Chapter 97 (1/2)

Tessa kicks my foot under the table, and Karen covers her mouth and coughs around her mouthful of food. Everyone’s surprised when Sophia laughs. Landon looks uncomfortable, but his expression softens when he notices how hard she’s laughing.

“Who says that?” she giggles.

Landon is pathetically staring at her, and Tessa is smiling now.

“Hardin. Hardin says stuff like that.” Karen smiles, humor in her eyes.

Okay, this is weird.

“You’ll get used to him.” Landon briefly looks at me before focusing back on his new infatuation. “I mean, if you’re around a lot. Not that you will be around a lot.” His cheeks are bright red. “If you wanted to be, I mean. Not that you would want to be.”

“She gets it.” I put him out of his misery, and he looks like he’s going to piss himself.

“I do.” She smiles at Landon, and I swear his face turns from red to purple. Poor thing.

“Sophia, how long are you in town for?” Tessa chimes in, changing the subject in a sweet way to help her friend.

“Only a few more days. I leave to go back to New York this coming Monday. My roommates are dying for me to get back.”

“How many roommates do you have?” Tessa asks.

“Three, all dancers.”

I laugh.

Tessa smiles a forced smile. “Oh, wow.”

“Oh gosh! Ballet dancers, not strippers.” Sarah bursts into laughter, and I join her, only to laugh at Tessa’s relief and embarrassed expression.

Tessa carries most of the conversation, asking random shit about the woman, and I zone them both out, only focusing on the curve of Tessa’s lips as she talks. I love the way she stops every few bites and primly rubs a napkin against her lips, just in case she’s got something on her.

Dinner continues this way until I’m bored, nearly to death, and Landon’s face is only a little red.