It was when daylight barely showed itself when Levi got out of bed. He got four or maybe five hours of sleep, and after trying to fall again to no avail, he surrendered.
As much as he wasn't a big fan of coffee, it helped him to at least keep going through the day.
He slowly started coming to terms with the fact that what was stressing him so much was indeed the imminent meeting between Petra and his mother. Something that never happened before with any of his past relationships. Truth be told, none of them were as genuine and as lengthy as this one too. And that was still without taking into consideration that he didn't introduce anyone to his mother before. She was the very detached, fragile part of his life.
Leaving the half empty mug on the kitchen table, he went to the bathroom to trim his undercut. He smirked as he remembered the last time he let his girlfriend help him with it, how he almost ended up bald in that part. Her panic was quite funny, especially since he didn't really mind, plus it took only a week for it to look as usual.
His smile vanished at the sight of his tired eyes in the mirror. The last he could do was to try to look healthy for Kuchel, and not remind her of the times he ended up at her doors completely trashed only a decade ago.
When Petra woke up, it was already sunny. He heard her lazy grunt while he was looking through the latest sketches made by their interns at the desk in his room. The progress they were making was crazy. Oulo did a good job at hand-picking them, that he had to admit.
"Morninh…" the woman said before dragging herself up to sit. "How late is it?"
"It's eleven. I would've woken you up earlier, but I need you to be well-rested."
The woman sleepily blinked a few times before the realization hit her.
"It's the day!"
Levi turned on the chair to look at the messy sheets she left on his bed when she stormed out of it. He stood up to fix them before following her out of the room.
"I need to go home to change my clothes. I already picked an outfit."
"We have like half of the day; calm down."
"You do not realize how much time I need, babe."
"Can't you just go like usual?"
"I want to look proper, come on, I want to make a good first impression."
"I'll be wearing this." He pointed out, tugging on his casual shirt. Petra looked up at him above the cereal bowl in her hands that she quickly prepared beforehand. He looked like he always does in her eyes: intimidating and shady.
"It's different; she already loves you."
The atmosphere at the restaurant was cozy. Petra's never been there before, probably because of how fancy it seemed. Her usual meeting spots were just cafés, typical for young adults, and now, even though she wore her most modest casual outfit, she still felt out of place. The beige skirt reached below her knees: although its modern design made her look classy. Over that, she put on a white sweater with a wide collar. She liked how the simple colors contrasted with the leaf pattern on the side of her neck and arms. Now, she worried that maybe showing off her tattoos wasn't the best idea. She tugged on her sleeves and reached for her phone to check the time.
Just five minutes earlier, Levi texted her that they were stuck in traffic; but they should be there soon.
Each minute made her only more anxious, so she just averted her attention to replying to the emails from clients who wanted to sign up for tattoos.
"Sorry, we're late," Levi's voice startled her, as she didn't see him coming. He left his bag on the chair beside her and bent down to kiss her cheek.
"Ah, no problem," she replied automatically and stood up, instinctively averting her eyes to the woman beside him.
The similarity of their features was astounding. For some reason, it wasn't something Petra expected. The most visible difference was that Levi's face seemed grim, while his mother's eyes resonated with kindness. She was also a couple of inches taller.
"Hello, my name is Petra," she said with a smile and reached her hand to shake the woman's gloved one.
"Yes, I figured," she responded kindly and welcomed Levi's helping gesture of taking her coat from her. "I'm Kuchel. You can call me by my name, of course."
Petra nodded and sat back in her chair, shying away from the elegant way the woman moved.
"Did you order anything yet?" Levi asked her, taking his seat as well. Kuchel sat in front of them.
Despite what he told her in the morning, he dressed up too. It was weird to see him in something that she could only describe as business casual, with a perfectly fitting dark blue jacket and matching pants.
They decided on their meals and once their orders were taken, Petra gathered the courage to start the conversation she rehearsed in her head, but the dark haired woman was faster.
"Finally, it's great to meet you. I've heard so much about you."
"Really?" Petra's eyes widened in surprise. "I hope it was good stuff."
"Of course. I was surprised to learn that Levi wanted to settle. You must be special," she said, making the ginger's face flush.
"I'm not… a perfect girlfriend or anything, but I do my best. I want to make him happy," Petra replied.
"Does he make you happy?"
"Yes! Very much."
The younger woman glanced at the man at her side, surprised he didn't step into the conversation. She knew him enough to know that usually, he hated this kind of talk in public: yet now, he seemed indifferent.
She wasn't aware of what was going on in his head. He camouflaged it well, but inside he was panicking. It was stressful, but he knew what he was signing up for by letting them meet. There was also absolutely no option that he would snap at his mother. All he could do was trust both of them that they knew him enough to know where not to cross the line.
