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Chapter twenty-six

Landon

ESPN notification – Colton Beaumont’s Sabertooths are unstoppable. Week ten highlights and more…

ESPN notification – Jacksonville fans stunned silent by Sentinels tight end Landon Beaumont on three separate occasions. Could he be the difference between a no-playoff season and a championship run?

Landon’s body had held up fine during outreach Monday morning, but now that he was home, the aches that came with being slammed down by defensive backs made themselves known.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, he was growing suspicious that Keala was avoiding him. Again. Was it because of what he’d admitted in the grocery store? It didn’t make sense, seeing as they’d slept together two days later, but he couldn’t explain away the ignored texts. Maybe it had been too much to handle.

Needing something comforting, he grabbed a hoodie and walked toward the elevator. He would have asked Ikaika to join, but Landon was pretty sure he was occupied with the woman he’d been seeing.

The elevator opened, and out stepped Keala in her scrubs, dark semicircles below her eyes and her hair in a ponytail. It had grown since they’d met, and he had to stop the mental image of how he’d used it to pull her head back the last time they’d hooked up.

“Keeks, hey.”

Her eyes widened, and by the time he’d blinked, she was behind him.

“Hi!”

“I’m going to the store. Do you want to come? I can make you dinner.” He hadn’t been alone with her in a week, and he wanted to apologize for talking about himself so much. Ask her if they could go back to how things had been before because he missed hearing about her long days. “Plus, I think Ikaika has someone over again.”

“Oh, that’s okay, but thank you. I’ve got dance soon, and then I took an extra shift tomorrow morning.” She turned and practically ran down the hall, refusing to meet his eyes as she entered the apartment and shut the door behind her.

Landon stuck his hand into the elevator as it began to close, jumping in and pressing the button for the first floor. He didn’t want to go to the store, knowing it wouldn’t put a dent in his wallet to have groceries delivered, but a part of him knew the more he left the apartment, the more chances he’d have to see her again.

Except now it was clear she was avoiding him. While, yes, she often practiced at one of her teammates’ places, she always went straight after her shift.

His heart sank, and he dialed the first person who came to mind.

“Hello?” his sister answered sleepily. He was glad she’d picked up. If she hadn’t, he would have called Savannah, who was on tour and unlikely to be of help since she was as emotionally stunted as he was.

“Mai, hey. I’m sorry, did I wake you?” He checked the time, noting it was after ten for her.

“No, no. It’s just been a long day. I’m still at the courts. What’s up?”

He walked out onto the first floor, smiling at Richard behind the desk as he left the building and trudged around the block.

“My friend has a problem.” He hadn’t thought through what he would say, but he wasn’t off to a good start.

“Okay…?”

He cleared his throat. “So, basically, he slept with this girl. Wait, let me back up. Originally, back in August, they almost had a one-night stand, but she was in her head, and when he offered to take her home, she blurted out some personal things. Then, they both realized they’d be living on the same floor and have since gotten to know each other.”

Sounding more awake, Maya said, “Right. Gotcha. Yes, so your friend slept with her?”

“She’d been tense and in need of something, so he offered to help, and after a couple of days, she took him up on the offer. It’s casual, right?”

“Right.”

“So then they hung out a couple of times after, sometimes with another person—let’s say her cousin.”

“You’re friends with her—I mean, your friend is close with the girl’s cousin?”

“Yes. Anyway, they hung out a few times, and one of the times they were alone, he confessed some things about himself. They hung out with the cousin a few times after and hooked up one more time, but now she seems to be avoiding him. What would you tell my friend?”

“I’d ask what your friend confessed to her.” She paused, then blurted, “And if it has to do with anything criminal, I don’t want to know because I don’t want to have to serve as a witness against you.”

Landon rolled his eyes. “Please. You know it’ll never come to that. And it’s not about me.”

“Good. So, what did he tell her?”

“He…sort of expressed why he’s scared of relationships. And she responded well, but now…”

“Now she’s avoiding him.”

“Yeah. And this isn’t new. She avoids him any time things change between them.”

“Based on the very limited information I’m working off here, it sounds like something happened in her personal life. If she’s been normal with you—him, sorry, after he confessed those feelings, and then is avoiding him a few days later, maybe something happened in her life that made her need some time away.”

Landon looked at the grocery store, but he was no longer hungry. “Like what exactly?”

“I can’t say without knowing her. How long has this avoiding been going on?”

“Since Friday.”

“So it hasn’t been that long. Tell him to give her another day or so and wait until she’s ready to talk about it before trying.”

“And if she never wants to talk to him again?”

“What makes you say that?”

Landon was silent for a minute as he continued walking around the apartment building. If there was anyone else in his life he’d been honest with or who, at the very least, understood the way he acted with others, it was Maya. “I think he’s worried that he was too honest with her and it scared her away.”

It was his sister’s turn to remain silent. Then, “Landon, I know it’s scary to let your guard down with people, but if she’s stuck around with all your teasing and has you this in your head, I have to imagine she’s not that kind of person. Give her time to tell you what’s going on. You opened up, now give her the space and capacity to do the same.” She paused. “Have you ever felt this way about someone before?”

“My friend. This is about my friend. And, no, he hasn’t.”

“Right, sorry. Then tell your friend to let her work it out. If things are meant to be, they will be. And also tell him I love him and that if he needs to talk to someone about what’s going on with him, his sister is here for him.”

Landon cracked a smile. “He really likes this woman. And he’s terrified.”

“Well, I’m proud of him for recognizing something good and wanting to hold on to it.”

“Yeah.” Quietly, he added, “I, uh…I started therapy. It…I think it’s helping.” He chuckled. “If I’d had a session before calling you, I wouldn’t be such a mess right now, I think.”

Maya laughed along with him. “Landon, that’s amazing. I’m so glad it’s helping. If you ever want to compare childhood trauma notes, I’m just a call away.” She laughed again. “And I’m glad we’re finally done playing the ‘my friend’ game.”

“I appreciate that. And thank you for going along with it.”

“Anytime. Let me know how everything goes, and don’t forget to talk to Colton.”

Landon groaned. “Maya, please. Can’t you see I’m dealing with something here?”

“Yes, yes. I can see that. But I’m giving you a deadline to make things right. You guys have been up and down over the years and I’m tired of gatherings being tense. Whenever we have Mom’s celebration of life this year, which is going to happen, by the way, I will sit you both down and make you talk if you don’t figure it out before then.”

“I texted that I was free last week. This time, it’s Colton’s fault.” They liked to have their mom’s celebration of life the week of her birthday whenever they could, but with so many busy people trying to make it work, it had been moved all over the season the last few years. This year, it’d been more of a struggle with both their seasons, Maya’s charity, and Colton’s daughter.

“Landon, I swear to—”

“Alright, alright. You mentioned that one week in December. I can do that if it’s on the West Coast. I have a game that week; Colton doesn’t.” It was a little less than a month away, which gave him plenty of time to procrastinate. The last thing he wanted to think about right now was burying the hatchet with Colton. He and Dr. Esposito had barely scratched the surface of his issues with his brother, and he’d probably need months of unpacking before he was ready.

“Great. We’ll do it with Nana and Nani in Los Angeles,” she said, referring to their mom’s father and mother. “I’ll text in the group about it.”

“Can’t wait,” he responded, only mildly sarcastically.

Though the conversation had turned, his thoughts remained on Keala. He hoped she’d be willing to talk to him soon because not having her in his life was driving him insane.

And that terrified him.