You Always Hurt The Ones You Love, Pet.

Before getting anyone else involved by asking any questions, he went around to his brother’s office at the paper only to find stacks of papers and letters that hadn’t been opened since they landed on Nash’s desk. The only other option was to try reaching out to Babs herself. Maybe they had holed up together, but even then Tuck was sure that his brother would have had some sort of communication with him and the final straw was when their mother showed up at the station asking him why Nash hadn’t shown up to her canasta game with Mrs. Rutherford and her nieces. 

Tuck couldn’t even remember what lie he had made up to make Pearl Gordon get off his back that time but he knew that she would be coming back around to question him again if Nash didn’t turn up soon. The last thing anyone in town needed was for their mother to lose her mind because she’d never forgive either of them for putting her through the worry. Tuck knew he couldn’t let any more time pass without finding Nash so as soon as he got done with things at the station he headed home, hoping that he’d be able to find his brother.

As he made his way up the stairs of their apartment building, he sent Nash a text before attempting to call him to his displeasure, he was instantly sent to voicemail. Once he was finally at his brother’s door he knocked a few times but there was nothing. “Nash, open up. I gotta talk to you,” he called out, knocking once again but this time using his fist to pound on the door much harder than the first time. “I’m not gonna ask again or else I’m gonna knock down the door... and you know I will do it, Nash.” 

Packing his bags a few years ago had been a difficult task, but being back after so long unpacking felt even worse. A lot of people left their childhood homes feeling sad and like they were losing a part of themselves in the process but that wasn’t even close to the way Aaron felt when he left. The entire town had always suffocated him and for as long as he could remember getting out was the only way he’d really start to live his life. One thing that he never thought would have to factor in was leaving someone behind that he wished he’d never be without.

The day he met Kismet was the one thing he thought about most when he was packing his bags. Every day since then tried his best to completely wipe that day from his memory but it was a struggle he’d never be able to overcome. Aaron still remembered the way she introduced herself to him, completely clueless to the fact that they would spend the next couple of years practically joined at the hip. They became best friends and before he knew it not a single day went by where he didn’t want to see her. He wasn’t sure if she felt the same way right from the start but he had no way of denying that she made him feel alive for the first time in his entire life. While his family’s only interest was for him to follow an immaculate plan that meant he would likely end up becoming a pretentious but miserable robot, Kismet was the only person that helped him stay on his own path and for that he owed her.

Things had taken a turn that neither of them expected. One day they were making plans about going out, discussing what drinks they’d get for their usual rendezvous and the next Aaron had bags packed and a one way ticket out of town. Everything between that time was a blur, and now whenever he tried to think about the way things turned out he couldn’t even figure out why they hadn’t managed to stay friends and instead of trying to salvage what little they could, he got a new phone and number and moved into an apartment in a strange city where he hardly had enough time to think about where he came from.

Despite having contact with a few people from back home, he could never bring himself to ask about Kismet. The more he thought about her, the more it became clear that the friendship they had led him to develop feelings he wouldn’t have been able to confess to the girl anyway. The thought scared him, and even the relationship he’d begun while living in the city was able to shake Kismet from his mind and it was a photograph of the two of them that eventually began the end of that relationship.

Looking back on the day Jessica had found the picture tucked away in an old book, he felt stupid. How could he have ever thought that she wouldn’t realize that he kept the picture of him and Kismet hidden in an attempt to forget about the feelings he had for his former friend? There was no going back to that though, but he couldn’t help but feel guilty for wasting two years of Jessica’s time on a relationship that was never going to work, all because Aaron hadn’t managed to get Kismet out of his head.

As he headed down stairs, he could feel the nerves start to get the better of him. It had been years since he’d been back home and he didn’t even know if Kismet was still in town but he couldn’t bring himself to ask anyone about her. Giving his mother quick notice that he’d be headed out he stepped out for the first time since he’d gotten back a week ago.

