No Heroes Left Behind (Book 1)

Chapter Eighteen: Meetings and Greetings

Dennis has requested to showcase to us his favourite music, which is Death Metal, from a band called Kill The Pope. I don't really understand why it has to be such a violent name, and I assume this band is now on an FBI or Vatican watch list now, but I promised I'd let him defend his music choice, so here we are. He walks over to the speakers, connected to the surround sound system and plugs in the cord to his phone. The loud music blares over the speakers and I frantically cover my ears as the angry words torture my hypersensitive eardrums. 

Perks of having super hearing.

Dennis glances sideways at me and a smile spreads across his lips at seeing my reaction. He runs his fingers through his hair and walks back over to the couch. I glare at him angrily as he does so and he removes my hands from my ears.

"Come on, you know you love it." He shouts over the music. 

I glance at Chase and Landon who are covering their ears as well. "No, I really don't. This is torture." I shout back. He laughs and turns the music off, my ears ringing.

"Then why don't you play some of your music then, hmm?" He says and I immediately take the opportunity to get that ruckus out of my head. 

I pull up one of my favourite classical songs and turn to face Dennis. "This is what I listen to. You have to be silent whilst you listen because you won't get the full experience if you talk. Basically that is my nice way of saying shut up." I wink at him and he raises his hands up as in surrender. 

The song plays through and I close my eyes and lean my head against the back of the couch. Well, more so on Dennis's arm which is around my shoulders. I peak through my eyelids and see Chase is completely drowning out the music with his own playing through his headphones, and Landon just stares at Dennis and I.

The song finishes and surprisingly they all stayed quiet throughout the entirety of it. I open my eyes and look at Landon and Dennis, awaiting a response.

"That song is sad. How can you listen to that?" Dennis asks with a furrowed brow. 

I shrug my shoulders and look at Landon. "What'd you think?" I ask. He looks at me carefully, as if he were scanning me. He leans forward slightly.

"I think that that song is beautiful." He smiles and looks down at his hands. I see Dennis role his eyes and he stands up from his spot next to me. He goes over to the mini fridge in the corner of the room and grabs a beer and cracks it open. 

He takes a long sip, then sits in the big brown chair, leaving me on the couch by myself. Landon then gets up, picks up a controller and sits beside me on the couch, switching on the TV to a cartoon channel.

I look at my phone and notice that the hour is almost up, and just as I do, my dad calls to me from upstairs, telling me we're leaving in five minutes. I call "okay" back up to him.

I stand up and walk to the stairs and Chase and Dennis walk with me. They each give me a hug as they say goodbye and they return to their spots on the couch. Landon walks me upstairs and to the door, and as I get my shoes on I stare up at him. He has a crooked smile on his lips and he looks away, almost as if he's shy.

"Thanks for inviting us." I say to Suzy and Winston as they join my family by the door.

Suzy puts her arm around Landon's torso and pulls him to her in a side hug. "It was Landon's idea, doll. You should be thanking him." She says cheekily, glancing up at him. Landon shoots his mom a look and then scratches his neck awkwardly. I smile and shake my head.

Then I did the thing that I'd least expect myself to do: I give Landon Grey a hug. It wasn't a long, sentimental hug or anything. It was a quick, friendly gesture to say thank you and to let him know that I've forgiven him for what he did. It takes him a moment to process but he hugs me back, gently, as if he's afraid he will break me if he hugs me too hard. As if I'm a delicate flower.