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“Got everything packed?” Oliver asks.
“Yeah, yeah. Just gotta throw my toothbrush and shit like that in tomorrow morning before your parents get here,” Levi answers with an eye roll.
Obviously he didn’t come over without packing his bag. He knows he isn’t the most responsible person in the world, but he isn’t a fucking idiot.
Oliver puts his hands up in a peacemaking gesture. “Sorry, mate. I didn’t mean anything by it.”
Levi laughs lightly, chucking one of Oliver’s decorative throw pillows at him. “I know. You’re just such a dad about everything.”
“One of these days I’m gonna need a kid to match my attitude, eh?”
“Gotta get a bird first.”
Oliver throws the pillow back at Levi. “Hey, just because I don’t bed everyone who catches my eye doesn’t mean I’ll never get a girlfriend.”
“You calling me a slut?” Levi counter, raising a teasing eyebrow.
The tips of Oliver’s ears turn pink. “Of course not!”
He chuckles before throwing himself down on his best mate’s couch. “Don’t get your knickers in a twist, mate, I’m just messing. I know who I am.”
Oliver lets out a relieved sigh before plopping down next to him, pulling a rugby match up on TV. Poor guy can’t stand to think he’s insulted anyone, bless him.
They sit in companionable silence for a bit, watching the game and eating leftover Chinese food.
“What time are your mum and dad picking us up tomorrow?” Levi asks once they finish eating.
“Super early. Like, 5 AM.”
Levi shrugs nonchalantly; he doesn’t mind early mornings – he’s used to it after all his early morning swims before water polo practice.
“I thought our flight wasn’t till, like, noon.”
“It’s not, but we’ve got to get to the airport extra early to grab Nadia off her flight first before catching ours.”
Levi almost knocks his takeout container on the floor as he bolts upward. “Nadia? I thought she couldn’t come.”
“She convinced her group to present their final project early,” Oliver replies, not seeming to notice the shift in his mood.
Levi waits until Oliver gets up to go to the bathroom to whip his phone out of his pocket.
Me: You didn’t tell me you were coming on the family trip
He taps his phone anxiously against his thigh, nearly dropping the thing when it beeps in his hand.
Nadia Raja: I wasn’t sure if I could. I wanted to make sure my group would actually show up for our presentation.
Me: Oh
Nadia Raja: Why are you being weird?
Me: Now we have to tell Oli we’re dating
Levi almost doesn’t notice Oliver coming back from the bathroom – he’s too busy watching those three little dots appear and disappear as Nadia taps out a response.
After a moment, her name appears on screen as his phone rings.
He quickly tilts the screen towards himself. “Sorry, it’s my mum.”
Oliver nods, motioning towards his back deck. Levi hurries out the sliding glass door, making sure it’s closed properly before swiping to accept the call.
“Now why the fuck do we have to tell my brother anything?” Nadia’s voice rings out on the other line.
“Hello to you too.”
She scoffs. “Very funny. Try not to lose that sparkling sense of humor when you see Oliver finally lose his temper.”
“Oliver’s a marshmallow. He couldn’t lose his temper if he tried.”
“You think? Go on and tell him you’ve been railing his baby sister for months. You know, the one he expressly told you to stay away from.”
“Nad, we’ve not just been having sex. Maybe it won’t bother him when he knows we have an actual relationship.”
Nadia sighs, and he can picture the exact way she’s rubbing her temple with the tips of her fingers. “I know that, Levi. But trust me, it won’t matter when it comes to Oliver.”
“C’mon, this is Oliver we’re talking about. He’s the nicest fucking guy I know.”
“I get that, but your best mate Oliver isn’t the same as my big brother Oliver.”
Levi sighs, leaning back against the sliding glass door. “I know.”
“Good. So, care to answer my question? Why does me going on the family trip mean you have to tell Oliver about us?”
“Because I’m also going on your family trip…”
“What?! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Your mum invited me last week. And you’ve been so busy with end of term that it never came up.”
Nadia blows out a loud breath. “Fair enough. But that still doesn’t mean we have to tell him.”
Levi starts pacing the small concrete patio. “What do you mean? We’ll both be there. I think he’ll be pretty confused if I greet you with a kiss.”
