Kindred Spirit - Noah Harris Page 0,20

trying to fuck.”

I do not get jealous!

Levi snorted, letting the sound speak for itself. The only people Lou had ever tolerated getting close to Levi without a lot of fuss had been his parents. After they had died, there’d been nothing but Lou for Levi. As much as Levi understood, it wasn’t as though anyone else could keep Lou company, after all. It still drove him crazy.

“Just once, I would like to make friends with someone that doesn’t involve you acting like a jealous boyfriend,” Levi ground out.

I don’t trust him, that doesn’t make me jealous. I’d think you’d want to be more careful of people you don’t know.

“Oh, Jesus, Lou,” Levi groaned, opening the door and sliding out. “I don’t want to be suspicious of every person that comes into my life. What next? Are you going to have me watch Laura? What about the mailman? There’s gotta be a point where I can just...enjoy myself for a little while.”

I didn’t say you couldn’t enjoy yourself.

“No, you’re just saying I can’t be around anyone without being paranoid that they’re a government spy or some crazy who wants to kill me. We haven’t been messed with in years, Lou, years.” He knocked on the door, not even caring that he looked like he was arguing with thin air.

That’s still not long enough. You don’t know.

“And neither do you. All I want is to have one friendship for a little while with someone that actually seems pretty cool, okay?”

You want to sleep with him.

“Oh God, and so what if I had the thought?”

You don’t sleep with friends.

Touché, but Levi was too frustrated with Lou to admit it willingly. His friend meant well, but good intentions didn’t matter for shit when all it would do was isolate Levi even further than he already was. He’d spent far too much of his life with only his parents and Lou, and then it had been just Lou.

It hurt. Lou was his friend and would be there with him forever. He’d even proven that he would do whatever it took to keep Levi safe. But that love wasn’t always enough, and it was a stone-cold truth that Lou could never accept. And while Levi knew full well, he could never have anything more, that didn’t mean he didn’t want to play with fire sometimes. It might have burned him a couple of times in the past, but damn it, he needed something more once in a while.

“Just forget it,” Levi huffed, hitting the door harder than he should have.

To his surprise, the door popped open, swinging a few inches inward. The lights were on, bathing the room, and he could hear the sound of running water.

You’re just going to walk right in, aren’t you?

“Jacob?” Levi called, pushing the door another few inches. “Hey, your door is open, is everything okay?”

Hold on.

“Lou!” Levi hissed, feeling the presence of the spirit leave his side.

Sighing, he pushed the door further, glancing around the room. The sound of running water grew louder as he stepped inside. His nerves tightened when he saw no one around, but he’d seen Jacob’s small car out in the parking lot, so he had to be there.

He’s in the shower.

Levi scowled. That would explain the water. “Did you really just go peek in on him in the shower?”

How else was I supposed to know it was him in there?

“Who else would it be?”

Could be anyone.

Levi rolled his eyes at his friend’s continued paranoia. He also had to tamp down a wave of jealousy. It wasn’t the first time he’d ever found himself wishing he could be like Lou, free to go where he pleased and not bothered by such mundane things as walls. Then again, he had the feeling that being a spirit wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Lou never got to know the pleasure of a good meal, sexual excitement, or something as simple as a hug.

“Well, then I’m going to wait for him,” Levi said, backing up toward the door.

He stopped when he spotted something leaning against the wall next to the bed. His eyes darted toward the bathroom door, and then behind him toward the entrance. Chewing his bottom lip, he crept forward, stepping around the bed and gripping what he realized was a painting.

Flipping it over, he looked over the canvas, frowning. He was by no means an expert on art, but he had picked up a few things from his social group back in LA. There