restaurant

@★ chanel oh their interactions over the past couple of weeks had been sparse at best, that’s what happens when two people try to avoid bumping into each other with all their might. made even harder of course when you also happen to be colleagues and share the same circle of friends to a certain degree. now levi watches their previous efforts go down the drain and wishes he’d never stepped away from the birthday boy; or better yet he could’ve just stayed at home. awkward as ever he stands there, frozen to the spot, squirming just a little when a chill travels along his spine. if he looks just a little to the left, there’s a group of people huddling together shoulder to shoulder, hushed voices urgently discussing something. and levi just knows they’re talking about them.

“was i supposed to be anywhere else?” he finally says, cupping the glass between both hands just to keep them occupied. levi throws a glance towards the exit, briefly wondering if he should just spare chanel and head out first. but instead he furrows his brows, lips pursing a little while he desperately tries to come up with something to say, “do you want me to leave?”

@✦ levi knox to be very quite honest, chanel could easily count the many ways she could ditch this party. she could excuse having a migraine, fulfill an early schedule the next morning, lie about how she forgot to feed koobi— or, maybe, make a fake a scenario where she would spill wine on her dress and then make a run for the exit. there was probably no way anyone would have a back up wardrobe for her when they're at this celebration: having one of the greatest time in their life.

still, she stays, crowded by her members and female juniors in their tight little circle, untouched drink in her hand. she's very thankful for the wall they built around her, glad that it gives her cover for any sort of interaction that she would rather not have at that exact moment. but that was wishful thinking, of course, because once a particular song comes booming from the speaker just above her head, she ends up being alone by herself, squirming in horror— standing next to the very person she couldn't keep her eyes from. with a practice (crooked) smile, she keeps her head facing the makeshift dance floor of the restaurant, watching the girls have their own sort of fun. "hey," she replies weakly, making a mental sequence of how she could escape this certain conversation, "you're... here."

@★ chanel oh it’s not done on purpose when levi ends up by chanel’s side at the birthday party. he’d been enjoying the dinner together with the other krush members, and it had been fun. it’s amazing how quickly their group could bring the whole atmosphere within any room to life; with loud conversation, laughter and the occasional clinking of drinks. it becomes a welcoming backdrop noise, as long as you don’t mind the level of noise. levi for one relishes in it, usually. but tonight there’s a noticeable tension in his posture, a dullness to his eye despite the brilliant smile on his lips.

but he pulls through, and it’s not really until much later when they’re all mingling about on the floor that the mask slips, if only a little. he’s been nursing the same beer for the past hour or so when he excuses himself to the birthday boy with whom he’d been carrying a light conversation, and steps away. and while the energy within the restaurant is high, levi feels drained and dry. his fingers curl around the glass, sliding on the condensation before regaining their grip, and it’s while taking a small sip that he spots chanel. by peering over the edge of the glass his eyes lock with hers. it’s not like he hasn’t spent half the evening sending looks her way, he’d known that she would be there, but he’d been trying to keep his distance. but there she stands, looking as flawless as always and levi pauses with the cold glass pressing down on his bottom lip, before he lowers it to speak, “chanel, hi…”