“Levi, he’s gonna flip whenever he finds out; he’ll need time to process before he’s okay with it. I don’t want to sour the trip with him being cross with us.”
Levi grunts quietly. She has a point – but he hates that she does. He was already imagining how nice it would be to cuddle up to her as they watched the sunset or hold her hand as they ran into the ocean.
“Alright, I see your point. It’s just gonna be weird, spending all that time with you but I can’t touch you or tell you I love you.”
She sighs. “I know, love. I’m gonna hate it too. But I promise, after we get home, we’ll tell him.”
Levi stops pacing, trying to be sure he didn’t imagine what she just said. “Really?”
She laughs softly. “Yes, sweetheart, really. It’s been six months; I think it’s time.”
Levi breaks out in a grin. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“How’d your presentation go, by the way?”
“It went well! We should hear back about our grade next week.”
“That’s great, babe. I should probably go, though. I’m over at Oli’s, but he thinks I’m on the phone with my mum.”
“Ah, well, then I guess I’ll see you tomorrow. Love ya.”
He smiles into his phone. “I love you too.”
He hangs up, schooling his features before heading back inside. Oliver picks his head up at the sound of the door opening, shooting Levi a concerned look.
“Everything alright? That looked intense.”
Levi sighs, throwing himself back down onto the couch. “Yeah, it’s alright. You know how she gets when it comes to your mum, but I smoothed it over.”
Oliver nods, handing him a beer. Levi accepts gratefully, taking a big swig to hopefully wash down the guilt he feels about lying about his mum.
It’s not entirely a lie – his mum does get really jealous of Jana sometimes. But he shouldn’t exploit his mother’s insecurities to cover up his secret relationship with his best friend’s sister.
Not that guilt has been enough to stop me from dating Nadia in the first place. That thought makes him take another long sip of beer.
“We should probably head to bed,” Oliver says, breaking Levi out of his train of thought.
Levi nods, despite knowing he’s not going to get any sleep tonight.
***
As predicted, Levi barely sleeps a wink, leaving him a groggy, grumpy mess as Adam and Jana drive them to the airport.
He takes a slow sip of the coffee Oliver made him, a mix of gratitude and guilt swirling in his stomach. He’s always appreciated how thoughtful Oli is, but right now he feels like he doesn’t deserve it.
“Thank you both for inviting me. I really appreciate it,” he finally remembers to say once the coffee kicks in.
Jana waves a dismissive hand, her long, dark hair swishing as she turns to face him. It reminds him of Nadia’s hair, except Jana’s is now shot through with gray.
“Not a problem at all, love. You know you’re our bonus son.”
Adam nods from his spot behind the wheel but otherwise doesn’t contribute. Levi isn’t surprised though – the Rajas’ father is a man of few words.
Levi tunes out Oliver and Jana’s chatter as they make their way to the airport. He’s too busy thinking about seeing Nadia again.
She’s been going to uni in France, working to get her doctorate in engineering, and while he’s been able to visit her a handful of times and they FaceTime at least once a week, he hasn’t seen her in person in over a month.
And he can’t help but feel a little bit sorry for himself because he can’t even kiss his fucking girlfriend. All because of one mistake he made when he was 21 and his string of casual relationships since.
It’s not that he doesn’t understand Oliver’s hesitation when it comes to letting Levi date his sister, but Nadia is old enough to make her own choices – and she doesn’t judge him for his past.
Levi’s moping is cut off by Adam swinging his car into a parking spot and cutting the engine. Oliver and Levi both jump out immediately, jostling each other playfully as they both reach for Jana’s bags.
She chuckles lightly, a small blush dusting her cheeks. “You boys are too sweet.”
Oliver drops a kiss to his mum’s cheek as they all head into the airport. Adam claps his son on the back, a small smile curling on his lips. Oliver smiles back, returning the gesture.
Despite his own inner turmoil, Levi cracks a small smile – he knows how hard Oliver and Adam have worked at a healthy relationship. Even if he is bummed about the Nadia situation, he’s still happy for his friend.
“Alright, she’s at baggage claim A3,” Jana announces, steering their group in that direction.
Levi’s heart thuds wildly in his chest as he struggles to keep his pace reasonable when all he wants to do is sprint until he sees her.
