Page 71 of Time to Shine

“I want you to come out.”

“Why?”

Casey’s mouth hung open for a minute, then he closed it.

Landon huffed. “Just go have fun. I’m not a club guy. You know that.”

“I won’t have fun if you don’t go.”

Now it was Landon’s turn to let his mouth hang open. Casey’s statement didn’t make sense at all, but he sounded so earnest it made Landon’s heart flip.

“Again, why?”

“Because...” Casey glanced around the room, as if the answer was hiding somewhere. “Because you’ve never been to Vegas and you should experience it. And I want to be with you when you do that for the first time. I want to make sure it’s a good time for you, and that you’re safe and relaxed and...” He trailed off, probably realizing in the same moment Landon had that he really sounded like he was talking about something else.

“I want to show you an amazing time,” Casey finished, then locked his gaze with Landon’s.

The air in the hotel room felt thick with tension, and something brighter. Possibility, maybe? Excitement?

“Fine,” Landon said. “I’ll go.”

Casey’s whole face lit up, dimples on full display. “Yeah?”

“Yes. You want me to wear that weird shirt?”

Casey held it out. “It’s not weird.”

“It’s purple and it has flowers on it.”

“It’s plum and the pattern is subtle. Put it on. What are our pants options?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Landon felt like he was in a movie. The Las Vegas strip at night was like nothing he’d ever seen in person, like every inch of it was designed to overstimulate. The entire place pulsed with energy that invited people to forget that anything bad ever happened in the world. Landon wasn’t immune to it, thrumming with excitement, even as he felt, at the same time, like he was in the first act of a cautionary tale.

“Where’d you get the shirt?” he asked for the third time that night. Casey had dodged the question every time.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Please tell me you didn’t buy it for me.”

“I didn’t buy it for you.”

“Then where—” He was interrupted by Clint draping an arm across his shoulders.

“Stacks! I’m fucking pumped you’re coming out with us.”

“Oh. Thanks.” Clint’s arm was huge and heavy and Landon felt trapped, but he didn’t want to seem uncool by stepping away.

“Hey,” Casey said as he playfully removed Clint’s arm. “You’ll wrinkle the fabric. Don’t mess with Stacks’s drip.”

Landon attempted to gratefully acknowledge Casey’s intervention with a look. Casey just shot him a quick smile and glanced away.

“You do look good,” Clint said. “Hey, isn’t this Antton’s shirt?”

“Yep,” Casey said at the same moment Landon said, “What?”

Clint burst out laughing. “Damn, Stacks. You’re coming for Antton’s job and his closet?”

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