Image: A Love Story

Chapter Twenty-Seven - Truth Or Dare

"What are you doing here?!" I choked past the lump in my throat. I wasn't sure if I was going to burst out into laughter or tears.

Mimi's mouth stretched into a grin. "Me and Landon arranged a little surprise for you."

What?

My mind spun with questions, overwhelming me to the point where I couldn't single any of them out to bring it to my mouth.

I was so lost in my head that Mimi had to take my hand and lead me inside, closing and locking the door behind me.

My eyes focused behind her to where Landon and Meadow were sitting at the dining room table. Landon had his arms crossed, his legs extended on the floor, and his back leaned against the chair. His head was slightly ducked and the moment my eyes met his, his mouth curved into a small, almost shy smile.

Speechless, I shifted my gaze back to Mimi. She was grinning widely, and I noticed the whites of her eyes were a little bleary. Jetlagged, maybe.

"H-how...?" I stammered.

"How?" Mimi cackled. I missed her rough laughter. After only hearing it through the phone for months, hearing it in real time was surreal. And a little too loud, actually. "Well, he called me and said that you missed me and suggested that he fly me down..."

When did I say that?

My mouth worked as I shuffled through my brain, my eyes involuntarily snapping back to Landon behind her.

I remembered complaining to him about Brent recently. I liked Brent, and I thought he was a good person deep down, but he could be a perfectionistic asshole. He snapped at Landon sometimes. Usually for "goofing off" when they were supposed to be practicing. Maybe I was a little biased. Maybe Landon deserved that sometimes.

One day in particular, I'd just had it with him and complained to Landon about it. I kept the conversation light and spoke in a joking tone, but in reality I was tired of Brent's bragging about his recent conquests, sexist comments, and his almost compulsive need to rip farts in my general direction whenever Landon wasn't around. He seemed to get a sick thrill out of my reactions to his behavior.

At some point in the same conversation, I also mentioned that I wanted girlfriends, and that I was missing Mimi. I remembered Landon listening intently, nodding his head slowly at me, but once I got to the fart thing, I got a little carried away pantomiming the way Brent would crank his arm and lift his leg on me, and Landon burst out laughing. I figured I lost him at that point, so I didn't think he really took it to heart. Guess I was wrong.

"You're speechless, huh?" Mimi asked, looking quite pleased with herself.

Still reeling from emotional whiplash, I forced a smile back. "Uh, yeah."

"I'd give you a hug, but I'm afraid I might hurt you." Her gaze quickly zipped down my body before locking onto my face. Her lips were tight, and I could tell she was holding back a grimace. I didn't blame her. I looked like shit.

I shook my head back and forth to ground myself. "How long have you guys been planning this?"

"A couple of weeks. I was supposed to be here on Tuesday, but the accident complicated things." Her thin brows pinched together in concern. "God, are you in pain? Are you okay? How are you doing?"

I didn't answer, because anything I said would be a lie and I was too exhausted to muster up any.

"Come sit down," Mimi gestured to the couch and as I followed her over, I noticed she was swaying a bit.

"Are you a little tipsy?" I asked with a smile as I sank down on the couch beside her.

"A little," she admitted, gesturing to an array of alcoholic drinks sitting on the counter. "There was nothing else to do. We've just been sitting here trapped in this storm."