Holding a Hero

by Layne, Lyssa

  Drunk? His day must have been painful. Dammit, I should have been there with him. I hated myself, knowing I should have left school to spend the day with him.

  "I’ll call Tyler to pick him up. I'll ask him if he can go now." I hung up the phone with a lump in my throat. I’d never seen him drunk, not once at the club or during our trip. I knew he’d had a shitty day.

  He needed me.

  Now.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Almost an hour later, Tyler walked in with a very drunk Levi. He was so out of it, he could barely stand, let alone walk. When he saw me, shame was written all over his face. He apparently didn't want me to see him like this.

  "Tyler, I told you..." he hiccoughed, "to drop me at the condo. Why the fuck did you bring me here?"

  "Shit Levi, how many bottles of JD did you drink today? You sold your condo a year ago, you idiot." Tyler grumbled.

  Levi started laughing, but he was so pathetically drunk I couldn't even laugh with him. I was worried sick and I felt desperately sorry for him. His eyes were so sad and empty. I didn't like seeing him like this.

  "Where do you want him, Nix? I don't think he’ll be moving much after I drop him." According to Ty, Levi was about to pass out.

  "The bedroom, please." Tyler knew where our bedroom was and I followed them down the hall. Levi tripped over my shoes and fell face first onto the bed, his knees hitting the floor, and his face rebounding on the comforter. Tyler tried to pull him up onto the bed but he was too heavy and already snoring loudly.

  "You can try to get him in the bed if you want, but I think this is the best we can do. He’ll eventually wake up and get his ass on the mattress." Tyler said.

  "I feel bad leaving him like this, but he seems comfortable enough." I wanted to laugh, but looking at him and knowing the reasons why he’d gotten himself so drunk hurt. Tyler left the room, and I glanced at Levi one last time before I walked out and closed the door behind me.

  Tyler had to get back to the club, he was waiting for a delivery. Bekka had stayed there while he brought Levi home. The apartment felt terribly cold and quiet, so I turned on the TV and watched a haunted house show. It was one of those shows which was supposed to give me the creeps, but I couldn't get enough of it.

  Just as it was about to get good, I heard noises from the bedroom so I ran down the hall and opened the door silently. He’d moved, he was now laying on the bed, almost butt naked. He’d tried to remove his jeans but had failed, only managing to pull them and his boxers down around his ankles. I chuckled quietly and grabbed the door handle to shut it again when I heard him mumbling something incoherently. I stayed there, uncertain if he would wake up, or was talking in his sleep.

  "My mom... she... mom would have loved you." I smiled softly when I finally understood his words. "You... you will be a beautiful mother and... And..." He turned his face on the pillow and stretched his legs out. "...my wife." I had tears in my eyes, threatening to spill down my cheeks. "Love..." He coughed. "My Rock Star."

  I waited for more, but all that followed was the sound of him snoring loudly. “I love you too, Angel." I pulled the door quietly closed and went back to the living room.

  I was alone for dinner. I made mac and cheese and ate it with a glass of white wine. It was a bit of a waste of wine with such a simple meal, but they tasted good together.

  I didn't know if I should leave for work or not, but Levi had been snoring for two hours now. He was obviously sleeping it off. There was no sign of him being in any danger or that he was about to get sick, so I left him a note on the pillow and went to work.

  Levi,

  I hope you’re feeling as good as can be expected. I'm working tonight. Call me when you wake up. I'm worried about you.

  Love you,

  Rock Star.

  xxx

  I worked Monday night, went to school and worked on Tuesday night. Bekka and I met for lunch Wednesday. I tried to keep myself busy. Levi had been busy and distant most of the week because of all the planning required for the convention. My clothes were already packed and I was trying to get all my homework done prior to our departure. Another adventure awaited us and I was very excited.

