Lovestruck (EDITING)

36: Leave the Door Open

I head towards the bus stop when the bell rings, signifying the end of another long day. Shana isn't out of class yet, so I decide to take a seat on the grass by myself to wait for her. I'm walking towards my chosen area of grass beside the bus stop, when I hear my last name being called out.

"Miller!" Landon's voice creates an echo and I turn around, remembering our plans to work on our assignment this afternoon.

My heart thumps in my chest as I walk towards him, picturing us having to be alone in my bedroom together. Landon is leaning against his car, his lips curled into a half smile and his eyes seeming to sparkle in the bright sunlight. How the hell am I supposed to focus on this assignment with those eyes on me?

"You still up for studying?" his smile doesn't leave his lips as he questions me.

"Oh, yeah. Totally," I try to act natural but I can't help the giddiness I feel when I see him.

"Alright then, let's go," his smile widens slightly as he pulls open the door to his jeep and climbs behind the wheel.

I steady myself with a deep breath before following after him, climbing into the passenger seat and buckling my seat belt. The car is started and we quickly speed out of the parking lot and down the street towards my place.

"So, what do you know about realism?" I question Landon as we drive.

"I thought we would focus on Stanislavsky, since we've studied him before," my eyes are glued to Landon as he speaks, and I almost forget to listen. "Then maybe something about Tolstoy, and end with what we studied last year about Henrik Ibsen, I guess."

"Oh, so like, not much then?" I raise an eyebrow at him and his signature half-smile returns.

"I wouldn't call it much." He chuckles as we turn onto my street and eventually pull into my driveway.

I unbuckle my seat belt and climb out of the car, purposely rushing towards the door to get a head start. I don't remember how I left my room this morning, so I'm determined to get there before Landon does. I swing open the front door and glance back at Landon, giving him a smile before taking the steps two at a time up to my bedroom and opening the door. I toss the few items of clothing on the floor into the laundry hamper in my bathroom and shove the drawers of my dresser closed before pulling the duvet cover over my bed lazily rather than properly making it.

"Nice bedroom," I spin around when I hear Landon's voice behind me.

He leans against the door frame, his eyes wandering the room, and I suddenly feel very self conscious of the various band posters covering my walls, some of which I don't even listen to anymore, and the scattered framed childhood photos on my dresser which have been there forever. My eyes follow his to the enormous pile of books in the corner of my room and I frown.

"I used to have a bookshelf," I explain the mess and Landon's eyes dart back to me, glistening as he smiles in understanding.

"Alright," he nods, swinging the backpack from over his shoulder and unzipping it, pulling books out and placing them on my bed. "We should start."