The night had shed its weight by the time we settled into the middle of the gym. Music bounced off the high ceilings, speakers shaking the balloons tied to the bleachers. I realized halfway through a conversation about old math teachers and someone’s questionable hairstyle that I hadn’t thought about work once. Not the ER, not the storm raging back home, not James.
Landon was in his element, and it wasn’t subtle. The way he moved through the crowd, the way people gravitated toward him, the way he exaggerated the fake boyfriend act just enough that everyone bought it—he was having too much fun. And I couldn’t lie; I liked watching him. He flirted with ease, half charm, half mischievous performance, and when he turned toward me with that crooked grin and a glint in his eye, I couldn’t pretend it was a problem for me either.
Someone tapped the microphone, and a voice called out over the music. “Time to reveal our reunion king and queen!”
The room erupted in good-natured applause, and before I could protest, the votes were tallied. Landon leaned down and whispered, “If we win, you’re taking a victory lap with me.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re not going to let me live this down, are you?”
“Absolutely not.”
A few seconds later, someone announced: Nicole Gordon and Landon Cross. The gym exploded. People cheered, cameras flashed, and Landon grabbed my hand, tugging me toward the dance floor in front of the stage before I could even get my bearings.
The slow dance started, and the lights dimmed. I found myself pressed close to him, our bodies moving in rhythm with themusic. His hand rested lightly on my waist, claiming the space like it was ours. My hand found his shoulder, and I felt a thrill of electricity that had nothing to do with the gym lights or the music.
He leaned in a little closer than necessary, his breath brushing my ear. “You look incredible tonight.”
I wanted to argue, to deflect, to say it wasn’t true, but the warmth of his sincerity made it impossible. My eyes dropped to the floor for just a second, then back up. His gaze caught mine, and suddenly the room shrank until it was just the two of us swaying to the beat.
It wasn’t subtle how close we were. The heat from his chest, the faint scent of his cologne, the way our movements matched—everything pulled toward something inevitable.
I felt him shift closer, and my heartbeat flailed in protest, but it didn’t stop the momentum. His lips hovered too near mine, and the tension in the space between us twisted tight.
I closed my eyes and swallowed, trying to capture the moment, trying to savor it while holding it at arm’s length. His lips brushed a breath against mine, testing, daring, and I had to shake my head just slightly.
“I want to…” My voice was barely a whisper. “But I can’t. Not while I’m seeing James.”
The tension between us snapped just enough to make my stomach ache. Landon paused, eyes searching mine, and I could see the flicker of understanding there. He straightened, but his hand lingered on my waist, as if to say he wasn’t going anywhere, even if I had to.
16
Landon
I was halfway through my first coffee when my front door flew open.
Nicole didn’t knock. She marched straight past me in a towel, hair twisted up.
“Thank you,” she tossed over her shoulder, already halfway to my bathroom.
I stood there in the kitchen with my mug suspended near my mouth, bare chest cooling in the morning air, sweatpants sitting low on my hips. She didn’t spare me a glance. Not even a pause. Just purpose and momentum and a woman who had decided my shower belonged to her for the next ten minutes.
The bathroom door shut.
I took a sip of coffee and smiled. The first time she’d done this, I’d tried to argue. But somewhere between then and now, I’d learned a valuable lesson about Nicole Gordon. Once she set her sights on something, resistance was a waste of breath.
The water kicked on. Pipes rattled. The shower roared to life.
I moved to the couch and dropped onto it, coffee cradled in my hands as I listened to the sounds carry down the hall. The steadyrush of water underscoring the faint, unselfconscious tune she always made up when she was in there. Breathy and off-key in a way that made me feel like joining her.
I cleared my throat and shifted on the couch, mostly to interrupt the stirring in my pants. I tried not to picture her under the spray, naked and wet. I failed immediately.
When I did get a short break from the fantasy, it was James who intruded without invitation. His name had a way of doing that lately. A fourth-year resident with a steady future as a surgeon. The guy she was with when she wasn’t working or barging in here wrapped in a towel.
My jaw set as I took another sip.
So far, Nicole and I being friends had been working out fine. But after her high school reunion, I wasn’t sure how long that would be the case.
The water shut off sooner than I expected and a few moments later, she was back in my living room. Her hair was loose now, curling a little at the ends, and her skin was all flushed and damp.