  Since the anniversary of his mother’s death, Angel had been sad and silent most of the time. I didn't ask questions because I knew it was related to his Mom’s death, but whenever we were sitting in front of the TV, he no longer laughed while watching things like Big Bang Theory. His eyes were on the TV, but his mind seemed to be far away. I even played guitar and sang his favorite songs, but his eyes were filled with a sea of tears which he held back. According to Tyler, the same thing happened every year, and Levi just needed some time. He insisted Levi would be fine by the weekend. I wondered if he really wanted to go to the convention. Maybe what he needed was a quiet weekend at home to relax. I didn't know anymore. He was normally so full of life, it wasn't like him to be so silent and morose.

  At the club on Wednesday night, he drank a beer with Tyler. I saw them talking together and judging from the expressions on their faces, it seemed serious. He gave Ty a man hug when they’d finished and walked over to me, pressing a brief kiss against my lips before he went back to the shop. He was already asleep when I got home. I slid under the warm comforter beside him and slipped my legs between his. He reached for me and pulled me against his chest. There was no other place I wanted to be.

  Thursday morning, he walked me to school and bought us French vanilla flavoured coffee and an almond croissant along the way. His smile was back, not as bright as usual, but a lot better than I’d seen in the previous days. It was heartwarming to see a tiny smile and his beautiful green eyes looking alive. I smiled to myself, hoping this was a turning point for him.

  "Rock Star, why are you smiling so much this morning?" he asked, sounding amused.

  "Because I love seeing your smile and I’ve missed it. I'm glad today seems better for you." We hadn't talked about his emotions much in the past few days but I was certain he knew what I meant.

  "I’m feeling better. I love you, Phoenix Silverstone, and I can't wait to spend the weekend with you."

  "Me too. It will be fun for me though, and a lot of work for you."

  "Yeah, you got that right. It will be fun though, for both of us. We’ll meet new people and take it easy at night."

  "Yeah? Not exactly what I had planned," I teased.

  He raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah, we’ll have plenty of time for this." He slid his hand inside the back pocket of my jeans and gave my behind a gentle squeeze.

  We made it to the university and the only thing I had on my mind was returning home and fooling around with Levi. It seemed like I hadn't seen his body or his tattoos in a long time. The sad reality was that I had less than ten minutes of freedom before the beginning of my class.

  Levi’s arm enveloped me in a hug, my cheek resting against his beating heart. I took a few seconds to indulge in being held against him. I was about to tell him how much I loved him when we were distracted by a bunch of noisy students.

  Before leaving him to go to my morning class, we kissed and share some ‘I love you’s. I enjoyed these moments with him. Simple, but so real and romantic.

  My day flew by compared to the other days in the week. My boyfriend was back and we were leaving tomorrow. I was excited and impatient to get there.

  The flight went well and the landing was smooth. We were in Las Vegas! We were both excited and anxious to see the hotel room booked by Levi in one of the top hotels. We grabbed a taxi and the trunk was nearly full with Levi’s equipment.

  The first night was ours to enjoy together. We ordered room service, then decided to take a walk on The Strip after dinner. The sky had darkened since we arrived and it was much more impressive at night with all the lights blazing. I had my camera ready, I wanted to take tons of picture as Bekka had begged me to.

  The MGM Grand, the Bellagio, the Luxor and Circus Circus, I couldn't believe that I was really here and seeing them in real life. />
  "Star, calm down a little. We’re almost running, baby, we have plenty of time to enjoy the sights."

  "Angel, I'm freaking. This is Vegas, where all the casinos are, where people get married by Elvis, it's magic! I can't calm down. I'm so freaking thrilled to be here with you."

  "Please, tell me you don't want to get married by Elvis tonight." He raised an eyebrow at me.

  "Silly, of course not. We aren’t even engaged yet. Beside, Bekka and Val would kill me."

  "I wouldn't let them."

  "Levi." I looked up at him, he was so serious. Our eyes met and we stared at one another. Words were spoken without any sound. I knew what was going to happen and I was ecstatic. I could hardly believe any of it.

  "I love you, Rock Star, I love you so much. I'm sorry I was keeping to myself this past week. I was thinking and going through stuff in my head, and I realized that I can't just be your boyfriend anymore." He paused, for a second, brushing a hand across my cheek. “I want more, Nix. I want to be your everything because that’s what you are to me, my everything."

