“Nothing she said is true. You know that, right?”
I didn’t respond. I just leaned more into her and closed my eyes. I focused on my breathing, scared that if I let them overcome me, this situation would only worsen.
“She’s not well, and she’s just letting it out on you. Don’t let her get to you, Lana.”
I wouldn’t, even though it was hard.
The more I reminded myself of who my mother was, the bigger the urge for revenge became. And maybe it was childish, but I couldn’t let her behavior slide. It wasn’t okay for her to treat me this way, blame me for her issues, and not once apologize.
“Come on,” Holland said, rubbing my back. “You need to forget she called. I say we take showers, pack some snacks, and maybe hit the beach.”
I loved her for that. As unserious and crazy as Holland sometimes was, I could always rely on her to make me feel better.
I smiled and gave a small nod. “Sounds good.”
16
Callan
After what happened with Lana last night, I hated how empty the day felt without her. I’d left early in the morning. Rocco had called, said he needed help setting up new equipment at his place, and I figured getting out for a few hours would clear my head. But even after a full day of distractions, my mind always circled back to Lana. When I got home, the house was silent. No sign of her. No shoes by the door. No sound of her moving around upstairs. I hoped I hadn’t scared her away.
By the time evening rolled in, I still hadn’t seen her. I almost called just to check if she was okay, maybe ask if she’d eaten, but I stopped myself halfway through typing her name into my phone. She’d said she needed space last night, and I was trying to respect that. The last thing I wanted was to look desperate or pathetic.
Madison and Kira were already in my room when I walked in, stretched out on the bed, and waiting for me. I was supposed to be getting ready to shoot again, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I kept stalling by adjusting the lights, checking the camera angles, then checking them again. Moving tripods around that didn’t need to be moved. Every excuse I could come up with was just to delay starting.
Trey was waiting by the monitor, arms crossed, and finally said, “You good, man? We can come back tomorrow if you’re not feeling it.”
Madison laughed softly. “He looks nervous. That’s a first.”
I looked at her but didn’t answer. I didn’t have the energy to play along. My body was here, but my head wasn’t.
“Let’s just get it done,” I said, more to myself than to them.
They got into position, and I stripped down. My cock was half-hard, heavy but unresponsive, like even my body wasn’t buying this act tonight.
Madison tilted her head, watching me. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I muttered, even though I wasn’t.
I tried to focus on them and on the scene, but it was pointless. The only image in my mind was Lana’s hands on me, and the way she’d looked at me like she wasn’t supposed to. Nothing else even came close.
During the scene, the sound of the door opening barely registered at first. I thought it was Rocco stepping out for a smoke, but when I looked up, I froze.
Lana was standing in the doorway.
She didn’t hesitate or fidget. She looked different. Way calmer than I’d seen her, composed in a way that made my dick twitch. Her expression was unreadable, but there was something in her eyes that made her look like she was on a mission.
I didn’t say a word in an attempt to stay focused on the scene, but I kept looking at her. Madison shifted on the bed in front of me, and her gaze flicked toward the door, then back to me. Rocco looked at Lana, then he glanced over from behind the monitor with a smug grin.
Lana stepped inside like she belonged there. Her movements were slow but confident. She didn’t make eyecontact with anyone at first, just pulled a chair next to Rocco’s and sat down with her notebook on her lap. She crossed one leg over the other, leaning back, her face focused. Her hair was loose, falling over her shoulders, and she looked like she’d thought this through. She wanted to be here, and she was silently making a statement.
Trey gave me a questioning look, but I didn’t react to it. My throat was dry, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. Then I gave him a short nod. “Keep rolling.”
I could tell the two girls in front of me were trying to keep the mood light, but they looked annoyed now that Lana was in the room. The shift in the room was impossible to ignore. Lana’s eyes moved slowly across the room, settling on me for a second before darting away. I saw the faintest curve of her lips, like she was testing my reaction, waiting to see if I’d crack.
There was no more hesitation in her eyes. No more nervousness. She wasn’t running from me anymore. Instead, she was facing what happened between us head-on with no shame. I realized then that she had made a decision.
She was here on purpose, maybe to prove something to herself, or maybe to test me.
