Page 55 of Don Caselli

“I was never trying to be your friend, and you know that shit. I was trying to show yo’ fucked up in the head ass some love… even though I don’t even know what the fuck that shit is. I tried to show you, and you wanted to play games with me.”

“How is that playing games?”

Landon stood up and I bit my lip, looking at his body. Every muscle was perfectly sculpted and worked together to make me want to jump on him. “Being real, it’s disrespectful to my company to even be in here having this conversation.”

“So, you both together… that was quick.”

Landon stared down at me and then opened the sliding doors. I expected her to be listening in to our conversation, but she had lowered the music and put her headphones on. Her back was turned as she danced and continued to make whatever she was making.

“Are you gonna even introduce me to her?”

“Didn’t you fucking meet her?”

I folded my arms again. “I want us to continue to be friends.”

“Can’t be friends with somebody I wanted to be with. Shit don’t work like that.”

I nearly choked down a lung. “You lie so bad, Don. Um, your little friend from school… Annie or something like that,” I snapped, trying to remember her name.

“Aimee.”

“You are still friends with her… in fact, you are real close with her.” I continued to rub it in his face because he was bullshitting me right now.

“She’s a married woman and the minute she told me that shit, I respected her and that relationship. Did I want to fuck her? Yeah, but that was because I thought she was single. Allthat shit went out the window because we work together. I have respect for her husband and son.”

“Hmph, but you wanted to fuck her.”

“I didn’t fuck her though, Ken. That’s what you keep forgetting. I didn’t fuck her, take her out on dates, and let her know how the fuck I felt. And she never fed into my shit and played funky ass games with me, either. She told me off the rip she had a man that she wasn’t coming up off and I respected that.”

“And her?”

“What about her?”

“Do you want to do all those things for her?” I asked, not really wanting to know the answer to the question.

Hearing him admit that would hurt, and I didn’t have the right to be hurt because I was the person that did this to us both. “Hell yeah.”

He didn’t need to get into deep words because the two words he used had my chest hurting. “Why?”

“I’m not about to go back and forth with you on some bullshit. I got some work to get back to… you know the way out.” He walked the opposite way. “Oh, Ken?”

“Yes?” I was hopeful.

Stupid, but hopeful at the same time. “Sending me a wedding invitation was wild.”

“You and a plus one are welcomed, Landon.”

“Don,” he corrected and walked away.

She was still dancing to the headphones, and then turned in my direction, nearly jumping out her skin. “I’m sorry… you needed me for something?”

“No. I wouldn’t waste your time with him. He’s still in love with me and just admitted it knowing that I’m getting married,” I lied, and I knew it was childish, but I was heavily in my feelings.

Alex: We’re waiting for the car now. Don’t be late, Kennedy.

Alex spoke to me like I was an assistant and not his future wife. It never bothered me before, but after seeing Don write me off mentally in front of me, it bothered me.

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