  I was speechless, I couldn't think of a thing to say. "Angel," I murmured.

  He pressed his lips against mine. "Let me finish, baby. I know you’re still so young and still going to university and you want to be done with it before we move out on our own, but I think this is something you want too. Not now, but soon, will you be my wife? Will you be the one I get to share my life with?"

  "You’re crazy, Levi." I kissed him passionately, right in the middle of The Strip. "Yes, yes, I will marry you, Levi Monroe, because you are incredibly perfect."

  We continued kissing, my whole body trembling with emotion. I felt something cool being slid onto my finger. He had just given me a ring. I looked and I knew instinctively, without him telling me, it was his mother’s ring.

  "It's beautiful."

  "It's my Mom’s ring. The one my father gave her when he proposed, I’ve had it remade with white gold and kept the original diamond. I hope you like it." He ran a nervous hand through his hair.

  "I don't just like it, Levi. It's perfect, just like you, and I love it."

  I suddenly noticed the people around us were staring. Some were filming us on their cell phones and a few were even wiping their eyes with tissues. I blushed ten shades of crimson and hid my face against Levi's chest. This trip had turned out to be way better than I had planned.

  We walked hand in hand and we both had an unstoppable smile on our faces. I’d never doubted his love for me, but wearing his precious diamond on my finger transformed the feelings into something I couldn't quite explain. My love for him was infinite, indestructible and inescapable. It was so powerful and strong that I almost breathed love.

  "You make me the happiest girl in the world, do you understand that? I never expected you to do what you just did and yet, I love you so much for doing it. I will be the best fiancée I can be." I promised him.

  "Don't change anything, Star, I proposed to you because you already are the best person for me."

  "When I think you can’t get any cuter, you prove me wrong."

  We both laughed and stopped to watch the spectacle outside the Bellagio. The fountain of water was grandiose, but it still dimmed in comparison to my love for my fiancé.

  After doing the touristy thing for over two hours, my legs were tired and I was hungry for junk food. I wanted a greasy, cheesy pizza. The excitement of the evening was playing games with my stomach. The proposal butterflies had transformed into hunger cravings.

  We stopped in a small diner and ordered my 100% pure fat snack. While we waited, I was desperate to share the news with the girls, but I didn't want to ruin our special moment. I was checking my phone surreptitiously and trying to think of a good excuse to call Bekka. Levi rolled his eyes, picked up the phone and dialled a number, then put it on speaker and placed it back on the table.

  "Nix, is everything okay?" I recognized Bekka but Levi pressed a finger to my lips, so he could speak first.

  "Hey, roomie! Nix is safe, don't worry." He waited a few seconds before he added anything. "Something happened tonight though..." He winked at me.

  "What?" Bekka never liked this game, I could hear the anxiety in her voice. "Is she pregnant or something?"

  I couldn't help myself, I burst into laughter.

  "No, not yet," he said and smiled at me.

  What?

  "Levi Monroe, don't you make me jump on a plane to come and kick your ass," Bekka threatened.

  "Relax lady. I proposed to Phoenix and right now, she’s too busy staring at her diamond to talk to you."

  "Nix, I know you can hear me, is that true? How come you haven’t sent me a picture of your ring already?" She sounded mad.

  I rolled my eyes at her, knowing she couldn't see me. "It’s a beautiful ring with a huge square princess cut diamond."

  "Really? Oh My God! I wish I could have seen the proposal!"

  "He was really cute. I couldn't possibly say no to him."

  "Okay well send me the picture, right now," she ordered. "I gotta get back to work. Some of us need to work on a Friday night."

  "Oh! Come on! I’ll be back on Monday."

  "Laters. Don't get married in Vegas or I’ll strangle you, Levi".

  "Yes, ma'am." Levi grinned. He reached across to take my newly-embellished hand and kissed each of my knuckles in turn.

  The waitress brought us our pizza, fresh from the oven. It was exactly the way I liked it. The cheese was perfectly grilled and the crust was crispy. We ate the whole thing in ten minutes.

