Chapter 7: Innocence

                                    

                                          
The two of you only exchanged a few words during the ride back home. You were thankful that Levi couldn't see the ever present blush on your cheeks while you rode the horse. Your heart hadn't ceased its drumming either. 
You scolded yourself for acting like such a child. Flushed face, stuttered words, and butterflies... all for a guy you'd known for a few days. 
For fucks sake I feel like I'm a teenager again. 
Maybe, this was exactly what the two of you needed, some innocence in your lives... The allure of a crush did exactly that. 
You brought the carriage to the side of the house and the two of you hopped off. Levi could barely make eye contact with you. 
"Hey um... I'm gonna go do some gardening so... Let me know if you need anything." You said with your eyes glued to the ground.
Levi finally looked at you, "I can help."
You gazed up. "Oh... That would be nice. But, are you sure?"
You didn't mind having an extra hand in the gardens. It would be nice however, you and Levi working side by side was bound to stir up some more tension.
"Yeah, I hate feeling useless." He said.
Your eyes softened, "Well... you're gonna have to get your hands dirty, captain."
"I'm fine with that, as long as I'm doing something."
Levi didn't like feeling as if he was weak. He needed to be doing something, anything at least to stimulate himself. The man was always on the go. He just couldn't sit still. You were starting to catch onto that and even though you knew it would be awkward working with him since the kiss... you let him join. 
"Okay so first things first! We have to prepare the soil. Next is the actual planting." You said with hands on your hips. The two of you were in the middle of your garden.
"You sound like a drill sergeant." Levi joked.
"Well I am one today." You fired back.
Levi volunteered to carry the bulky sacks of dirt and compost over to the area where the two of you would be planting. You secretly liked having a guy around to do the heavy lifting. 
He plopped them on the ground with a sigh.
"What's next?" He asked.
"We have to mix the compost with the soil before the seeds go in." You replied, handing him a garden trowel. 
He knelt down beside you and watched as you used the tool to mix the compost into the ground. He mimicked your movements. It kind of made you blush how he genuinely was paying attention. 
"You do this all the time?" He asked.
"Only a few times a month. Even less, I do it after I bring a harvest into town if I'm low on seeds."
"Mh." He nodded and retreated back into awkward silence. You thought that maybe you'd made him uncomfortable back at the plaza by kissing his lips unprovoked. You started to over think.
"Hey um... Levi." You said quietly.
"Hm?"
You took a deep breath, "I shouldn't have just kissed you like that... if I invaded your space, I'm genuinely sorry."
Levi looked at you in bewilderment.
"If I wanted you to stop I would've pushed you off of me." He said, keeping his focus on the soil.
This was his way of saying, 'I enjoyed it'. But Levi being Levi, didn't have a soft way with words.
You gazed at him with parted lips before breaking into a giggle. "Oh okay, then I'm relieved. That was on my mind."