Finchley Avenue is a road renowned for its large houses and prim front lawns in Wickworth. I've only had cause to come here once and that was to slot leaflets through doors for a charity I'd volunteered at ages ago. It hasn't changed much since I was last here, the houses are still swanky, the hedges are still clipped and the place still manages to make me feel out of place due to its classy air.

I soon find number 52, Levi's house. Last night he'd texted me his address, it was the first thing he'd texted since the photo that has practically been the bane of my existence.

Levi's home looks no different to the other houses it's situated with. Slowly making my way up the preened front garden, I inhale the scent of something sweetly floral and look down at the lawn to see small, pink flowers planted either side of the doorstep. The fragrant plants are a pretty refreshing sight compared to the murky green grass we usually see in winter.

I let the doorbell ring once before waiting. Anxiety has my stomach twisting and for the hundredth time I'm questioning how good an idea this is. I mean, I'm going to Levi's house of all places. Judging by how awful some of our meetings have been I'm sure this experience isn't going to be all that fun, well for me at least. A certain git's already admitted he gets a kick out of pissing me off.

The door swings open and I'm greeted with a small, blonde woman. The first thing I notice is how pink her eyes are, they're red-rimmed and slightly bloodshot and instantly I realise she's been crying. Her eyes betray the smile she's wearing.

Both unease and concern settle into my stomach and I don't know what to say. Not even a 'hello' comes out of my mouth.

"Good afternoon," the woman says and I identify her accent as American. In a flattering way it stands out against the English-quality of the street this house is settled in.

"Uh, hi," I finally say, internally cursing myself at how awkward I sound. "I'm here for Levi. We've got a homework project." With each passing word I sound more and more like a bumbling idiot.

The woman nods, her smile brightening. "Are you Ruby?"

I nod hastily, relieved she's expecting me.

"Come on inside." She steps back and opens the door further to let me in. "I'm Heather, Levi's mom," she says warmly. I'm surprised she introduces herself as 'Heather' and not Mrs Parker or something. Regardless, the name Heather suits her, I don't know if it's because of the purple cardigan she's wearing or because of how light the name sounds, the floral nature complements her daintiness.

"Thanks," I say, walking in. I notice she's wearing socks so I unzip my boots and leave them by the door.

"So, you need Levi?" Heather asks cordially.

I nod. "Yeah, if he's in." I'm still unable to shake off this feeling of uneasiness, though I know I've only just met Heather and it's none of my business, the urge to ask if she's alright is becoming stronger by the second.

"Yes he is," Heather says, pointing towards the stairs in the hallway. "I think he's upstairs, his door's the second on the left."

Giving my thanks, I go to follow her directions. My feet pad up the stairs, my socks muffling the sound of my footsteps. Reaching the landing, I count two doors to my left and find the door that meets Heather's description. I half-expected to find the Devil's pentagram drawn on his door but, surprisingly, it's perfectly plain.

My curled hand hesitates for a moment before knocking on the wood. I wait for the smallest of moments before hearing what sounds like a muffled, "Wait a bit."

Swallowing, I step back, fiddling with the ends of my jumper and growing increasingly nervous.

The door swings open from the inside. My eyes take a moment to register what's before me and as they do they widen in shock.

"Ruby?"

"Oh my god!" I clamp a hand over my mouth to stop myself gasping and I have no idea where to look. The sight of Levi standing in the doorway in nothing but his boxers meets my eyes.

"Ruby," he says again, though this time confirming it. "I didn't know you were coming so early."

I want to argue that it's actually mid-day and not early at all but my voice seems to be lost.

Levi's brown eyes brighten as he leans against the doorframe, taking me in. Mine, on the other hand, can't help but stray down to his bare chest before travelling down the rest of him. Completely inappropriate thoughts bombard my mind.

"Should I put on some clothes or are you going to answer?" The humoured tone to his voice has my skin flushing in embarrassment.

