May passed in a haze of long walks and dinner dates. Bonding with Iliana, teaching students to dance and watching my cousin trap Daxton under her spell. Now it was June. One month until Landon and Daxton graduated and another before they left town. Throughout May Landon had taken me on many dates and I had met his sisters multiple times.
On this particular evening I was in my room and getting ready for a dinner date with Landon and his family. I wore a gray halter top with tiny black elephants on it and a black, knee-length pencil skirt. My hair was pulled into a half updo and my eyes were lined neatly. Around my neck was a necklace given to me by Landon. It was a white gold chain with a tiny music note.
"You look beautiful," Landon said as he entered the room in dark jeans, a white shirt and a black suit jacket. I laughed when I saw the red converse on his feet.
"Thanks Lan. Can you go find my red heels please while I get the cake for your mom?"
"For a price," he answered with an evil laugh before leaving our room to go find my shoes. Once I had the cake covered and ready to go he handed me my shoes while taking the cake from me. I slid the heels on and rose three inches.
"Let's go," I said. I felt his hand land on the small of my back as we walked out of the apartment and down the stairs to exit the building and go to the car.
Twenty minutes later we were at his house and sitting in the living room while his sisters quizzed me and Landon watched with amusement. His arm was slung over the back of the couch behind me and he was no help at all.
"What are you doing after high school?" Lola asked me while running a hand through her wild red curls.
"Are you and Landon going to stay together?" Sarah asked while Lola smacked her for being rude.
"You don't wear much makeup do you?" Stephanie cut in before I could answer.
"Will you and Landon get married?" Ariel inquired while twisting a lock of blonde hair around her finger. Landon spit out the water he had just taken a sip of and began coughing wildly. My face was bright red as I stuttered and tried to find an answer.
"Stop picking on your brother and his girlfriend," Eliza scolded as she walked into the room with her hands on her hips. "You look beautiful Ebony."
"Thanks Eliza," I said over the goon that was still coughing beside me. I slapped his back roughly and he finally stopped coughing.
"Dinner is ready so come and get it," Eliza announced before leaving the room. The four girls rushed ahead of us. Landon stood up when I did before grabbing my waist and pulling me to him. His head dropped to my ear and his hair tickled my face.
"I'm sorry about them again," Landon whispered to me.
"What I'm hearing is that you don't want to marry me," I teased and watched as he kept opening and closing his mouth like he was trying to find something appropriate to say. "I'm kidding."
"You're evil," he said before picking me up and throwing me onto the couch. He bolted out of the room to the dining room and after a moment I was up and running after him. He was waiting by my chair with it pulled out and his hands resting gently on the back. He offered me an apologetic smile and waited to tuck in my chair for me before going to his seat across from me.
"Why can't you behave?" Eliza asked Landon.
"She turns me into a child again," he answered before throwing a pea at me. I caught it in my mouth and he scowled at his failed attempt to start a food fight. I smiled at him before cutting into the tender chicken breast and taking a bite.
"She is the one that keeps you sane," Eliza said with a snort. Landon huffed and poked my leg with his foot under the table. I kicked him back and soon he missed and kicked his mother. I watched as Eliza took a spoonful of mashed potatoes and dumped it on his head.
"That wasn't nice!" Landon shouted before Eliza rubbed it into his hair with the back of the spoon. He winced and got up from the table and grumbled about having to wash his hair.
"I'll go help him," I said with a grin.
Landon was kneeling beside the bathtub with his head under the water and his shirt off. I chuckled and grabbed shampoo before squirting some in his hair and sitting on the edge of the tub beside him while he scrubbed. He was grumbling under his breath as I laughed at him.
"I will put soggy potatoes into your hair if you keep laughing," he hissed as he rinsed his hair. I rolled my eyes at the clumps still in his hair and leaned over him. I ran my hands through his hair and got out the potatoes he had missed.
