by Ash, Nikki
The timer goes off and I pull the chicken out, placing it on the counter. I glance at the time and see Mom isn’t due to be home for another couple hours. I wrap the chicken in foil and leave her a note to enjoy, then take off. I’m driving around for what feels like hours when I realize I’ve ended up back at Landon’s place. His car is in the driveway, so I know he’s home. He mentioned seeing me later, but we didn’t actually make any plans.
Not wanting to knock in case his dad is home, I send him a message that I’m outside. A minute later, the door opens and Landon is standing there in nothing but a pair of basketball shorts. His entire upper body is dripping wet and so is his hair. With intricate tattoos covering his shoulders and arms and chest, Landon is the definition of bad boy.
“Kind of cold outside to be half-naked,” I joke. Sure, it’s a bit warmer than usual, but it’s still cold as hell outside.
Landon smirks. “It’s warm in here… Wanna come in?”
“Sure.” I shrug a single shoulder, suddenly nervous. I’ve never been in a guy’s room aside from Richie’s. And for some reason, even though we dated for seven months, I’m more nervous about going into Landon’s.
His room is how I imagined it. Walls filled with sports posters and half-naked women. There’s a desk on one wall and a bed against another. The futon he mentioned before is against another wall, which faces his closet.
“Everything okay?” he asks.
“Not really,” I admit. “I found out today my parents are in more financial trouble than I thought and because of it, they cashed out my college fund.”
“Damn.” Landon drops onto his bed, one arm coming up to fluff the pillow behind his head. I take note of the way the muscles in his arm flex. “There’s always loans, right? Or scholarships?”
“Yeah, I’m just dealing with the shock of it all. My mom and I talked for a while last night and she never once mentioned it. Would’ve been nice to know…”
“Maybe she’s still trying to figure it all out and she wants to protect you until she knows for sure.”
“Maybe… How’d your first day of practice go?” I ask, wanting to change the subject.
“Good. Coach says we’re looking solid.” He grins. “He thinks I have a real shot at being drafted in June and has spoken to a couple scouts who’ll be coming out to watch me play.”
I do a mental calculation. It’s January now, which means he’ll be gone in five months. The thought kind of makes my stomach hurt, which is weird since we’ve only really talked a couple of times.
“Come lie down. We can watch a movie. Maybe it’ll take your mind off everything.”
When I lie down, far away from him, he laughs and pulls me closer. “Don’t want you to roll off.” He wraps his arm around my waist, and after a few minutes, I find myself gravitating toward his warmth. I don’t know what it is about Landon, but being around him calms me, makes me feel like I can deal with whatever is being thrown my way.
He scrolls through the movies and I pick Twilight. He groans but still clicks play. We watch the movie in silence, and at some point I must fall asleep, because the next thing I know, I’m waking up to the sound of my phone ringing. I glance over at Landon, who has his arms wrapped around me and is snoring softly. My first thought is to switch my phone to silent and snuggle back up with him, but then I see it’s my mom calling, so I know I have to answer.
“Hey, Mom,” I say softly, not wanting to wake Landon up.
“I saw the food you left,” she says. “Thank you.”
“No problem.”
“I also saw you were in the bills drawer…”
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I was picking up.”
She sighs heavily. “Can you come home so we can talk?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there in a little while.”
Glancing back at Landon asleep, I wish I could stay in this bed, in his arms, in this bubble for a little while longer.
Too bad that can’t happen.
Just as I’m trying to sneak out of Landon’s bed, his arms tighten and he pulls me back into his chest. “Where are you going?” he murmurs, his voice gravelly from sleep.
“Home. My mom called me and wants to talk about the stuff I found.”
Landon nuzzles his face into my neck, and my heart goes haywire. “I’ll message you my number,” he says. “Text or call me anytime.”
“Okay.” Reluctantly, I slide out of his hold and climb out of his bed. “Thank you.”
