Chapter 15
Benson
Landon sits down next to me on the bench, a towel wrapped around his waist, his hair damp and dripping down his neck and onto his exposed chest. “Hey, cutie,” I whisper, leaning closer to him.
I should be calling him sexy instead, because good God, he looks fucking hot as hell right now.
“Hey back, other cutie.”
I couldn’t fight my grin if I tried. “You happy to be starting?”
He nods. “Yeah, definitely. But holy shit, it’s a lot more work.”
That it definitely is. “You’re playing great. It should have always been you starting, not Marcus.”
His cheeks turn red. God, I love that fucking blush. I brush my fingertips over his cheek, but when his eyes dart nervously around the locker room, I let my hand fall. “I’m sorry.”
He shakes his head. “No. I’m sorry. I… I want to be brave, but it’s hard.”
“I get that. You don’t have to apologize.” If we can be patient with Parker, we can certainly be patient with Landon. “Have you heard from Park today?”
“No. Have you?”
“No.” My lips turn down. I actually haven’t heard from them since last night. We were supposed to have another sleepover, but they never let us know what time to show up, so we decided not to go just in case they got busy. “Let me send a text.”
I dig my phone out of my bag, opening our group chat text thread. Hell, I haven’t even texted Parker without Landon in weeks.
Me
You okay? We haven’t heard from you and wanted to make sure you were alright.
We sit together, waiting for a response, when finally the chat bubbles pop up.
Cotton Candy
Yeah, I’m sick. Stay away. The plague lives here.
Landon and I share a look, and he grins. “Dramatic, that one.”
“Must be the artist thing,” I say, shaking my head with a laugh.
Me
I doubt it’s the plague. Do you need anything?
Cotton Candy
I could use some more medicine, but I’ll order it to be delivered. You don’t need to be around me. Either of you.
Landon frowns. “I don’t like the idea of them being sick by themself.”
“No. Me neither.”
Cotton Candy
I’m serious. Don’t even think about showing up. Death lives in my walls. It’s black and gray and nasty and disgusting. You don’t want it. I’m trying to save you here.
I sigh. Getting sick during football season wouldn’t be ideal, but I do have a pretty good immune system, and honestly, I don’t care. Being around Parker is worth getting sick for, but I also want to respect their boundaries.
Landon nudges me. “Text them and tell them if they change their mind and need us, to let us know.”
I type another message.
Me
Okay, but if you need us, please text.
Cotton Candy
Go do something fun. Make out for a while or something. Think of me while you do.
Cotton Candy
No. Don’t do that.
Cotton Candy
Yes, make out. No, think of me.
Landon reads the messages over my shoulder, then lets out a nervous laugh. “I hope they’re alright.”
I frown, blinking down at the message. “Me too.”
Cotton Candy
God, I don’t feel good :(
Worry washes over me.
Me
What’s wrong? Symptoms?
Cotton Candy
Throat hurts. Eyes hurt. Head hurts. Fever. The plague, I’m telling you.
Me
Those aren’t plague symptoms, Cotton Candy.
Cotton Candy
Let me live in delusion. Or die. Either works.
Landon and I exchange another glance. Leaving them alone is going to be harder than I thought. Especially when all I really want is to beat down their door and force them to let us take care of them.
I’ve been told before that I’m a bulldozer, and it wasn’t always said positively, so I’m gonna follow Landon’s lead here. He seems to be more… careful.
“What should we do?”
Landon raises an eyebrow. “We should go take care of them. How is that even a question?”
A surprised laugh flies out of my lips. “You’re supposed to be the voice of reason.”
“Yeah.” Landon shakes his head. “No. Reason doesn’t exist where you and Park are concerned. Let’s go.”
Dammit, I can’t argue with that logic. I can only hope Parker doesn’t get pissed and kick us out.
Thirty minutes later, Landon and I are stocked up on cough drops, fever reducer, cough syrup, and enough snacks to feed a small army.
“I don’t think we needed most of this,” he says, trying to shuffle things around so he can knock on Parker’s door.
He doesn’t manage it, and my arms are just as full, so I kick at it with the toe of my shoe.
A few seconds later, the door swings open, and Parker blinks at us. “Knew you wouldn’t stay away.”
“Yeah, that was a big ask,” I say, stepping past them and into the living room.
There’s a blanket nest on the couch, tissues strewn across the table, and what looks like an empty bottle of Tylenol. “Damn, Park. How long have you been feeling bad?”
They sniffle. “Since last night.”
“How long have you been wearing my hoodie?”
I turn on my heel to really look at Parker. They are indeed in Landon’s hoodie, and my fucking God, do they look stunning. Even their red-tipped nose, watery eyes, and messy hair take nothing away from how gorgeous they look in Landon’s clothes.