"Er..." I begin to say but nothing more comes out, I'm too distracted by his appearance. It has my mouth turning dry. Levi's skin is a milky white that's perfectly stark against his black pair of underwear, the muscles of his arm are tense as they rest up against the wooden doorframe and, unwillingly, I'm drawn towards the rhythmic movement of his chest- the steady rise and fall of it is almost hypnotising.

I cough a little, trying desperately to shake myself back to my senses before dragging my eyes away to look at him. As soon as I do I regret it. Judging by the amused look in his eyes he's completely aware of the fact I've just checked him out. Fuck.

"Uh," I manage, attempting to say something and yet again failing.

I'm unable to tear away my eyes away from him when he slightly shifts, moving his position a little but enough so that it has an effect on his entire body. His biceps flex, his broad shoulders shift and the taut muscles of his stomach contract and rest. I'm overcome with the longing to run the flats of my palms over him. The devious bastard!

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Levi asks, smiling smugly- probably at how searing red my cheeks are, they feel so hot I want to press my face up against the painted walls of the landing to cool them down. I don't though; it'll just make everything ten times weirder.

"What the hell d'you expect?" I finally squeakily snap, forever reliant on my temper.

"Why?" Levi asks, folding his arms. He has a quickly disappearing sleepy look about him and I expect he must have just gotten out of bed. I then notice how dishevelled his hair is and that dark stubble lines his jaw. I hate to admit it looks kind of hot... as does the rest of him.

"Is my attire a problem?" he asks. What bloody attire?

"No." I scowl. "If you were my Great Aunt Sylvia I'd be reacting the same way," I say, upturning my nose. Levi laughs and I crumple a little on the inside.

"What, so you'd blush and get all pissed?" he asks, sceptical. "I didn't know you had the hots for your aunt, Bug." My previous flustered state is nothing compared to how rattled I am now. I gape at him with crimson skin and say nothing.

Spotting an item of clothing by his feet, a navy blue jumper, I pick it up and chuck it at him, consequently covering that stupid smirk of his and suggesting he needs to put something on fast or I'll snap.

His grin hasn't faded when he pulls the jumper away from his head.

I swerve round and cross my arms. "Put something on and I'll be downstairs, waiting," I order before hearing the sound of the door closing.

I then notice Mrs Parker's standing at the top of the stairs, watching me with a curious and faintly amused expression. Oh good god.

"Well." She raises her eyebrows. "Homework project, huh?"

"No!" I splutter, shaking my head profusely when I realise what she's getting at. The idea of being with a topless Levi for a reason other than accidently stumbling upon him horrifies me. "I mean yes, yes it's a homework thing!" God, does managing to embarrass the hell out of me run in his family or something?

Heather nods, the slow gesture suggests she doesn't believe a word. 

"I'll be in my bedroom if you need me," she says with a brief smile before walking into a room at the other end of the landing. I groan, cursing both Levi's half-nakedness and my inept way of handling any awkward situation. Not wanting to stand around being heard scolding myself, I head downstairs to wait for Levi to arrive.

After a short while he does, this time dressed and looking more awake. He's got his books and pencil case in his hands and I'm reminded that I am actually here to work. The thought strangely seems disappointing.

"Want to head to the study?" Levi asks and I nod before following after him. Levi leads the way to a door across the living room. He opens it to show an average-sized room.

A large wooden desk is placed by the door and both walls at the side of it are completely occupied by books. The personal library isn't what catches my eye though; the wall across from the desk displays an expansive bay window accompanied with a cushioned window seat. I can easily this place being a favourite place to read or to just be in the house. 

"Can we work there?" I ask, pointing towards the window seat. "It looks comfy."

Levi shrugs. "It'll be more difficult to write there than the desk."

"It doesn't matter," I say before he nods. We head over to the window and I sit down, sinking into the cushioned seat, before taking off my bag and pulling out my books and stationary. Strong sunshine streams in through the window and lights everything with an airy, bright feel. Levi sits beside me, crossing his legs on the cushions as he looks my way.

"Ready to start our fun adventure on ecosystem processes?" he asks and I can't reply with anything but a groan. 