When I get home, my mom is waiting for me in the kitchen with a sad look on her face. Her eyes are a bit puffy, and her cheeks are pink like she’s been crying.
I sit across from her and she reaches across the table, taking my hands in hers. “I hate that I have to tell you this, but your father and I are getting a divorce. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to tell you everything because it’s not your burden to bear, but it’s your college fund he cashed out, so I feel you have a right to know. He’s been going to the tracks and bars, and gambling. He blew through our entire savings and then cashed out your college fund before I even knew what was happening. It looks like I’m going to have to put the house up for sale.” Tears of hurt drip down her face. “We were supposed to meet for marriage counseling today and he never showed up. I’m so sorry, Harper.”
Standing, I come around the table and wrap my arms around her. “It’s okay.” I’m devastated I’ve lost my college fund, but it’s not her fault, and there’s nothing she can do to fix it, so there’s no point in making her feel bad. She’s losing her home and her husband. She’s got to feel bad enough.
“Thank you,” she says as she pulls back and stands. “I’m going to go take a shower. It’s been a long day. Do you have homework to do?”
“Yeah.”
After she heads to her bedroom, I go upstairs to my room. I spend the next hour or so working on my math and English homework. My neck is cramped from the way I’ve been lying on my stomach working, so I decide a nice, hot bubble bath is in order.
Once the tub is filled and the bubbles are practically overflowing, I get in. The hot water relaxes me instantly. I click on my playlist on my phone and click shuffle. The sound of Alicia Keys fills the silence.
I check my phone and find a message from Landon with his number. After plugging it into my contacts, I send him a text message.
Me: Hey, it’s Harper. This is my number.
He responds almost immediately.
Landon: How’d it go with your mom?
Me: My dad spent all our money, we have to move, and they’re getting divorced.
Landon: I’m so sorry. Want to come over and talk about it?
My heart picks up speed at how sweet and caring he is. When I would tell Richie anything, he would tell me to just get over it.
Me: I would love to, but it’s late and I’m in the bath…
A few seconds later Landon texts back.
Landon: I’ll be over in two minutes. Don’t move.
His text has me giggling.
Me: Down boy
Landon: You can’t tell a guy you’re in the bath and not invite him over.
I don’t know what comes over me, but I pull up my camera app and take a picture of my legs hovering over the bubble-filled water. It doesn’t show anything inappropriate, but sending it is a clear sign of me flirting. Before I can chicken out, I send it to Landon.
A few seconds go by without him responding, and I wonder if maybe I stepped over the line. I’ve seen girls flirt with him and he never gives any of them the time of day.
But then a text comes through…
Landon: Now you’re just rubbing it in that I can’t be there :( Seriously, though, those are some sexy legs. I can *almost* imagine what they would…
What the heck?! He didn’t finish his sentence!
Me: What they would what?
Landon: Don’t like being teased? Good! Neither do I! LOL
I snort out a laugh.
Me: Okay, I deserved that.
L
andon: Let me come over and take a bath with you and we’ll call it good.
Me: Ha ha! See you at school tomorrow.
Landon: I’ll be the one staring at your legs.
Three
Harper
The next day at school, when I walk up to my locker, I’m shocked to find Landon waiting for me.
“Starting the morning off right, I see.” I nod to the McFlurry he’s holding in his hand.
He smiles wide. “It’s for you.” He extends his hand. I take it and see it’s filled with Oreos.
“What’s this for?” I ask, already taking a bite. Probably not the best option for breakfast, but it’s too good to pass up.
“I figured you could use something sweet after everything that happened yesterday with your family.” He shrugs, pushing his hands into his pockets.
“Thank you,” I tell him, suddenly overcome with emotion. “Want a bite?” I waggle my brows and he shakes his head. “Oh, come on!” I dip the spoon into the cup and pull out a large bite. “You can’t buy this for me and not have any yourself.” Before he realizes what I’m doing, I thrust the spoon into his mouth, filing it completely with ice cream and Oreos. He chokes out a laugh as he tries to swallow the bite.
