The moment you stepped into the jazz club, the smell of smoke hit your nostrils and you were wondering why you let your friend pick the venue for your night out. You always let her pick and something like this always happened.

You looked around the club, trying to find that familiar orange head of curls you were so used to seeing. You were always jealous of Fen's hair, she hated standing out in the crowd, but you were always telling her how she should own it, every time you walk into a room, that's your chance to own the room. She had definitely come a long way from her shy, nerdy middle school days.

A second sweep of the room and you still didn't see her. You must be the first one there. Or it was possible the other friend Fen said she was bringing would be there. You couldn't remember who she said it would be. You didn't have many other mutual friends so you knew it must be someone you hadn't met many times before.

You opened up your clutch purse and pulled out your phone, checking the messages of who she said was coming. You scrolled through to a couple days before and found it.

[Please don't bring someone weird that I have to make small talk with.]

[Haha! It's that guy you met a couple times.]

[Don't worry, he hates small talk.]

She never was very good at describing people. Well at least you wouldn't have to worry about small talk if he was here. Still, you couldn't help but wonder who she was talking about. Honestly, the club wasn't that big. There were only a handful of tables in front of the stage and most of the tables behind the dropped seating were empty. Another sweep of the crowd, this time not focusing on anything and you spotted him. His silky jet-black hair was shining off of the dim lighting as he scrolled through his phone.

You moved to the table, squeezing through the annoying congregation of people blocking the stairs. As you approached the table, you realized that it was entirely possible that him being here was a coincidence and he wasn't the friend Fen invited. You mentally shrugged, it didn't really matter at that point, even if he wasn't, you'd at least have someone to talk to while you waited. He wasn't the most talkative person, but he certainly wasn't the worst.

Standing across from him at the table, you watched as his eyes slowly trailed up your body until they reached your face. He had a disinterested look in his eyes, but still shifted in his seat, sitting up straight.

"I'm not sure if you remember me," you started, smiling, "I'm friends with Fenmore."

"I do."

"Oh, great." You relaxed your shoulders a bit and reached your hand forward.

"Y/N, right?" The man extended his hand to you and you shook it.

"Yes." You were surprised he remembered because you couldn't remember his name for the life of you. "Sorry, I forgot your—"

"Levi."

"Levi. It's nice to see you again." You pulled your hand away and smiled wider. "You wouldn't happen to be meeting Fenmore here tonight, would you?"

"I am." The corner of his mouth lifted the tiniest bit and you took it as a smile.

"I thought so. I'm also meeting her, though I'm not sure where she is." You looked around the club briefly and then back at Levi, gesturing at the chair in front of you. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Not at all." He started standing up from his chair and stopped halfway when he saw you put your hand up.

"You don't have to stand." He didn't seem as unfriendly as you remembered him being the couple other times you met him. He definitely seemed very standoffish and cold, but certainly not as unapproachable as you had in your memory. "You like jazz?"

"I like jazz." He nodded, looking at the stage. "It's the jazz lounge I'm not really fond of."

"I can relate to that." You laughed and he looked back over to you, his eyes slightly more interested in you than they were a moment before. "If it weren't for Fen always trying to drag me out here. This is one of her favorite places, though I'm sure you know that."

"I didn't, actually."

"Ah." You nodded in understanding.

You were sure he would know her love of jazz lounges, this one in particular. Anyone that knew Fen well enough knew it and there was a part of you that thought for sure Fen and Levi were dating. She talked about him just enough that you could recognize him, but not overboard, the way people are just before they start a relationship. Then again, it didn't make sense why she would invite you out with him if they were newly dating.

"Yes, well, it's probably better that way." You laughed. "Otherwise you might get dragged out here each week like me."

He nodded, still staring at you and you looked at your purse, struggling to nail this guy down. He wasn't being rude, but he wasn't really engaging in any sort of conversation. You thought back to what Fen said, 'he hates small talk' and smiled to yourself.

A female server walked up to your table and set a drink down and you and Levi both looked up at her.

"The gentleman at the bar sent this over for you." She smiled and left.

