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LEAH
"He flew all the way there just to have his heart broken. She could have done that just as thoroughly right here. She didn’t have to drag him all the way to fuckin’ Delhi. Who the hell goes to Delhi on holiday? That's not a holiday, it's one of the busiest places on Earth." I was furious for my best friend. I should have seen the red flags. I'm usually so spot on with the dying swans that Levi falls for.
My darling long-suffering boyfriend just shook his head as I raged on about what an utter bitch Kimba was. “I really thought this one was different. Why make the guy go halfway around the world to meet you, only to break up with him?” Justin knew exactly what to say.
“Oh my God I know, right! What a stupid cow! Levi and his broken fucking birds. He says he’ll come to ‘Escape’ for a drink when he gets back tomorrow.” I exhaled deeply and smiled up at Justin, I'm so incredibly lucky to have him as a boyfriend. Most guys couldn’t get, never mind accept, the bond between Levi and me.
JUSTIN
The night I met Leah, I assumed that Levi was her brother or cousin. Now I know how different they are, but back then, they were simply two beautiful creatures that seemed to be joined at the hip.
Leah’s a knockout. She’s willowy like a long-legged spider. A bit of a cross between Penelope Cruz and Audrey Hepburn, fine and perfectly formed. She also has the most amazing personality. Just don't get on her wrong side.
I saw them out all over town together. They were the prom king and queen, only cooler. We ran into each other often. Usually, when she was on her way to get Levi out of another of his disaster situations. She’s a great friend. That and she’s pretty much my perfect woman visually; her hair, her eyes, and that body, agh. She’s amazing every time I see her, and her laugh makes me smile like a fool. She’s one of the most loyal people I’ve ever met, bar Levi, that is.
I’m an army man, so this may sound weird coming from me, but Levi is an insanely good-looking guy. He and Leah share looks as well as a hair type, long and wavy. Levi has a sculpted face with puppy dog eyes and one of those man bun things going. On anyone else, it would be ridiculous, but he attracts women like bees to pollen. My friends and I even have a phrase amongst us,
“To land a lady, bring Levi.”
It’s incredible to witness. The guy can walk into any social scene, and women swim toward him in waves of dazzled longing.
A few of us got Levi drunk once and tested our theory. We took him to a 21st, a bar, and a club. At each place, we observed the same reaction; indescribable surrender of all females. We gradually learnt that Levi has a type, though. Well, really, Leah told everyone within earshot one night when she’d had enough of his snivelling.
He'd been drowning his sorrows after his latest unrequited love ended. Leah told him to man up to the fact that he loved the broken birds, and THAT was his problem. He needed to wake the fuck up and see these girls as someone to get on and get over.
I believe that was the exact moment I fell in love with her. She has the mind and mouth of a guy but looked like she should be on a runway.
I saw them at my club, Escape, soon after that and by then I knew that they weren’t related. I also knew that if I wanted any sort of chance with Leah I’d have to put up with Levi. What I witnessed that night cemented the sentiment.
I watched Levi keenly as he soldiered in and cut his greetings to the local crowd down to passing hellos. Leah had been sinking Johnny Walker after neat Johnny Walker at the outside bar and at first, I thought Levi was going to get up in her face with the way he whipped through the crowd to get to her. I stayed back and watched the scene unfold. Leah stood and faced him with her arms knotted together.
He stood across from her and instead of fits and fights, he sighed heavily. He put his hands together and shaped his fingers into a heart. I watched him kiss the tip of his little finger and hold it out to her. She smiled slowly and walked into his arms. She touched her pinkie to his and all was forgotten. They had such a primal understanding, I was jealous and bewildered at the same time.
I did my best to talk to her as often as I could throughout that night. I was so bummed when I found out she’d left without saying goodbye. One of my bouncers said he helped her drag Levi into an Uber.
Later, a furious banging had me unlocking the, now shut, club's door. Leah lost her handbag somewhere during the evening and said that she was sure the taxi driver was going to fling her from a bridge if she didn’t pay him for her, now, round trip. I sorted out the cabbie and then offered her a ride home.
While we crept through the streets, I asked if she and Levi had ever dated, and she laughed, immediately saying that he was way too pretty and far too well known to her. Leah confessed that it was more of a self-preservation tactic than vanity, which I still don’t really understand.
I learnt that they're childhood friends and have seen each other through everything possible. I've heard so many stories over the months from so many different people, but all have the same undercurrent. Leah and Levi are a package deal.
The story that affected me most took place a few years ago at a rave. A guy spiked her drink and carried her out. Levi was making out with his latest swan when Leah came past. He thought that she didn’t look right and went to security, saying that he was Leah’s brother. They found them in the parking lot; Leah was propped up against a car, barely lucid.
Levi made a show of attracting attention and thanking the guy for helping his obviously wasted sister. The cops took the guy in for questioning, and it turned out that he was wanted for aggravated assault and attempted rape. After that story, I accepted Levi wholeheartedly. He would always have Leah’s back.
I couldn’t stop myself thinking of her, but I didn’t see her the rest of that weekend. One of my clean-up crew found her handbag, and I took it as a sign. True as stars, they turned up a few nights later in high spirits, looking more perfect than usual.
They’d been at a young writer’s gala dinner. Levi was her date because she didn’t have a boyfriend. I knew it then, I was a goner for sure. She was beautiful, funny, smart, and single.
