this is the last time

“Okay, we can do that,” he said, a smile on his lips. As they walked towards the stand, the man looked over at her. “Honestly, I don’t know what cool things are for adults. Kindergarten teaching doesn’t leave me finding the coolest spots to go to for dates.” Honestly, Landon wasn’t big on dates in general. Girls tended to like his looks but they weren’t ready to be in a relationship the way he was, not that it was their fault in any way. He paid for the elephant ears and handed them to Josie. “Okay, I’ll win you some sort of stuffed animal or you’ll win me one, we will hit up the fun house and then…maybe we can just go walk on the beach if you want.”

“Okay, you’re right. But, in my offence, I basically have an iron stomach. When I was fourteen I rode so many rides after eating a whole pizza by myself and I felt fine. Of course…that was almost ten years ago but I’m pretty sure that I still can handle it.” Landon laughed as they drove. The fair wasn’t too far and soon he was pulling into a designated parking space. Landon got out and helped Josie out of his truck before locking it. He put on his band and took her hand in his as they walked to the front. “Look at that line. I’m glad we get to go on in.” They were checked and let in quickly. “Okay, what’s first?”

Landon couldn’t imagine a world where he would ever be scared off by Josie. She was really incredible and he found himself thinking about her all through the week. It was absurd, really, that she would have such a hold on him already. Yet he couldn’t help it. He didn’t mind, either. “No. I doubt you ever could scare me off.” Landon held his arm out to her and then proceeded to walk her to his truck. “So, I already bought us arm bands online so we wouldn’t have to wait in a huge line,” he told her after they were both in the truck. He started it up and handed her the wristband before putting the truck in drive and heading off. “I am expecting us to stuff ourselves with fried carnival food and ride every ride we can.”

“Oh, yeah? Well…it’s a godo name,” he said, a smile on his lips. “Yeah, her name is Bryce LeeAnne. I don’t know what my mom was thinking.” He laughed, letting her know that he was only teasing. “I hated high school, too,” he said, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m not…as you know…super social. I was teased a lot. For really stupid reasons. They were never the same. It was like, they just needed a reason to tease me so they made shit up. I don’t know. College was much better for me.”

Landon nodded his head. “See, I have no roommate so it’s all up to me. And I’m terribly indecisive. My mom used to joke that I should’ve been born a Libra. I can be impulsive at times. I don’t know. You’re probably going to find me boring.” He chuckled and winked at her. Why? He didn’t know. Maybe nerves. He really did hope she didn’t find him boring. “I do follow my gut, though, and it’s always right. I don’t know why or how but it is. And right now it’s telling me that going to Denny’s with you is the best thing I could be doing.” He wrinkled his nose at her and opened the door to the restaurant to let her go in first.

Josie nodded to him in thanks as he held the door for her and then slid into a booth against the wall. There was a window that was bringing in a soft, subtle supply of moonlight to supplement the coarse restaurant lighting. It would be good drawing light if she’d had any inspiration. Portraits weren’t really her thing. She did okay at them, but she hadn’t ever worked too hard on drawing realistically detailed portraiture. Her style was more animated when it came to drawing people and faces and more realistic when it came to the inanimate.

“Good to know. I’ll stay far from being like them. Though I doubt I would ever want to tease you. I have a thing about wanting the girl I think is cool and pretty to want to be around me and I have a hunch that teasing you would do the opposite of that.” He smiled easily at her. “I am an older brother but I don’t tease my sister. Bryce is…she’s sixteen and I swear she’s the total opposite of me. You’d probably get along great with her. Not that…I’m not saying…ignore me.”

He missed her hand right away but he didn’t say anything or reach for it again. Maybe by the end of the night he would be able to. “Thank God. I love breakfast. I am a pretty good cook, if I say so myself, and I know breakfast isn’t really hard to make but I do know tons of different breakfast recipes. Maybe I’ll have to learn how to make that Denny’s plate you are talking about.” He winked and then shook his head at himself. “Tuesday is taco day for me. Pizza day is Friday and Chinese is usually Sunday. What about you? Do you have certain days or is it just when you feel like it?”

“Bryce?” she asked, raising her eyebrows. “That’s my last name. And no offense taken. Tons of sixteen year olds have the same mindset I do. It’s probably the whole ‘potentially ADHD but also hugely unapologetic about not fitting in with societal norms’. Or it could be that I’m super immature and still loathe high school even though I’ve been out for years. Jury’s out on which one it is.” Josie shrugged. 

Landon grinned but rolled his eyes. “Okay, I’m honestly not normally that cheesy but, maybe you’re right. Maybe it is the noble profession of teaching that has me saying really stupid stuff to a beautiful girl. In my defense it worked. You thought it was funny.” There was nothing to be offended by or worried over. She was only playfully teasing him. Landon knew that she meant nothing by it. “Well, the best news for such tragic news is a raging kegger so I suppose I am glad I got your diagnosis here, doctor.” The boy winked as his fingers slowly moved up and down her arm.

