He stepped back quickly, like he’d only just realized he’d touched something hot. I watched his hands fall to his sides, fingers flexing once before going still.
“I’m sorry,” he said, and this time there was no teasing in it. “I didn’t mean to. You’re right. That crossed a line.”
He looked different in the stark stairwell light. It made him look more honest.
“It’s just…” He scrubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “We’re gunning for playoffs, and for some reason we can’t get out of fifth. Every game matters. I don’t have room for anything else right now.”
“Anything else,” I repeated. “Like dating.”
“Like dating,” he confirmed. “It’s off the cards.”
I studied him, then lifted an eyebrow. “You had time to track down a mythical Alex Granger helmet.”
“That’s different,” he said immediately.
“How?”
He hesitated. Just a flicker. “Because that didn’t ask anything back.”
I felt that land somewhere low in my chest.
“For now,” he added, firmer. “This is just how it has to be.”
I nodded, even if part of me didn’t like it. “Okay. I get it.”
The silence stretched, not awkward exactly, just charged. Then his mouth curved into something lighter.
“I do have a proposition for you, though.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Landon.”
“The team anniversary gala,” he said, ignoring my warning. “Valentine’s Day. I figured you could use your fan club perks to score a ticket.”
“I don’t do galas.” I made to head back out, but he grabbed my arm.
“You’d like this one,” he said. “Because some of the old guard will be there.”
I paused. “Define old guard.”
He smiled, slow and knowing. “Old Surge legends. Think of the autographs, new photos for your shrine back home…”
My resolve crumbled instantly. “You’re evil.”
“You’re coming,” he replied.
By the time we stepped back into the unit, my feet still hurt and my shift was far from over. But my head felt clearer. Lighter.
I hadn’t thought it was possible.
Apparently, Landon Cross hovering in a hospital stairwell had been exactly what I’d needed.
I watched him go the same way he’d come in, through the emergency doors, the chaos bowing aside just enough to let him pass.
A gurney burst through at the last second, wheels squealing, a paramedic rambling vitals, and Landon barely missed getting taken out at the knees. He hopped sideways, awkward and graceless, arms flying out to regain his balance. I clapped a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing.
Idiot.
A cute idiot, unfortunately.
