Page 31 of When We Were Young

“Act alive in here tonight, Liz. None of that mopey attitude you’ve had lately.”

Landon cups my cheeks, and I want to scream at him not to touch me. It feels wrong. He’s holding too tightly, and his hands are too soft, not slightly roughened like Holden’s. He’s the wrong man.

“You’re supposed to be happy we’re a couple again, so get it together and don’t embarrass me in front of these guys.”

“Got it,” I answer. My voice is flat and unenthused.

He doesn’t notice and drops his hands from my face. Unfortunately, he grabs my hand and tugs me behind him as he walks into the house.

The party is in full force, music thumping, the smell of spilled beer surrounding us, and people everywhere I look.

I let Landon drag me around. I don’t care who’s here, and I have no desire to talk to anyone.

He heads over to one of the couches, and several younger fraternity members immediately vacate their seats, leaving us ample room to sit. When he slides his arm around my shoulders and squeezes, I want to push him off me, but I know that if I do, it’ll only serve to motivate him.

Men like Landon Carter thrive on discord.

To be honest, I don’t even know why he wants to be with me. Probably control. That’s what everything is about with him.

One of Landon's fraternity brothers, Kevin, slips into the chair next to our end of the couch and pulls a pretty redhead onto his lap.

“Hey, Dizzy Lizzie. Haven’t seen you around in a while. Where’ve you been?” Kevin asks.

Ugh.

I don’t want to talk to him. I offer him a small smile, but Landon speaks before I can answer.

“She’s been busy studying. She’s so eager to get out of here since I’m graduating after this semester. She’s going to apply for remote studying for her last semester, so she has to get excellent grades.”

My head whips toward him. I can practically feel my eyes bulging, but Landon doesn’t even look at me. He says it as if he gets to decide where I spend my final semester.

What an arrogant dickhead.

The redhead on Kevin’s lap tries to make small talk with me while she’s basically mauling his neck. It’s quite uncomfortable.

The smell of stale cigarette smoke mixed with body odor permeates the air around me, and my eyes start to itch. I have minor allergies to things like dust and smoke, but I think the amount in here is making it much worse.

“Liz, are you listening to me?”

Landon’s voice interrupts my thoughts, and I turn toward him.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was thinking about one of my classes.”

“How about we get something to drink? Actually, I’ll get something for you.”

Something in me immediately says no. I don’t trust him enough to let him get my drink.

Jesus.

What am I doing? Why am I with a man I don’t even trust not to drug me at a college frat party? They’re dumb questions.

I know why I’m with him. And it isn’t about love. At least not love for him.

Landon rises and grabs my hand again. It doesn’t feel like affection. It feels like possession. He leads me to the kitchen, and I walk over to the refrigerator and open it to see what’s there. I pull out a beer for him and a diet soda for me. As I turn back toward him, my world freezes.

He’s here.

No.