My Neighbor

Chapter 24: DEAR LANDON

That unspoken Taylor Swift song through out the chapter is Dear John.

Landon's POV

I swung my legs underneath me as I sat on the edge of my back porch staring out at the night sky, smoking a joint and contemplating my feelings for Kayla. The sounds of Tove Lo's Habits playing around me.

The song somewhat reminded me of me at the moment. I did need something to keep my mind off of Kayla and right now that something was marijuana. I wasn't exactly keen to marijuana, at all, but I had been talking to Ryan about the entire situation with Kayla and he offered me some weed to ease my mind - so to speak.

At the moment I felt completely relaxed and it even briefly took my mind off of Kayla, but her image crept into my head. In disdain I smash the killed blunt to the porch putting it out. I hoped up and brushed myself off as some Taylor Swift song began to play. Prepared to change the song and retire into my house, I turn around and my eyes connect with a pair of startled brown ones.

"Kayla," I say surprised to see her. She turned around prepared to go back in the house, but stopped and turned back around.

"Landon," she spoke, but she doesn't say anything else. For a while we silently gazed at each other, both startled by each other's presence and keenly excited.

Her eyes flickered away from mine and towards the speakers as the song played softly.

"I think I've heard this song a million times," she states with a soft chuckle. "I think its one of my favorite songs because of you."

"Why because of me?"

"It helped. Listening to music really helps."

"Kayla can we talk for a moment."

"About what? You being Landon? Or maybe the fact that you tried playing with my emotions? Why would you say that Landon? Why would you say that and not mean it -" I opened my mouth to refute her statement but she shook her head and held up her hand halting my rebuttal," You didn't mean it. I don't want to be fed lies. I don't want to be told something just because you think it'll make me happy. You either love me or not and by the way you'd been carrying on I've pretty much conceived my answer."

As silence engulfed us I thought about what she had just said. Maybe she was right. Maybe it was all word vomit and I was trying to muster up anything to get her back.

I didn't believe in love, remember? I didn't think it exists and now it does and now I was suddenly in love, because she wouldn't take me back. If that was the case I was pathetic.

"Kayla, how am I supposed to know what's going on with me? I care about you so much, but ... But -"

"But what? You feel like because our mothers are single and our dads left us that it should be that way for everybody. You were right our dads didn't love our moms, but they also never told them that the reason they couldn't love them was because they didn't believe in it. I can't believe that bullshit. "

"I'm sorry," I remark reaching out to her. She shook her head and took a step away from me.

"No more second chances. No more lies. You can't be sorry."

"I am."

"Whatever," she mumbled, chuckling humorlessly. "Just... Stop, okay?"

"Fine."

"Goodbye Landon," she scoffed and turned away from me.

"You're leaving?" My face dropped in incredulous disgruntlement. I didn't want her to leave. I didn't want to argue with her about our relationship, but I wanted to her to stay. She turned back towards me.

"Yes. What else is there to talk about?" She gave me a bored look and sighed. "I thought we were gonna end the conversation with fine." Her voice was panged with bitter annoyance.

"Yeah I don't want to talk about it anymore." I admit casually.

"Unfuckingbelievable," she mumbled throwing her head back. "You can't just do that. You can't tell me you love me and then pull this ..." She stopped peering over at me silently. "You know what? Forget about it." She let out an breath of exasperation.

She once again turned around, but before she could go I leap forward and take a hold of her wrist. She quickly registered what was happening and yanked her wrist out of my hand.

"Just stop," she growled infuriated. "Make up your mind. That's all I can say honestly." With that said she turned again and hurriedly stammered off of my porch and over to her house where she disappeared.

Kayla's POV

"You want a drink?" Greyson asks me as soon as we cross the threshold of Parker's home.

My eyes trail up to his face and I give him a smile before shaking my head. I needed a clear mind tonight. After my encounter with Landon I had become distracted. Distracted and intoxicated were a bad mixture.

He shrugs and one of the guys from the football team catches his attention and he struck up a conversation with him. Seeing that he was now the one distracted I wandered off into the crowd of gyrating teenage bodies. People were singing along to the sounds of No Type by Rae Sremmurd enthusiastically. The bass of the song vibrated the walls of the home and each lyric was easily song.

"Hey," Came a voice from behind me. I turn around completely aware of who it was calling my name.

"Landon, I was expecting you would be here. I wasn't expecting to stumble across you so fast."

"Well here I am."

"Yes. There you are," I remark drily.

"Dance with me?"

"Probably not a good idea."

"And why not?" I opened my mouth to respond but he quickly wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me up against him.

A slow Taylor Swift song began to play and the crowd groaned conveying their discontent with the sudden change of music. Landon didn't seem bothered by it. He rested his hands on my hips and began to sway. With a sigh I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Landon why won't you just give up?"

"Because I'm a guy. A guy that wants to admit he was wrong."

"And what are you wrong about?" I ask becoming irritated.

"I was wrong about everything." His vague statement only irritates me even more.

"What is everything?" I prob.

"Kayla I've spent five long months away from you, four of those months were spent not talking to you or seeing your face. In those four months I was stupid and foolish and I didn't realize how much you mattered to me."

"And you see that now?"

"I see so much more now."

"More?"

"Yes more." He smiled down at me. "I realized that I don't want to be broken up. I don't want you to be with another guy. I don't want you to have to listen to Taylor Swift because of me. I don't want to be with anybody else. I want you. I don't want you to think that I don't love you because I do. I love you forever and always and I know I said I didn't believe in love but I do. I had a long internal conversation with myself today and I realized how much of an idiot I was. I love you. How can I not?"

During his speech I had held my breath asorbing every single word that fell from his lips. Every single syllable and rise in his voice.

"You love me?" I stuttered my voice quivering.

"I love you. I love you and only you and I've loved you for a very long time. I'm sorry for everything."

"And you're not just messing with me?" I ask for reassurance.

"No," he grins. "I love you." Without saying another word he leaned down and kissed me. And it felt right. It felt nice and it felt like love. I was still very much on edge about the whole situation, but Landon finally admitting to me that he loved me helped ease that eery feeling. What I wanted to know was what had changed his mind?