Page 32

Chapter thirty-two

Landon

S ebastian rarely came to the facility unless something was wrong, so when Landon saw him standing outside the locker room, he frowned.

“What’s up?”

“You didn’t respond to my text.”

Landon held up his smashed phone, careful not to touch the shattered glass. “Sorry, I dropped a weight on my phone this afternoon. It’s not turning on. Probably have to get another one.”

“Coach let you bring your phone in during lifts?”

“No, I decided to do a few more reps after everyone left and wanted music. What’s up?”

Seb covered his shock well, likely surprised that Landon was doing anything more than the bare minimum. “Savannah’s end of tour party and Best Album award celebration is happening right now. We talked about it a couple of weeks ago.”

Landon closed his eyes, vaguely remembering the conversation. “Shit. That’s today?”

“Yes, and you promised you’d be there. Her agent wants to make sure the party is huge. Talked about it being ‘one for the ages’ or some shit, I don’t know. She kept going on and on about it. You forgot?”

He’d been surprisingly focused on the season, and even more on Keala, that he hadn’t thought of much outside of the two. “Yeah. Do you think my gameday suit is good enough? It’s all I have here. Or do I have time to go home?”

“You have about five minutes. I have a limo here for you, so go change. You know Savannah will have your head if you’re late.”

While Sebastian was right that Sav was surprisingly punctual, he was sure she wouldn’t notice whether he was there or not, and certainly not what time he arrived. Still, he changed quickly and followed Seb to the car.

“If this party is going to be so big, I don’t understand why I can’t go home real quick. I’m sure Sav will be so busy that she won’t notice.” Honestly, he wanted to take a shower and use his own products. He also wanted to see if Keala was back from practice yet and tell her that he’d be gone for a few hours since his phone was useless. Landon wanted another evening with her in his bed, even if she had to leave early for her shift tomorrow.

“Man, I swear you don’t read anything I send you. You’re picking up Elara,” he said referring to Savannah’s girlfriend, who he would pretend to be with so that Sav’s relationship remained under wraps.

Landon nodded his understanding. “Of course. Sorry.” He slid into the car. “Are you coming?”

“God, no. I have so much damn paperwork for your sponsors, but with you not answering, I figured I should come down. Be good. Don’t do anything that ruins Savannah’s night please. That’s the last thing I need to deal with right now.”

“I’ve been on my best behavior the last few months, I think I can make it through an evening.” Keala’s eyes flashed in his mind at their joke— Your Favorite Asshole on his Best Behavior —and he wished he could bring her with him as his date instead.

“Yes, you’ve finally made my job manageable, thank you.” The words came out harsh, but Landon could tell Seb was teasing from the quirk of his lips. “I promised you’d stay for at least a couple of hours, but I’m sure you’ll want to be there longer.”

Landon shrugged. He’d stay as long as Savannah wanted him there. It was her big night, and she was always there to help him get into trouble when he needed to.

Which he’d needed less and less of as of late.

“I’ll have your new phone to you by tomorrow.” Seb closed the door before he could respond, and Landon watched him yell into his phone as the driver sped off.

Landon spent the entire night wishing the woman on his arm was Keala.

Later that evening, before going to his own apartment, Landon tried Ikaika’s door, opening it when he found it unlocked. “Who’s ready to watch New York beat Cincy?” he asked as he stepped inside. Keala and Ikaika were both on the couch, watching the game.

“Nah, Cincinnati’s got this in the bag,” Ikaika responded.

“Keeks?” Landon asked, wanting her input. Instead, she stiffened almost imperceptibly and shrugged. She wouldn’t meet his eyes when he slipped out of his shoes and walked into the room.

“I don’t know. Don’t care about either team,” she answered quietly.

Odd. Landon wondered if something had happened at dance practice earlier.

“Where did you go after practice looking so sharp?” Ikaika wondered.

“I stayed back to lift a little more and then forgot I had to be at a thing for Sav.”

“She’s back?”

“Yeah. Seemed to have had a very successful tour.”

Landon loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt to get more comfortable, his eyes on Keala as he sat a few feet from her on the couch. Ikaika took up the entirety of the other side.

This time, she definitely tensed up.

“How was your practice?” he asked as he rolled up his sleeves and sank into the cushions.

“Good.” The word was clipped, and even Ikaika glanced between the two of them with a frown.

Landon crossed his arms, turning to the TV but unable to focus on anything that was going on. Ikaika said something about the game and Keala replied to him. Landon could only focus on the way she tucked her legs underneath her body, angling herself away from him.

Clearly, she was upset with him. What wasn’t clear was why. He’d woken up this morning with her still sleeping peacefully in his arms, so what could have caused such a quick turn around? Had the—kind of—joke in his note offended her?

He’d planned to talk to her about becoming more after the event, but now he was doing exactly what they hadn’t wanted to do: making things uncomfortable for Ikaika. Their hangouts had never been so quiet. When halftime rolled around, Ikaika jumped up, eyebrows drawn as he made eye contact with Landon. “I’m going to call my family. I’ll be back for the second half.”

His meaning was clear: fix this now. Make things right.

Or Landon would get a fist to his pretty motherfucking face, he was sure.

“Keeks…”

“Did you not get my text?”

Landon pulled out his phone and set it between them, thankful that an unreturned text was all this was. “Broke my phone at the facility today. Decided to do a lift on my own. Guess that’s what I get for trying for once,” he joked.

