Page 147 of Kiss Me in the Dark
“She’s straight,” I point out, raising an eyebrow.
“So is Fox,” Nat fires back with a smirk.
I roll my eyes.“Well, Fox isn’t that straight anymore.But that’s not the point.You can’t just flirt with her.”
“I’m gonna go,” Nat announces, grabbing her bag and standing.“I’ve got work in less than forty minutes.See you guys around.”
“Nat,” I call after her, but she doesn’t look back.
“Nat,” Landon tries, but she’s already out the door.
“She hates rejection,” Landon mutters, shaking his head as he stands up to sit in the booth Nat and Leanne had been occupying.
I sigh, glancing around the café.My eyes briefly meet Fox’s across the room.He’s watching me, a small, private smile tugging at his lips.Blaze, sitting next to him, looks up from his phone, his expression unreadable.
“I need water,” I mutter, rubbing my temples.
“Sure.Brenda!”Landon hollers, waving down a waitress.
The young woman hurries over, notepad in hand.“A bottle of water and a cappuccino, please,” Landon says.She nods and quickly disappears.
“Thanks,” I say quietly, still distracted by the lingering tension.
Landon sighs, spinning my empty smoothie cup in his hands.“I didn’t think he’d be here, you know.”
“Me neither,” I admit.“I didn’t even notice when they walked in.”
Landon leans forward, fixing me with a soft smile.“I’m happy for you, man.You finally bagged the guy you’ve always wanted.And he really likes you.That’s what matters.”
I can’t help but smile back.“Yeah.”
“Do you want to talk about you and Blaze?”I ask Landon cautiously.“I don’t want to pry, but I’d rather hear it from you than him.”
Landon sighs, rubbing his temple like the memory physically hurts.“Remember that guy I told you about?Back in high school?My first everything—well, except for sex.”
I nod.“Yeah, the guy who refused to come out, chose some chick over you and broke your heart.He was a senior, right?”
“Right.”He leans back in his chair, folding his arms.“Well, that guy was Blaze.”
My jaw drops.“Wait—that was Blaze?Are you serious?”
“Yup,” he says flatly.
“Oh my God.”
“We started off great,” Landon continues, his voice softening like he’s sifting through memories.“He was sweet, attentive, everything I wanted.But he couldn’t handle it.Couldn’t handle me.I guess he wasn’t ready to accept who he really was.Instead of coming out, he picked some girl to keep up appearances.”
“That must’ve been awful,” I murmur.
“It was hell,” Landon admits.“And running into him last year?That was even worse.Seeing him play the straight guy role in college—dating girls, acting like we never happened—it was a slap in the face.”
“Have you ever confronted him about it?”
Landon shakes his head.“No.What’s the point?I’ve been trying to move on, but it’s not working.And it doesn’t help that he’s gotten hotter since high school.”
I chuckle softly, glancing toward the corner where Blaze and Fox are talking.“Yeah, he’s hot,” I admit.“But maybe you should talk to him.What if he still has feelings for you?Maybe they’re buried deep, and he just needs a push to admit it.”
“Pfft.Not Blaze.He’d rather die than admit he wants us back together.”