“Your brother sounds very cool, though. I should see if there’s a club. I will be inducted as the newest member.” He scrunched his nose up at her before using his free hand to rub the back of his neck. “Do you want to get out of here? I can walk you home or we can just walk or grab something…full disclosure I am hungry and regardless of your answer I’ll probably still wander into a Denny’s so you can come with me or not. I think come with me is the best plan, though. Unless you are anti-breakfast at one in the morning. If so, then you are uninvited.”

“My brother is an ass. They both are. I’m the baby by a few years so they like to tease me relentlessly about basically everything.” Josie rolled her eyes. “So don’t join any clubs that Hayden is in. He’ll only steer you in the wrong direction. Isaac too. Avoid being like him.” Her brothers were good people, but they had always made sure to take advantage of their status as older siblings and made her life harder than it had to be.

“Bistro idea sucks, huh?” he said, his nose scrunching up to show he was being playful. “But I like your idea. I’ve always wanted to try street food. Maybe there will be food trucks. They have some weird combinations that sound kind of amazing.” He put his hand over hers on his knee and laced their fingers together. “Friday it is. No extensive grading to do, in fact, I will not have anything to do.” It kind of sounded perfect - him and her on a ride or eating ridiculous food that sounded so gross but so good. Kind of perfect to him. 

“We have a date,” he said before winking at her. Maybe he was feeling more comfortable or maybe he was just being ridiculous but he liked whatever it was. “I feel like I need to let you in on a secret about me.” He paused for a moment. “I have an addiction. It’s to books. I’m addicted to books.” He smiled softly and then shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve been called a dreamer on more that one occasion but I don’t think that it is a bad thing. I have an idea of what I’d like out of life. Just so you know, though.”

“Nah, it doesn’t suck. It’s just too romantic and stuffy for a first date. First dates are supposed to be fun. How much fun can you have at a little restaurant with crabby old ladies and pasta bloat bellies?” She winked and listened to him speak, excited to hear his secret and then audibly groaned once he exposed his “secret addiction” to her.

He tried not to smile so big when Josie scooted closer to him. Honestly, he was really bad with meeting girls and hoping things progressed. It was such a talent that he did not have. In fact, he hated the process so much that he usually avoided it unless there was someone he couldn’t get out of his head. Sure, it had not been long since they had met but he didn’t care. She was kind of great and he wanted to see what would happen between them. “Yet, little girls get their ears pierced all the time and don’t make that big of a fuss. I’ve seen how strong little girls are just from the few days of having kindergartners.”

Landon licked his lips as he watched the crowd and then turned back to her. “I might have to come in when my friend gets his tattoo. I’d get to see you and see his reaction.” His grin was playful and he was starting to feel more at ease with Josie by his side. She was easy to talk to and he wasn’t alone in a place where he knew no one. “So, if I was to suggest a date one day…hypothetically, of course…” he started, though they both knew he was not speaking hypothetically. “Do you like Italian food? Would you prefer somewhere low-key or something more fun? I was kind of thinking we could go to a little bistro and then hit up the boardwalk. You know, when I ask you one day.”

Josie didn't fight the last this time. "I've never been one to exist within hypotheticals." She put her hand lightly on his knee as she looked at him, ignoring the pumping music and loud voices feeling the room around them. It was almost like having a movie moment, she thought, except he wasn't glowing or dulling anything she'd been feeling. He was just completely stealing her attention away from everyone and everything else. Strange as it was, it was not unwelcome. Networking could wait. Landon was her priority for the moment.

He faltered slightly when he heard her tone. He thought she would want to go back to the party but it seemed almost as if she didn’t want to. He was going to protest and tell her that they could stay out there by themselves all night for all he cared but she was already holding his hand and pulling him back with her. It was easy for Landon to allow her to pull him - his focus was on the way her hand fit so perfectly with his and how he felt due to that touch. The moment she let go of his hand he finally took a breath. He wanted to touch her again.

They were so close on that couch and he could feel the need to put a hand on her leg or drape his arm around the back of her. But he refrained for now. The man laughed as she pointed out the not so tough guy and he could only imagine. “Why does it seem the bigger they are the harder they fall? I feel like we were all taught this at some point - you know, the bully is actually weak, but it is good to see that play out as an adult.” After a moment he allowed himself to drape his arm around his arm around the back of the couch; fingers lightly touching her shoulder. 

Josie had been watching Landon. She liked to think that she was pretty intuitive when it came to reading people and Landon was easy to read. He was nervous, sweet, maybe more out of his element than he cared to admit. They were all fine traits in someone she’d just met. A lot of the that approached her were bold and brash and tried too hard to seem like they could live up to what they expected her type to be, but in doing so they only further proved that they weren’t her type. She liked a man who could be honest and admit that he wasn’t entirely comfortable. Landon was proving to be that kind of person.