It had been hours since she started reading aloud, and Cath was getting sleepy. The rhythmic sound of her voice, plus the feel of Levi's body curled around hers was making her less able to focus.
She felt Levi's breath on the back of her neck as he whispered, "Let's take a break."
They were only halfway through the book and they'd just found out something crucial about Agatha. Still, it was hard to resist when Levi pulled her down beside him on the bed and wrapped his arms around her. "I think this is becoming a routine," he said with a smile, always a smile.
"Well," Cath whispered, resting her cheek against his chest, "you know how I like routines."
Levi hmmed and she heard the sound echoing from deep within his chest. "And you know how much I love you."
Cath turned to look at him. The colour of his eyes, the slight stubble on his jaw — everything was so clear up close. She brought her hand up into his hair just to feel its softness. When her eyes travelled down to his mouth, she felt the usual feeling in her stomach upon seeing his smile. And she couldn't help it: she smiled back.
Levi traced her lips with his fingers. "I love it when you smile at me."
Her smile almost instantly faded.
"What?" Levi asked, suddenly worried. "What is it? I mean what I said."
Cath shook her head. "Sorry. No, it's just that… there are only two days left."
Levi's smile fell too. He hung his head forward until their foreheads were touching. "I know. And I've been meaning to talk to you about that."
Cath's stomach twisted, fearing some bad news. "What?"
Levi pulled at her chin, making her look at him. "I was thinking… what if you came back to Arnold with me? You know, not right away if you don't want to, but in a few days, after you've gone back to Omaha in case you wanted to check up on —"
Cath interrupted him. "Yeah."
"Yeah?"
"Yes," Cath said, nodding. "I think that'll be good."
"Really?" Levi's eyes brightened, and he looked relieved. Cath kept nodding and grinning. "So now I can formally ask you: will you go with me to my sister's wedding?"
Cath craned her neck and kissed him. "Yes," she breathed, and kissed him again.
She tried not to think too much about it. She tried not to think about her nerves, and how scared she'd be when she finally met his family.
Levi threaded his fingers through her hair and they way he kissed her felt the way it had the very first time.
For now, Cath didn't want to think of anything but Levi.
