Hot Summer Nights

30

Chapter Thirty

Leah

Time flies as we settle in with our friends. We play round after round of Cards Against Humanity, poker, and a cutthroat game of Monopoly Deal. I don't know what it is about that game, but every time we play, it seems to turn best friends against each other and make even the happiest of couples into mortal enemies. All in good fun, of course.

Tessa turned on Levi after the fourth round and seemed to be on a rampage until Colin unleashed his dark side and proved that game is not for the faint of heart.

We all had a good laugh as the two of them duked it out to see who would come out victorious.

I can't remember the last time we all got together and had this much fun. It's been far too long since we've all laughed together like this.

A twinge of guilt rises inside me at the thought that my messy relationship status is at least partly to blame for that. I've been so caught up in sorting out what's been going on with Landon and me that I've neglected my friends.

If we had just been honest about our feelings from the get-go, we wouldn't have missed out on so many nights like this.

I feel my face fall at the thought. Before I can sink too far down that rabbit hole, a warm hand embraces mine in my lap.

Smiling, I look up at the owner of said hand and find Landon gazing at me with a loving smile.

That's it.

That's all it takes for me to squash my negative thoughts and banish them away.

We're here now and things are going so well. I'm not going to let my intrusive thoughts win.

Not this time.

Not when we're here with our friends having such a good time.

We have all the time in the world to make up for the lost nights these past several months. It's high time I let go of the insecurities and just live. Just let myself be happy and go with the flow.

I was so wrong to think Landon and I wouldn't work out. It was my insecurities that won out at first, making me question everything we had. Everything that could have been.

Those same insecurities tried to convince me that our friends- the very people who have smiled and laughed with us all night, showing us nothing but encouragement- wouldn't accept us as a couple. It's time I shut them down. It's time to say goodbye to the worry and irrational fear that the universe is secretly betting against us.

Tonight is proof of just how wrong I was.

And with this amazing man smiling at me, holding my hand I finally feel like I can conquer my fears and put to rest the intrusive thoughts that have slowly grown fewer and further between.

I'm falling for him.

Fast and hard.

And for the first time, that doesn't scare the hell out of me.

Grabbing our entwined hands, I pull them close to my lips, planting a soft kiss on his knuckles. The action makes his grin grow impossibly wider and he leans close. His hot breath ghosts across my skin as he softly kisses my cheek.

"Are you having fun?" he whispers into my ear.

I swallow before answering. My throat now impossibly dry at his proximity. "I'm having so much fun," I tell him, leaning into his side, needing to be closer to him.

"I'm really glad we came," I add sincerely.

"Me too," Landon replies, tracing gentle lines over my shoulder where his arm is now resting.