After a few minutes of walking he entered the town’s main street but it was like he was on airplane mode, walking nowhere in particular. Crossing his arms over his chest as he felt the air get colder, he looked to the old diner he remembered spending a lot of time in knowing that it was the only place he’d be able to get a good cup of coffee. Before he could reach the door, it swung open and his heard instantly dropped as he came face to face with the person he’d been trying hard to remove from his memory.

His mouth felt dry in that moment and there was nothing coming to mind that he could say that would sound right but now that he was finally seeing her again, he couldn’t turn away.

“You’re still here.”

Getting away from Julian was always easy, and it didn’t feel like something she had to do most of the time. Tonight wasn’t one of those times. They had their differences and it was obvious that there was a big disconnection between them. It was so obvious that Jane remembered someone telling her on their wedding day that they both seemed very uninterested in being in attendance on their own special day. Many romances were written in the stars but Jane and Julian weren’t and they came to the realization before they even tied the knot but they couldn’t get out of it. Their marriage had been planned purely out of convenience for both their families even if it mean that neither of them would be happy. These days it didn’t seem to bother either one of them much and the reasons for it were obvious even if they never talked about it with each other, nor did they really try to get confirmation of the rumors. 

It was obvious that Jane had been spending a great deal of time with Darcy Valente and it wasn’t an innocent friendship, meanwhile Julian seemed to get lost in his own thoughts on someone else. Jane never cared to find out if he was cheating on her, but she also didn’t care that rumors of her cheating on him with Darcy swirled around the Hamptons.  Like most nights, her plan had been to spend the night with Darcy but the last time they had seen each other things hadn’t ended on the best note. One piece of gossip led to another which ended up bringing up the topic of Jane’s marriage which ended up putting an abrupt end to their night. 

Tonight had been a night both women had been looking forward to together. They’d go down to the summer soiree, steal a few bottles of wine for themselves and disappear to some secluded area together. Despite knowing that Darcy would be there, Jane knew she’d have to make an appearance per Sam’s request. “You can’t miss the start of summer party,” he’d said. “It’s my best party!” Jane wouldn’t have cared if it were anyone else, but she knew she’d never hear the end of it if she didn’t go. Shaking her head just thinking about the idiot, she finally spotted Julian per usual sipping his drink keeping to himself. “Hello husband,” she sighed, reaching out for the drink in his hand to take a drink of it for herself. “Sam already give you a headache? I hope he’s already too drunk to realize I actually showed up.”

Unfortunately for Amelia, her insecurities outweighed any bit of common sense she may had left over in the world she’d created in her own head. Deep down, she knew Landon cared deeply for her, but there was always a piece of her that was jealous of Sarah. Sarah had a charm over the men in Springfield, Landon included, and quite frankly Amelia was tired of having to compete for Landon’s attention with her. In fairness, she’d won in the end, he followed her, but would he have done it has circumstances been different? Did it matter what he would have done, given things had gone in her favor? No thought of hers made sense, not even to her, but she didn’t want to admit to Landon that he was right, because that would be accepting defeat. 

What she didn’t expect was for Landon to react the way he was. Normally, he would take everything she threw at him and let it fall off of his back or try to make things better but now he was dealing out what she’d given him and she wasn’t sure how to take it. A thick swallow as she took a deep breath and bit her bottom lip, closing her eyes to buy herself some time before the tears began streaming down her face, voice hitched in her throat as she attempted to speak. “You don’t understand, Landon. I’ve been in love with you for so long and then I finally get you… but it doesn’t feel like you want to be here..” she was aware that these intrusive thoughts were her own, not because of anything he’d done or said to make her feel this way, which ultimately made her feel worse for the projection she seemed to be perpetrating. “Why me, Landon? Huh? Tell me..” instead of addressing the unnecessary mention of Luke she made, she wanted to focus on the major issue at hand.