"Is working together hard as a couple?"
"We don't really work together much." Levi finally spoke up, turning their attention to him. "I'm managing the parlors' shit, and Petra focuses on her artistic career."
"I think we manage it well," she added, and her expression softened. "Levi was actually the reason why I started my career: his work inspired me."
As the conversation progressed, it was clear that the women would get along. It was a relief. He gladly backed away from the discussion, allowing them to get to know each other. It was heartwarming to see his mother so happy. He did his best, but their complicated relationship and his fucked up personality didn't help during their conversations in private. He put all his efforts into things he could do for her instead.
He listened in silence as they were talking, unless they addressed him directly. The topic then mostly turned to Petra's life, to the point where it almost seemed like an interrogation in his eyes, but the woman didn't seem to mind.
He got alerted when the conversation turned into talking about the future. Kuchel sensed the mood switch from the couple in front of her and decided not to be too intrusive.
"We are good as we are. For now," Levi said, cringing internally.
"Yes, it's been only a few months since we started dating," Petra added, glancing at him shortly. "But… we are planning on moving together, eventually."
Levi breathed out quietly, letting go of the nerves he wasn't aware of up until just now. It was a good feeling to hear her admit it to someone else. His trust issues will be the death of him, he thought.
"Great! Maybe you could tag along when Levi comes to visit me next time."
"I would love to," Petra assured her with a coy smile.
Their attention shifted to the phone on the table that just lit up.
"Oh… it looks like my ride to the hotel is already here."
The way Levi massaged the bridge of his nose didn't go unnoticed by Petra.
He stood up and took out the wallet from his pocket to hand it to his girlfriend, who took it with a surprised look.
"I'll escort you," he informed his mother, not giving her another option, then looked at Petra. "In case they want you to pay."
She nodded, and he moved away to help Kuchel with her jacket. Petra also stood up to shake her hand goodbye and after they agreed to exchange numbers later, the Ackermans headed to the exit.
Levi was tense when they got out. He didn't take his jacket, so the cold air hit him hard, but at the moment, he felt like it was what he needed the most. He turned his head in the direction where a familiar laugh came.
The tall man tipped his hat at his sight while approaching them.
"Here's our family star! It's good to see you're still going, Levi."
The short man scowled at Kenny while Kuchel intervened by grabbing his arm in an affectionate gesture.
"You must be bored to come to the city like this," he pointed out, still staring at him.
"Don't be so uptight," his uncle laughed. He definitely was in a good mood. "I like to go around and see the streets where you crawl. That alley you picked to kill that guy was pretty shitty. I would expect you to know better. No wonder they caught you, kid."
Levi shifted his eyes to his mother, feeling how her grip tightened on his arm.
"I didn't kill anyone," he assured her in a low voice and looked back at Kenny." Take her to the hotel and fuck off. I don't have time for your shit, not in my city."
Another laugh echoed through the parking place, followed by the tall man coming closer to them. Again, Levi withstood his intense stare.
"They are coming for you. I know you and your friend are trying to clean up the mess, but that won't do. Be careful if you want to keep your mom happy," he said from up close.
Kuchel sighed and caressed her son's arm.
"Please. Stay alert, just in case."
Levi breathed out and put his hand over hers giving a sign to let go of him.
"Anything else I should know? "
"You are easy to find. Don't forget about that. That's all," the man replied, making the words weigh heavily in Levi's chest.
His mind felt empty on his way back inside. He sat back on his chair before taking a look at Petra. She looked worried, which wasn't helping. She was getting too good at reading him for comfort.
"I paid," she said, handing him his wallet back.
"Do you want to go for a walk?"
Petra took a shallow breath before tilting her head the other way to kiss him again. Even with all the snow falling around, she wasn't cold in Levi's arms.
They stopped to talk at a small bridge in the park they were walking, situated not far from the restaurant: but soon it turned into a more intimate atmosphere.
Levi pinned her to the railing, making her head spin from the strength with which he held her and the soft kisses he treated her.
Petra raised her hands to the sides of his face when their lips parted. The way she looked at him melted his heart.
"Thanks for coming there with me."
"Shouldn't I be thanking you?" the woman asked, caressing his cheeks with her thumbs.
He showed her a small smile, to which she responded with a wider one. His hands rested on her own when he kissed her again.
"You're freezing; let's go home."
"Are you sure? I thought you wanted to talk about what's troubling you." she expressed in worry.
"I'm fine. But I won't be if you get sick."
"Tell me about it later, okay?"
"Let's go."