"Oh, a martini." You looked over to the bar, but the club was way too dark to actually see anyone. You turned to Levi. "Should I drink it?"

"Do you like martinis?"

"I like martinis. It's the guy I'm not sure I'm fond of." You repeated his choice of words from a couple minutes before. He let out a puff of air and you almost got a glimpse of his teeth.

You could imagine him having a really great smile and the work to get him to show it was starting to look like a lot more fun than you expected.

"What the hell? I'll drink it." You moved the drink closer to you and signaled for the server to come over.

"Are you ordering something else?" Levi asked, shifting in his seat a little.

"No, I'm going to send a drink to him to let him know I like the drink, but not him." You watched as Levi's eyes widened the slightest bit and his mouth opened as if to speak. "Don't worry, I'll be nicer in my choice of words."

You smiled as the server came to the table and you caught the tiniest little smile from Levi before he quickly dropped it, his face returning to his default gaze.

"What can I get for you?" It was the same server that brought the drink to you.

"Yes, I'd like to buy the gentleman that sent this drink to me something," you started, "and if you wouldn't mind, please tell him thank you, but I'm already entertaining another man."

You gestured to Levi and watched him shift in his seat again.

"Which drink would you like to send?" You hadn't even thought about that.

"What do you like to drink, Levi?" You turned to him.

"Old fashioned." He looked at the waitress and his eyes travelled back to you, the little corner of his mouth turning up again. You handed your card to the server and she left.

"So how did you get roped into coming out tonight then? You asked him. "Since you like jazz, but not jazz clubs."

"Fenmore asked me what I was doing on Friday and I told her I didn't have plans." He admitted.

"Big mistake." You laughed. "You know, she was like this when we were kids too. We actually met because I told her I didn't have plans for my 13th birthday. She ended up planning this whole baseball themed birthday part for me and invited a whole bunch of people from our grade."

"Why a baseball theme?"

"You know, I don't know." You thought about it and the memory made you smile, when you looked up at Levi, he leaned a little closer. "The funny thing is, I love baseball. I still don't know how she knew it though."

Enjoying his sudden decision to participate in conversation, you were about to ask him a question when you felt your phone buzz and you opened your clutch to check it.

[Sorry, can't make it tonight.]

[You have fun though.]

[You know I hate this place]

[I'm sure the company isn't too bad ;) ]

That's a weird response. You narrowed your eyes at your phone, suspecting Fen was up to something and she wasn't fully clear on what tonight was. You looked up and Levi was putting his phone down.

"I take it you got a similar text from Fen." You questioned.

"She's not coming?"

"She's not coming." You sighed and looked around. The club was starting to get busier as it got later in the night. "I guess if Fen's not here and we both hate this place, we could probably just go."

You shrugged and Levi nodded. Just as you both were standing up, a server came over to your table, different from the one before.

"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" You didn't even realize this place took orders without you having to call a server over. You looked to Levi, checking to see if he still wanted to leave and he shrugged.

"We could stay for one drink." Levi suggested, smiling, and you caught the tiniest glimpse of his teeth, sparkling in the dim club lighting.

"I guess I did get all dressed up." You propped your chin on your arm and smiled at him. There really was something interesting about him that you couldn't quite put your finger on. You knew there was more to him than he was letting on and there was just something about the chase that he was giving that really kept you wanting more.

You were looking in his eyes now, the stone grey really suited his face and it's not that anyone ever looked terrible in clubs, you were sure that was the whole reason it was dark all the time, but there was something so bewitching when the glitter of that random disco ball shine caught his face just right. You watched his eyes look to his right several times and then back to you and you wondered what he was looking at. Then you remembered the server standing there.

"Oh, shit! I'm so sorry." You watched Levi laugh to himself and you couldn't hold back your smile. "I'll take a screwdriver and he'll have an old fashioned?"

Levi nodded and the server was off to get the drinks.

"You know, I didn't realize they come to your table to take your order in this place." You leaned forward, whispering. "It's never happened before."

