Page 10 of Keep Me Still
I make her guess my first name before I hand the shake over. She takes a drink and I am so gone. Lost. Her smile, the little sigh she lets out, the way her eyes light up. All of it. I’m broken down and rebuilt. And nothing will ever be the same again.
Ourfirst date involves milkshakes, my favorite, so I’m smiling at him more than I normally do at anyone. Probably more than I’ve smiled in my entire life.
“How about I give you a hint and let you guess?” Landen asks as he lowers himself into our booth, carefully holding the frosty glass my shake is in, the silver cup with the extra, and a small, clear container of bright red maraschino cherries.
“Oh-kay,” I answer slowly, unsure as to what exactly he’s referring to. I’m still reeling from watching him buy dinner for Clyde. And talking to him like they were old friends. Respectful. Genuine.
Somehow, Landen O’Brien is becoming precious to me. I may have zero relationship experience but I’m pretty sure it’s not supposed to happen this fast.
On a napkin in the middle of the table, he’s using my extra cherries to make a letter. It’s an R.
“Ralph?” I guess.
He shakes his head so I keep at it.
“Remy, Rudolph, Rusty?”
His brow creases and he stares at me. “Seriously? How many guys do you know named Rudolph?”
I smile and continue. “Rick? Roger?”
He shakes his head and adds a Y.
“Ryan?” I pop a cherry into my mouth.
“Your prize, pretty lady,” he says, handing me my shake finally. Taking a hard swallow of the frozen chocolaty goodness, I close my eyes and barely stifle the shiver from the cold.
“Your name is really Ryan O’Brien?” God, parents are so weird sometimes. Not that I would really know, but why would they give him such a rhyme-y name?
“Ryan was my mom’s maiden name and she’s an only child. Her parents passed away right before I was born. I guess it was her way of making sure her family name was carried on in some way or something.”
Oh. Well. That makes perfect sense. “So why do you go by Landen?”
“Because my parents were smart enough to know a rhyming name might be grounds for an ass-kicking, or at least a few teasing jingles. And we move a lot. Figured it’d be ammunition for picking on the new kid.”
“I kind of like it. Sounds like a weatherman or something.”
Landen laughs, and the deep timbre combined with the icy cold of my shake have chillbumps prickling my skin.
“Well, I’m pretty shitty at science so a degree in meteorology is probably out.”
“Ah, that’s too bad. What a waste of a perfectly catchy name. Sportscaster maybe?”
He laughs again and I’m quickly becoming addicted to the sound. And to the companionship. It’s intense in a nerve-wrackingly electrified way and yet relaxing in a comfortable way I can’t understand. We barely know each other and yet…I don’t have time to finish my thought because Landen reaches over and swipes some whip cream from the corner of my mouth. His finger is so hot it leaves a burning trail in its wake.
“Sportscaster is a possibility,” he says quietly, and I’m too busy reeling from the memory of him touching my lips to say anything. “So, Layla Flaherty, what are your future career aspirations?”
“Um, Lawyer maybe, like a child advocate one,” I answer. “Or special education teacher or counselor of some sort.”
“Ah. Quite a list you got there. Any idea what college you’ll go to?”
“UGA is a possibility. It’s where my parents went and where my Aunt Kate graduated from law school. She teaches a night class there. But I’m also thinking of going somewhere as far from Hope Springs as possible. Like maybe California.”Please don’t ask why.
“Nice. UGA is a good school, decent football and soccer teams.”
“You planning to play sports in college?” It seemed like a perfectly normal question, or at least I thought it did. And I wanted to get the focus off of me. But Landen’s eyes go dark and his mouth draws inward.
“Guess so, if I get a scholarship.”
