Addicted to You(42)

“Hey, do you mind if we take off soon?”

I turned to Taylor. “Uh, yeah. Of course, no problem. I’m ready when you are.”

Geez, how long had I been standing there pondering my love life? Or lack thereof. I glanced around to ensure no one else had noticed me zoning out. But instead all I noticed were cups piled all over the kitchen. Guys leaning on the counters to avoid falling over. And a few already sprawled out on the couches. Whoa. When had everyone gotten so messed up?

“This place is a disaster.”

“I know.” Taylor glanced around. “Matt passed out.” She nodded toward the recliner. “Landon said just to let him sleep it off because there’s no way I’d be able to get him home.” She shrugged. “Looks like it’s all downhill from here.”

“No joke.” I looked at the kitchen again, wondering if I should throw away some of the empty cups, just as a guy spilled his drink all over the counter. “Um, no point in even trying to fix this. Until all the guys are gone, looks like it’s just going to get worse.”

“That’s what I’m thinking too.” She sidestepped to narrowly avoid a collision with a guy I didn’t even recognize. He muttered what sounded like a half-assed apology and Taylor’s mouth turned down slightly. “Yeah, I’m definitely ready to go.”

“Me too. I’m going to let Landon know so he doesn’t worry about us, and then I’ll meet you outside.”

“Sounds good.” She glanced around one last time, as if assuring she had a clear path, then beelined for the door.

I could only imagine what this must look like to someone who hadn’t had a single drink all night. Not much about the guys’ partying bothered me, but sloppy drunks were another story, and clearly, most of them were headed in that direction.

When I spotted Landon about to head down the hallway, I called his name then maneuvered my way through the drunk-guy obstacle course.

Landon eyed the crowd, then smiled and nodded when he finally spotted me. “I thought I heard you. What’s up?” He leaned against the wall leading to the bathroom and bedrooms.

“We’re heading out.”

“Already?” His mouth turned down. “It’s early.”

I laughed. “Actually it’s not, but either way, Taylor’s my ride and she’s already waiting for me outside.”

His expression brightened. “You could always stay the night.”

“Thanks, but I don’t really feel like fighting the guys for couch space,” I teased.

His frown reappeared. “I’d never make you sleep on the couch.”

“Well, I’d never steal your bed.” I nudged him and smiled. This conversation clearly wasn’t going anywhere so I leaned in for a final goodbye hug to help wrap it up. Except maybe my signals were off. Or my aim. Or maybe it was the lack of sobriety on the receiving end. Who knew?

But somehow I ended up with Landon’s mouth pressed squarely on mine. I’d like to think shock combined with one too many drinks was what froze me in place for a second too long, but a little pestering voice in my head called me out. It was intrigue.

There was this little part of me that wondered if all of Colby’s pushing me in Landon’s direction served a purpose. After all, he knew us both better than almost anyone else. Did he see or know something that I was too hardheaded to see for myself? I’d been in love with Colby for as long as I could remember, and maybe that’d forced me to wear blinders and miss what was right in front of me. Could Landon and I have more than a friendship? Could there be chemistry and romance between us? After all, the kiss wasn’t horrible. Or gross—those were always the worst—but it kind of also lacked spark.

I didn’t feel the tingles on my skin or the flutters in my chest. Nor was there the warmth that pitted itself in my stomach and flushed my body like merely the memories of kissing Colby did. Landon was a great catch, and he’d make some girl insanely happy, but I was pretty confident that girl would never be me.

After satiating my curiosity, I pulled back. Landon was a skilled kisser—clearly he knew what he was doing and how to do it very, very well—but he just wasn’t Colby.

Of course, Landon was so drunk I doubted he’d even remember this tomorrow, so I just smiled and said, “I think you need sleep.”

Before he could answer, movement drew my gaze down the hall to Colby’s doorway, where he stood looking—well, I wasn’t too sure what that expression meant. A dozen different emotions seemed to work their way across his face but I couldn’t decide on the dominant one. Then he stared me straight in the eyes, his face now void of anything readable, and turned back to his room, shutting the door behind him.