“You are special. You know why?”
“Why?” he rasped and took my hand in his to lie underneath his cheek. “Because you’re the center of my world. To me, that is the most special thing in life. To be that important, that vital to another’s happiness. It’s not just special, it’s priceless.” I shrugged. “To me at least.”
“So now you know,” he replied. This time it was my turn to be confused.
“I don’t understand.”
“Now you know,” he repeated and a small smile pulled on his lips. “Now you know how I’ve felt about you since we met. You’re that someone to me too, la mia anima gemella.”
My heart swelled at hearing that beautiful language on his lips. “What does that mean?” I asked, hanging on his every word.
Levi squeezed my hand. “My soulmate, is what we would say in English, but I like the literal Italian translation better.”
“Which is?”
“My twin soul.”
I stopped breathing, and Levi sighed. “That’s what you are. My soul’s vital other. It’s carbon copy. The Hero to my Leander’s heart.”
“Levi,” I hushed, my boy so sweet to me. But then my stomach turned at the road that lay ahead.
“What?” Levi asked, clearly seeing my change in expression.
“What if I can’t do it? The future is too unknown. I’m… I’m scared.”
Levi inched closer and shook his head. “There ain’t nothing to be afraid of, Elsie, not if we’re together. You know why?”
“No.”
“Because I know now that having any kind of future makes us lucky.” He kissed the back of my hand and then pulled back. “But having a future with you? It’s a blessing. Our blessing. Because I get to live my life with you, beside you—la mia anima gemella.”
I could barely speak through how happy I felt right now. We stayed in comfortable silence, until I watched Levi smile. “What?” I asked, my heart thudding in my chest.
“I just realized what my favorite English word is.”
“Yeah?” I asked moving closer, just a hairsbreadth from his lips. “Tell me.”
Levi leaned forward, briefly took my lips with his own, and whispered, “Elsie.”
I stared at this boy with the silver gray eyes, then took his mouth in another soft kiss. As I sighed at being so content, I listed the things that he’d brought into my life: safety, happiness and peace. But the best part of all, was that he’d brought me that rainbow after the storm…
… he’d brought for me the moon.
And I’d brought him the shine.
*
Two months later….
As the clock ran down in the stadium, I brought my hands to my mouth in disappointment.
“Shit!” Austin snapped and clapped his hands anyway. “Good game, fratello. Good fucking game.”
We were sitting in the stadium as Levi’s team played in the playoffs, and he’d played amazing, but unfortunately they’d lost.
I sat down on the seat, my heart crestfallen for Levi. But I knew he’d be okay. And he always had next year.
I sat looking out onto the clapping crowd and I thought back to the first time I came here, the first time I experienced all of these people and all of the noise. It scared me. It unnerved me so much that I wasn’t ever sure I could come back. But I did, and I had. Through therapy and working at the center I’d gradually built up my confidence, and realized that I didn’t have to be so scared anymore. Because what had happened to me wasn’t embarrassing nor had it made me weak. It was cruel and malicious on the part of the bully. But it wasn’t my fault, it was nothing I did, and my life would not be bettered until I learned to recognize that I was more than their victim. That I was more than the words they used to cut me down.
I deserved more, and I was trying each day to get it.
Levi, only a few days after I came home, helped me sign up to get my GED. He worked with me every night. He tutored me through the subjects I’d never passed, and with every new thing I learned, I grew more confident in myself, so confident that I knew I wanted to become a counselor. And I now knew I’d be good at it. The weeks spent listening and talking to the kids at Kind had shown me that I was a good listener. My years of silence giving me a skill that the kids vitally needed—someone to simply listen and understand.
It was where I belonged.
Lexi sat down beside me, and she laid her head on my shoulder. “Poor Levi, he’ll be sad they lost.”
“Yeah, but he’ll be okay,” I replied and Lexi lifted her head and smiled.
“How you feeling?” she enquired.
I took a deep breath. “Okay, I think.”
Lexi squeezed my hand, but let go when Ally and Molly came over to talk. We chatted about trivial things until I heard Levi walk through the door to the private box. This time, he came to me first, his expression disappointed and low.
“You okay?” I asked when he took me in his arms.
“Yeah.” He sighed. “Just sucks.”
“You played well though.”