“You alright?” Oliver asks him, pitching his voice low enough that his parents won’t hear.
“Yeah, sorry. I slept like shit and now this coffee is giving me palpitations,” he replies with a small laugh.
Oliver gives him a sympathetic half-smile. “Sorry, mate.”
Levi shrugs. “Not your f-”
He cuts himself off as they round the corner and he sees her.
Even fresh off a plane, Nadia looks fucking stunning. Her long, lean legs seem to go on for miles and her dark hair is tied up in a messy top knot, and his fingers are itching to dig into it.
She breaks out into a grin when she spots them, her bright smile looking completely dazzling against her light brown skin.
He watches her hug and kiss her parents, exchanging ‘I love you’s and ‘how have you been’s, trying to tamp down his jealousy. He’d really give anything to sweep her up in his arms and kiss her until she can’t breathe.
But he can’t. So instead, he watches her break away from her parents and approach them, pressing on her toes to hug her brother.
“Missed you, Didi,” he says as he squeezes her against his chest.
She lets out a quiet laugh at the childhood nickname. Apparently when Oliver was little, he couldn’t quite say ‘Nadia,’ so he called her Didi until she was 3.
“Missed you too, Oli,” she replies as she pulls away.
Finally, she turns to Levi. And god, the way she blinks those big brown eyes up at him makes him want to melt on the spot. His hands are itching to reach out and grab her, but he manages to control himself, lifting up his coffee in way of a greeting.
“Hey, Nadia. Good to see you again.”
“You too.”
Oliver gives him a gentle shove. “Why are you being a jerk?” he whispers.
Levi shakes his head slightly, forcing out a laugh. In his efforts to not reveal their relationship, he overcompensated a bit – even before they dated, he always gave her a hug when he saw her. Now he’s standing back with his hands at his sides like he’s scared she has cooties.
“Sorry, coffee hasn’t hit yet,” he jokes as he pulls her into what he hopes looks like a friendly embrace.
Fuck, she’s so soft and warm in his arms. He’s really fucking missed the way her hair always smells faintly of apples and how she digs her fingertips into his back when she hugs him.
He reluctantly releases her, taking a step back in the hopes that some distance will help clear his thoughts. However, as he pulls away, she gives him a small smirk and a wink, guaranteeing he won’t be able to think about anything but getting her alone for the entire plane ride.
Adam grabs Nadia’s bag and starts moving towards their terminal. “Alright, everyone, have your passports ready. Don’t want to miss our flight.”
All three kids collectively roll their eyes – they could crawl to their terminal on their hands and knees and still be early for their flight – but do as he says.
As the group makes their way along, Nadia and Levi hang back so they’re behind everyone else. She lets her fingers brush his hand, then hooks their pinkies together.
“I’ve missed you like crazy,” she whispers, tilting her head towards him.
His heart tightens in his chest; he would give his right arm to be able to kiss her right now.
“I’ve missed you too.”
She smiles, dropping her head on his shoulder for a brief second before taking a step away from him.
“Unpack your bathroom stuff first,” she says with a grin before jogging to catch up to Oliver.
She punches her brother on the shoulder, then leans against his side. He laughs, throwing his arm around her shoulder.
Levi sighs, hoping Oliver isn’t too mad when he finds out about them. He doesn’t think either of them could stand to lose him.
***
Texting back and forth with Nadia makes the flight go by in a flash, and before Levi knows it, they’re touching down in Santorini.
After a quick Uber ride, they’re dragging their bags into the villa the Rajas rented on airbnb. Levi’s stayed at some nice places with the water polo team, but this place truly takes his breath away.
The first floor is an open concept kitchen and living room that leads out to the back patio, which has a stunning outdoor dining area and a large infinity pool. Upstairs, there’s a large master plus two additional bedrooms that share a Jack-and-Jill bathroom.
“Sorry, boys, but I think you two will have to share a room. We didn’t think Nadia would be able to join when we booked the place,” Jana says as they carry their stuff inside.
“Mum, please, don’t apologize. This place is incredible,” Oliver replies, dropping a kiss on top of her head.
She beams at him, making an unwelcome pang of envy shoot through Levi’s gut. He’s close with his mum, but they don’t have the same comfortable warmth that Jana has with her kids. It’s more of a closeness borne of necessity when his dad left.