“Jesus,” he says, once his mouth is empty again. “You’re going to give me a brain freeze, woman.”
“Here, have another bite.” This time, he sees it coming and plucks the spoon from my fingers before it enters his mouth.
“Your turn.”
I try to run, but his hand that’s not holding the spoon snakes around my waist, and he pins me against the locker. “Nice try,” he murmurs. “Now open wide.”
I’m laughing so hard, when the spoon hits my mouth, half of it smears all over my lips and the other half drips onto the ground.
“Landon!” I shriek through my laughter. “You’re making a mess.”
“You’re making a mess.” He chuckles, stepping closer to me until our faces are only a couple inches apart. “You have it all over your face.” He rubs his thumb across my bottom lip then brings it up to his mouth. “Mmm… good.” His eyes light up wickedly.
I suck in my bottom lip, trying to appear unfazed when what I really want to do is jump his bones. Landon’s gaze locks on my mouth and he releases a low growl that causes sparks of lust to shoot through my body.
I don’t realize how loud we were, or that several students have stopped to watch us, until I hear the sound of Melissa’s voice. “Moving on, I see,” she snarks, popping the bubble Landon and I were in.
Landon steps back and clears his throat. “I better get to class. Enjoy your ice cream.”
And then without even acknowledging Melissa, he walks away.
“What was that all about?” she asks, eyeing me curiously.
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?” She mocks. “He brought you a McFlurry for breakfast.”
“I had a bad night and he brought it to cheer me up.”
“Since when is Landon Maxwell in charge of cheering you up?” she accuses.
“I don’t know.” I shrug, not wanting to try to explain something I don’t even know myself. “I need to get to class,” I say, taking off before she can ask me any other questions.
The morning flies by, and when it’s time for lunch, instead of sitting with Melissa and everyone, I sit in the same spot I did yesterday. I don’t have any homework or projects to work on, but I like how quiet it is. Just like yesterday, a few minutes into lunch, Landon sits next to me with another sandwich in his hand. We spend the lunch period talking about random stuff. When I mention there’s a movie coming out this weekend I’d like to see, he offers to go with me.
After school, I head home, get my homework done, and when Landon gets done with practice, he texts me so I can go over and hang out at his place until my curfew.
And this becomes our new norm. We hang out before school, during lunch, after school, and on the weekends. We laugh and joke and have a good time whenever we’re together. He makes me forget the clusterfuck that’s going on in my house. Every night, when I go home to my parents fighting, Landon talks to me on the phone until I fall asleep, telling me that soon it will pass.
Four
Harper
“I feel like I never see you anymore,” Melissa whines as we wait for our iced coffees in the coffee shop. It’s been a few weeks since cheerleading ended, and since I’ve been spending most of my time with Landon, I haven’t really seen Melissa in a while. And truth be told, I’m not exactly overcome with sadness over it. Without her around, it’s been quiet and drama-free.
“I’ve been busy.” I take my coffee from the barista and thank her. Melissa takes hers as well and we have a seat at one of the tables.
“Rumor is, you and Landon have been hanging out a lot lately,” she says nonchalantly, but I know her, and I know she’s digging.
“He’s become a good friend,” I tell her, which is the truth. Even though we flirt a lot when we hang out, we’ve yet to cross that thin line from friends to more.
“Friends with benefits?” She waggles her brows up and down.
“No, just friends.”
And speaking of which… The door to the coffee shop opens and in walks Landon, followed by Cohen, Richie, and several of the other baseball players. They’re in uniform, but are clean, which means they’re on their way to a game.
Richie’s eyes meet mine first, and he smiles softly. I smile back, wanting to be cordial. There’s no reason why we can’t get along post-breakup. We still have half a year left of being at the same school.
When Landon sees me, his eyes light up and my belly tightens in response. His brown hair is messy like always and he’s sporting his usual cocky grin. A small bit of his tattoos peek out from under his baseball shirt, and the uniform pants he’s wearing mold his thighs perfectly.
