Chapter 13

Present

Sarah's POV:

I yawn, waking up, as the light streams into my room. My heart races when I realize that my alarm clock has failed to go off. Having overslept, I jump out of bed and take a quick shower. The last thing I want is to be late. Knowing Landon, he'd get irritated and just drive back home. There's no way that he'd wait for me.

I throw on a pale green sundress and put on some sandals. I run a brush through my blonde hair before deciding to just put it up. It's too much of a mess to leave it down. I place my gold earrings in – I never leave without them; it's was one of Sue's birthday presents for me.

Lastly, I brush my teeth and put on light make-up before heading to my car. Before I know it, I'm on my way to the infamous garage. While driving there, my cell phone vibrates.

I park in front of the garage. Seeing as Landon is nowhere in sight, I decide to check my phone.

'Sorry for going off on you the other day. Can we meet up and talk?' ~Ryan

I shake my head to myself. That's a weak apology. Typical Ry.

I type back a message in response, my fingers working quickly when I spot Landon exiting the garage through the front door.

'It's fine. Don't worry about it. I can't meet up with you today. Hanging with Landon.' ~Sarah

It's better that I let it go. He only reacted out of jealousy. I know he didn't mean to upset me that day.

My phone beeps a second time. It's unsurprising that he's already replied to me – he's always on his phone.

'Of course, you'd be with him. You move fast. It makes me question whether you ever really cared about me or not. Forget about the meet-up, I don't want to be anywhere near you anymore. Have a nice life.' ~Ryan

I frown in anger. This is why I ended things between us. He is so selfish and so childish. Hurt by his cruel assumptions, I immediately block his number. He can have a nice life too because I'm done trying to reconcile with him. I never wanted an ugly break-up but sometimes it's not possible to have a good one.

I unlock my car and before I can open it, Landon does for me. I breathe in his lovely, citrus scent and glance up. I meet his gaze of green and smile widely. There's just something about him that instantly puts me in a better mood.

"You're late," he says accusingly, not returning my smile – I'm getting kind of used to it.

"Thanks for waiting for me," I reply softly, his strong arm flexing as he holds the door open for me.

I, like any other normal human being, have noticed in what good shape Landon is in. It's difficult to miss when he's wearing tight, sleeveless shirts all the time. He strikes me as a very sporty type. Then again, it may just be because he works on cars in a stuffy garage all day. Either way, it suites him.

I get out of the car, Landon closing the door behind me. Honestly, I'm still stunned that he agreed to spend the day with me. I didn't even have to persuade him like usual.

Ahead of him, I reach for the garage door and pull but it doesn't open. I try again but it doesn't budge. I spin around to ask Landon for help but as I do, I catch him staring intensely at me from head-to-toe.

Butterflies swarm through me when he lifts his head to look at me with those alluring eyes of his. "Did you uh..." I trail off, unable to think properly when he's still looking at me like that, as if he's seeing me for the first time. I clear my throat. "Did you lock the door?"

He grins a lopsided smile as he boldly approaches me. "Push, Sarah," he answers, pushing the garage door open, "not pull." He gestures to the large sign plastered on the door saying exactly that.

I blush in embarrassment and walk through the open door. "I honestly don't know how I missed that."

A deep chuckle resonates from his chest as he looks at me with an amused glimmer passing through his eyes "You wouldn't be the first," he reassures me.

I'm almost entirely sure that he's just saying that to make me feel better.

"So, what did you have in mind?" Landon tugs me from my thoughts. "Sarah?"

My heart automatically skips a beat when he says my name. I like the way his smooth voice sounds when he speaks to me using my name. It makes me feel important, important to him.

"By the looks of it, we can go anywhere," I say gesturing to his black, sleeveless shirt that outlines his fit torso and abs. His look is casual and laid-back, considering his flip-flops and white board-shorts. For once, he's not covered in grease and it makes me certain that he definitely doesn't want to spend the day here in the garage.

When I realize that I'm staring, I stupidly avert my eyes to the sky.

"A cool bird or something?" He asks me, not bothering to look up at the sky. He knows full well that I was checking him out.

I sigh aloud. I know what's happening here and I'm not sure if I like it. I haven't even known him for that long.

He smirks down at me, "I'm just messing with you." He leads me over to the car I always see him in, his green Camaro. "I'm thinking somewhere far from here."

I gather that his favorite color is green. After seeing his eyes, it might just be my new favorite color too.

I smile and climb into the passenger seat. "I'd like that."

*~*~*~**~*~*~*

"Didn't peg you as the farm boy type?" I ask more than state, befuddled by the green fields surrounding me. The sun is shining and there's not a cloud in the sky. It's absolutely beautiful. This kind of day is considered very rare in Minnesota.

Landon walks ahead of me, through the crops, undeterred. "I'm not."

"You strike me as a city boy," I reply, watching my step as I follow him through the maize fields and long grass. He makes it look easy, even in flip-flops.

"I don't know what I am. I just know that I appreciate the simplicity that life has to offer," he answers casually but his words warm my heart – he's genuine and so true to himself. It's a character trait that I wish I possessed.

"You must come here a lot," I voice my thoughts aloud. If he didn't, he'd struggle to navigate his way around here. It's not very difficult to get lost – we're in a literal maze made from maize.

When we make it out, a clearing comes into view. "Is this not considered trespassing?" I ask warily, failing to see what's right before me. Ryan's anxiety has rubbed off on me. I'm so afraid of the world but Landon is fearless.

