A stranger on the sidewalk, she had bumped into him and apologized profusely over her own spilled goods.
Levi had been speechless, memories of a blue sundress and a polite smile suddenly so fresh and vibrant in his mind.
"Captain Levi, of the Scouts, yes?" She had that same smile, the one from his dreams. "We met a long time ago, when I was younger." Unperturbed by the man's silence, she continues rambling, with that delicate blush on her cheeks. "I have to go, but if you're a reader, I own a bookstore right off the plaza."
Levi wonders what would have happened if he had not walked into that bookstore.
He had given it a chance on a lazy afternoon, nothing else to do but stroll through town and see what he could get into.
"I'll be with you in a moment," the voice came from the back room.
Levi only hummed, eyes trailing across the spines of each book that adorned the ceiling-to-floor shelves. It was cramped inside this little store, but Levi didn't mind when he was the only customer at the moment. The place had a cozy feeling to it when alone, with soft candlelight and the smell of fresh pages that were all his to plunder that afternoon. The smell of cinnamon was thick throughout, rugs worn into the floor beneath his dress shoes; Levi felt like he could lose himself in here a little bit, if only for a while.
His eyes are focused on the book in his hand, but he can feel her standing behind him; he could almost feel the way she shook, hearing it in her breaths. When Levi looks back over his shoulder, her eyes are big and wide on him, like she couldn't believe what was in front of her. It had been some time since they had been in one another's presence. She had grown since then, for sure, but Levi still saw the family resemblance in her long, blonde hair and cerulean eyes that stared at him with such wonder.
"Bella," his voice is soft, softer than it should have been.
Her cheeks are pink when she smiles at him, her nervousness washed away in an instant. "Captain Levi, I wasn't expecting you."
Why did she have to smile at him like that? Levi wasn't sure why he thought he could simply walk in here and browse her collection, things never quite worked out like that when it came to her. He shouldn't be here, he should have just kept walking on home, where he could spend another long night alone and not ruining things for this one.
"Were you expecting someone, then?" He's teasing her, what a bad move.
Her face goes blank, but then Bella lets out a laugh, wrapping her arms around herself. "No, no I wasn't expecting anyone." The warmth in her eyes. "I was just about to close up, you're my only customer today."
His heart skips a beat, and he can't help himself. "So you're alone?" Levi can't look at her, his fingers lingering on the book spines in front of him.
The silence is deafening, Levi unable to turn around and see what kind of expression is on her face at that moment. Did she understand already? Did she realize just what Levi was there for? How could she, Levi was sure he had kept himself in check from day one.
"Yes," she whispers.
Levi looks back at her again, the nervous blush on her cheeks, the questions in her eyes. "What am I doing here?" He turns his body to face her, brow furrowed slightly as he stares down at her.
Bella shakes her head, staying firmly planted where she was and staring at Levi with those big eyes full of concern for him. Shouldn't she be more concerned about herself? Shouldn't she stop him from moving any closer, or move away herself at the very least? She just stays in that spot, craning her head back slightly to keep her eyes on his, her hesitation clear with the slight tremble in her body.
Or was it anticipation?
Levi could feel that too, having to focus on the shaking in his hands to get it to stop even for a second. She tenses up beneath his grip when both hands grab her elbows, pulling her a bit closer; his eyes begged for her to stop him, to stop staring at Levi like this was something she could possibly want. Did it not shock her, that he was aching to touch her this badly? Was it not a surprise that he was here, now, burying his fingers into her soft hair?
"Levi.."
You dirty old man.
It was so easy, the way she gave into him - he expected some sort of resistance, some sort of fight, but she became putty in his hands so easily. Had he known it would be this way, Levi was afraid he may have taken that step far earlier than this; and this was already too much, too heinous. She was too much, and too little at the same time. No one would remember her name, but Levi hadn't stopped thinking about it since he heard it those handful of years ago.
The books that tumble to the floor break Levi's attention, a frown coming to his face that makes Bella smile. "Don't rush," she whispers, though her skin is hot, and her hands are shaky against his face.
Had she wanted this too?
"We don't have that kind of time."
What a sad look she had on her face. "I know."
"You can tell me to leave," he says, giving her the options available. "You can tell me to leave and never come back again, I won't hold it against you."
Her eyes show Levi her confusion, but Bella remains steadfast and reaches out for him. Her fingers tighten in the front of his button-up, nails threatening his skin through the thin fabric; his skin erupts in chills, from head to toe. Neither moves further than that for a long time, both hesitant to take that next step. What was the next step, though? If Levi was being honest with himself, he didn't think it would get this far. Someone like her should be telling him politely to leave, that her brother would be home soon and he would get upset if he found his sister alone with someone like Levi.
"Please, don't," she whispers.
Levi watches the moon crawl across the sky from her bedroom window, sheets sticking to his flushed skin despite the breeze that came through the open window. He could feel the rise and fall of her back against his arm, found the warmth her body radiated not nearly as frustrating as he expected it to be. Having thought about these moments often, Levi had imagined her touch burning like a flame, when she was nothing but a sun-bathed bench in the plaza.
A warm, comfortable place.
Levi had thought about what he would do if he was ever given the chance to have this kind of moment, and he chose to sit there and soak it in instead of the myriad of things he had imagined. But the excitement died to a soft simmer of emotions when he finally had his hands on her, which Levi was also okay with. The moment felt natural, like it had been waiting for him.
So why had he waited so long to approach her like this?
When Bella stirs, hands digging through the sheets to find him, Levi obliges and lets her pull him away. What had he been waiting for? All this time wasted on thinking about what he couldn't have, when it seemed to have been waiting for him all along. Was that why she looked at him the way that she did, with dewy eyes and that heart breaking smile of hers? When had she made the same decision, the have that dreamy look on her face when she gazed at him, as though all of her dreams were coming true right before her eyes.
"I was lost when I found you," she murmurs in the chill of the night, moonlight reflecting off of her skin and bleaching it of all color. "It may sound silly, but that's the truth. We were scared children, and then there was you."
Levi has nothing to say to this, fingers lost in her pale hair, in the plush texture of her hips beneath the sheets. Levi could get used to this, sitting here with her, soaking in the darkness of night. Going by her words she whispered to him, Bella felt the same way, which filled Levi with that doubt once again. Was it really so bad, what they were doing?
Dirty old man.
"They can't know," Bella says, her thighs hugging his hips as she pulls herself on top of him. "Not yet."
Levi smiles, hands bunching up in the fabric of her nightgown. "Agreed."
And she smiles at him, all pretty teeth and plush lips against his. It's a sweet moment, however brief, because Bella pulls herself away from Levi and stands up to close the window. She rambles as Levi watches her, and rambles some more when he meets the heated gaze that watches them from the cracked bedroom door; Levi had sworn he locked it behind them, guess not. It's hard to see, but he had heard the creak of the stairs as they had climbed up to the second floor, felt the pressure of prying eyes the moment they had peered through that small crack.
"Everything okay?"
Levi closes his eyes involuntarily as her long fingers trail up the side of his face, digging into his hair briefly. "Of course," he murmurs, lips brushing against the soft skin of her knuckles.
Can she see the lie in his eyes? Is that why she frowns the way she does, resting her head on his chest and staring out the window in silence. Levi stares at the door again, familiar eyes full of doubt and...rage. But Armin finally leaves, even pulling the door closed without being heard by Bella; what would she have done, if she knew her brother had seen them?
"Will you take me to see the ocean?"
Her eyes are closed by the time Levi looks down at her head on his chest, but she's still there. "One day," he promises.