Levi shakes his head, pulling himself out of his self-pity. He grabs the handle of Nadia’s bag, hauling both of their stuff up the stairs. Everyone else follows closely behind, Adam and Jana splitting off down one end of the hall while the kids go down the other.
“You got a preference on rooms?” Oliver asks his sister.
She shakes her head, so Oliver tilts his head towards the bigger one, directing Levi to take her stuff there.
He immediately complies, padding over to drop her bag down onto the bed. She follows in after, shooting him a secret smile.
Her bedroom is stunning with a king-sized bed and a large bay window with a view of the nearby beach. The sill of the window is padded, turning the area into a small bench. Along the back wall, there’s a desk and a small dresser.
“Thanks,” she says softly.
He smiles and winks back. He mouths ‘see you in the bathroom’ before turning to follow Oliver into their room.
Their bedroom is similar to Nadia’s, but theirs doesn’t have the large window and accompanying bench – just a small opening overlooking the infinity pool.
Oliver sets to unpacking his clothes into the dresser, leaving the bottom two drawers empty for Levi.
“Hey, I’m gonna go ahead and unpack my toiletries,” Levi tells him, making his way towards the bathroom door.
The last thing he sees is Oliver’s nod of acknowledgement before he shuts the door behind himself, flipping the lock just to be safe.
He turns around, barely having a moment to process before Nadia is throwing her arms around his neck, crashing her lips against his.
His hands automatically go to her waist, tugging her tightly into his body. She moans softly as he nips her bottom lip.
He pulls away for a moment. “Darling, you need to be quiet. Your brother is on the other side of that door.”
“Sorry,” she whispers back. “I fucking missed you.”
“I missed you too.” He cups the back of her head, yanking her into another kiss.
Thankfully, the entire Raja clan is ridiculously tall, so Nadia is only a few inches shorter than him. It’s nice to not get neck pain from kissing her.
He slowly backs her towards the bathroom counter, boosting her up onto the marble surface. Her legs immediately wrap around his hips, grinning as she tilts his head up towards hers.
She breaks the kiss momentarily, grabbing the hem of her shirt and swiftly yanking it over her head.
His hands glide up her waist as he drops his head into the crook of her neck. “I’m not having sex with you while your brother’s in the next room.”
“Then I guess we’re not having sex on this trip,” she whispers back.
He pauses for a moment, then his hands fly to the clasp of her bra. She laughs softly as she pulls his t-shirt over his head.
He kisses and nips down her body until he’s on his knees between her legs, fingers tucked in the waistband of her shorts.
A knock at the door startles them both, forcing Nadia to clap a hand over her mouth to smother her squeak of surprise.
“You alright in there?” Oliver’s voice is muffled by the door.
“Yeah, sorry. Coffee is fucking with my stomach,” Levi replies.
Nadia makes a face at him, to which he chuckles and shrugs.
“Oh, sorry, mate. Take your time.”
Levi rises to his feet as he listens to Oliver’s retreating footsteps. With great pain, he hands Nadia’s bra back to her.
“We should probably stop,” he mutters.
She lets out a resigned sigh. “To be continued?”
He laughs under his breath, pressing a quick kiss to her lips before ducking down to pull his shirt back on.
***
The rest of the evening goes by in a blur of stolen glances and secret texts under the table.
Nadia hates hiding her relationship from Oliver, but she knows he wouldn’t get it.
He loves Levi, but he’s always held a quiet grudge over him cheating on Lucy.
And that was wrong of him. But he knows that, and she trusts him.
And Oliver will get over it eventually, but he’ll be so upset when he finds out, and she just wants to enjoy this vacation.
At least there’s a fantastic view, she thinks as Levi and Oliver jog past her beach towel towards the ocean.
She lets out a content sigh as she leans back and watches Levi’s shapely bum disappear into the cool blue water.
“You should join them, sweetheart,” Mum chirps from her beach chair, lazily flipping to the next page of her book.
“You trying to get rid of me?”
Mum tuts, swatting her playfully with her book. “Of course not. But your brother missed you.”
Nadia sighs, looking over to where Oliver and Levi are standing waist deep in the water. She misses Oliver too, but being around him and Levi both is bound to get awkward quick.