"Should we start with trophic levels?" I ask, reluctantly flipping open my textbook and beginning to rifle through it to find the necessary pages. Levi agrees and miraculously we actually begin to do the work. Thing's don't end up going successfully though, not when after a couple of minutes I begin to lose concentration all due to the boy sitting beside me.

At first I didn't notice it but after a minute, I'm aware of the distinctive feel of Levi's knee sometimes pressing against mine as he'd lean forward to review the notes he's writing in his notebook. I know it's silly to even think anything of such a gesture but, regardless, my pace of my pulse soon begins to quicken which each touch of his arm against mine or accidental brush of fingers.

I'm all too aware of Levi's presence, every breath he takes... every smirk he smiles- wait a moment. Smirk? Glancing up from my notes I properly catch the impish smile on Levi's face as he shakes his head.

Narrowing my eyes, I look down at my notes, deciding the gesture was nothing. But then only a few moments pass and out the corner of my eye I catch him do it again, the smirk returns to Levi's face as he flips through his textbook and suddenly I can't stand it.

"Have you got something to say?" I ask, shutting the book I'd been reading sharply. Levi looks up at me all too innocently.

"What?"

"Oh, don't 'what' me, I've noticed you sniggering at me," I say, glowering at him. "What is it?"

Levi's bemused expression eventually gives way to a playful smile as he too closes the book he'd been working from. "I was just thinking about something."

"What?"

"About how you reacted to seeing me without a shirt on," he says and instantly my face flares up with heat. Levi seems to notice me blushing because he suddenly looks a whole lot more entertained. "You're the biggest prude I know."

"Excuse me?" I sputter defensively. Straightening, I attempt to look imposing. It doesn't work at all. "I am not a prude!"

Levi rolls his eyes. "Says the girl who gets freaked out by kissing and the sight of someone half-naked," he says, resuming writing his notes again.

I look at him incredulously. "I do not get freaked out by kissing."

"No?" Levi asks sarcastically as he flicks through his textbook. "From what I've seen you always get all awkward and silent, just the other day you clammed up at the sight of Imogen and Max together."

I try and think back to the last time Max and Imogen were together and snogging, which isn't that long ago, and recall feeling a little grossed out. I see nothing wrong with that. "So what if I don't want to watch people swapping saliva in front of me?"

"But it's not just that," Levi says, glancing up at me. My breath stumbles as I notice just how bright with mischief his eyes are. "Even just the mention of kissing gets you looking as red as your hair."

I slouch against the cushions I'm resting against and purse my lips. "Like when?"

He pretends to take a moment to think. "Like the time that woman pointed out the mistletoe over us at the ice rink," Levi lists, "or how much you flip out every time I mention what happened in November."

I turn slack-mouthed at the fact he's brought up the kiss, which ends up proving his point. Hating being proven wrong, I angrily exhale before shoving my hair out of my face. "It still doesn't make me a prude," I try and say but my words have no effect; they just make me sound like I'm still in denial.

Levi merely shrugs. "It's just something I've noticed about you."

"Something you've 'noticed'?" I say the last word derisively, humoured at the idea of Levi playing detective. "What else have you noticed, Sherlock?"

Levi lets out an amused breath at the name and raises an eyebrow. "Well, Watson," he begins and I grin, "I've noticed quite a lot if I think about it. Turns out I know quite a bit about you."

My smile fades a little and scepticism replaces the humour. "Really?" I ask, disbelieving. "I don't think you know much at all," I say before suddenly remembering that Levi does in fact know far more than most people do. "Well, nothing else apart from what you've already found out," I add, not wanting to give him another chance to point out I was wrong.

A slight smile appears on his mouth as his eyes look down at his messily scrawled notes before back at me.

"I know nothing else?" he asks slowly and already I know I'm going to be proven wrong. Of course I am when he's talking in such a self-assured manner and wearing that bloody smirk that never fails to infuriate me.

"What do you know then?" I ask, knowing I'm digging myself a deeper hole and finding I actually don't care.

Levi sets his pen down and folds his arm before leaning back on a strip of wall that's beside a window panel. He looks at me so intensely that it feels as though he's peering right into me, into my mind and the very thoughts scurrying through it. With effort, I look back into his eyes and feel my skin rapidly growing warmer.

