I didn’t want to give anyone a reason to dislike me because I couldn’t take it. Not again. Not after I wasn’t enough for my own mother.
Not after I wasn’t enough for Mel, either.
"I just don’t want to be a burden,” I blurt. “Not to anyone.”
His brow furrows, and his eyes sweep over my face again. “You’re not aburden, Violet. You could neverbea burden.”
“If I’m not a burden, then why did Mel leave?”
His mouth presses thin at the mention of my sister, and he shakes his head. “Melanie has her own issues. They have nothing to do with you.”
“If I’m not a burden, then why did my mom leave?”
“Violet,” Landon says softly.
“I’m serious.”
“You’re not a burden to anyone, especially your mother.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
“Why?”
“Because you give back in a way I’ll never be able to. You’re intelligent and accomplished, and the work you do actuallymatters. You have no idea what it’s like to have nothing but a smile to offer someone. Where would I be without it? Nowhere, that’s where.”
Landon takes my hand in his, his palm sliding over mine as his fingers tighten. His hand is warm and strong and anchoring. I study the way it looks entwined with mine and wish they could stay like that.
“You have power over me,” Landon says, his voice rougher than usual. “And it’s not just because you’renice.” My eyes slide up to meet his, only to find that he’s staring down at our hands, too. His thumb begins to softly stroke the inside of my wrist, and a shiver shoots up my arm, wracking down the rest of my body. “In fact, most of the time, you’re a brat. You put me in my place all the time.”
“That’s different,” I whisper.
He looks up at me then, brows knit together, eyes catching mine and holding me hostage. “Why?”
When I only shrug, he makes a hum deep in his throat and flips my hand over. His pointer finger begins to trace patterns across my palm, and my vision goes hazy. “Practice on me,” he says.
“What?” I breathe, trying not to focus on how good his touch feels.
The tracing stops, and he squeezes my hand between both of his, grounding me and bringing me back down to earth. “Practice standing your ground and saying what you feel without worrying about the consequences.”
My brows knit together in confusion. “I’m not following.”
“Tell me to fuck off. Tell me to get lost. Tell me you’re not interested.”
I roll my eyes. “Landon, I can’t. This is dumb.”
“Come on. Just try it,” he urges.
“Fine,” I say with a sigh. “Fuck off, Landon.”
He snorts at my pathetic attempt to be assertive. “That was weak. Say it like you mean it.”
Without warning, I rip my hand out of his. “Fuckoff,Landon. I fucking mean it.”
He smirks. “Better. Go out with me tomorrow night.”
"No,” I snap, really getting into the character now, “anddon’task me again.”
“Tell me you’re not interested.” I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. “Don’t hesitate,” he says, but his voice is softer now. I press my lips together, the movement drawing the attention of his eyes. They linger before flicking back up to mine.