But she doesn’t have the heart to tell her mum no, so with a groan, she rises to her feet and jogs to join them.
She braces herself as her feet hit the water, but it’s surprisingly warm. Oliver grins when he spots her, motioning her over.
She wades over to the boys, giving them each a side hug before moving to stand across from them.
“Where’d Dad go?” Oliver asks, leaning over her shoulder to scan the beach.
“He went to go buy the stuff he needs to make dinner,” she answers.
Oliver nods, then turns back to face her properly. “So, Didi, how’s school going?”
“Well. I’m hoping to have my dissertation wrapped up next semester.”
“Can’t believe my baby sister is about to be Dr. Raja.” He grins, nudging her shoulder.
She beams under his praise, smiling wider when she catches Levi giving her an adoring look out of the corner of her eye.
“Hey, what’s your mum doing?” Levi asks, pointing up towards the beach.
They turn to watch Mum struggle to move the umbrella over her chair. She huffs, pushing her hair out of her face before setting her hands on her hips.
“I’ll go help her,” Levi volunteers, making his way towards her.
Nadia watches him, admiring his back and thighs as he goes.
“Stop ogling,” Oliver jokes.
“Not my fault your friends are fit,” Nadia counters.
“You know how I feel about that,” he mutters, his tone losing its previous playfulness.
Nadia cuts him a look. The pair are silent for a moment, Nadia stewing over her brother’s ridiculous ‘No Levi’ rule.
“You know, Oliver, you like to think you’re above Dad’s misogyny, but you’re not.”
He jolts, a look of hurt flashing across his face. “What do you mean?? I’m not like Dad.”
Nadia groans. “No, you’re not as bad as him. You don’t think I should be barefoot in the kitchen, but you still think you should have a say in who I date.”
“I’m not trying to control who you date, it’s just with Lev-“
“I know, I know. He cheated and slept around and so you think he’s some manslut who couldn’t love me the way I deserve. But how would you know?”
Oliver splutters for a moment, then scrubs a hand down his face. “I’m just looking out for you, Didi.”
She sighs softly. “I know you are. But I’m 25, Oli. I can make my own choices.”
With that, she turns back towards the beach, intercepting Levi as he heads to the water.
“Everything alright?” he asks quietly, his gaze briefly flickering towards Oliver before returning to her face.
“Yeah, it’s fine. We can talk about it later.”
He gives her a stiff nod, his hand starting to reach for her but stopping halfway and dropping back to his side.
***
Nadia manages to wash away most of her annoyance in the shower, feeling refreshed by the time she heads out to the outdoor dining area for dinner.
Her mum is sat at one end of the table, the other end left open for Dad. Oliver and Levi are next to each other, muttering back and forth. They both look up as she steps outside, making her way towards the side of the table opposite of them.
As she sits down, her phone buzzes in her pocket. She pulls it halfway out, peeking at the screen.
Levi Green: you look beautiful
A blush heats her cheeks despite herself. She pulls her phone out under the table, tapping out a quick response.
Me: it’s just a romper from Primark. Don’t get too excited
Levi Green: you look beautiful in everything you wear
She smiles to herself, looking up at the boys as she slides her phone back in her pocket. She meets Levi’s eyes, using all of her self-control to keep herself from grabbing that gorgeous face of his and kissing him till she’s blue in the face.
Her train of thought is cut off by Dad stepping outside, holding two large platters of food. He sets them down on the table, revealing the homemade gyros and pita he made.
The table is almost silent as everyone digs in, too entranced by the food to make much conversation. But after a little while, their plates started to clear and the conversation picked up.
“So, Nadia, how has school been?” Mum asked, patting the corners of her mouth with her napkin.
“Well,” she replies simply, glancing over at Dad.
To her surprise, he stays silent. Usually when her schooling gets brought up, he replies with some surly comment about finding a husband.
She smiles to herself, choosing to see it as a win.
“How’d the rebuild on that turbo engine go?” Levi asks.
Before she can answer, Oliver cuts in. “Mate, how did you know about that? I didn’t even remember that.”
Nadia’s heart jumps up into her throat, her mind completely blanking as she tries to figure out how to answer her brother.
