His fingers tightened against my forearm, almost like he was resisting the urge to pull me closer. By many people’s standards, this kiss was the equivalent of two twelve-year-olds kissing behind the bleachers. But in my mind, this kiss was powerful enough to set me aflame.
As quickly as it started, I pulled away.
His eyes slowly opened and a soft smile appeared. “What do we do now?”
“Now we take a nap.” That was all I could consider for tonight. “And you tell me about how the diner is going.”
Landon, trapped between me and the back of the couch, wrapped his arm around my waist. That action alone sent goose bumps down my body. I pulled my legs closer to his, inviting him to push a knee in between mine.
I drifted somewhere between Landon telling me about the newest coffee machine and the color of the tables. It was peaceful, the way he spoke, and for the first time in a while, I let myself fully relax, thinking how simple and easy things felt between us.
I woke up to two realizations. The first was caused by a light shining on me relentlessly, which led me to blink rapidly andremember I didn’t take my contacts out before falling asleep. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to force moisture into them, and opened them again, rubbing at the corners. This action brought me to my second realization.
My best friend and roommate, Macey Monroe, was looking down at me from directly overhead, with a shit-eating grin on her face. “Well, don’t you two look cozy!”
Oh, no.I looked over my shoulder to confirm that yes, Landon was still behind me. Fast asleep.
“Nothing happened,” I whispered. “Nothing big anyways.”
She crouched down, eyes wide. “What does that mean?”
Just then, Landon woke, yawning against my ear. Macey shot me a look that indicated I would be fessing up everything later today.
Landon tightened his arm around me. “Good morning, Ki—Macey!”
“Scribbles, why is there a man calling your name in a sexy voice?” Noah called from the entryway. He held two large paper bags in his arms.
“It’s nothing, honey!” Macey stood and grabbed one of the bags out of his arms. “Right, Kira?”
“Right.” I sat up, frantically finger combing my hair. “Macey, you remember Landon, right?”
I was pretty sure Macey slammed the bag down on the counter just so she could cross her arms over her chest dramatically. “Uh-huh.”
For ray of sunshine Macey, that was as cold as it could get.
I found a hair tie on the edge of the couch and pulled my hair into a bun. “Landon, this is Macey’s boyfriend, Noah.”
Noah dropped his bag on the counter, a yellow squash tipping over. He slung an arm around Macey’s shoulders. “We’ve met. It’s nice to see you someplace other than a sketchy gas station.”
“Great.” I stood, knocking the blanket to the floor. “Now that everyone’s been reacquainted, if you’ll excuse me for a few minutes…”
Landon grabbed my wrist to stop me, eyes pleading.
“I’ll be right back,” I whispered.
It felt a little like leaving a lamb in a lion’s den. But a few minutes later, I had a freshly washed face, glasses, and a change of clothes. I returned to awkward tension.
It looked like Landon had distracted himself by folding the blanket over the couch and cleaning up the mess we left, while Noah and Macey watched curiously. Macey looked distrustful but also entertained.
“So,” Macey drawled, eyes darting between me and Landon. “The gang’s all back together again, huh?”
Landon cleared his throat. “Yeah, it’s really nice to be back.”
“What brings you home, Landon?” Macey casually unpacked the contents of the paper bag. Fruits, vegetables, the occasional potato. “And to our apartment.”
“I missed the hotdogs,” Landon joked.
It didn’t land for Macey, who stared deadpan at him.
