Playing To Win || paused might be continued soon ||

chapter eighteen

The next morning, I woke up with a pounding headache, the remnants of last night's party still playing out in my mind. Jaxon's place had been chaotic, and I was more than happy to have escaped it. I groaned, rolling over in bed, still thinking about how Landon had acted. Possessive. It wasn't like we were close enough for him to step in like that.

My phone buzzed, pulling me from my thoughts. A text from Ava.

Coffee in ten?

I sighed, glancing at the time. It was early, way earlier than I wanted to be up, but after last night, I needed a serious caffeine fix.

Fine, but I'm still half-dead, I replied, dragging myself out of bed. I threw on an oversized sweater and jeans, not bothering with anything too presentable. My hair was still a mess from the party, and I didn't care enough to fix it.

As I walked to the little coffee shop near campus, I replayed the events of the night in my mind. Landon had been everywhere—watching, stepping in when I didn't ask for it. It made my skin prickle. It wasn't like I needed his protection, and the fact that he seemed to think I did? Infuriating.

Yet, part of me... didn't hate it. That unsettled me more than anything. I wasn't the kind of girl who liked to be hovered over, let alone by someone like Landon Kingston.

When I arrived, Ava was already there, a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. She waved me over, her blonde hair perfectly in place, as usual, a stark contrast to my disheveled appearance.

"Rough night?" she asked, smirking.

"You could say that," I muttered, ordering my drink and sinking into the chair across from her.

Ava raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied with my vague response. "You disappeared for a while last night. Thought you'd ditched the party."

I hesitated, not sure how much to tell her. "I didn't ditch. Just needed a break from... everything."

"From Landon?" Ava asked, her tone teasing but curious. "Because it looked like he was glued to your side."

I rolled my eyes, but my stomach twisted at her words. "He wasn't glued to my side. He's just... overbearing."

Ava sipped her coffee, her gaze sharp. "Overbearing? Or maybe he's just into you."

I shook my head quickly. "That's not it. We don't even get along."

"Doesn't look like it from where I'm standing," she said, grinning. "The tension between you two could light a fire."

I ignored her, sipping my coffee and staring out the window. Ava wasn't wrong, though. There was tension, but it wasn't something I wanted to acknowledge. If I started thinking about it too much, I might actually start questioning why I didn't hate it when Landon stepped in. And I didn't want to go there.

The door to the coffee shop opened, and, as if the universe had a cruel sense of humor, Landon walked in. My body tensed as I tried to shrink into my seat, hoping he wouldn't see me. Of course, that was impossible.

His eyes met mine almost immediately. He walked over to the counter, ordered his drink, and then, to my dismay, headed straight for our table.

"Morning," he said, his voice casual, like nothing about last night had been strange.

Ava raised an eyebrow at me but didn't say anything.

I mumbled a greeting, staring into my coffee cup. I could feel Landon's eyes on me, assessing, like he could read my every thought.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, sitting down without being invited.

"Fine," I said, keeping my tone short.

He smirked, leaning back in his chair. "You sure? You were pretty out of it last night."

"I'm sure," I snapped, feeling my face heat up. The last thing I wanted was to relive my drunken state with him.

Ava, sensing the tension, stood up with her coffee. "I'll leave you two to... whatever this is."

Before I could protest, she winked at me and walked out, leaving me alone with Landon.

I glared at him. "What do you want?"

Landon looked at me, his expression unreadable. "You were drunk, Em. That guy was all over you."

"I didn't ask for your help," I shot back, my frustration growing. "I can handle myself."

"Maybe," he said, shrugging, "but I wasn't going to let you make a bad decision just because you were drunk."

I clenched my jaw, anger bubbling up inside me. "I don't need you to be my protector, Landon."

He leaned forward, his eyes locking with mine, and for a second, the intensity of his gaze stole my breath. "Maybe you don't. But I'm not going to stand by and watch you get hurt."

His words hung in the air, heavy with meaning. I didn't know what to say. Part of me wanted to tell him to back off, that I didn't need him. But another part of me—one I wasn't ready to admit to—liked the idea that he cared enough to step in.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. "This doesn't mean anything," I said, my voice quieter now. "I'm fine. I don't need you to look out for me."

Landon didn't reply right away. Instead, he just watched me, his expression unreadable. Finally, he stood up, taking his coffee with him. "Whatever you say, Em."

He turned and walked out, leaving me sitting there, feeling more confused than ever. What the hell was going on between us? And why did it feel like things were only getting more complicated?

As I sat there, sipping my coffee in the now-empty booth, I realized that no matter how much I tried to push Landon away, something between us had shifted. Whether I liked it or not, it wasn't going to go back to the way it was.

And I wasn't sure if that scared me more—or if the idea of wanting it scared me even more.