"Maybe this place isn't as bad as we thought." Levi put his phone in his pocket and rested his arms on the table, his attention fully on you as he moved closer.

"That's enough to change your mind?" You also leaned closer to him.

"That's enough for me to keep an open mind." He moved even closer and it made you wish the table was smaller so you could get closer to him. You smiled at him, still staring. You really loved a man that didn't feel the need to fill silence. There was also a quiet confidence that Levi had. Do his eyes ever stop shimmering?

"What is it that you do, Levi?"

"You first."

"I'm an internal auditor. My job is boring." You waved your hand is a dismissive way. "I'm more interested in what you do."

"I—"

"Here are your drinks." The server was back, setting your screwdriver in front of you and, what looked like, a cosmo in front of Levi. "Can I get you anything else?"

"Yes actually, sorry, he ordered an old fashioned." You pointed to Levi's drink.

"I'm so sorry about that." The server took the drink and set it on his tray. "I'll be back with that old fashioned."

You thanked the server and looked back at Levi, sliding your untouched martini over to him.

"How do you feel about martinis while you wait?"

You quickly learned that Levi wasn't really a person that enjoyed doing most of the talking. He was very much a listener, but there were certain things you could learn about him even through the few things he did say. For starters, you could immediately sense how loyal he was based on how he described his friends. You had managed to figure out that he owned his own business and from what you understood, it was relatively successful, though you were sure he was downplaying his own success significantly. He was in the military for fourteen years and had actually hired quite a bit of his comrades when they got out. A quality that had you scooting closer to him around the table.

Owning his own business definitely told you he spent a lot of his time working and you admired that in another person considering you were that kind of person and you couldn't even explain how many relationships had failed in the past because your partner couldn't understand that. He was also quite strong in his conviction which you found surprising since he was such a quiet and unobtrusive person.

You were two drinks in when the club started getting louder and while you definitely enjoyed having to lean closer to Levi to have him speak in your ear, it really was becoming difficult to continue the conversation and when you leaned closer to him and he dipped his head down so you could speak in his ear, you asked if he wanted to go somewhere a little quieter. He nodded and leaned closer to you.

"I know a place." And you both stood up, closing your tab and heading out. This was the first time you'd stood next to Levi and while you knew he was shorter than you from your previous times meeting, there was something quite cute about standing next to him and feeling his height then. Though you had to admit, when he rested his hand on your lower back to help guide you out of the club, your thoughts were far from cute.

"So where is this place you know?" You asked, not even getting the chance to shiver in the night air before Levi's blazer was being placed over your shoulders. You looked to him quickly and smiled, thanking him. This guy was next-level perfect.

"It's a tea café not far from here, a couple blocks maybe."

"A tea café that's open at—" You checked your watch, "—two o'clock in the morning?"

"It's kind of open whenever I want it to be." He smiled shyly.

That was sort of a weird thing to say. You started to worry that maybe you were about to break in to the shop and while you were always up for an adventure, that wasn't the kind of adventure you liked.

"It's right up there." He pointed and you could see at the end of the block, a small, dark shop. You lived near here and had seen this shop quite a bit, but never really realized what it was. The arched wooden French doors in the front along with the wide windows and dark exterior were always really appealing to you, but never went inside because you never realized it was a café.

"Are you sure it's okay if we go in here? It looks closed." You worried, moving closer to Levi and lightly holding his arm. He reached in his pocket and pulled out keys, putting them in the lock.

"Trust me. I know the owner." He smiled at you. It may have only been a small little lift in the corner of his mouth, but you were realizing that this little smile Levi had, was his way of being playful and the idea that he was showing you this side of him, as small of a reveal as it was, made your heart lift a little and you smiled back.

The lock clicked and he pushed the door open. The café was dark, but as soon as the door was open, you could smell the coffee from the machines and wood from the décor, all of it was so warm and welcoming. Levi clicked on the lights and pulled you forward, you hadn't even realized at what point he had grasped your hand.

"Pick a seat." He told, moving behind the counter. "I'll make us some tea."