"Well, I know that when you think hard, one of your eyebrows quirk up," Levi says, still staring at me intently. "And when you don't get pissed off by me, it's almost always in aid of your friends; you've got this whole loyalty thing going on."

He pauses then, as if debating whether to go on. I notice how silent everything is; how the sudden tension that's just appeared is so thick it's almost tangible. His smile broadens ever so slightly and a gleam of something roguish fills his eyes. "And I know that when you kiss someone you make this sound, like your sighing. And not those pissed off ones you always give, but something more... sweet."

There's the unexpected sensation of butterflies erupting in my stomach and suddenly I can't quite look Levi in the eye. I'm too aware of how much my skin's burning and, worryingly, I don't know if it's because of embarrassment or something else entirely.

Awkwardly clearing my throat, I attempt to resume my attention back to my textbook since nothing else to do comes to mind. The pace at which my heart's pounding at makes it difficult to make sense of whatever I've desperately started reading, all I can really think of is how on Earth has Levi managed to notice such things?

Then a thought strikes me and it fills me with bubbling unease. I don't think Ryan even knows my favourite colour, never mind the sort of things Levi's noticed.

Levi's oddly still quiet, so quiet in fact that I have to glance up at him to make sure he's still there. My cheeks are set aflame all over again when I notice he's still looking at me, still smiling and still appearing as though he's aware of something I'm still yet to learn.

"It's weird," Levi says, "a few months ago I didn't even know anything besides your name."

My first impulse is to reply saying I preferred it that way but barely a second passes till I realise that that isn't true. It isn't true at all.

The long, sharp ring of a doorbell fills the air, interrupting and imploding everything. We both glance towards the study door and a short moment of silence passes before the sound of Heather coming downstairs breaks it. I look back at Levi and feel a surge of surprise to see he suddenly looks stony faced.

Muffled conversation drifts from the front door to the study and I hear a deep voice that belongs to a man accompany Heather's. Beside me Levi suddenly pushes his textbook away from himself and exhales heavily. I look toward him and the door, perturbed at the sudden change in the atmosphere. It's as though everything's gone... cold.

The study door opens then; it swings back and hits one of the bookshelves, sending a few books toppling out of their positions. At the doorway stands a man, dressed in a crisp looking, dark grey suit whilst holding a black suitcase in his hand. The first thing that strikes me is how cold his eyes are, even from my distance I can see their colour is a light grey and, strangely, I'm reminded of Mr Hibbert who too has a grey theme with his attire.

But this man couldn't seem more different from the blundering, kindly gentleman I know as my counsellor. The man standing before me has an unmistakable air of iciness, iciness and something else I can't quite identify as he stands tall, gazing down at Levi and me on the window seat. Beside me I watch Levi's jaw clench.

"Hello," the man says in a voice that's not unwelcoming but not friendly either. Levi doesn't reply, instead he simply scowls at him, staring at the man defiantly. The new arrival ignores him.

"Er, hi," I say, nervousness stirring at the pit of my stomach. It's not the same anxiousness that I'd felt when I first rang the doorbell here, the uneasiness I'm feeling now is something completely different.

"You must be Levi's friend," the man says with a tight smile.

I swallow before nodding. "Yeah, I'm Ruby," I introduce myself before giving a weak smile.

"Ruby? What a nice name," the man replies and I find myself not liking the way my name rolls off his tongue. It almost sounds as though he's just uttered a swear. "I'm David Wright, Heather's partner." Each word he says sounds stiff and tense and incredibly different to Heather's warm tones.

I smile in response but the gesture can't be emptier. I can't explain the feeling of intense dislike towards David that's beginning to overwhelm me. Levi continues to stare at David, his cold gaze unwavering and... daring. My eyes flit between the pair and it doesn't take a genius to notice the frosty air between them.

"Well, I shan't be keeping the both of you from working any longer," David says, leaning forward to grasp the metal handle of the study door. "It was a pleasure to meet you Ruby." With that he retreats and shuts the door behind him, the door clicking into place quietly.