Page 98 of Fear of Love
“There’s nothing to tell.” I knew that was bullshit. Early after we first hooked up, he told me he didn’t want a relationship. From one shattered heart to another, I recognized the signs. There was a reason he was so against relationships.
“I don’t believe that.”
“Alright.” He sighed, setting his beer down. “My last real relationship was about four years ago. I was still an accountant when I met her. She came up to me at a bar while I was out with a few of Wyatt’s teammates at the time,” Landon explained, his expression unreadable. “Something about her caught my attention right away. I thought we really clicked, and not long after, we started seeing each other.
His tone made my neck prickle. It was obvious that whatever happened ended badly. It sounded like it still haunted him. The kind of lingering pain that I understood all too well.
“We’d been together for six months, and I was finally ready to tell her I was falling in love. I planned a whole night with flowers and a reservation at a nice restaurant. But the moment I told her how I felt, she hit me with the truth. She didn’t actually have feelings for me. She was just using me to get closer to Wyatt.”
My heart sank to my stomach.No.
“Wyatt had just won the Cup Championship, and she wanted to be with someone who hadstatus, not a lowly accountant. Her words, by the way.” His jaw clenched as his tone turned bitter. “She ended up leaving me at the restaurant, and I never heard from her again.”
It was no wonder he was closed off. He let someone in, only to be used as a stepping stone to get closer to his brother. She manipulated him, made him fall in love, and then heartlessly rejected him.
“And that’s my sob story,” Landon said as he chugged the rest of his beer.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered. Now I felt like shit for making him tell me. “I shouldn’t have pushed you to tell the story.”
“It’s fine.” But the tense set of his jaw and the shadow in his eyes told a different story, revealing the pain he was trying to push away.
“Lan—” I went to say but someone appeared at our table. Our conversation was pushed to the side as the owner of the restaurant, a sweet Italian woman, asked how our food was. By the time she left our table, the window had closed to say more about what he just told me.
When Landon changed the subject to Josie and Wyatt’s wedding, I let it slide. He clearly didn’t want to think more about it, and I wasn’t about to push anymore than I had.
Thirty minutes passed and we finished our food, our conversations bouncing from the wedding, to Mateo, and the Hockey for Kids event that was coming up.
“Is Wyatt’s coach single by any chance?” I randomly asked as the two of us stood, ready to leave.
“Got a thing for older guys?” Landon quirked an eyebrow.
“Obviously, the older the better.” He snorted at my remark. “But seriously, is he?”
“I believe so. I think he got divorced years ago.” Landon moved to my left side so he could grab my hand, our fingers interlocking. I absolutely loved how touchy Landon was. “Why?” he questioned.
“Nothing really. I just…” I started to say as we stepped out of the restaurant right as another couple tried to walk through. I froze as I caught sight of the one person I wished to never see again. Everything around me narrowed into a tunnel at the sight of the couple in front of me.
“Lydia?” That voice. It was enough to make my body go rigid. I didn’t know how I got my vocal cords to work.
“Jared.” Not in a million years did I think I’d see his face again. My eyes took in the guy in front of me who I once knew better than myself.
His brown hair was longer than when I last saw it. He was sporting an ugly looking mustache, which was ironic considering he could never grow a beard. The guy I once thought was tall and fit now looked scrawny with a bit of a beer belly under his shirt. Those brown eyes I used to stare into were looking at me like a kid did a candy store.
I forced my eyes away from him to look at the woman on his arm. I expected to see a familiar brunette that I once considered my best friend, but my eyes widened when, instead, I saw a tall red head.Huh.
“Oh, wow, it’s been a long time,” Jared said, as if I wasn’t internally freaking the fuck out. “You look…” he ran his eyes over me, “amazing.”
“Thanks,” I barely managed to get out through the rock-sized lump in my throat. There were so many emotions running through me, I could barely think straight.
“Oh, sorry. This is Becca. Becca this is Lydia. We were friends in uni,” Jared introduced. As soon as the word ‘friends’ came out of his mouth, my eyes narrowed. Anger took over completely.We were far fromjust friends,and he knew that. The audacity to stand here, six years later, and label us as nothing more than what we truly were was an insult.
“Nice to meet you.” She greeted me with a smile. Deep down, I was relieved she wasn’t the person I thought would be with Jared. Otherwise, I’d be throwing punches at her, injured hand or not.
“And you are?” Jared turned to ask Landon. The way he looked at Landon had me stepping closer to his side.
“Landon.” Landon’s tone was sharp. I couldn’t look away from Jared, but I knew Landon was glaring at him. When they shook hands, Jared pulled back, subtly shaking his hand like Landon squeezed too hard. It probably shouldn’t have made me smirk but it did.
“I’m glad I ran into you.” Jared turned back to me, giving me a second once-over. “I’d love it if we could meet and catch up.” God, he really was daft. Had he forgotten everything he put me through? The fury building inside me erupted, and I didn’t even attempt to restrain it.