You walked around, looking at everything. There was definitely a feeling of cozy warmth and you were really enjoying it. You weren't really someone that had much of an eye for design, but you really loved how everything was set up. White brick walls on the interior with open shelving for all the unique, but similar mug designs. There was a lot of wood, between the hardwood floors, the wooden stools and wooden shelves in the corner. It was manly, but quaint and very one-of-a-kind. It was very Levi.

You were starting to understand why he found it so funny that he knew the owner. You smiled at his little joke and kept walking to find a seat. There was a small corner away from the windows that caught your eye and you took a seat on the inner bench. Before you had the chance to really look around from your spot, Levi was walking over with two cups on a tray.

"I hope you're okay with black tea." He sat down and set a cup in front of you. "It's kind of my thing."

"Your thing, huh?" You slipped your fingers around the steaming mug and shivered as your body warmed up. "Then I'm definitely okay with it."

Levi smiled slightly and sat down across from you. You could feel his legs stretched out under the table, a foot on either side of your leg. It's not like he was a tall guy, so you wondered how much thought he put into stretching his legs out so that they were rubbing against yours. You smiled to yourself at the thought and it really surprised you just how into this guy you were.

"So, the owner of this place." You started, your finger dancing around the rim of your mug. "Is he single?"

"He is."

"And is he interested in women?"

"One in particular." You looked up to meet his eyes and smiled.

"Does she happen to be sitting across from him right now?" You were expecting to have to gauge his tiny reaction at your question and watched closely. Maybe you'd get the smallest widening of his eyes or a twitch in his eyebrows or the corner of his lips lifting. He looked into your eyes and you watched his lips curl into the widest smile you had seen him ever give. You were sure his eyes wrinkled a little.

"When did you figure out I was the owner?" He pulled his bottom lip in between his teeth and bit down lightly. It had your heart beating so intensely you were sure he could hear it.

"The moment you turned on the lights." You tried to laugh lightly and look around the café. "This place is very 'you'."

"I did have a bit of help with decorating."

"So then you met Fen through the bank?" You took a sip from the mug and smiled. Damn, that's good tea. "She must have been your lender?"

"She was. I met her through a friend that works with her. He's the one that recommended her to me." You smiled and tried to hide it quickly, but he saw and he started smiling. "Why are you smiling?"

"It's nothing. I was just wondering how we've only met handful of times when you've known Fen for a couple years." You took another sip of tea. "Also, how I've never been inside this shop when the tea's so good and it's right around the corner from my place."

At that, Levi let out the cutest little chuckle while he looked down, covering his mouth with his fist and you don't know how you had the restraint to hold yourself back from grabbing him.

"You know," you started nervously, looking down at your mug, "I actually thought that you and Fen were dating."

Levi looked up to you quickly and you continued.

"I thought that was her reason for inviting me tonight. To check out the new boyfriend." You looked up to him. "But after talking to you, I can see that you wouldn't be her type."

"I see."

"Yeah, she goes for the really visually obnoxious types, the ones lacking ambition and drive, the ones she ends up having to take care of." You explained. "It can be quite frustrating to watch as her friend."

"And you?" He asked quietly. "You don't like that type?"

"I like the opposite." You rested your chin on your hand and looked at him as he slowly leaned closer. "I like the quiet… confident… successful… slightly harder to pin down man."

You looked at his hand on the table and you were about to rest your hand on his, but thought better of it and decided to change the subject. It was starting to get a bit too intimate for how late it was in the night and you knew what you were like when that happened.

"So—" you leaned back against the bench, "—how has it been owning a tea café? It must take a lot of work."

"It's been good. It's busy enough." Despite you leaning backwards, Levi still felt close to you and he leaned in a bit more. "The commute isn't bad considering I live right upstairs."

Oh. Your eyes widened slightly in surprise. It wasn't often that you were surprised by what people say but you didn't expect it from him. That was bold. You could tell by the look in his eyes what he meant. That was extremely bold. You looked closer at him, wanting to make sure you weren't misunderstanding. He looked down at the table and you had a feeling he was going to say more. You waited and he cleared his throat.