Of all the things he expected to deal with, this wasn’t it. Amelia had always been confident and it seemed like nothing bothered her enough to even worry about. Nothing ever stopped her from getting what she wanted either, and now her throwing all of this on him felt a little unfair. Landon didn’t have to follow her here, he could have stayed back home or gone just about anywhere else. He would’ve stayed home even if his brother and Sarah flaunted their relationship in his face because in the end the one thing that mattered to him the most was his brother’s happiness. They’d hashed things out, and knew that Calvin never would have pursued Sarah if he knew that Landon had feelings for her. Who the fuck was Landon to even be upset that Sarah had fallen for his brother? 

Landon hadn’t allowed himself to really look at Amelia as more than a friend before, gently turning down the invites she’d given him when she was having the time of her life in Santa Barbara. It wasn’t until she had gotten back to town that Landon felt like they really reconnected and eventually he had come to realize that someone was right in his face willing to give him the things he actually deserved but now that he had taken the leap in order to explore that option, he was left alone with nothing but an empty space beside him at night.

“Tell you what, Amelia? You want me to tell you that I came here with you hoping that a new place would give us a real opportunity to make a relationship work?” It was complicated, to say the least. Landon didn’t have much to offer that would likely ease her worries but what else could he do? If he really still had Sarah on his mind, he wouldn’t be there. “I can’t keep bringing your things down for you to sleep on the couch if you want us to really work. I can’t keep coming home after work to you being too busy to even have dinner with me,” he trailed off, feeling his heart beating faster than ever before. “If you plan on still letting things go on like that, I might as well leave. You can do that with someone else, because I’ve told you I want us to have the chance we deserve. I’ll have my things packed by the end of the night if you just want to keep arguing over Sarah Ogden.”

There was a point in the past few years that she’d given up on the idea of falling in love ever again. Just about in her mid 30s with about zero love prospects until a few weeks ago, it was hard to hold onto the idea that she’d ever have the fairytale she wanted. But then Tuck came along into her life, or rather came back into her life, at the perfect time, and it felt… different. She’d been in relationships with guys, maybe even a few she’d be embarrassed to talk about, but Brooke knew she hadn’t felt this way about someone in a really long time. It made her feel so much younger than she actually was, talking to her friends about him. “You know, you think pretty highly of someone who used to refer to you as ‘big head,’” she let out a laugh as the words flowed out of her mouth. Of course, unknowing to him, her schoolyard tactics were based solely off of her now gone brother, Chase’s advice. Because being mean to the person you like is the easiest way to get their attention. And while she carried that advice for her for too long, she knew she’d outgrown that kind of life. “Guess it’s a good thing I think pretty highly of you, too.”

She liked Tuck, she really did. Brooke had a history of sabotaging her relationships, and she didn’t want that to happen this time around. She didn’t want to find a reason a few months down the line that would make her doubt herself. Because as cliche as it sounded, no matter how many times she told the world that the reason she broke up with her exes was because of them, it was always her. She was dark and twisty, and there were parts of herself that she didn’t like very much. And having someone see that? See her for who she really was, the possibility of them rejecting her? It was too much. A part of her was trying to live in the moment and be happy that she was with Tuck right now, but another part of her thought about what would happen when he realized that she wasn’t as put together as everyone thought.

“That sounds perfect,” Brooke nodded “I could definitely use a night without people watching us, looking for the latest gossip. Guess that’s what we get for living in a small town.” Sometimes just being around him, she didn’t know exactly what to say, which was completely unlike Brooke. It was only when it came to his question, that she knew with full certainty, and full honesty, what to say. “Yeah, I trust you.” 

@ofbigbad· 

Tucker couldn’t remember the last time he actually wanted to get to know his dates rather than just skipping to the sleeping together part. He could count the times he had good chemistry with someone on one hand, and the older he got the idea that he’d never get to meet the right person had gotten a little scary. The only person that knew Tuck was actually somewhat afraid to end up alone was his brother, even though Tuck never said the words out loud. Nash never missed a chance to ask him when he was going to find someone he could settle down with. 

