Under One Condition

Eva's Embarrassment

Sicily

   I noticed how uncomfortable Levi was feeling when the waitress approached our table and started flirting with him. She was being pretty irritating, so I decided to make her leave by pretending to be his girlfriend.

   As soon as she was gone, embarrassed may I add, to get the shakes, I pulled my hand away from his and opened the menu to look at it, just as I cleared my throat. 

   I was pretty hungry.

   Eva was looking at me with her eyebrows raised and a smirk on her lips. If she lifts her eyebrows any higher, it will reach her hairline. 

   “What?” I asked and she just made the motion of zipping her mouth with her fingers and throwing away the key.

   “I’m surprised you did that, considering you don’t like me,” Levi said, wiggling his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes at the comment. He thinks he’s all that, and I needed to bring him down from that cloud.

   “Don’t flatter yourself, I didn’t do it for you. She was annoying the heck out of me and I was already losing my appetite, so don’t get your pants all twisted,” I replied as I looked at the menu and tried to decide what I wanted to eat. 

   I could feel his eyes on me, and my heart was beating fast. I still don’t get why the heart has to be such a traitor when it comes to guys. 

   “There are some things I would love to get twisted,” he mentioned, making me scrunch my nose in disgust. 

   “Not if you want a s****l harassment complaint on your hands.”

   He chuckled, and all I could see with the corner of my eyes was at him biting his lips, probably holding himself from saying anything else. 

   “Okay, kids. You two stop with this nonsense. Eva and I are getting a bit uncomfortable with your bickering. Why don’t you just kiss and get that s****l tension out of your minds?” Johnny mentioned and I gave him an angry stare while Eva kicked him from under the table, making me laugh.

   “Ouch, what was that for?” he asked, rubbing his leg while his frown went unnoticed by everyone else on the table. Eva just ignored him, but I saw his arm move a bit and not a second later, Eva gasped in surprise and covered her mouth to hold in a laugh. 

   He was squeezing her thigh and she was ticklish. Oh, boy this was going to be good. Johnny looked at me with a smile, shrugging his shoulder while Eva gave him a pleading look to let her go.

   “It’s amazing how some people can be ticklish, right Sicily?” he asked me. I didn’t have a choice but to agree and give them a knowing smile. They were so adorable together.

   “Oh, yeah. My sister is very ticklish. I remember back in elementary school, I tickled her really hard and she couldn’t hold it in and before we knew it, her pants were wet. It was really funny,” Levi said, making me jerk my head towards him in shock. That was something we didn’t have to know.

   Realizing what he just said, he closed his mouth in a thin line, not daring to look at Eva into her eyes.

   “Great, Levi. Way to embarrass me in front of them,” she said, tossing the napkin on the table and with unshed tears, she walked out of the diner. 

   “Go with her, Johnny,” I mentioned and Johnny followed her outside. I hoped he could comfort her from the comments of the i***t she has for a brother. 

   “Way to go, asshole. You really need to know when to keep your mouth shut,” I said, before I pushed him out of the booth, making him fall out on his butt. I walked out and tried to look for them, but they had already disappeared. 

   Levi stood behind me, taking a deep breath and looking guilty for what he just said. 

   “Let me give you a ride back to campus. I’m sure they decided to take a walk and then will head over there.”

   I scoffed. This guy was unbelievable.

   “You have no idea how Eva idolizes you, and you come and embarrass her? I guess you are not the guy she talks so highly about.”

   Before I walked away from him, he held my elbow gently, sending sparks all over my body. What the hell was happening to me?

   “Hey, Sicily. I’m sorry okay? I am not as bad as you paint me to be, you don’t know me yet.”

   “I am not the one who you need to apologize to.”

   “I’ll make it up to her, I promise. Now, would you please accept my ride?” 

   I groaned in frustration. He was not going to give up and I knew it, so I got in the car without even waiting for him to open the door for me. He was really irritating me and I hated him more than yesterday. 

   We were quiet the whole ride there, and up until we pulled over at the campus, he broke the silence.

   “Do you want me to make you breakfast in my dorm room? I make really good toaster pastries,” he said and for a moment, I couldn’t hold my laugh. He was trying, even though I was not convinced. 

   “Toaster pastries sound like a nice offer, Levi. But I will just go to my room and punch something rather than someone,” I replied, plastering a fake smile on my face before I walked out of the car. 

   As I approached my room, I saw Eva and Johnny hugging each other. He tried to wipe her tears as he kissed her lips tenderly. The sight melted my heart, he was truly genuine about his feelings for her. I could see it in his eyes. 

   “You might want to take your display of affections inside if you don’t want Levi to see you,” I said as I approached them.

   “That’s okay. I was about to leave anyway. We start lectures tomorrow and I have to get ready. Please, keep her company. Levi really went too far,” he replied and I promised him I would. 

   “Maybe some chocolate ice cream would help,” I said, reassuring him with a smile. Johnny nodded and kissed Eva on her forehead. 

   “I love you, beautiful.”

   “I love you too, handsome,” she said, kissing him one more time before he walked away.