Thankfully, Levi can think quicker on his feet than she can. “She mentioned it at Easter breakfast. It made me think of Fast and Furious.”
A ripple of chuckles spreads throughout the table, masking Nadia’s sigh of relief.
How are we going to survive this trip?
***
The rest of dinner goes smoothly, mostly because Levi stopped trying to contribute to the conversation.
Clearly, he doesn’t know how to talk without sticking his foot in his mouth. Thank god he’s made so many Fast and Furious jokes with Nadia or he may not have come up with a good reason for knowing the details about her project.
He pushes that out of his mind as he crawls into bed, turning over so Oliver can’t see his phone.
Me: meet me at the pool around midnight?
Nadia Raja: that might be past my curfew
He lets out a quiet snort. Oliver nudges his leg, asking what’s so funny.
“Just a meme,” Levi replies.
Me: har har
Nadia Raja: see you there, fish boy
Levi grins, then moves to set his phone down on the bedside table.
“Think I’m gonna turn in, mate,” he tells Oliver.
“Yeah, me too. Night.”
“Night.”
Oliver hops up to turn the light off, then slides back into their bed. Earlier, it seemed like a perfectly good idea to just share the bed. It was king sized and neither of them cared much about sharing a bed with a friend.
But now that Levi has to pretend to sleep so he can sneak off to skinny dip with Oliver’s sister, he’s regretting not volunteering to take the floor.
It’s not too long before Oliver’s breathing evens out and deepens. But Levi manages to stay awake, reminding himself that he’ll finally get some real alone time with Nadia.
Thankfully, that thought is enough to keep him up till midnight. When his clock finally hits 12:00 AM, he carefully crawls out of bed, making sure not to disturb the softly snoring Oliver.
Once he’s out of bed, he hurries down the stairs and out the sliding glass door to the pool.
He grins when he spots Nadia sitting with her feet in the water, the pool lights casting a soft blue light across her face.
She turns at the sound of the door closing, smiling as he walks towards her. He holds out a hand when he reaches her, hoisting her to her feet.
He winds his free arm around her waist, tugging her into his bare chest. She lets out a soft gasp when he drops her hand, threading his fingers through her hair and pulling her into a slow kiss.
“Wanna go for a swim?” he asks after he eventually pulls away.
Her dazed nod makes his chest swell with pride. He gives her a cheeky wink, then hooks his thumbs in his waistband, yanking his shorts and his boxer briefs off in one fell swoop.
He turns and executes a flawless dive, turning to face her once he surfaces.
“Come on in, the water’s fine,” he teases.
She snorts and shakes her head, but still reaches down to grab the hem of her shirt, swiftly pulling it over her head.
She quickly kicks off her pajama shorts and underwear, only giving Levi a moment to admire her body before she dives in after him.
Her head pops up a few feet away from him, giggling as she pushes her hair off of her shoulders.
He swims over to her, wrapping his arms around her when he reaches her. She moans softly as he pulls the back of her body against him.
She tilts her head back, resting it on his shoulder. He leans down, coasting his lips down her neck and the slope of her shoulder.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he murmurs against her skin.
I’ve missed you t-”
She cuts herself off with a gasp as his hands coast up her waist, cupping her breasts under the surface of the water.
She groans, grinding back against his rapidly hardening dick. He pulls her tighter against him, one of his hands sliding down between her legs.
He circles her clit with the pads of his fingers, making soft gasps and moans spill out of her lips.
He continues working her with his fingers until he feels her tense up against him. Then, at the last moment, he pulls away, swimming to the other side of the pool.
Her eyes snap open, narrowing playfully when she spots him by the wall.
“Oh you little asshole,” she shrieks before swimming after him.
He laughs, letting her almost reach him before he dives off in the other direction.
She lets out peals of laughter as he continues their game of cat and mouse, finally letting her catch him once they reach the shallow end of the pool again.
He wraps his arms around her, pulling her close. She winds her arms around his neck in response, then hooks her legs around his waist.
He groans as the warmth of her core brushes against his cock. He guides them over to the pool wall, pressing Nadia’s back against the cool tile.
Their mouths meet in a messy kiss, lips and teeth and tongues moving in a passionate frenzy. He pulls back slightly, moving to slot his dick up to her entrance when a voice stops him cold.
“What the fuck?!”
