Only With You (Knights #2)

20

JULIANNA

“This place is beautiful. How did you manage to make reservations?”

River brought me to the Roma Sparita, an Italian restaurant that El and I have been wanting to come to. We’ve never been able to due to our conflicting schedules. Even when we make time for each other, it’s hard to come, because they’re always booked. We’d make reservations, but we never know what our schedules will look like on that day.

This place is extremely and insanely beautiful. It isn’t extravagantly screaming rich, but the subtlety is there.

A tinge of red coats his cheeks along with the tips of his ears. “I, uh, work here. I’m a waiter.”

“That’s so cool. I bet you get to eat a lot of good food. I’m so jealous.” I smile at him.

Relief washes over him and it strikes me that he was embarrassed to admit that, as if I was going to judge him.

I could be overthinking it, but I’ve been around enough people to know that look . I shouldn’t dwell on it, because I know he means no harm, but it kind of hurts.

“Yeah, I’ve been working here since my freshman year, and because I’ve been such a great employee, I asked my boss for a favor. I hope you like it.”

Now I understand why some of the waiters and waitresses have been looking at us from the moment we got here.

“Is that why we keep getting looked at?”

He blows a quiet raspberry. “They’re not very discreet, are they?”

I peek and find a couple of waiters looking in our direction. “Not at all, but that’s okay. I don’t mind.”

The tension in his body evaporates. “I told them not to make it obvious, but they just love to embarrass me.”

“Are they really your friends if they don’t embarrass you?” I raise my hand to wave at them. Their eyes widen and they look away.

“I guess you’re right.” He grins, amused.

“Are you two ready to order?” Russell, our waiter, asks. His tone is light and knowing, staring at River a little longer, then directs his attention to me.

“Stop being weird. You’re going to scare her off.” River raises his brows as if he were communicating something with Russell, then flashes me an apologetic smile.

“I’m not going anywhere,” I assure him.

Russell smirks. “I like her.”

“Do your job or I won’t tip you,” River warns playfully.

“Be nice or I’ll spit in your food,” Russell counters.

“Now you’re really going to scare her off.” He shakes his head. “He’s kidding. He’s not going to spit in our food.”

“I said your food, not hers.” He winks at me.

I laugh, following along, and mouth, “Thank you.”

They go at it again for a few more seconds before River reminds him to get our order. Once he does, he throws another jab at River and leaves.

“He’s great.” I roll my lips together to hold back my laugh.

He sighs with exhaustion, but smiles nonetheless. “Yeah, he is. Loves nothing more than to annoy me, but he’s pretty great.”

“So—”

“I—”

We laugh and simultaneously say, “You go first.”

We say nothing at first, but then he gives in and takes a sip of his coke. “So, tutoring? Are you tutoring Landon?”

My heart staggers and I hate that I didn’t go first.

From the moment I left the apartment, I made a mental block of anything that has to do with Landon. I was doing a good job at not thinking about him, until now.

We’ve been going at it for so long, I’ve become immune from feeling anything he ever says to me, but his comments earlier stung.

Funny he assumes he’d need help because he’s an athlete. At least, I think that’s why he would think Landon would need to be tutored.

“No, he’s actually tutoring me.” I force a smile and try to tame the embarrassment. “I’m struggling with Calc and he’s good at math, so he helps me.”

“Ah.” He nods understandingly and pauses, drumming his anxious fingers along the table. “He’s a little…intense? Isn’t he?”

That’s not what I expected him to follow up with. Actually, I didn’t expect the conversation to stray to Landon, but then flashbacks of River fanboying over him at Liquid resurface.

I should remind him that Landon is just a college basketball player. I seriously don’t understand the obsession or why he and everyone around campus treats Landon like a celebrity.

“He looks like it, but I swear he’s far from it.” I don’t mean to, but I scowl.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought him up, but he seemed more—” He abruptly stops talking.

“What?”

“It’s nothing. Forget I said anything.”

“You know you shouldn’t bullshit.” The words are out before I can stop myself, but still, I carry on because why not. “It’s pointless, unnecessary, and a waste of time.”

He timidly smiles and licks his lips, reminding me of that stupid asshole. “He just seemed more intense than usual. Like he wanted to punch me.” He chuckles, but it’s so awkward and forced, I internally cringe.

“Don’t worry about him. He always looks like that…” No, he doesn’t. He’s always stoic. I’m sure he’s just seeing things, but River looks a little wound up about it, so I don’t tell him that. “Seriously, don’t worry about him. I don’t know him, but I’m sure there are not many things that make him happy.”

This time, he laughs and it sounds genuine. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring him up. Forget I said anything.”

“Sounds good to me.”

We spend the rest of dinner getting to know each other, and I have a good time for the most part. But my mind every so often wanders to hard lines, steel gray eyes, and ink. Like a cloud, it follows me everywhere, hovering over my head.

I hate myself for thinking of him, because I’m finally with someone who genuinely seems interested in me. It’s something I long for, but despite wanting someone who genuinely cares, I realize that I don’t feel anything for River.

No sparks, no tumbles, no butterflies. Nothing. Talking to him felt like talking to any other guy.