“It’s warm,” Parker says, then leans over and dissolves into coughs.
Landon steps forward, hooking his arm around Parker’s waist. “Alright, Lovebug, back to the couch you go.”
Parker starts to groan but cuts themself off before they can go into another coughing fit. Landon leads them to the couch, and when they’re settled, he pulls the blankets up around them, closing them up in a little cocoon.
My heart swells to a near breaking point. Landon is so gentle, and I love seeing it. I love seeing how soft and sweet he is with Parker. I think Parker really needs that.
Parker seems just as shocked as me when Landon leans forward and presses his lips to their forehead. He holds them there for a second, and Parker’s eyes fall shut.
When Landon moves, Parker’s head follows like they’re chasing Landon’s lips. “Jesus, Lovebug, you’re burning up.”
“Nu-uh. I’m freezing.”
Landon frowns. “I’m sure you feel that way, but your fever seems high. When was the last time you took something?”
Parker blinks up at him. “Uh, dunno? This morning?”
“Well, we’ve gotta change that,” I say, placing the medicine on the table. I’d been so enamored with watching the two of them that I hadn’t even realized I was still holding all the stuff. A quick glance around shows me that Landon dropped everything he was holding by the door. Smart.
I sit down beside Parker, and as soon as I do, they damn near crawl into my lap. I hold my hands in the air, surprised.
They press their head against my chest, wiggling until their hands are tucked between my body and theirs. Landon is right. They’re burning the fuck up. I can feel the heat radiating off their body through my shirt.
“Do you have a thermometer?” I ask, placing a hand on Parker’s back and rubbing it up and down.
“No.” The word is muffled against my chest.
Landon turns, walking toward the door. “I picked one up.”
Well, hell, that was smart. I didn’t even think about it.
“This okay, Park?” I ask, drumming my fingers on their back so they know I mean the touch.
They wiggle. “Yeah, keep doing it.”
Landon makes his way over to us, opening the packaging on his way, then sits down on the coffee table. “Here, Lovebug, let me check.”
Parker makes a whiny sound but sits up and opens their mouth. Holy shit. This might be the moment I fall in love. Between Parker crawling into my lap and Landon being… this, I’m fighting a losing battle.
Landon doesn’t even hesitate, just slides the end of the thermometer under Parker’s tongue, then murmurs, “Close your lips for me.” When Parker does, he tacks on, “That’s good.”
A shiver runs down my spine. Fuck me. This shouldn’t be turning me on, right? I think it might be, though. Caretaker Landon is fucking hot.
We sit in silence while we wait. I watch the numbers, my concern growing as they do. Parker’s eyes start to fall closed, but when the thermometer beeps, they jerk awake.
Landon pulls it from their mouth, then looks at it with a grimace. “One hundred two point five.”
“Shit.” I glance at Parker, who’s working on trying to crawl into my skin. I hook an arm around their back, hauling them closer to make it easier. “That’s high, right?”
Landon does a so-so motion. “Yeah, but it’s not dangerous. Let’s get some meds into them and check again in an hour.”
Landon opens the bottle of pills, then gets two out and grabs the glass of water Parker has sitting on the table. “Here, let’s take these, okay? And then you can sleep.”
Parker nods, opening their eyes just long enough to take the pills from Landon’s outstretched hand and pop them in their mouth, then swallow them with a drink from the glass Landon hands them after.
When Landon takes the cup back, he looks at the two of us with a smile on his face. “I’m glad we came.”
“Me too,” Parker mumbles.
My heart constricts. Dammit.
Within seconds, Parker’s breathing has evened out, and they’re asleep against my chest.
I look up at Landon with what I’m sure are wide, disbelieving eyes, but he’s staring at Parker.
“You’re really good at this.”
Avoiding my gaze, he shrugs. “My mom had cancer when I was young. My dad was never around, so it was just the two of us. I took care of her a lot.”
Oh. “I’m so sorry.”
He waves me off. “It was a long time ago, but yeah. I’m gonna straighten up some. You two good?”
I nod. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Perfect.”
He flashes me a smile, then gets up and starts gathering all the used tissues from the table, along with the empty bottle of pills and the packaging he just opened.
I’m probably destined for hell because even with a sick, sleeping Parker in my arms, I’m dying to kiss him again.
I don’t regret waiting—Parker is worth it—but fuck, I want them both so much.
“They’ll probably feel better in bed,” Landon says as he stands up. “Once I finish cleaning up, do you wanna help me get them in there?”
I nod dumbly, struck by how perfect and selfless Landon is. “Definitely.”