Ransom(97)

My face immediately feels warm. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t that.

He finally turns to look at me, a small smile playing around his lips. “Oh, come on. You can’t be that surprised. I thought it was painfully obvious.”

“Levi, are you saying that you… uh, like me?”

He laughs, shaking his head. “Oh, Daisy. What is this, junior high? Okay, yes, I like you. In fact, I like you like you.”

In spite of my surprise at the inherent awkwardness of the situation, he still brings a smile to my face with the Levi-ness of his response. “I guess that did sound pretty silly. I just… I’m surprised. I had no idea you had… feelings for me.”

He lets out a frustrated sound. “Yeah. I did a pretty good job of covering it up when we were in school. I thought Daltrey had some claim on you.” He shakes his head, looking bitter. “Stupid of me. If I had any idea he was going to run off and leave you on your own—”

“That’s not what happened,” I say, the need to defend Daltrey automatic. “He had to go. It was the chance of a lifetime.” His face still looks hard. “Come on, Levi. You know that better than anyone.”

“What about this time, though? Once again, he put his feelings, his needs, first and left you on your own.”

I have no idea how to argue with him. I do wish Dalt had never left me in that room in New York. But I also don’t believe for a minute that his motives were selfish. The bigger problem, though, is the pure anger I see on Levi’s face while he talks about Daltrey. “Levi, Daltrey is one of your best friends. I don’t want you to be mad at him, especially not over me.”

He shakes his head. “That’s the really annoying thing. I’m mad at him, but I still get it. I wish I could have done it. The truth is, no matter what stupid thing he does, I always seem to forgive him. Taking you for granted way back in high school. Being a pissy brat on tour. Leaving everyone else to deal with the consequences of his actions.” He nods toward me, looking very sad. “Getting the girl.” His eyes meet mine. “Even that, I’ll end up forgiving in the end. It’s just how it goes. Daltrey gets all the things he wants and good old Levi is there in the background whenever he needs me.”

I grab his hand. “It doesn’t have to be like that, Levi. It shouldn’t be.”

“Yeah? Well, I told you I had feelings for you about ten minutes ago, and you still haven’t responded. So I’m pretty sure my assessment of myself as the background boy is well founded.”

I release his hand, feeling terrible. “I’m in love with Daltrey. I’m sorry, Levi.”

“Don’t be sorry. Really, Daisy, there’s nothing to be sorry for. I knew you loved him years ago.”

Tears come to my eyes. “But I am sorry. I don’t want you to feel bad. You deserve better.”

“And what about you, Daisy? You think you don’t deserve better?” He picks up his beer with a shaking hand and takes a long gulp. He sets the bottle down on the table, hard. “What are you going to do now? Go back on tour? Follow him around? Spend every day wondering if he’ll take off again?”

I shake my head, overwhelmed. “It’s not like that.”

“Really? ’Cause I’m pretty familiar with how those boys operate. It’s all about the band. It always has been. What happens if you can’t deal with the press? If they keep digging into your background, writing about you? What happens if you need to get away from all the crowds, all the people? What do you think he’s going to put first? When his dad is pressuring him and his brothers are giving him a hard time, do you think he’ll be strong enough to stand up to them?” He reaches out and takes my hand, his grip firm. “You deserve better than that, Daisy. You deserve better than being his second place.”

I start crying. He’s voicing what I’ve worried about since the first day I saw those pictures show up on my ConnectMe page last year. I had a lot of reasons to stay away from Daltrey and the band, but part of me, a part I never admitted to, was really just scared that if I went after him, he wouldn’t be there for me. It was easier to hide than take the chance that he’d reject me.

“I’m sorry,” Levi says, but he doesn’t let go of my hand. “I don’t want to make you sad. I don’t ever want to do that. But I know you, Daisy, and I know what you’re about to do. And I need you to know, before you make that choice, that it is a choice. That you have options.”

“What options?”