ISABELLA’S POV
I woke up to the soft hum of the air conditioner and a dull morning light creeping through the curtains.
For a second, I didn’t know where I was.
The ceiling was a strange cream color that I didn’t recognize. The sheets under my fingers weren’t mine. The pillow smelled faintly of detergent, not lavender. And the silence — the silence wasn’t my room’s silence. It wasn’t familiar.
But it wasn’t threatening either.
I blinked, eyes heavy, head sinking into the pillow again before realization caught up to me like a soft nudge.
The hotel.
The rain.
Levi.
I sat up slowly, the white robe still wrapped around me, the duvet falling from my shoulders. My heart didn’t spike the way it had the night before. There was no fight-or-flight surging under my skin. Just quiet.
I had slept.
Really slept.
I didn’t mean to fall asleep.
The last thing I remembered was promising myself I’d get up in a second. Just one more second and that one more second had stretched into hours. Into an entire night.
Shit.
I never texted Levi.
I looked toward the nightstand. It was bare except for a small notepad and a pen. No phone. Right — I didn’t have it. It was still in Adrien’s car, tucked away in the purse I left behind in the heat of the argument. I’d walked off without anything except my pride.
I sighed and pushed the blanket aside, feet hitting the carpet softly. The bag Levi had left was still sitting neatly on the second bed. I unzipped it.
It was a simple slip dress, deep forest green, the kind that skimmed rather than clung. The fabric felt cool and smooth against my fingertips – silk, maybe? It folded out of the bag without a single wrinkle.
Beside it was a small, soft, cashmere cardigan in a compatible shade of grey, a pair of flat comfortable-looking sandals and a small pouch with a travel toothbrush, toothpaste, and a little bottle of something that smelled a touch like roses.
I pulled out the dress fully and held it up against myself. It was exactly the sort of thing I’d want to pick out. How did he know anything about me when he barely knew me?
I carried the dress into the bathroom and changed quickly.
The silk dress was like a second layer of comfort, sliding over my skin. It was cool, light, and when I walked across the room it moved effortlessly like a gentle breeze. The cardigan was so soft, a soft weight on my shoulders that relieved me of the last hints of the previous night’s cold.
The sandals were simple and functional, a nice relief from whatever heels I had been wearing the night before.
I looked at myself in the full-length mirror on the back of the bathroom door. I wouldn’t say it was a dramatic transformation, but it felt like I was shedding something heavy and putting on something... lighter. More like myself, on a good day.
When I stepped back into the room, I went to the door, hesitated for half a second, and opened it — just a crack. I didn’t have a phone. I couldn’t call him. But maybe...
Before I could think too hard, there were two soft knocks.
Like he already knew.
"You decent?" Levi’s voice came through the door, calm and warm.
I blinked. "Yeah... you can come in."
He stepped inside holding a paper bag and two takeaway coffee cups. His eyes met mine quickly, scanning my face like he was checking for signs of how bad the night had been.
A slow smile spread across his face. "Morning."
"Morning," I echoed, feeling a blush creep up my neck. I suddenly felt a little awkward, standing there in the dress he’d bought, wearing the clothes he’d chosen.
"I figured you’d be up soon," he said, offering one of the cups to me. "And I figured you might want something hot."
"Thanks," I said with appreciation, and took the cup from him. The warmth as it sat in my palms was, quite simply, comforting. And....I didn’t text. I wanted to. I just..." I trailed off and then gave him a sheepish shrug. "I fell asleep. I didn’t even mean to. And, I... don’t have my phone with me anyway."
He laughed softly as he closed the door behind him. "Yeah, I figured that. You were passed out when I checked on you last night."
My cheeks flushed hotter. "You checked on me?"
"Just a quick peek," he said, shrugging lightly. " "Just to make sure you were still breathing." He held my gaze for a moment and allowed the smile to soften into something more quiet. "The dress looks good on you. Better than I expected."
"Oh. Thank you," I mumbled, looking down at the forest green silk. "It’s... perfect. How did you even know? The style, I mean."
"Lucky guess," he said, though his eyes held a hint of something knowing. "Or maybe I just paid attention."
We finished our coffee and the food from the paper bag – pastries that Levi insisted I eat, claiming I looked like I needed the calories. We checked out, the process simple and efficient, the hotel lobby quiet and clean, a stark contrast to the storm-battered world outside the night before.
Levi drove me home. The city outside was a pale, washed-out grey under a sky that still looked bruised but had stopped actively weeping. Traffic was sluggish, the lingering effects of the heavy rain.
Levi and I talked a little, mostly about nothing spectacular. He asked if I was feeling okay, if I’d slept well. I told him I had, surprisingly well, thanked him again for everything – the room, the clothes, the coffee, just being there. He just nodded, a small, kind smile on his face.
During the drive, my stomach started to knot, reality waited at my doorstep.
Dad.
He must be worried sick. I hadn’t texted, hadn’t called. My phone was still in Adrien’s car.
Levi parked the car on the street in front of my house.
He killed the engine and the unexpected hush that followed was more profound than the silence during the ride. He didn’t say anything at first, just staring out the windshield for seemingly forever, then finally turning to me.
His expression was gentle but a bit serious. "Are you really okay?" he asked, his voice low.
I swallowed, looking at the building. "Yeah," I said, hoping I sound convincing enough. "Thank you, Levi. For everything, really. I don’t know what I would have done."
He let a small, genuine smile find its way to his face. "You’re a tough kid, you would have figured it out," he said, his eyes crinkling in the corners. "But I’m glad I could help."
But we didn’t move for a minute.
"Well," I said, finally breaking the spell, "I guess I should... go inside."
"Yup," he said, though he still hadn’t opened the door or even reached to unlock it and he just watched.
I hesitated, my hand on the door handle. "Are you... do you need to get going?"
He shrugged a bit. "Just wanted to make sure you got in okay."
I nodded, a small, grateful smile touching my lips. He wasn’t leaving me completely alone with it, not yet. It was a small thing, but it meant a lot.
I took a deep breath and opened the car door. The morning air was cool and fresh.
As I got out, Levi got out too, walking around the front of the car to stand on the sidewalk with me. He didn’t come to the door, just leaned against the car watching me as I walked towards the entrance.
I didn’t look back until I was at the bottom step. When I looked back, he was still there, a solid presence resting on the curb. I waved lightly, he waved back.
"Thanks again," I called out softly.
"Anytime," he replied.
I turned, pushed open the gate and stepped inside.