn’t want to continue this charade, this strange half-life where they were neither together nor apart.

He wanted to try.

But there was a part of him that was afraid, too. Afraid of what might happen if they failed. Afraid of what it would mean if they couldn’t make it work.

“I’m not saying we’ll succeed,” Caly added quietly, as if sensing his hesitation. “But we could at least give it a shot.”

Levi nodded slowly, his thoughts swirling. He couldn’t deny that something had changed between them over the past few weeks. The tension that had once been unbearable was now something else—something softer, something more complicated. He had seen glimpses of the real Caly, the woman beneath the tough exterior, and he couldn’t deny that he was intrigued by her. Maybe even drawn to her in a way he hadn’t expected.

“All right,” he said finally, his voice steady. “Let’s give it a shot.”

Caly’s eyes flickered with surprise, as if she hadn’t been entirely sure he would agree. But then she nodded, a small, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“Okay,” she said softly.

The next few days felt different between them, though neither Levi nor Caly could pinpoint exactly what had shifted. They were still the same two people, living in the same small apartment, but the air between them was lighter now, less charged with unspoken tension.

Caly didn’t mention her suggestion again, and neither did Levi, but there was an unspoken understanding that they were both making an effort. It was a delicate balance—one that required patience and a willingness to let go of old habits.

Levi found himself more aware of Caly’s presence now, more attuned to the little things about her that he had never noticed before. The way she would twist her hair absentmindedly when she was lost in thought, the way her expression softened ever so slightly when she was focused on something. He found himself watching her more closely, not out of suspicion or frustration like before, but out of genuine interest.

Caly, for her part, seemed to be making an effort, too. She wasn’t as guarded as she had been in the past, and Levi noticed that she was starting to open up in small ways. She would ask him about his day, even if she didn’t seem particularly invested in the answer, and she would occasionally share small details about her own life—little glimpses into her world that Levi hadn’t seen before.

One evening, they found themselves sitting on the couch together again, this time in a comfortable silence. Caly was flipping through a book she had picked up earlier that day, and Levi was scrolling through his phone, the soft hum of the TV filling the background.

After a while, Caly spoke up, her voice breaking the quiet. “Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if things had turned out differently?”

Levi glanced at her, surprised by the sudden question. “What do you mean?”

Caly shrugged, not looking up from her book. “I don’t know. Just… if you hadn’t ended up in this situation. If you hadn’t had to agree to this whole engagement thing.”

Levi thought about it for a moment, the question catching him off guard. He hadn’t really allowed himself to dwell on the “what ifs” of his life—he’d always been more focused on getting through the day-to-day, on dealing with the hand he’d been dealt.

“I guess I never really thought about it,” he admitted. “I mean, yeah, there are probably a million ways my life could have turned out differently. But I don’t know if it’s worth thinking about. What’s done is done.”

Caly nodded slowly, her gaze distant. “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”

There was a pause, and Levi could sense that there was more she wasn’t saying.

“What about you?” he asked, turning the question back on her. “Do you ever think about what your life would be like if things had gone differently?”

Caly hesitated for a moment, her fingers tracing the edge of the book in her lap. “Sometimes,” she said quietly. “But it doesn’t really matter, does it? I’m here now, and that’s all there is.”

Levi could hear the resignation in her voice, the way she had resigned herself to the life she was living. It made him wonder what her life had been like before, what had led her to this point. But he didn’t ask. He knew better than to pry into things she wasn’t ready to share.

Instead, he simply nodded, accepting her answer for what it was.

As the days turned into weeks, Levi and Caly continued to navigate their strange, evolving relationship. It wasn’t always easy—there were still moments of tension, still times when their differences clashed—but there were also moments of connection, moments when they both seemed to forget the circumstances that had brought them together in the first place.

One evening, as they sat down for dinner, Levi found himself studying Caly more closely. She looked tired, her face drawn and her eyes heavy with something that he couldn’t quite place.

“You okay?” he asked, his tone laced with concern.

Caly glanced up at him, surprised by the question. “Yeah. Just… a long day.”

Levi nodded, but he didn’t let it go. “You seem… off.”

Caly sighed, setting her fork down and leaning back in her chair. “It’s nothing. Just work stuff.”

Levi raised an eyebrow. “Work stuff? You never talk about work.”

Caly shrugged, her expression guarded. “There’s not much to talk about.”

Levi could tell that she was deflecting, but he didn’t push. Instead, he simply nodded and returned to his meal. He knew better than to pry, but he also knew that Caly was someone who kept her emotions tightly locked away, and that sometimes, it was easier for her to deflect than to open up.

After a few minutes of silence, Caly spoke again, her voice softer this time. “I just… I’m not sure if I can keep doing this.”

Levi looked up, his brow furrowing in confusion. “Doing what?”

Caly hesitated, her gaze dropping to the table. “This. Us. Pretending like everything’s fine when it’s not.”

Levi’s heart sank. He hadn’t realized how much the situation was weighing on her, how much it was affecting her. He had thought that they were making progress, that they were slowly figuring things out. But now, hearing her say that she wasn’t sure if she could keep going, he felt a pang of fear.

“Caly,” he said quietly, his voice steady. “We don’t have to pretend. We don’t have to keep doing this if it’s not working for you.”

Caly shook her head, her expression conflicted. “It’s not that simple, Levi. We’re stuck in this situation, whether we like it or not. I just… I don’t know if I’m cut out for this.”

Levi reached across the table, his hand resting on hers. It was the first time he had initiated any kind of physical contact with her, and he could feel the tension in her body as she stiffened slightly at his touch.

“You don’t have to do this alone,” he said softly. “We’re in this together, remember? If it’s not working, we’ll figure it out. But you don’t have to carry this by yourself.”

Caly looked at him, her eyes searching his face for something—reassurance, maybe, or understanding. And for the first time since they had started this strange arrangement, Levi felt like they were truly on the same page.