"Honestly, I bought the whole building when I first thought about the café." He smiled, but looked a bit conflicted in what he was trying to say, his mouth opening slightly before closing, his eyes stuck to the mug in front of him.

You were watching him and waiting for him to finish his thought. He may not have been much of a talker, but when he did speak, you hung on every word. Your arms prickled with goosebumps as you watched him struggle while his lips waited to get the message from his brain on what it was he was trying to say.

"Do you want to see the roof?" He looked up at you, set on the decision he made to ask. "It's cold outside, but the view is really what made me buy the building."

He looked away quickly, his cheeks growing pink, slight discomfort from revealing something about himself, but you couldn't stop the smile from spreading across your face at the tiniest little invitation into his mind.

"I'd love to." You bit your lip at his shy smile. How he could nearly invite you to his apartment with such confidence, but blush at the idea of revealing his favorite spot in the city was beyond you, but it had your breath catching. You stood up and he took the mugs, setting them behind the counter.

Behind the seating area was a door to the backroom that must have been used for employees, Levi opened the door and went in, looking around and coming back out.

"I was hoping there was a blanket left in there." He grabbed your hand and guided you to the stairwell. It was much colder in there, the stale air freezing from the dropping temperature outside. You were thankful that Levi let you keep his jacket on your shoulders. Maybe wearing a backless jumpsuit was a bad idea for a cold autumn night. It definitely looked good though.

When you reached the second landing, Levi unlocked the door and pushed it open, flicking on the lights. You could tell right away that this was his apartment and he let go of your hand as he walked inside, not wanting you to feel obligated to follow him. But you did follow him. You stepped inside the warmth and let yourself feel the same welcome you did when you walked into the café.

His apartment had a feeling similar to the café that matched him so well, but it was different. A very midcentury modern feeling, while also very modern. He had a lot of dark colors and abstract art on the walls. It made you wonder who had helped him decorate that could nail down a look so perfect for him.

He slipped his shoes off and ran deeper into the apartment. You heard a door opening and closing and he was back with a blanket. Putting his shoes back on, he stepped behind you and you both moved into the stairwell again.

You couldn't believe you were thinking it, but as you walked up the steps to get to the roof, you looked at Levi's hand holding onto yours so securely as he moved up the steps in front of you and smiled. You finally understood what Fen meant by her text message earlier in the night. Had she set you up with Levi knowingly, there was no way you would have agreed to it. You had a pretty good idea he wouldn't have agreed either. You definitely owed her for this one.

You reached the top floor and Levi pushed open the door to the roof and quickly closed it. You stepped back, confused why he didn't open it up. Maybe it was heavy. He turned around to look at you.

"Close your eyes." He directed. You smiled and followed what he said, closing your eyes and moving your free hand to hold onto his hand, hoping for more guidance. You could hear him open the door again and he slowly guided you through the threshold. Your hands were dropped as he moved around, setting the blanket around your shoulders and adjusting something to your right before returning to guiding you forward. "Okay, you can open them."

You slowly opened your eyes and your jaw dropped at the view. His building was definitely the tallest compared to the surrounding ones, but you still had a great view of the taller buildings in the distance. That wasn't all though. You suspected that his shuffling around while your eyes were closed was him turning on the outdoor string of lights he had set up over a small seating area in the corner.

"This is amazing." You were in compete awe. This really was an amazing spot in the city. You could see all the hustle and bustle, but from where you stood, everything was quiet and calm.

Levi smiled and pulled you forward, moving to the edge of the building so you could see the street below, sliding himself under the blanket with you, which left no complaints coming from you. As beautiful as it was, it was cold and you would gladly accept any form of warmth he could provide.

"You're quite the romantic guy, Levi." You cuddled closer to him and he laughed.

"That's definitely the first time I've been called that." He looked at you, his grey eyes twinkling with the lights of the city.

"Well then I guess I'm the lucky one." You smiled, watching as his cheeks blushed pink and his smile turned into a lip bite.

