The song choice was good? Ok, thanks guys :) And if you guys are liking Levina's crush on Damian you should enjoy this chapter ;) Chloe: The age thing will be cleared up very soon, no worries. Pancake: That is a very good image, I'm so sorry that the fluff has to be interrupted like that! xD Alright, here's the next chapter, and thank you for the reviews on the last chapter everyone!

Chapter Six – A Laugh, a Game and a Smile

(Levina's POV)

After spending twice as long as normal in front of the mirror, I settle on a messy bun. It isn't exactly the hair of movie stars but it also isn't as drab as it could be. I step out into the balmy autumn air and take one glance over at the motel lobby. The blinds are pulled down, blocking any view into the cramped office. I haven't spoken to my mother since the incident out at Willy's Butte, and I don't think I want to run into her just yet. I don't need to start anymore drama with her; I have the distraction of Damian instead.

I slink across the motel property and make my way over to Flo's Café. I wonder if the townsfolk have been talking about me. I wonder if they know what happened, and just how much my mother probably twisted my words to make me look like the bad guy. I remember a time when it wasn't like this. A time where I was a disillusioned girl who'd hit puberty and was living in the dark when it came to knowing who her father was. They all treated me like a priceless glass doll back then. What happened?

Oh yeah, I grew up. I stopped letting my mother keep secrets from me and started living my life. I get a feeling that she wouldn't want me hanging around Damian, so I decide I'll keep him my secret.

As I walk through the café doors, I'm met with a wonderful blast of air-conditioning. Flo always has the air on way too high in here, but I like it. I'm about to flop into my favourite booth, the one with the only red leather backing that isn't peeling yet, when I immediately sense Damian's presence. He's scanning over a newspaper that's probably from two months ago and drinking what looks to be black coffee.

I hesitate for a second, hoping that he'll notice me. I can't just walk over there and sit down. What if he's not a morning person? Better yet- what if I look imposing and desperate?

I wish I knew how to do these things. I wish I knew how to handle interaction with males below the age of forty.

So, I decide to sit down in my regular booth and wait for Flo to appear. I wait and wait, but she doesn't show. She must not be expecting me this early.

At last, I see her pop out from the kitchen with a coffee pot. She offers to top up Damian's mug and he accepts with a smile. Then she spots me and exclaims, "Levina! Honey, what can I get you?"

Out of the corner of my eye I see Damian lift his head from the newspaper. He's peeking over the top of it, trying to be sneaky about it I bet. I don't dare look to see though.

Flo bustles over and I order some juice with a buttered bagel, then she hurries off to the kitchen with my request. I drop my eyes to the table, pretending I'm suddenly fascinated with the white surface. I'm dying to know if Damian's looking at me and what he's thinking. I've never been so aware of my every body movement in all my life. It's like all I can pay attention to is the position I'm sitting in, how my hair is resting and where I should put my hands while I'm waiting. Stupid things I've never noticed are now all I can think about.

After a few minutes of my hypersensitivity, Flo is back and she places the plate and glass in front of me. I thank her and she smiles with a glint in her green eyes. If she knows anything about yesterday with my mother then she's clearly not showing it. Unless that isn't what she's grinning so conspicuously about…

When she's gone, I take a quick breath of relief. I take a sip of my orange juice, being sure not to chug it down in a wolfish way like I normally would. I'm so concentrated on not looking at Damian that I almost leap out of my skin when I hear his voice so close.

"Hey! I wasn't expecting to run into you this morning," he says and allows himself take a seat across from me. He does it so comfortably, as if it's no big deal that he wants to sit with me. He must be older than me, he has to be.

I finally look at his striking eyes and study his face for different features that might tell me how old he is. His skin is a smooth, light tan colour, definitely not as sun-kissed as mine. He looks like he has the hint of stubble, but it doesn't make him look dirty and unkempt. If anything, it lies on his complexion as if it is styled to give him an edgy appearance. I start wondering what the ideal stubble length is to attain such a look, or if it just always looks this way on him.

I reach for a butter pack out of a bowl in the middle of the table. I don't see anything about him that says he's eighteen, but I always don't see something about him that says he's twenty-seven. Maybe I'm just a very bad judge of age.

"Well," I reply somewhat dryly, "It isn't too hard to run into someone in a place like this."

Damian chuckles softly. I like the sound of his laugh. Almost as much as I like his eyes. Then he watches me start spreading butter on my bagel and asks, "Didn't that-?"

"Already come with butter on it?" I finish for him. I can feel my cheeks turn hot as I explain, "Yeah, it did. I just have a thing for butter. It's better than sugar if you ask me."

He laughs again, this time an actual laugh. And now I'm certain that I love the sound of it, more than his eyes even.

He leans back in the seat and nods his head, "Ah, okay."

I try to eat the bagel in a lady-like manner and pray that the redness will leave my face.

A moment of silence passes between us, and then Damian speaks up again and asks me, "So, where do you go to school?"

I swallow a mouthful of the bread and try not to choke on it. I hope he can't tell how painful it is going down my throat. "I don't. I mean, I did. Homeschool. I was able to finish a year early though."

"Yeah?" Damian responds, "I bet that's nice."

I shrug in return. It's not like my days are filled with something any more interesting than school anyways. Or at least, they weren't until yesterday.

"Do you go to school?" I ask sheepishly, when I'm finished the bagel. I'm pretty sure he doesn't, or else he wouldn't be here, but I can't think of anything else to say.

"Nope," he smiles at me, "I finished a few years ago."

That means he's older than me. He must be in his very early twenties. I think he knows how that instantly makes him more attractive and I can feel myself start blushing again.

"Oh," I answer in a dorky tone. He must think I'm such a kid.

He doesn't seem bothered though. Instead, he taps his fingers along the edge of the table and says, "Well, if you're not busy today, I was wondering if maybe you could show me around? I know it isn't a big place but I thought you might know what's worth seeing."

The way his fingers rapidly touch the table almost makes him seem shy. I pretend he's been waiting to ask me this question for hours. That it kept him up all night thinking about my answer.

I know he probably wasn't, but I convince myself otherwise. Yes, that's how it went, my heart argues internally with my brain. And then I do the strangest thing- I imagine I'm Mom. I act like I'm sitting across from some self-absorbed racer and we're about to play this game; the one where I make him fall hopelessly in love with me.

I brush my bangs out of my eyes and look directly at Damian. I smile coyly at him and deny my fluttering heartbeat from showing on my face. I curl my lips and gaze around the café as if I'm contemplating my busy schedule. Then I respond as nonchalantly as possible, "Yeah, I suppose I could do that."

If you have made it to this point- thank you for reading :D Pretty please, review if you can, they are always welcome! :)