Levi moves to shield Nadia’s body with his before turning his head to face Oliver.
He’s known the man since he was 10, but he’s never seen him like this.
His bedhead does nothing to soften the fury in his eyes. His fists are clenched tight, resting against his hips.
“My sister?? Really, Levi? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Oliver, we can explain, but I’d rather do it with some clothes on,” Nadia cuts in, keeping her tone even despite the way her body shakes against Levi’s.
“Better be a good fucking explanation,” Oliver mutters as he turns his back, giving them some privacy to get out.
“I’m so sorry,” Levi whispers as they climb out of the pool.
“Not your fault,” Nadia replies as they each hastily pull their clothes back on.
Their wet pajamas cling to them as they move to face Oliver.
“We started dating after Christmas,” Nadia says in way of an explanation.
Oliver’s eyes bug out. “This has been going on for six months??”
“It’s not just a hookup, though. I love her,” Levi adds, taking Nadia’s hand.
Oliver scrubs a hand down his face, opening and closing his mouth as he tries to figure out a way to respond.
“I can’t believe you would keep this from me…”
“You always made a big thing of me staying away from Levi! Of course I kept this from you!”
“I had a good reason, Nadia! He’s had a grand total of one girlfriend, who he cheated on!”
Levi winces, but Oliver doesn’t seem to notice. Nadia gives his hand a gentle squeeze, reassuring him before turning to glare at her brother.
“He made a mistake, Oliver. Everyone makes mistakes. That was 5 years ago, and he’s learned from it. Besides,” she releases Levi’s hand to poke Oliver in the chest, “I. Can. Make. My. Own. Choices.”
Oliver’s gaze drops to the ground, his lips pursed tightly as he thinks. Silence hangs heavily between the three of them as he processes everything they’ve told him. Eventually, he lifts his head, his expression stony.
“I can’t even look at you two right now.”
With that, he stomps off, leaving Levi and Nadia by themselves, the only sound is the slow drip of water falling from their clothes onto the deck. Once the sliding glass door closes behind him, Nadia’s head drops, her shoulders shaking with quiet sobs.
Levi tucks her into his chest, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her back.
“I’m so sorry, babe. But we’ll figure out a way to fix this, I promise.”
***
Levi spends the night in Nadia’s room, only ducking back into his to get some clean clothes after Oliver goes downstairs.
She knows breakfast is not going to go well, but if they don’t go down there and join the family, Mum will hunt them down and drag them by their ears.
So, the couple puts on a brave face and heads down the stairs and out to the dining area.
Oliver, Mum, and Dad are already there, waiting for them. The anxiety rolling through Nadia’s gut makes it hard for her to find the spread of bagels and fruit appealing.
She and Levi take their seats on the side of the table across from Oliver; he refuses to make eye contact with either of them.
Dad, of course, ignores the weird mood and immediately starts filling his plate.
But Mum is too shrewd for that. She looks back and forth between the three of them for a moment before setting her hands primly in her lap and addressing the table.
“What’s going on with you three?”
“Hmmm?” is all Oliver says in response.
Levi turns and gives her a questioning look. She nods, taking a deep breath and turning to face Mum.
“Mum, Dad: Levi and I are dating. We have been since Christmas.”
Dad glances up from his bagel and gives a brief nod. Mum squeals, covering her grin with her hand.
“Oh, sweetheart, that’s wonderful! Why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
Oliver’s jaw drops. “What do you mean, ‘that’s wonderful’??”
Mum gives him a bewildered look. “Why wouldn’t it be wonderful? We adore Levi! I think they make a beautiful couple.”
Oliver scoffs and turns to Dad, who just shrugs.
“Levi would make a fine husband.”
Nadia rolls her eyes while Levi lets out an awkward laugh. Oliver splutters, looking back and forth between their parents.
“That’s why we didn’t tell you sooner,” Nadia mutters under her breath.
Oliver shoots her a look, then pushes back from the table and storms back inside.
Mum sighs, then rests her hand on top of Nadia’s, giving it a gentle pat. “I’ll take care of that.” She pauses, beaming at them. “I’m so happy you two are together.”
***
Mum finds Oliver sulking on the couch, trying not to cry. The past 24 hours have been so overwhelming and now he feels like he’s on an island.
