I watched from behind as Levi and Nisha stepped through the entrance. Before they'd made it two steps, the lady bolted toward them and leaped onto Levi, nearly taking him off his feet. He staggered back, arms wrapping around her instinctively.
"Levi!!"
The man followed at a more measured pace. Brown-skinned, grey-eyed, with black hair that fell across his forehead in damp-looking strands. Glasses perched on his nose, held in place by a cord that looped behind his neck. He moved with the easy confidence of someone who knew exactly where he stood in the pecking order.
He reached Nisha first and pulled her into a brief embrace. Then, as Levi finally extracted himself from the lady's grip, the man turned to him.
"You made it back alive." A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "That's a relief."
They clasped hands, and Levi grinned.
"Why would I die? That would be unfair to you."
The man's eyes went wide, and he sharply adjusted his glasses by the corner of the frame.