“Friend my ass,” Melissa murmurs just before she yells for them to join us at our table.
After the guys order their drinks, Landon beelines straight over to me. “Move over, woman.”
I look next to me, but there’s no room because Melissa already scooted closer to me to make room for Cohen.
“No room.” I shrug playfully.
“Then I’ll make room.” Before I have time to consider what he means, he’s lifting me off the bench seat and dropping his ass onto it.
“Hey!” I fake pout. “That’s my seat,” I say as he situates me on his lap and his arm slides around my waist. I snuggle into his chest and inhale his scent. It’s fresh and masculine with a hint of citrus. Since we’ve been hanging out, I tend to find different reasons to steal his hoodies. When we’re at the movies and I’m cold. When we’re at school and I forgot my own… I always give them back, though—after all, he has to wear it again to get his scent on it.
“Are you smelling me again?” Landon whispers with a laugh.
“Hush,” I say, wiggling against him. “Pretend like you don’t know that.”
The first time he caught me sniffing the inside of his hoodie, I was mortified. Until he granted me a huge megawatt grin and told me he does it to me all the time. I asked him what I smell like, wondering if he would say something generic, but he shocked me when he said I smell like strawberries and vanilla, which is the shampoo and lotion I use.
I shift in Landon’s seat, trying to get comfortable, and he tickles my sides. “Stop rubbing against my cock,” he growls into my ear. I laugh harder, forgetting we’re surrounded by our friends and my ex.
“So, what? You two are together now?” Richie asks, a sour look marring his face.
“No.” I shake my head. “We’re just friends.”
Landon’s hand tightens on my hip, but he doesn’t say a word.
“What if they were dating?” Melissa presses. “Would that bother you?”
I shoot daggers her way. Why must she always poke the proverbial bear?
“Harper can do whatever she wants,” Richie says. “We’re over.” He stands. “We n
eed to get going to our game.”
“Is this a real game or still preseason?” I ask Landon.
“Preseason. We still on to hang out later?”
“Yep. I’ll meet you at your place.”
Landon lifts me off him and sets me back on the bench. “I look forward to it.” He leans over and kisses my cheek before grabbing his drink, then heading out the door.
“You two are so together,” Melissa says in a singsong-y voice.
“I already told you we’re just friends,” I say in a tone that conveys she needs to drop this. Thankfully, she does.
“So, I was thinking…” Landon begins. We’re lying in his bed and the movie we were watching just ended. My head is resting in the crook of his shoulder and his arm is around me.
“Careful, you don’t want to hurt your brain.” I roll over onto my stomach and laugh at my own joke.
Landon scowls. Then, before I can stop him, he grabs me by my hips and flips me onto my back. He tickles my sides until I can’t breathe and beg for mercy. My arms flail out and my hand accidentally smacks his lamp. It topples to the ground and the sound of the light bulb breaking echoes through the now-dark room.
“Oh my God! I’m so sorry.” I try to scramble up to clean my mess, but Landon pins my hands over my head, preventing me from moving. Because of the light going out, and the movie being done, it’s hard to see him, but I can feel him. His hands are entwined with mine, and his legs are nestled between mine. His crotch is pushing against my center.
“Like I was saying,” Landon says, with humor mixed with something I can’t pinpoint in his tone. “I was thinking.” His lips are so close to mine, I can smell the mint on his cool breath. He sucks on mints like he’s addicted. “Valentine’s Day is coming up and I want to take you out.”
“Like on a date?” I ask, just to clarify. Because he doesn’t date. Ever.
“Yes, but not like a date. A date.”
I want to say yes, but I’m scared. These last several weeks of hanging out with Landon at his house has become my safe place. He’s become my safe place. Sure, we go to the movies or to the mall, but it’s only been as friends. If we go on a date and it doesn’t work out, where will that leave us? Everybody knows couples who break up never remain friends.