For the first time in a long time, it felt good to get ready for a date and the fact that it was with none other than Brooke Parker just kept making things feel more interesting by the second. Tuck and Brooke knew each other. One could say that they went way back, but they weren’t always close. It wasn’t until recently that he felt like he was really getting to know her in a way he didn’t think would ever happen. There was always something in the way, whether it was her relationship with Kiran when they were younger or the relationship he had with Kinsleigh almost ten years ago — something kept their paths from truly crossing. 

Getting the chance to finally take Brooke Parker out, on his terms, was both exciting and a bit nerve wracking but in the best way possible but there was no going back now. He’d been thinking about this more than he would admit tonight, and the important thing was to make sure she had a good time. He had heard of the many dates she had been on, through the gossip grapevine in town, and there had been many that struck out with her but he wouldn’t allow that thought to plague his mind. It wasn’t too much longer after they passed their town’s ‘Welcome’ sign that they arrived at their destination. “So this place isn’t on a lot of people’s radar, I think that’s cause people drive by way too fast,” he shrugged, exiting the truck to go get her door. “In my opinion it beats the bars we got back in town.” It wasn’t saying much since they only had two bars in town. “Tonight’s one of their ‘special’ nights though cause it’s karaoke night..but they don’t let just anyone do it. You gotta take four shots of Devil’s Springs before getting on stage.... But if that’s too indimidatin’ then there’s always pool and from time to time some people do this thing called dancing,” he said playfully rolling his eyes at the end. “Figured it’d be a good place to be in the right element.”

There were a million songs out there that were about difficult relationships but there was something about them that he couldn’t fully resonate with. A lot of them were about leaving the relationship, and whatever song belonged to Ricardo and Estella didn’t include one of them walking away. Leaving probably would have been the best decision to make, but even after everything they had been through they still ended up coming back to each other. Was he a hard man to love? Possibly. Was she a hard woman to keep track of? Sometimes. Whatever the relationship was though, it felt like happiness even though those moments of happiness were getting dimmer each time they decided they weren’t done with each other. 

“Do we really have to do this?” he asked nonchalantly, buttoning up his shirt as he thought of a million other things he would rather do than to go to the summer soiree. He mumbled about the things he had to get done the next morning that he wouldn’t be able to put off, and whatever they had in store for the night wasn’t going to do him any favors in being ready for it. Reaching for the glass of scotch on the nightstand, he finished off what had been sitting in there for the past twenty minutes. “Last thing I wanna do is run into Marcus.” It wasn’t clear to many people why Ricardo couldn’t stand to be near the guy. Some people said it was because of the way Marcus had treated Caroline, and others had whispered about Estella sleeping with the guy but Ricardo couldn’t decided which of the two things pissed him off the most.

Stepping foot in the country again was a stupid decision, but Luke had always been a glutton for punishment. Ultimately, the lack of finding proper entertainment elsewhere brought him back. It hadn’t been more than an hour since he had gotten off the plane but he already needed a drink or two, knowing that showing up to his parents house buzzed would be the only way to make it through the visit. If it were completely up to him, he would skip dropping by but there was no way around it whenever Karen Abernathy found out that one of her kids was in town. Sliding into the empty barstool, he ordered a drink and waved the bartender off when asked if he would be closing the tab after one drink. Looking to the woman a few seats away, he couldn’t help but feel like he knew her. “You look familiar,” he announced to her, trying to place a name to the face. “I know you from somewhere don’t I?”

FEDRA had always been something to run away from. As soon as the five letters were in sight, the right choice to make was to turn the other way and try getting as far away from there as possible. Lorenzo had never been good at making the best decisions and the night he had stumbled upon a crew of FEDRA soldiers miles out from the QZ was one of the times he should’ve thought about his actions a bit more than usual. The sight of what he had stumbled on had been way too tempting, and there was no way he could turn back. Their small camp seemed like it would be easy pickings, and when he realized that most if not all of the soldiers were asleep, he knew he had to get in there. There were weapons everywhere, there was food sprawled out around the small campsite, and what caught his eye the most were a few bottles of alcohol. 

