Coming Home

Thirty-Eight

In my haste to share my profound and utterly shocking revelation with Levi, I rush out of Grandpa Jones's cafe mid-shift, leaving behind my likely stunned employees as I do so; it's definitely not like me to leave in the middle of the workday. Even before I became the boss, I never would have dipped out like this. Thankfully, however, I'd just been aimlessly milling about today and have enough staff scheduled to fill in the gap caused by my sudden departure.

Hailing a cab during lunch hour in New York isn't an easy feat, but I'm far too antsy to deliver the news to Levi to care about such details at the moment. I can't really tell whether the ride to the factory is a quick one or if it takes forever; my mind is preoccupied with trying to keep my anxiousness at bay. My legs tremble as I blankly stare out the car window, the buildings blurring together as we pass them by while I nearly burst within the confines of the cab from my overwhelming nerves. When we finally arrive, I hand the cabby a wad of cash without even bothering to look at it before hurrying from his backseat and exiting his car.

Standing before the plastics factory, my heart hammers in my chest as if I'm about to do something either absolutely terrifying or entirely exciting; I can't seem to make up my mind which it is yet. Perhaps that's because it's a combination of both. I take a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself, to no avail. Regardless of the insane emotions burning through my veins as if I'm literally on fire, I walk on unsteady legs into the building without further hesitation, as if I own the place or something.

I'm on a mission, and I absolutely will not accept defeat before completing my assigned task.

I've only been within the facility once before to deliver a forgotten lunch to Levi a week or so ago. Even though I haven't been familiarized with the place, my feet somehow know exactly where to go to find him. Ignoring the comments of the workers as I pass them by, my mind focuses solely on the task at hand, my body not stopping until Levi Hutchins is locked into sight.

"Lexi?" he asks in surprise, rising from his seat at the breakroom table. His brows furrow in concern when he looks me over, obviously checking to see if something is wrong with me. "What are you doing here?" Levi questions, taking a few steps to eliminate most of the distance between us. "Is everything okay?"

"It will be," I answer, my voice as unsteady as the rest of me. However, I've finally decided that it isn't fear I'm feeling. Some strange sense of euphoria bubbles within my stomach, forcing my words out of my mouth before I can think them through; I know I shouldn't be proposing such a drastic change in this manner. Not while Levi is working. Not here or now. But I can't stop myself. As Levi looks at me worriedly, I can't do anything at all except blurt out the exact reason I sought him out at work, hoping to ease his troubles in any way I can. "We should go home," I state determinedly, my facial features fixing themselves to match my tone.

"Home?" he repeats, confused. Levi's face scrunches in the most adorable way, cracking the serious expression on my face as my lips curl upwards without my permission. "Lexi, what are you... I can't go home right now," he attempts to explain, dragging a hand tiredly through his already mussed hair.

I take a step closer to him, my fingers tangling with his as I reach for his hands. Levi gazes back at me, his eyes roaming my face as if searching for answers. With a sudden burst of courage, I let my feelings pour out without any thought. "We should go home, Levi," I repeat, giving his hands a gentle squeeze. "We could elope and live in my Gran's house. We could fill it with love and laughter, maybe even start a little family of our own. You could get your job back at the mill. We could make a life for ourselves back in that tiny town you love so much... the town that is an even bigger piece of both of us than I'd realized. We could be happy there, Levi. Together. Right where we belong."

Levi silently stares at me with a thoughtful expression for several moments before his features morph into poorly-concealed excitement. "I don't want you to give up your life here for me," he finally responds, his thumb rubbing over the back of my hand. "I couldn't ask you to do that, Lex. I can't let you leave behind everything you've worked so hard to achieve these last few years. Especially not for me."

I can't stop the smile from spreading across my lips. "You're not asking me to do anything," I clarify, hoping that my reiteration of that point will make it clear to him. "And the only thing I have that I could possibly lose is you, and I hope you'll be coming home with me. Everything else isn't really all that important."

"What about the coffee shop?" Levi asks with a sigh. I can tell by the way his face has fallen precisely what he means-- what about Grandpa Jones?

"Grandpa will live on within the walls of his coffee shop and in the hearts of everyone who had the opportunity to know him. He'll still be with me, Levi, just... not in the same way as before," I reply, slightly shrugging my shoulders. "I've realized that it isn't the location that really makes a home, but the people you share it with. Sure, perhaps New York had felt like home for a while, but now... I'm pretty sure I belong back in Minnesota. I belong with you, Levi Hutchins. And wherever our hearts can be happy is where I want to be."

Levi's lips meet mine urgently, his hands cupping my cheeks as our mouths move against each other's with undeniable love. If we weren't standing in the crowded breakroom at his workplace, this situation could easily escalate into something much less appropriate for the public eye. The sound of a throat clearing beside us has our lips parting from each other's quickly. Levi rests his forehead against mine, a newfound sense of elation filling his words as he whispers, "We're going home."

Unable to contain my own happiness, I smile widely, placing another chaste kiss on his lips before repeating his words back to him. "We're going home."