There was something about this encounter that was so surreal that Levi was still waiting for reality to reassert itself. Levi had always hoped Jackie would approach him again, but that had been before she'd married Carlos and settled down with him. It had been really hard in the beginning. His heart didn't beat but it could still ache. But after five years, Levi had considered the door closed.
The door still was closed. Levi had kept his cool in much stranger situations than this, but that didn't help him have any idea what this was. It was interesting at least. Levi was intrigued.
When she said the ribbon might go rogue, Levi laughed. “That's true,” he said. The birthday curse of Levi Whitby struck in new and horrifying ways sometimes, but it didn't strike every single birthday. It liked to keep him on his toes. He shook his head, because her logic had fully convinced him. “I'd best open this now then.”
Levi held the box, but he stayed where he was for a moment to watch and listen to her. An amused smile spread, warmed, and then it brightened as she continued. Levi bit down on his lip and tilted his head. He was nodding slowly. “Well,” Levi said, “It makes sense when you think about how they used to test guillotines with melons. Melons really are just a stand in for human blood.” He bit down on his lip and tilted his head. “I hope you know this because your husband has been buying you so many of these arrangements.”
With that line of conversation complete, Levi turned his attention back to the box he held in his hand. He could tell Jackie had wrapped it. She had a very specific way of tying bows. What could this be? The motion of Levi's hands when he untied the bow was very smooth, but the quickness betrayed his anticipation. Not everyone loved a surprise, but Levi did. He also quite loved receiving presents.
When Levi opened the box, he looked at the coin for a moment and paused. Somehow out of all the things Levi might have guessed, this wasn't it. He'd been looking for this one for several decades. This was the one coin he'd never thought he'd find. Levi looked at the coin for another long moment, and then he looked back up at Jackie. All of the signs were there, but for a moment, Levi forgot about the last five years.
In that moment, Levi kissed her.
In the next moment, Levi realized what he'd done.
Before the look in her eyes full formed for Levi to see it, he pulled her into a vampiric trance. He picked up the box and the ribbon he'd discarded, and placed the coin back inside the box and then placed the lid back over the top. Levi pushed the box and the ribbon back into her hand. “Forget this happened, and that you've already done this once. Go back to your car, retie the ribbon, and then try this again.”