It should have been easy, and in his mind he could have gotten the job done without getting caught by anyone. He remembered stepping foot into the small campsite and instantly being taken over by an unshakeable feeling like he was being watched but it didn’t stop him for long. The feeling only made him hesitate for a moment, but it should have been more than enough to make him stop and just fucking run. Before he could even get to one of the bottles he’d been eyeing he heard one of the soldiers awaken and that was the last thing he was even able to process and what came after was nothing more than a blur.

The instant he realized he had been caught, Enzo dropped everything in his hands and had no choice to to run until he got away except the moment didn’t come. The only thing that came as he had tried to hide were bullets, many which had missed. He was being shot at in the dark, but one managed to find him. As soon as the bullet pierced through his leg, he went down and was sure that the distant yelling of the soldiers getting closer would be the last thing he’d ever hear. In that moment, he accepted that whatever would happened next was well deserved. He could have stayed in the QZ, living life following every rule but Enzo was never one to take the bullshit. Not after everything he had already been through.

He still remembered the brown eyes he saw the moment he opened his eyes the morning after, quickly recognizing them. They didn’t belong to any FEDRA soldier. The eyes he was met with were Victoria, the leader of the Fireflies. In that moment, he knew that he was going to be followed for the rest of his life until he repaid them for saving him from what he had gotten himself into the night before. but stupidly thought that he’d find a way to escape the debt.

Now that the day had come for him to repay his debt, Enzo didn’t know what to think of his task. All he could think about was how stupid he had been that night, all those months ago thinking he could get away with stealing from FEDRA soldiers. He exhaled heavily, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at the young woman Victoria had led him to with knitted brows. “I only have one rule: Stay close to me,” he warned. “Stay close and you might make it there alive.” 

In Amelia’s mind, she couldn’t compete with Sarah Ogden for a number of reasons. Amelia wanted a family but there were leaps and bounds she would have to overcome in order to have that, Sarah could give him a family without trying if she wanted. Sarah was taller, albeit an inch and Sarah had Landon’s attention before Amelia ever could. Processing insecurities were never something Amelia had an easy time with, but when it came to Sarah, she found herself on a completely different plane of irrational insecurity. Selfishly, all she wanted was for him to somehow read her mind and reassure her that everything was going to be okay, that it was her that he loved and cared about and that Sarah wasn’t a thought in his mind anymore.

“Landon, are you fucking kidding me?” There she went, raising both of her eyebrows and crossing her arms over her chest as she released a bitter laugh. Instead of talking through her emotions, she was going to explode in true Amelia fashion. Skin turning a crimson red as she slammed her fist down onto the counter, tears lining her eyes as they settled onto his features, searching for any signs that would validate her completely uncalled for outburst. “I’m tired of playing second fiddle to Sarah. I know you’re only here because she decided to fuck your brother instead of you. I’m sorry that I’m not her, Landon! I’m sorry that I can’t be fucking perfect, and sweet, and desirable like her!” And then she pursed her lips, sucking in a sharp breath as she stepped closer to him. “At least Luke never made me feel like this.” 

Bullshit. It was all bullshit and she fucking knew it. Landon knew that there were a lot of things that they should have talked about, a lot that they should have gotten out in the open but they didn’t. They moved and it happened so fast they didn’t get the time to hash anything out. Still, his actions should have meant something to her. The fact that he was there should have given her some idea of where his feelings were despite the feelings he had for Sarah before. It was going to be hard to believe that he had managed to shut off his feelings for Sarah completely, but he tried. He tried, not just for himself or for Amelia. He tried because it was much bigger than any of them including Sarah. 

