Chapter 43
Maybe I was too tired, but I've been sleeping pretty well lately.
When I woke up this morning, Levi wasn't up yet. He was lying next to me, and I actually felt a tiny bit of security.
This feeling was too scary, so I quietly got out of bed and slipped away.
Indigo saw me come downstairs. My hair was a bit messy, so I ran my fingers through it randomly, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Mrs. Morgan, you must be starving."
"Yeah, I am."
I only had a sip of wine last night and didn't eat anything.
"I've prepared quite a lot for you. Come eat."
Indigo was like a parent doting on their child, having prepared a whole table full of food.
"Maybe I should go wash up first. This doesn't seem right."
"Just relax at home. Mr. Morgan probably went to bed late last night, so he won't be down for a while."
"Ahem."
Levi cleared his throat twice. My back tensed up—speak of the devil.
I kept my head down, wishing I could find a hole to crawl into. I should really go wash up first. Looking this disheveled kills the appetite.
"Mr. Morgan, good morning."
"Morning."
Indigo gave me a look, signaling me to slip away while she talked to Levi.
Just as I was about to pass by Levi, he grabbed my hand.
"Eat first."
My hand felt like it had been shocked. I quickly pulled it away.
"Okay."
I turned back around reluctantly, then saw Indigo's bright smile.
This breakfast was probably the longest meal Levi and I had shared in all our time living together.
Celestia wasn't up yet either. Neither of us started any conversation, just eating on our own.
"I have a client meeting today. I'll be back late tonight."
Levi was telling me his schedule?
I was stunned. Since when did he want to report to me? When he would come home had always depended entirely on his mood, hadn't it?
"Oh."
"It's a day off today. If Celestia wants to go out, you can send her to the Morgan mansion."
He meant that if I felt tired, I could send her back to the Morgan mansion to play with Aiden and the others. Didn't Levi have reservations about Aiden?
Had the sun risen in the west?
"Okay."
After telling me all this, he left.
I kept eating while puzzling over it. Something unusual must be going on, right?
"Mrs. Morgan, if you want to rest, I can take Celestia over there."
Indigo had heard our conversation. Maybe after I changed jobs, my exhaustion was visible to everyone, so they all wanted me to rest properly.
A warm feeling washed over me.
"That works. Nola asked me to dinner, so I'll get some more sleep during the day."
After breakfast, I planned to go back to my room for a nap.
But with the winter collection deadline approaching, I wasn't in the mood to sleep.
So I just stayed home and worked all day...
It got darker and darker. Levi said he'd be home late, but I didn't care when he came home anyway.
I was used to being on my own. I met up with Nola at the agreed time.
She liked going to quiet bars, listening to music, and chatting.
Nola was drinking by herself. When she saw me, she ran over and gave me a big hug.
"Blair, it's so great to have you."
I pinched her cheek. "Who told you to be so important?"
She pulled me to sit down. "Want some?"
"No thanks."
"Actually, with your tolerance, you'd better not drink."
This wasn't Nola trying to goad me—I really couldn't handle alcohol. When I drank, I drank too much.
I couldn't drink and drive, and I didn't trust getting a driver either.
"Get her a soda water."
Nola rubbed her face. "Blair, I'm really fed up. We just chatted a bit yesterday, and today he showed up at my house."
"My dad even treated him to a big meal. He clearly can't handle his liquor, but he still dared to drink with my dad. I had to drive him home."
I smiled. "Maybe Uncle Finn approves of him."
"Forget it. I really don't like him."
It seemed Nola was genuinely annoyed with him.
"By the way, why did Levi pick you up last night?"
Nola's eyes lit up with gossip. I knew she'd interrogate me.
"He was probably invited too, so we ran into each other. Then he randomly told Elliot he'd take me home." I felt annoyed just thinking about it.
"Haha, you don't think Levi was jealous seeing you with Elliot?"
"Impossible!"
I immediately rejected that idea. Sometimes I felt like I was no different from a man in Levi's eyes.
Nola covered her face and giggled. "Blair, Levi seems off lately."
"Tell me about it. I think his brain's short-circuiting. This morning, he even grabbed my hand and told me his schedule. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"
The more I talked, the more annoyed I got. I grabbed Nola's drink and took a few sips.
"Hey, I thought you weren't drinking..."
Nola smiled even brighter. "Blair, you're getting worked up again."
How could I not get worked up when talking about Levi!
"Ugh, we're both in the same boat. Why is it so hard? There's something to worry about every day. Life was so much happier without men."
Nola ordered another drink and refilled mine, too.
I drank while venting, not realizing that Nola's drinks tasted sweet at first but hit you hard later.
I got dizzy and drank quite a bit.
I kept talking about Levi... Levi. I said his name countless times.
Seeing I'd had too much, Nola called my home phone, got Levi's number from Indigo, and told him to come get me.
She probably knew Levi's place in my heart, so she wanted to help us out. Better to bend than to break. From her perspective, she still hoped I could be happy.
Vaguely, I saw Levi's face.
"Over here."
Nola gestured for Levi to come over.
He walked over, looked at me, who was completely wasted, and shook his head.
"Blair really, really loves you. Don't let her down. She's had too much to drink. Don't blame her—she just had a lot on her mind and drank more."
Levi smiled lazily. "She gets drunk every few days."
Nola laughed too. "Classic case of not knowing her own limit."
"We're leaving now. I'll have my driver come back to take you home later."
"Don't trouble yourself. Just take care of Blair. I'll have my family's driver come get me."
Levi nodded, then picked me up and carried me. Their conversation echoed in my ears, but I had no idea what they were mumbling about.
He put me in the back seat, then sat down next to me, letting my head rest on his shoulder.
The driver asked through the rearview mirror, "Mrs. Morgan got drunk again?"
"Yeah."
I closed my eyes. I really wanted to sleep now.
Levi gently patted my back. My whole body relaxed, and I slowly lay down on his lap. His embrace was warm.
"Mr. Morgan, what about your date with Miss Greer?"
The driver reminded Levi he had plans with Jessa.
"Not going."
I adjusted myself, burrowing further into the warm embrace. Even though the heater was on in the car, I still felt a bit cold.
"Levi, when will you be willing to have a proper talk with me?"
"What did you say?"