Cherry Lips

Despite it being the beginning of January, the temperatures were in the low sixties with sunshine in Dallas, Texas. Landon Bishop decided that was perfect weather to take the top off her jeep to ride around town. She had errands to run on her day off from school and cruising sounded like a good way to spend it.

"Cherry lips, crystal skies, I could show you incredible things. You're the King, baby I'm your Queen," she sang along with the radio at a stoplight.

"Landon!"

She startled at someone calling her name and looked left, finding Jason Demers looking up at her with a smile through his open passenger side window.

"Hi," he said.

"Hey."

"Its Jason; we met last week."

"I remember."

"Where you headed?"

"For coffee,” she answered, head tilting towards the coffee shop just ahead of them.

"Me too. Maybe I'll see you there," he grinned as the light changed. He pulled off and she followed, signaling to change lanes at the next block before making the turn into her favorite coffee shop. She pulled into a space next to Jason where he leaned against the back of his car waiting on her.

"Nice day, huh?"

"Very. It's just like home today."

"Home? You're not from here?"

"I moved here three years ago for a job from San Jose," she told him as they walked inside.

"Me too! I got traded here from San Jose."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was in my sixth season there when it happened."

"It's different here."

"But nice. I like it. I've met a lot of cool people but man do I miss el pique taqueria."

"I loved that place!"

"For real?"

"God yes. I found a place here that is just as good though."

"Yeah? You gotta tell me."

"What are you doing tomorrow? I'll take you for lunch. One San Jose transplant to another."

"Your boyfriend won't mind?"

She shrugged. "Two new friends having lunch? What's the big deal?"



They only spent about fifteen minutes in the coffee shop before Jason needed to leave to make practice on time and Landon set out to get started on the things she needed to get done for the day. Before they parted, the two exchanged numbers and made plans to meet the next day for lunch. Landon promised him a San Jose experience in the heart of Texas. As he drove to the practice facility, he couldn’t stop his thoughts from straying to her.

Physically, yes, he was very attracted to Landon. His eyes always seemed to wander to her lips though, especially while she was talking. Cherry lips meant for kissing, meant for someone else. He frowned at the thought. At one time, Jason thought he was happy. He had a girlfriend, one he loved and found himself very happy with. And then he got traded to Dallas and found himself face to face with his ex-wife Stella.

He had been in his early twenties when he met Stella. She was in college and he was playing his first year in the Sharks organization after being drafted. Life was good, and he felt invincible. They had a carefree romance that was short lived but passionate, that led to a spur of the moment marriage at a courthouse and ended with them getting divorced in the span of six weeks.

He hadn't thought about Stella much after the divorce had been finalized, mostly because the girl he had taken up with while he was still married to her remained in his life. And until he ended up in Dallas, he was pretty sure he was happy with Tiffany.

But then he ended up in Dallas.

Being traded made him confront parts of his past that as he had grown up, realized he wasn't particularly proud of. When he found out that Stella had a son, his son, it made him step back and look at his life and make some actual adult decisions.

The first was agreeing to let Jordie Benn adopt Alex. That one had actually been the easiest. Alex loved Jordie and Jordie had become more of a father to him in the five months that he and Stella had been dating than Jason could ever be. He did however want to know Alex, and he wanted his parents to know him, so instead of signing away his rights all together, he let Stella, at her pace, allow him time with Alex. They were at a really good place now where Stella trusted him to keep him overnight and he would even come over for family dinners with the three of them.

He also broke it off for good with Tiffany, who had hid the knowledge of Alex from him. After a few weeks though, he was ready to get back in the dating game. Unfortunately, no one sticked. They never felt right, and no one ever became serious.

Landon was different. Maybe it was because he couldn't have her. Maybe it was because he was taken by her the moment he saw her. Maybe it was because once he started talking to her he found her to be a very genuine, down to earth girl, the kind your mom would approve of.

Maybe it was all of those things or something else altogether. Whatever it was, he knew they could be good together but there was the whole problem of her having a boyfriend. Which really sucked because when he had pulled up at the red light and looked over to see her, he felt butterflies in his stomach.

He hadn't felt like that in a really long time.

So they had a quick coffee together, talked, and even laughed a little before agreeing to lunch the next day. And that was okay, Jason decided as he drove to practice. He couldn't date her. Okay, that wasn't ideal, but, they could be friends. And that he could live with.

At least until that boyfriend messed up.