"Y/N?"

"Yes."

"Would it be alright if I kissed you?"

"I was hoping you would." You turned your body to face him more, holding back a shiver as his hand moved to your waist, his fingertips grazing your bare back, and his other hand going to cup your jaw. His eyes were focused on your lips and he slowly moved forward, the closer he got to you, the slower he moved, not hesitating, but savoring the moment. It gave you time to move your hand to his shoulder and you could feel the hardened muscle through his shirt.

His lips reached yours and just like water rippling out from one small droplet, the warmth from his touch spread throughout your body quickly from the moment you felt it. Your breath caught as you felt the plushness of his lips pressing so delicately against yours and before you had the chance to enjoy the sensations, he slowly pulled away, his gaze returning to the view of this city. You smiled as you watched him smile uncertainly.

"It's late, but…" He tapped his fingers on the railing lightly and slowly looked up to you." If you want to stay the night, I would… I would like you to stay."

He laughed to himself nervously, but the look in his eyes was everything you needed to say 'yes' to that and he was making it so hard to resist. You were sure there must have been so many people who met Levi and mistook him for being shy and naïve and what a mistake they made because the bravado this man held had heat rolling through your body.

"Damn." You smiled coyly. "Damn, you really made that tempting."

He did that quiet chuckle into his fist that he did earlier in the café and you laughed with him, leaning forward and resting your chin on your hand.

"I really would love to, but it's already late and I have to be up in a couple hours, as I'm sure you do." He nodded.

"I understand." He was still smiling and it really had you hating that you had to say no. "Can I walk you home?"

"I would like that."

Your apartment was only a couple blocks from his café so the walk only took five minutes and before you really had the chance to enjoy your last couple minutes with him, you were in front of your apartment door.

"Thanks for walking me home." You smiled, your hand on your door knob. Levi was looking away, but turned to you to speak.

"It's not a problem. You're surprisingly close to my shop." He shook his bangs out of his eyes and it made you wonder if you should kiss him.

"I am." You smiled. "I think I might be frequenting that shop more often now that I know you'll be there."

He smiled, letting out a puff of air as he looked down. You really wanted to kiss him again and you were pretty sure he was feeling the same way. You reached for his hand and held it, leaning your body forward. When he looked up at you, you confidently placed a small kiss on his cheek, letting yourself linger there before pulling back and smiling at him.

"Good night, Levi." You dropped his hand and turned to your apartment door, twisting the knob and pushing the door open. Just as you were about to step inside, Levi grabbed your wrist and pulled you back. You probably would have fallen if it weren't for him quickly holding your face, his hands on your cheeks. It felt warm and so soft on your face and his hold was incredibly gentle as were his eyes as he looked at you.

There was no hesitation as he slowly pulled you closer to him, his eyes dipping down to your lips, and you helped close the gap between you both until there was no space left at all and his lips pressed tenderly against yours.

You were surprised at just how soft his kiss was, definitely more forceful than before, but still so soft. The smooth, cushiony feeling of his upper lip pressing against yours had you weak and you rested your hand on his shoulder. That is until his hands shifted to holding the back of your head and your waist, drawing your body even closer to his and that weakness in your knees turned to prickled skin all over your body. He opened his mouth and you opened yours, sighing as you slipped your tongue out to meet his somewhere in the middle. It was impossible to know just how quickly his heart was beating, but if it was beating at even a fraction of the rate yours was at, it definitely explained why his hand was moving up your back and why the kiss was deepening even further.

Just as quickly as he pulled you close, he separated the kiss and rested his forehead against yours. The smell of tea from your breaths mixing in the space between your lips as you both took quick, deep breaths.

"Can I see you tomorrow night?" He asked, his eyes still closed.

"Yes." You smiled and he pulled you close again, kissing you briefly before stepping back, his hands moving to his pockets.

"Tomorrow." The corner of his mouth barely lifted into a small smile, but you could read his excitement through that and it gave you butterflies and made you feel like a teenager.

"Tomorrow." You nodded and stepped inside your apartment.