Hot Summer Nights

16

Chapter Sixteen

Leah

Tessa called in backup and Colin and Char showed up immediately both armed with an abbreviated version of what happened earlier today. Levi brought us all food and decided to make himself scarce. I was grateful for that.

He knew by the look on Tessa's face that we needed some space. They had what I hoped to have one day with someone. The kind of relationship where you're so in tune with the other person that you don't even need words for them to know what you're thinking. Maybe someday soon I'll have that.

After we ate, my friends started giving their opinions of what I should do next. Char- ever the peacekeeper- suggested I just go talk to Claire and tell her my situation with Landon. It would have been the quickest, easiest solution to my predicament. But some twisted part of me needed the date to happen.

I had to know if he was talking to Claire to spite me or if there was something else there. Maybe he was sick of waiting around for me to give him a chance. Perhaps he'd reverted back into the player I kept accusing him of being. Or... Maybe he really liked her and decided he was moving on from me. From what we shared for whatever small time we shared it.

That last one hurt the most. I couldn't help but think I'd screwed everything up so badly that I'd missed out on something that could have been great. What if I knew nothing about him and had him pegged completely wrong?

What if I just threw away my once-in-a-lifetime chance at true love and the world's most amazing love story?

My head was spinning and my throat was bone dry. I needed the date to happen to see what Landon's feelings really were. Didn't I?

Colin and Char were spouting off more suggestions- find out when and where the date is and crash it, accidentally text her something that was meant for Landon, show up at his place wearing something skimpy, and see if he throws me out. The suggestions were getting worse as they went on.

Until Tessa spoke up. "You could just talk to him."

The room went silent and everyone stared at her. "If you don't want to play games anymore, Leah. You should just call him." Her voice was soft and pleading, but I could hear the undercurrent of what she was saying.

It was time for me to woman up. Dragging things out and playing stupid games was only going to end one way. Lying to myself about how I felt and letting things go without saying anything would result in me drowning myself in a carton of peanut butter half-baked and wallowing in my feels alone.

I had to face the truth. I had to let myself take a chance. I had to fix this. And there was only one way to do that.

"I'm gonna call him," my voice sounded distant like it belonged to someone else. It was like an out-of-body experience. Like I was watching myself work up the courage to make the call as time slowed all around me.

I pulled out my phone and brought up Landon's contact info. My finger froze over the call button as my heart pounded in my ears. Someone grabbed my free hand and gave an encouraging squeeze. Tessa.

Char and Colin scooted closer, holding their breath as they waited for me to press the button. With a look at Tess, I took a deep breath and started dialing.

His phone rang once, twice, three times, making my stomach flip with each additional ring. I forgot how to breathe as I waited for him to pick up. But after the third ring, the call went to voicemail. I pulled the phone away from my face, checking my signal.

Four bars, no issue there. I called him again. This time, my call went straight to voicemail. And my hope that I still had a chance to fix things disappeared. He hit the f you button. Landon didn't want to speak to me.

It's over. I waited too long. Messed things up too bad.

It's really over.

My lip quivered as I set my phone down. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes as I let the realization sink in. He didn't want me anymore. He didn't even want to give me a chance.

I crumbled as my friends surrounded me, suffocating as they pulled me into a group hug and whispered encouraging words in my ear. 'Maybe he got pulled into work', 'maybe his phone died', 'maybe he's on the line with his mom'. Nothing they said could save me from the truth. The one I felt deep in my bones.

He'd had enough. And he was done with me. He was moving on.

I'd lost my chance.