But she didn’t smile. She pulled up something on her phone and shoved it toward him. He read the text once, then twice, then once more.

“I don’t understand.”

She tossed her phone onto the couch, then clenched her fists. “Landon, please don’t make me say it.”

He dropped to his knees in front of her. “Baby…I’m so confused. What happened?”

“Don’t call me that. I saw the photo. All the photos, actually, because they’re plastered everywhere.”

“The photo?” He’d never sent anything untoward because of how easy hacking seemed to be nowadays, so he didn’t know what she could be talking about.

“Of you and the pretty blonde girl. At Savannah Blake’s event.”

Realization dawned. “Oh,” he drew out the syllable. Landon reached for her hands, opening them and trying not to pull her into him when he noticed the half-moon indentations etched into her palms.

Her voice was shaky, eyes wet, but she set her jaw and whispered, “I know you don’t owe me anything, but I think I’ve developed some…thing for you. And I can’t keep doing this, because it’s going to kill me to see you with other people.”

“Kee—”

“And I’m also terrified that I care more for you, who I’ve been hooking up with for three weeks, than I ever did for my past partners.” She ripped her hands away, closing in on herself, wrapping her legs in her arms and angling away from him again. “Please, Landon, just let me pretend I have some dignity and go home. We’ll work on the whole ‘being friends’ thing for Ikaika’s sake, but for tonight, while I’m still figuring all of these feelings out, please go.”

“Keeks, I don’t want to be your friend.”

Her facade broke, and a tear fell as she let out a half scoff, half cry. “Well, we have to be or Ikaika’s going to kill you.”

“We both know neither of us want that,” he joked. She held back a small smile but still wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Please look at me?”

After a few seconds, she complied.

“I don’t want to be your friend, because I want to be more. I want to be with you. Only you.” He frowned. “I don’t know how to do this, but with you, I want to try.”

Keala crossed her arms, glaring at him. “I’m expected to believe that when you were just…” She waved her hand around. “Again, you’re allowed to do whatever you want. We agreed it was just sex. But don’t think you’re going to come back to my bed after being with someone else less than an hour ago.”

“Technically, it’s my bed.” At her scowl, he smiled. “Right, sorry, not the right time. I’m working on the ‘using humor to subvert emotions’ thing. But it’s not my place to tell you who she is. I’m protecting a friend.”

“Bu—”

“Baby, please,” he interrupted, desperate. “The entire time I was there, all I could think about was coming back to you and telling you I want more. I don’t want to be your stress relief anymore. I want to be the person you come to when you’re happy and sad. I want to be yours .”

She still didn’t look convinced, though she loosened her grip on her legs.

“Have I ever given you a reason not to trust me?”

Keala stared at him, then sighed. “No,” she answered softly.

“I know it’s not a good look right now, but there’s a reason I haven’t been hanging out with anybody I’ve hooked up with before. Because, since the day I met you, I haven’t been able to get you off my mind.”

“But she’s someone you’ve been with before. I saw the pictures of you two from the past. Before we met.”

Landon looked at her meaningfully. “I’ve never done anything with her. Again, it’s not my place to tell you specifics, but of all the people I’ve ever been linked with, she’s not one for you to worry about.”

“So…”

“So, moving on from that, I’m going to give you my small speech. If that’s okay.”

She hid a smile. Nodded.

“I know that you’re a lover of love but that you’re terrified of getting into relationships because you become someone else. But with me, I want you . I want the unfiltered, unchanged, exactly as you are, you. You’ve never given me anything else, and that’s all I’ll ever ask for.” He smirked. “And, if I remember correctly, you still owe me one favor from the pumpkin carving, and I was planning on cashing in with a real first date.”

Keala smiled fully, dropping her arms and legs. Landon, still on his knees, slid his hands up the sides of her legs until they rested at the hem of her shorts, his chest against her knees.

She set her hands on his. “We still can’t go out in public together. At least not until the season’s over. Zoe knows, and I trust her, but I’m not sure about anybody else.”

“I know. We’ll stay hidden, and if it makes you more comfortable, we can do it at my apartment.”

“We’ve already done that.”

Landon’s smirk widened. “Did you just make a sex joke?”

“Never.”

“You told Zoe about us?”

“Yeah.”

“I think she might have known before you said anything.”

She nodded as she spoke. “We didn’t do a very good job of hiding it on Halloween. And she said you couldn’t keep your eyes off me at the hospital. I thought she was making things up.” Keala ran her fingers through Landon’s hair, and it was the first time that had ever happened outside of sex.

He liked it a lot.

“She’s right—I couldn’t. Ikaika had to tell me to quit it so I didn’t get you in trouble.”

Keala giggled. “Well, Zoe doesn’t like you right now. She was kind of there when I saw the picture and had to watch me…handle it,” she said carefully.

“That’s okay. I’m charming as hell. When I finally meet her for real, I’ll change her mind.”

Keala laughed again, pulling him up so she could kiss him softly. “One date. But if you make one joke about the kitchen incident, you’re done.”

“Fair. Come over after the game?”

She nodded before kissing him again, deeper. After a minute of his hands roaming her body and their tongues dancing, Keala pulled away. “Ikaika is going to be back soon. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable.”

“Fine.” Landon kissed her nose, then sat beside her, finally letting her hand go when Ikaika came back.

“All good?” Keala asked sweetly.

“All good.”

Ikaika and Keala exchanged a look, and when Keala nodded, Ikaika nodded back.

“Alright, Cincy. Let’s do this thing.”