  "That was the best pizza I’ve had in a long time," I announced with a happy sigh.

  "I agree, but now I'm full," Levi complained.

  "Me too, it hurts."

  We both held a hand on our bloated tummies. I had to undo the button of my jeans to help me breathe more comfortably. We paid the check and walked slowly back to our hotel. Levi kept his hand pressed possessively against the curve of my back the whole time.

  Back at the hotel room, I was able to pull of my now too-tight jeans and change into some comfy sweat pants. I wished I’d brought something sexier in my luggage, now that we were engaged. It would have been the perfect occasion to spice things up.

  Levi was yawning and switching the channels of the TV every two seconds. Nothing seemed to be catching his attention.

  "I'm so tired tonight and I feel like we didn't even do all that much," he grumbled.

  "Levi, you just proposed to me, I think that’s more than enough for one night."

  "Yeah, I did, right?" His smile was back on his tired face. "You’re my fiancée and the future Mrs. Levi Monroe."

  "Exactly. I like the sound of that."

  "Me too." He caught me by the hand and trapped me in an embrace. "Let’s watch some TV, I need to chill a bit. We ate like pigs."

  "I know, but it was so good." I cuddled against his neck and his cologne sent me straight to heaven. "We’ll eat salad for the rest of the weekend," I joked.

  "Not happening, I need real food if I’m going to survive this weekend. You have no idea how busy it will get. Kyle couldn’t get here until tomorrow morning, but at least he’ll be here to help me set everything up. We’ve got t-shirts and hoodies to sell and we’ll be doing tattoos. It will be fun, but exhausting."

  "I’ll take care of keeping you fed and selling the t-shirts and hoodies."

  "You are the best girlfriend, uh, fiancée in the world."

  "I know."

  He tightened his embrace as he went through all the movie channels. I think I fell asleep before he was able to make up his mind. I woke up early the next morning to find myself in bed with Levi; our arms and legs intertwined together. God, I loved him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Kyle had arrived at sunrise and both he and Levi were working at their kiosk. They had posters to fix on the walls and the t-shirts and hoodies to display on the table. When that was all done, they both adjusted their work areas, with their portable chair
, inks and machines. After checking on them, I went to get some coffee and breakfast. The doors were going to open within the hour and I knew the guys were starving.

  I could tell Levi was anxious. He had no idea of what to expect over the weekend, or who would walk in and what kind of tattoos he would be doing. It had to be nerve-wracking for him and Kyle.

  I wanted them to eat well and get all the energy possible from their breakfast. I wanted eggs, bacon, fresh fruits, sausages and toasts. I asked for suggestions at the hotel’s front desk and they sent me to the restaurant across the street. I ordered the food without looking at the menu and waited patiently. Within ten minutes, I was crossing the street again with my hands full. I walked in to the convention centre and discovered the guys were gone. I knew they couldn't have gone too far away. I put the food down on the table and glanced around.

  "Rock Star!" I heard Levi call my name and a smile was immediately drawn on my lips. "I want you to meet our neighbours for the weekend."

  "Sure." I stepped across to where Levi and Kyle stood with a few other people.

  "Guys, this is my fiancée, Nix. She’ll be helping us out over the weekend."

  "Did you say fiancée?" Kyle punched Levi on the shoulder. "And you forgot to tell me? You are such a jerk!" He turned toward me with bright eyes. "Come here, beautiful!" Kyle hugged me and kissed my cheeks. "Congrats, Nix, you two are great together."

  "Thanks, Kyle."

  Levi caught my attention with a warm smile and a wink. "So, Nix, this here is King B. and Pat, this is their kiosk and these guys are Tommy and Alice, they have the kiosk in front of ours."

  "Nice meeting you all." I was kind of intimidated by them, as they were all covered in tattoos. I should be used to it by now, but I still wasn't. Levi and Kyle weren’t going out of their way to show off their ink, but the others were wearing wife beaters to ensure their ink was on full display. They had a huge amount of tattoos, a lot more than Levi. Pat had so many, even his legs were covered.