She slowly lowers herself next to him, taking one of his hands. “Please explain why you’re so upset.”
“You don’t get it, Mum. He won’t be good for her.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Do you remember Lucy?”
“That girl he dated for a bit before the Olympics?”
Oliver nods. “He cheated on her, Mum. I just don’t want him to hurt Nadia.”
Mum purses her lips. “Hmmm. I have to admit, that surprises me. But that was a long time ago, love. And your sister is a smart girl. She wouldn’t date him if she thought he’d do something like that to her.”
“But she can’t know for sure! And I couldn’t stand it if he hurt her.”
Mum sighs, letting go of his hand to rub a consoling hand up and down his back.
She’s silent for a while, clearly contemplating something. Oliver knows it’s best to just let her work it out in her head rather than push for a response.
Eventually, she speaks up. “Darling, do you think it’s possible that this has nothing to do with Levi’s past? Maybe you just don’t want to lose the closeness you have with both of them?”
Oliver jolts, caught off guard by her response. Is that what this is? Just him being jealous?
“Oh, honey,” Mum murmurs, tucking Oliver into her for a hug. “No one will ever replace the spot you hold in either of their lives, even if they love each other. But if you keep acting like an arse, you’ll push them both away.”
“Mum!”
She chuckles quietly. “What? I curse sometimes.”
Oliver lets out a quiet laugh, shaking his head.
“Go talk to them, honey. Don’t let this go on longer than it needs to,” she tells him.
He nods, leaning over to kiss her temple before rising to his feet.
“Thanks, Mum. I love you.”
***
Oliver approaches Nadia’s door, raising his hand to knock but pausing when he hears voices on the other side.
“I just want him to be okay with this. I don’t want to lose my big brother,” Nadia’s voice drifts out from behind the door.
“I know, love. I don’t want to lose him either. But he’ll come around, I promise,” Levi reassures her.
“But what if he doesn’t??”
“Then we’ll figure it out.”
Oliver’s heart clenches in his chest. He’d never imagined Levi as the supportive boyfriend, but maybe Mum has a point; maybe he decided Levi would be bad for his sister just so he wouldn’t have to share either of them.
He knocks on the door softly, halting the voices on the other side.
“Who is it?” Nadia asks.
“Didi, it’s me.”
“Go away!”
“Please, I just want to talk,” he pleads.
There’s a long pause on the other side, followed by a soft “come in.”
When he walks in, he sees Levi sitting on the window bench, Nadia cradled in his lap. Her eyes are red and puffy, and she looks fucking miserable.
The guilt sits heavier in Oliver’s chest as he takes a seat on the corner of the bed across from them.
“What do you want?” Nadia croaks out, her voice tight and full of hurt.
“I just wanted to apologize – to both of you.”
Levi raises a questioning eyebrow while Nadia eyes him suspiciously.
“I had a talk with Mum and she made me realize I was overreacting. Your relationships are your business,” Oliver continues.
Nadia sits up, crossing her arms over her chest. “And?”
Oliver sighs, dropping his gaze to his lap. “And I’ve been judging Levi unfairly. I think I was just worried about losing the both of you if you started dating. But I’ve been selfish, and for that I’m sorry.”
“It’s alr-” Levi starts, but Nadia cuts him off.
“That’s right, you have,” she says.
“I know, and I’m sorry.”
“I forgive you,” Levi says with a small smile.
A flood of relief rushes through Oliver’s chest as he turns to his sister. Her lips are pursed as she stares him down. The relentless silence gnaws at Oliver’s chest.
Finally, she lets out a resigned sigh. “Fine, I guess I’m not mad at you anymore.”
Levi and Oliver both grin, the former tucking her tighter into his chest.
“And you’re cool with this?” Levi asks, tilting his head towards Nadia.
“It’ll take some getting used to, but Nadia can make her own choices.”
Nadia’s lips curl into a small smile at that. “Looks like you’re our third wheel now.”
“Hey, don’t forget who introduced you two in the first place,” Oliver says in a playfully stern tone.
The group bursts into giggles, the tension slowly easing out of them.
“Sorry for ruining our holiday,” Oliver mutters.
“Hey, our holiday isn’t over yet,” Nadia notes with a grin.