Her words stung a little. Sarah had obvious feelings for Calvin but when that revelation set in, Landon had already known that his brother was getting mixed up with the girl. Sarah had always made it clear that she didn’t want to be romantically involved with Landon and despite that having hurt him before, it was something he had been working hard to accept and move on from. “You’re still thinking about Sarah?” he asked, his brows furrowing in confusion. “I had feelings for her before but I’ve done everything I could to get over it. I’m here with you, Amelia. Fuck.” This was the last thing he wanted to deal with but clearly, things had to be said no matter how much they’d ending getting hurt. “I may’ve had feelings for her before but I wouldn’t fucking be here if I didn’t want you. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think that we could actually have something together, and it’s complete bullshit that after all this time you think I’d hurt you like that.” At the mention of Luke, his heart dropped not knowing what to think at all. Landon knew very little about the connection she had with her best friend’s brother but if she was dropping his name then it likely meant they were involved. “Never made you feel like what?” Landon asked, taking a few steps back, dropping his arms at his sides. “I don’t see him here to make you feel anything at all.”

It wasn’t as if Amelia feared that Sarah was ultimately prettier than she was, more intelligent or driven, but she was the first to have ahold of Landon’s heart. This tech job in Atlanta was literally the opportunity of a lifetime but there still lied a certain empty feeling whenever she looked into Landon’s eyes. Surely she loved him, she’d told him time and time again, but not at the expense of her own happiness. The last thing she wanted to do was put yet another man’s feelings above her own. Becoming delicate, fragile to the touch was what allowed for her to be hurt so many times in the past. He was trying, it was obvious, but Amelia grew physically ill every time she thought about Sarah. Sarah was someone who was supposed to be one of her best friends and now she found herself hating her as a result of envy.

Listening to his multiple attempts at boosting her mood pulled a bitter laughter from her, eyes rolling as she looked over the food he’d placed on the counter. “Thanks… you enjoy shopping, I’m gonna stay in and watch some movies…” her tone was cold as she finally began taking the items from the bags and crumbling the bags up to put them into the storage sleeve she used for said bags in order to use them for any other time she’d need them. “Can you get me some more blankets and pillows for the couch while you’re out? I kinda wanna make sure it’s comfortable when I decide to sleep out here.”

Landon had already lost count of the nights he had spent alone because she chose to sleep on the couch. At first, he tried to be understanding knowing that there were some things he wasn’t going to erase from her mind right away. Things were getting a little frustrating though and the last thing that he wanted was for them to have an argument. Their move to Atlanta had to be about more than just her job, she had asked him to come with her after all. While it wasn’t a plan that he had seen in their future so quickly Landon knew that there wouldn’t be a better time for them to do it. This wasn’t what he had been expecting though, he thought things would have been different by now and their lives would have started falling into place together easily. 

Her words hardly registered and the only thing he could think was that this was bullshit. In that moment, he could feel emotions he’d bottling up want to break out. “When you decide to sleep out here?” he asked, thinking how unbelievable this was. “You say that like you’re even going to think about it. You say that like you haven’t already made the living room your own room.” He shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at anything except in her direction. “You’ve slept on the couch more from the first week we got here. What exactly is the point of that Amelia?” He could hear his voice getting slightly louder, only bringing it down when he finally looked at her. “What am I even doing here, Amelia?” If she just wanted a roommate, she could’ve gotten anyone else for it. He had left everything behind for her and she couldn’t even be bothered to spend a night in the same bed.

Time was never on their side. Something was always off and although it sometimes wasn’t obvious, he’d run every time they got closer and closer. For a long time there was an inkling that maybe he just didn’t want her enough — or at all. Maybe it was all just a game, and the idea that it was all nothing more than a game came with the overwhelming feeling of dread. For a time, avoiding him seemed to be the perfect solution to the problem but avoiding William Stiles was like trying to hold your breath underwater.

It couldn’t be done. No matter how much effort was put behind each closing the door that led to him, another would open and he’d be standing behind it. Despite the fact that he was always traveling, he was always somehow there. Will never fully left her mind. The only person that truly knew the effect Will had on her was Caroline and she was sure that her friend was tired of seeing drink after drink disappear whenever he was the topic of conversation. 