Landon nods, unfazed, as he stops, presumably waiting for me to reach him – I'm super slow when in a dress in a cornfield.

"What if we get shot at?" I ask him, worried.

"I'll take the bullet for you," he reassures me with a lazy smile, my concerns amusing to him. His smile slips from his lips when he sees me frown in fear. He places a steady hand on my shoulder. "You've got to learn to breathe, Sarah."

My name slips from his mouth so naturally. My heart begins to pound in my chest upon feeling his calloused hand on my shoulder. This can't be happening. I just wanted a friend, not another boyfriend.

He removes his hand and gestures to the clear pond before us. "Stop fretting. You're always so frantic; the world is passing you by. You're missing the view. You're missing out on life."

I finally cast my gaze to the mass of water in front of us. It's so clear that I can see the bottom of it. I can see fish swimming between the rocks. A smile forms on my lips, my anxiety beginning to fade in his presence. "It's beautiful," I say softly, Landon's words hitting home. I need to start living an adventurous life again; I don't want mundane and routine. I want out of the comfort zone Ryan placed me in.

"Listen to that," Landon says, cupping a hand to his ear.

I take a seat beside the pond and cross my legs. I close my eyes and listen for whatever he's hearing. After a few minutes, I open my eyes and stare up at him in confusion. "I don't hear anything."

He grins. "Exactly. It's peaceful and far from civilization."

I take it he's not a people person – he prefers time to himself. Ever since Sue left me, I miss the company of people. I hate being alone.

He shrugs off his shirt, his taut abdominal muscles and strong, tanned arms being the first thing I notice. Even though he catches me staring yet again, he doesn't comment on it. "You coming?" He asks instead.

As much as I want to say yes, I shake my head. "I prefer watching others swim more than actually swimming."

He shrugs carelessly and dives headfirst into the deep pond, floating around on his back in nonchalance as if finally finding rest. He crosses his arms behind his head and kicks his way to the other side of the pond. All the while, he's staring up at the gorgeous, country sky.

What I like about him is that he doesn't need anyone to hold his hand. He'll do anything whether you join him or not. Ryan, on the other hand, relied on the people closest to him in absolutely everything he did.

With the sun blazing down on me, I shift from beside the pond to under a large tree. I rest my back on the foot of the tree and glance at the landscape. It's exquisite. Sue would've loved to paint the view before me. She appreciated the outdoors more than anyone else in the family.

My heart sinks. I don't understand why she had to die so young. I play with a piece of grass, dwelling on all the memories I have of her, of us. I miss her with every fiber of my being. As Landon said, the pain never leaves but you begin to learn to cope with it.

Landon steps out on the bank of the pond, retrieving his shirt. He uses it to wipe his face, wet hair, and chiseled chest before placing it back on in an attempt to keep himself cool. He slips on his flip-flops and approaches me before collapsing down beside me.

We both stare out at the fields in thought. I'm the first to interrupt the silence between us. "I'm missing my sister a lot today," I confess, able to be honest and blunt with him. I don't expect him to say anything, I just want him to know.

He hesitates before deciding to speak up, "I felt that way yesterday. It's hard to believe that it's been years since I last saw my dad."

He doesn't meet my gaze. He continues to stare ahead of him. I know why. It's because it's difficult for him to speak about. I appreciate him trusting me with heartfelt conversations like these. I gather he doesn't have them often.

"What was he like?" I ask quietly, afraid to intrude on his memories of his father.

He chuckles humourlessly. "Gentle and compassionate. Nothing like me. I'm more like my mother. My dad was a great man, the best."

There's strange animosity in his voice when speaking of his mother. I don't push for more than he's handing out and decide to leave it be.

I smile up at him, believing him. "He must have been the very best if he raised a son like you."

Landon turns his head to look at me. His expression reveals his surprise. He's baffled and I can guess that it's because he doesn't hear compliments often.

He stares at me for a second too long. When realizing that I mean it, he slowly smiles, and for the first time since meeting him, his icy green eyes soften. My pulse quickens when I feel the surge of attraction between us, the fire burning in my heart. I haven't felt this way in so long.

For a split second, his gaze flickers to my lips. He leans forward as if unsure of himself, as if inexperienced. When he sees me stifling a grin, he doubts himself and begins to move away.

Acting on instinct, finding his shy nature cute, I take the lead and close the distance between us, putting him out of his misery. I lean up and gently press my lips against his soft ones. I shut my eyes when fireworks explode in my stomach, electricity coursing between us.

I wrap my arms around his neck and smile into the slow kiss when he doesn't make an effort to respond. He snaps out of his stupor and finally begins to move his lips with mine, taking over from me. Tingles shoot down my spine when he subconsciously wraps his arm around my waist before tugging me closer to him.

The kiss starts off soft and sweet but transforms into fast-paced and passionate. I follow his lead, allowing him to coax my mouth open. My heart, beating fast, flutters harder in my chest when I meet him halfway.

There's definitely some kind of unique connection between us and I want to explore the depths of it. I want to get to know Landon. I have a weird feeling that I'm not going to regret it. Looking back, I'm almost thankful for crashing into that tree. It led me straight to what I needed most, him.

Breathless, I'm the one who has to pull away. I lean my head into the crook of his neck, trying to catch my breath. Instead, I find comfort. I continue to smile when I feel his warm hand remain on the small of my back.

"Sarah, you should probably know that I haven't dated in a while," I hear him mumble, breathing as hard and as fast as me.

I figured as much.

I giggle into his neck before burying my head into his chest. "And you should know that I don't care in the slightest."