Cherry Lips

Cody Eakin had spotted Landon first as they walked towards the bar where they were meeting a few of the other guys, nudging Jason and asking if that was the girl he had been with at the club the week previous. He looked over across the street and saw her, face breaking into a smile.

They had joked during the week about Landon watching warm ups at the glass and holding a sign and he had half expected her to actually do it. He hadn't seen her though and disappointment ran through him. After warm ups, he picked up his phone to text her, to tease her about not showing up with her sign and saw her text instead.

He had frowned at the message and didn't reply, turning his attention back to the game. He had successfully pushed her to the back of his mind until he saw Camryn with Tyler after. That was when he decided instead of going home, he'd take Cody up on the offer to grab a beer.

He was about to call out to her when a man approached her and she stopped and faced him. He could see their mouths moving and Landon turn to walk away and then the man grab for her arm. That made Jason snap.

“Landon!” He called out, starting across the street, Cody right behind him.

He sized up the other man as they approached and the look in his eye told him that this must be the boyfriend, Stevie.

“Hey, Jason,” Landon said, looking over at him, her face which had been tense relaxing as their eyes met.

“Hey. You good?”

“No,” she answered bluntly. “Where are you guys headed?”

Jason pointed vaguely. “Bar. Wanna come with us? It's only a few of us guys.”

“Yeah, sure, that'd be great.”

Before leading her away, he introduced Cody to her, not sure if they had met at the New Years party or when they had been out on Camryn’s birthday. As they headed towards the bar, Landon flipped the middle finger at the guy she left staring after them. He asked the only question on his mind, was that Stevie, and his body hummed when she replied it was her now ex-boyfriend Stevie.

He wanted to throw his hands up in victory but instead told her he was sorry for how she was feeling but not for Stevie before promising a fun rest of the night to forget about it. They were waved and inside when they got to the bar and Cody veered off to find their teammates while Jason and Landon headed for the bar.

They ordered a pair of shots before Jason got a beer for himself and Landon ordered a mixed drink. As much as he wanted to grab her hand in his own and leave the bar, instead he guided her with a hand near her lower back towards the back of the bar where he knew they'd find the rest of his teammates.

“Hey, does everyone know Landon?” Jason asked when they reached the others. There was a chorus of greetings and Jason introduced her to a couple of the guys she hadn't met before. She took an empty chair between Cody and Antoine Roussel and Jason sat across the table from her.

He got distracted watching her interact with the others and didn't notice when Patrick Sharp and his wife Tara sat down next to him until Tara tapped his shoulder.

“Oh, hey Tara, how are you?”

“I'm good, thank you for asking.” She glanced across the table at Landon and then back to Jason. “That's the girl that's friends with the girl Tyler is talking to?”

“Landon.”

She nodded. “She seems nice.”

“She is.”

“And you like her.”

He flushed. “That obvious, huh?”

“I'm a woman; we have a built in intuition towards what the looks you're giving other women mean.”

“She just broke up with her boyfriend.”

“Sometimes that means very little,” she replied with a knowing smile. “Do what feels right.”

“Got it,” he nodded. “Hey, Landy.”

“Yes daddy?” She answered, looking over at him innocently.

Never had his nickname lit a fire inside him until hearing it fall from her lips. “Do you want to dance?”

She tipped back the rest of her drink and stood. “Shot first?”

“Shot first,” he agreed. This time he threaded her arm through his as they made their way back to the bar. She ordered when they got there and Jason tipped the bartender as he passed the shots to her. They clinked glasses and tipped the liquid back, burning down their throats.

“Woo!” Landon exclaimed, shaking her head as she set the glass down. “Come on,” she said, grabbing Jason's hand and pulling him towards the dance floor.

Landon laughed as they danced, cutting up and enjoying something so easy. It was a great distraction from everything else that had happened that night.

“I have an idea,” Landon said as they made their way back towards Jason's teammates.

“Yeah? What's that?”

“I know a great little club around the corner we should go to. It’ll be so much fun.”

“A club?”

“Yes! I swear you'll have fun. Cam and I go all the time together.”

“What club?”

“It's just around the corner. Please, Jason? Pretty, pretty, pretty please?”

She looked up at him with puppy eyes and he couldn't say no. “Should we invite the others?”

“Maybe next time,” she grinned as she turned, heading for the door. She linked her arm through his as they made their way down the street. “This is going to be so much fun.”

“Where are we going?”

She pointed just ahead of them and Jason stopped moving. “Are you serious?”

“Yes. It's fun. You're going to have so much fun.”

“Landon, that's a gay club.”

“And? Straight people can go there too you know. The drag show on Saturday nights is the best in town.”

“A drag show?”

“Have you ever seen one?”

“Uh, no.”

“Do you trust me?”

He glanced at the club again and back to Landon. “Yeah, I trust you.”

“Good. Let's go have some fun.”