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” River asks, parking outside my apartment.

There are a few parties going on tonight, but the biggest one is happening at Landon’s house. Basketball season officially starts in soon, so tonight is like a celebration to the new season.

Anyone and everyone is going to be there, meaning Cole, Sienna, and Landon, of course, because he lives there. The last thing I want is to run into any of them.

“I’d love to, but I have to go in early tomorrow.”

Disappointment mars his face, but he quickly replaces it with a lighthearted smile. “That’s all right. Maybe next time?”

“Yeah, sure. Well, ah, thanks for tonight. I had fun and your friends were great.” I climb out of his car and bend down to wave goodbye.

He wanted to walk me inside, and I would’ve said yes, but his phone wouldn’t stop going off. Before he shut it off, I saw a message that said he needed to hurry because the party was getting insane.

We say our last goodbyes and then he’s off.

I would’ve invited him in, but I could tell his mind was on the party. Sure, he was having a good time with me, but toward the end of our date, the party was all he was talking about.

It was never going to work out anyway, because I couldn’t care less if he called me back or not. I sound terrible, but I just don’t feel anything.

Turning the flashlight on my phone, I step into my pitch-black apartment and shut the door behind me. I set my purse on the small table and take my boots off.

The date may have gone okay, but on the bright side, I looked really good tonight.

“Could you be any louder?”

I swear my soul detaches itself from me and I let out an ear-shattering shriek. I can’t register anything as fear takes hold of me and I panic, flinging my purse as hard as I can at the person.

“Calm down. It’s me, Landon.”

The light flicks on, blinding me momentarily before my eyes adjust to my surroundings and the person standing in front of me wearing glasses.

“What the hell?” I smack his chest and hate how he doesn’t flinch, and most of all hate how hard it is. “You scared me! What are you doing here?”

He grabs my wrist, preventing me from hitting him again. I try to wrench it free, but he doesn’t let go, probably not trusting I won’t do it again. Smart, because I would have.

“What did you think you were going to accomplish with this?” He holds my purse, examining it.

Much to my chagrin, he’s right. What did I think I was going to accomplish with it? I didn’t think. I just did the first thing that came to mind.

“What are you doing here?” I take my purse, changing the subject because that’s the real and most important question. “You know there’s a party at your house tonight? Aren’t you supposed to be there?”

“What are you doing here?” he accuses.

I snuff a laugh. “What am I doing in my home? The home I pay rent for? The home that?—”

“Okay, you don’t have to be a smart-arse,” he interrupts me, taking his glasses off to rub his eyes, and it dawns on me that he was…sleeping?

Wait, but since when does he wear glasses? And why does he look good? No, he looks better than good. He looks hot.

“Well, don’t ask dumb-ass questions. You won’t get dumb-ass answers,” I retort with a shrug.

That surprisingly gets the corner of his lip to slightly jerk upward.

“I should’ve clarified. I thought you were going to the party after your… date ,” he flatly drawls.

The smart thing would be to kick him out, because I don’t owe him an explanation. But I tell him anyway, ignoring the odd tumble in my stomach when his thumb gently caresses my skin. I should call him out on it, because I’m not sure he realizes he’s doing it, but I don’t.

“You thought wrong. I never planned on going to the party. Your turn.”

“I never planned on going to the party,” he repeats my words and I narrow my eyes at him, wondering if he’s mocking me, but I don’t see anything playful in his expression.

“Really?”

“Did Polly or Gabby not tell you?”

“Tell me what?”

“Jesus,” Landon mumbles, scrubbing his chin, and lets go of my wrist. “I asked them if I could stay here, because”—he pauses, eyes dropping to the floor like he’s considering his next words—“large crowds and loud music overstimulate me sometimes. But I’ll leave, seeing that they didn’t tell you I was staying the night.”

Landon just willingly opened up to me and sounded hesitant like wasn’t sure he should have. To some it may not be a big deal, but this is Landon I’m talking about. He’s always so closed off, so reserved, but always so sure of himself.

Right now, he just looks so vulnerable.

“No, it’s okay, stay.” I sidestep him, adding some distance between us, because the air around us feels a little galvanic. “I just have some conditions.”

I spin on my heel and find him looking at me, relieved.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less from you.” A ghost of a smile makes itself present, catching me off guard. I’m stunned, absorbing it, because his smiles are usually gone before I can even blink. But this one still remains.

Pulling myself out of the weird trance, I fold my arms over my chest. I don’t miss the way his eyes flicker to my legs, but it’s brief before they’re back on my own.

He arches a brow. “Well?”

“No arguing. I’m not in the mood to fight tonight.”

“Deal.”

“I like to listen to music at night. Preferably my Haptic, so I don’t want to hear you make any comments about him.”

He stares at me for a long beat, tongue poking his cheek. “Deal.”

I muse over my next condition, but the intensity of his stare unnerves me.

Swallowing hard, I try to think of something else, but nothing comes to mind.

“Anything else, Julianna?”

I exhale a breath, hating yet loving how my name rolls off his lips. “That’s all.”

Ceaseless flutters erupt in my stomach, sending the strangest shudder to disperse down my spine.

“Okay,” he softly replies.

“Okay.”