When I was done he grabbed my waist and leaned my backwards over the tub before turning the shower part on. I got soaked as he laughed and accidently dropped me. I hissed in pain as my back collided with the solid structure and I fell into the tub, hitting my head on the way. The water immediately stopped spraying as I wiped tears from my eyes. Landon reached down and scooped me out of the tub. He was apologizing like crazy as he set me and my soaked clothing on my feet. My jaw was clenched as I tried to keep from crying more.
"I'm so sorry Eb," he said. He was worried and upset. His hands were hovering around my body as I rubbed my back. I winced at the throbbing in my head. "Should we go to the hospital?"
"Lan I've had way worse." His face hardened and I knew he was thinking about what my mother had done to me. "Please just go get us dry clothes and some towels."
He nodded and walked swiftly out of the room before coming back moments later with two pairs of shorts, two towels and two shirts. I took a towel and frowned as I dried my face and arms off. I wrapped the towel around myself, wincing at the pain, and turned my back to Landon so I could get dressed. I was almost embarrassed when I had an issue getting the shirt over my head and had to ask him for help. He pulled the shirt down gently before taking my towel from me. He began to quietly dry my hair for me.
"Lan, it was an accident okay? Besides I bet seeing me like a raccoon is worth it," I said once he finished drying my hair. He was still in his soaking wet clothes and he looked miserable. He cracked a smile at the raccoon comment and kissed my forehead before going to get changed.
I walked back downstairs while he was getting dressed and winced at the pain in my back and head. Landon was probably going to take me home after this and I could crawl into bed with ice packs, lots and lots of ice packs.
"Mom we're going to get going," Landon said as he came downstairs and entered the dining room with me.
"What? Why? And why are you two changed?" Eliza asked while clearing away the plates.
"I slipped on some water and smashed my back and head pretty good. Got water all over myself and him in the process. I'm not sure if I'll be able to work tomorrow either," I said before Landon could say anything.
"Okay then. Don't worry about work. I'll take over your classes tomorrow. You just stay home and relax. I expect you guys and your friends over here for dinner the day Saturday though. I'll make burgers on the barbeque and you can go swimming in the pool."
"Thanks Mom," Landon said before going to give her a hug. We soon left and when we got home he wouldn't even look at me.
"It's not your fault Lan," I said as I grabbed two ice packs from the freezer. The door closed harder than I had intended it.
"It is though. I'm sorry Eb." He rubbed a hand down his clean shaven face and fell sideways to bury his face in a pillow.
"Drama queen," I hissed while walking to our room. I fell onto the bed and placed one ice pack on my head. The other was snatched from my hand and placed on my back for me. The bed dipped as Landon flopped down beside me. I turned my head to look at him and his arm was thrown over his eyes.
I lifted myself up on my elbows and moved so my head was resting on his chest. His arm wrapped around me and his hand rested just below the ice pack on my lower back. His right eye peeped out at me from under his arm as I looked up at him and stuck my tongue out. His eye rolled before he laughed at me and relaxed.
"I'm sorry."
"Apologize one more time and I will make you unable to reproduce," I threatened lowly. He smirked at me and moved until my head was on his shoulder and his face was beside mine.
"That would suck for you," he replied and grinned happily when I smacked his chest.
"We are nowhere near there yet."
"That's fine with me," he said before kissing between my eyebrows. "You're beautiful in my clothing."
"Only in your clothing?" I teased.
"No clothing is better," he replied. I laughed and poked him in the side.
"Pervert."
"Only to you."
"I better be the only one. You and Daxton are pretty close though. Are you sure he isn't replacing me?"
"We've been dating for three months. Nobody is replacing you yet. Ask me again in another month."
"Jerk," I replied before getting up. I wanted to go watch a movie. Iliana was staying at a friend's tonight and I wanted to spend some time just relaxing.
Once I was in the living room I went to the shelf with DVDs and picked out Hide and Seek. As soon as I was settled and the movie was playing Landon came out to join me. He got us bowls of ice creams before sitting down beside me. Once I was done eating I grabbed a throw pillow and put it against his thigh before placing my head on the pillow and stretching out. After he draped a blanket over us we fell still and silent to watch the movie.