Daphne always tried to not make it a habit to talk about him, but running in circles where everyone knew each better than they knew themselves made it impossible. It had been a few weeks since the last time she had seen him or anyone else for the matter, with the exception being a select few. Surprisingly no one had mentioned Will yet, and she was glad that for once she’d be able to enjoy herself without having to wonder how long it would take before he got her alone. 

Making her way down the wooden steps, she smiled as she stepped on more sand and the sound of the waves got closer. “This will be good,” she thought to herself, eyes scanning the small groups of people for Caroline but it was then that her heart dropped hearing a laughter she knew well. It was unmistakeable, and while it was one of the sounds she’d grown to love, the effect was completely different tonight. 

In an attempt to not make her presence obvious, she quickly began walking in the opposite direction hoping that as soon as she found Caroline or a drink her heart would stop racing but it seemed her plan wasn’t meant to work. “You’re back,” she said to the man already approaching her. “Didn’t think I’d see you here.”

Amelia had decided she was finally completely done with her hometown and just wanted some peace in her life for once. If that meant moving a state away and living in a ritzier neighborhood, then that’s what it meant. She knew there was absolutely no way in hell she could get him to move back to California despite that being her true desire, so she settled for Marietta, Georgia. She worked about forty minutes away in Midtown as a developer for Turner Broadcasting. The pay was obviously well given her position and the big company she was now working for. Her thoughts about Landon often wavered from love, to pure anger, to confusion. Did he still have feelings for Sarah? He wouldn’t have uprooted his entire life if he didn’t actually want to be with Amelia, right? The self-doubt she was experiencing was so intense that she’d often cried herself to sleep on their couch, leaving him in the bed alone. Nothing made her feel insecure like the thought of Sarah Ogden being able to ruin her relationship if she wanted to. She wouldn’t want to, but it’s the thought that counts.

Today was one of those days where she was crying to herself and hearing his voice made her nearly jump out of her skin. Immediately, she wiped the tears from her face with a tissue and bolted out of their bedroom with a forced smile on her face. “Hey..” the satin nightgown club to her curves, matching robe hanging off of one shoulder and her slipped shuffling along the wooden floors as she went to press a soft kiss to his cheek. “How was your day?” she asked in a gentle tone.

Life was never as simple as they wanted it to be. That much had always been obvious from the moment Landon could even process his own thoughts. He remembered waking up to find both his brother and mother at the table with pancakes on their plate. Landon would join them but his eyes always wandered to the empty space that was across his mother’s seat. Since then he knew that life was complicated for a lot of people and that it would undoubtedly become complicated for him as well. So much was out of his control as well, like when he had developed feelings for Sarah Ogden but she never returned them. He remembered wanting to tell her a million times and she probably wouldn’t have guessed it either. Sarah had always been too busy waiting for Calvin to take her hand just as he imagined Amelia had been waiting for him to do since the day she confessed wanting him. 

Landon had been oblivious of many things but he wasn’t stupid, especially now that they had moved away together but there were still nights that he’d end up sleeping alone. He wanted to ask why she opted for the couch but couldn’t bring himself to do it. He knew that whatever reasons she had for it were likely his fault and it wasn’t a confrontation that either of them really wanted but it would eventually have to be laid to rest. He was there with her now, and it should’ve been enough — but things weren’t that easy. “It was fine,” he let out after a few moments of silence. The hint of redness under her eyes made it hard for him to look her in the eye. “Are you hungry? Figured it would be a good day for some take out. We can um, eat and then go out to Main Street. Do some shopping or something. If you’d like..” he asked, setting the take out on the counter. “We can stay in if you’re not feeling up to going out.”

After being lost in his own mind for a bit longer than he would’ve liked, he finally got off his motorcycle and unzipped the heavy jacket that had been making him sweat much more than he wanted it to. Heading up the walkway to the house, he pushed past the door, noticing that it was relatively quieter that usual. Tossing his keys aside, he continued through the house knowing his footsteps on the hardwood would give him away sooner or later. “Ames?” he called out. “I brought Thai.”