Leandra
Even though it was a Saturday night, I had no desire to go out and mingle.
So, instead of taking Rya’s advice and finding another guy to help me forget all about my feelings for Dalton, I was at home, sitting on the couch, watching Web of Lies on Investigation Discovery, and the more episodes that I watched, the more that online dating was becoming out of the question.
Seriously.
Here I was, in the comfort of my own home, and I was fresh out of the shower, my hair thrown up in a messy bun, my face free of makeup, and an old Care Bears t-shirt, cut-off sweats, and fuzzy socks keeping me warm, but I still kept checking the door and windows whenever I got up to go pee or get something to drink.
The fact that all the shows on ID were derived from real-life was scary indeed.
It also had me reluctantly agreeing with Dalton about Rya or me visiting him at Blood & Ink after the sun went down.
Of course, I could have opted for a happier channel or program, but the intricate details of investigating work fascinated me enough to have to sleep with the lights on if needed.
While most of the stories were harrowing and sad, I wasn’t a big fan of trashy reality television, nor did I watch sports.
So, nestled comfortably on my couch the way that I was, my heart immediately began racing when there was a knock on my door, and then thoughts of polite serial killers who knocked rattled around in my head.
I mean, seriously. Not only was it seven in the evening, but if a serial killer really was out to up his body count, why wouldn’t he just hit the first floor of the building?
Why make his way up to my floor to possibly be seen by a lot more people?
Jesus, I needed to get a life.
Nevertheless, because I wasn’t stupid or na?ve, I always checked the peephole before opening the door, no matter how safe my building may be.
If nothing else, there was always a good chance that it could be my mother, and I definitely needed to prepare myself anytime that she ever came over.
So, looking through the peephole always helped me to bide some time before dealing with the woman.
However, as I squared my eye up against that little hole, I saw that it was Dalton standing on the other side, and right now, this wasn’t much better than a visit from my mother.
Now, while I had no idea why he was here, it didn’t matter.
He was here, and I figured that I might as well get this over with.
As soon as I opened the door, Dalton walked past me, not even waiting for an invitation, which shouldn’t surprise me. After all, having been here before, he probably assumed that he’d always be welcomed, and as long as Rya was in the picture, he was right.
“Why weren’t you at Rya’s party today?” he asked, getting straight to the point.
“No, sure...come on in,” I drawled out as I shut, then locked the door because Web of Lies was still airing on my television.
“Why weren’t you at Rya’s party?” he repeated, and I hated how comfortable he looked in my home. He was standing behind the couch with his arms crossed over his chest, and he didn’t look fazed at all.
While it might have sounded childish, I said the first thing that came to my mind. “Why do you care?”
“I care because I’m not going to let Rya get stuck in the middle of this thing between us,” he answered, and I could swear that I could hear my heart breaking inside my chest.
I also should have known that Rya would be the answer.
“Well, you don’t have to worry about that,” I told him primly. “I’d also never do that to Rya.”
He gave me a tight nod. “Which is why you’ve been avoiding me for the past few weeks.”
“Yeah, well...it took me a while, but I finally realized that I can be friends with Rya without you in the picture,” I said, doing my best to sound strong and unaffected. “Despite how close you two are, Rya’s still her own person, and it doesn’t have to be all or nothing.”
Dalton cocked his head to the side a bit. “Is this about the tattoo?”
“No,” I answered honestly. “This is about you being a raging asshole, and I’m tired of it. You can not like me all you want, but that doesn’t mean that I have to suffer you treating me like dirt, Dalton.”
“I don’t treat you-”
“Bullshit,” I spat, years of resentment finally bubbling to the surface, and if he didn’t like it, then he could leave. After all, I wasn’t the one who showed up at his house-uninvited-demanding answers like I had the right or something.
“Leandra-”
“I’ve never done anything to you, Dalton,” I said, talking over him. “And while it’s perfectly okay to dislike me, it’s not okay to be rude to me.”
“I’ll give you that,” he said, surprising me. “But don’t stand there and act like your behavior has always been above criticism, Leandra.”
That straightened my back. “When have I ever said that I was perfect?”
“This isn’t about being perfect,” he shot back. “This is about knowing better, and I know for a fact that you know better.”
I arched a brow. “Are you sure about that?”
“Oh, baby,” he scoffed, and I hated how I liked the sound of him calling me that. “That dumb blonde act might work on all your clueless frat bros, but I know that you’re far from dumb.”
My heart began racing with the backhanded compliment. I was so used to being dismissed as if I couldn’t possibly bring value to any conversation, but Dalton was calling me out on it, letting me know that he saw more than most people did when looking at me.
Refusing to acknowledge that, I said, “I still don’t understand why you care. After all, Rya seems to be okay with it.”
Just then, screaming could be heard throughout the living room, and Dalton immediately started looking around, trying to find the source. When he finally realized that it was coming from the television, I could see him visibly relax, and that hero complex of his really was sexy.
“What in the hell are you watching?”
“Web of Lies,” I muttered, suddenly a bit embarrassed.
“Web of what?” he asked as he turned back to face me.
“Web of Lies,” I repeated. “It’s a show on Investigation Discovery about the dangers of meeting people online.”
“Not morbid at all,” he drawled out. “And why are you watching such a program?”
“I was...I was contemplating online dating,” I told him, even though that was no longer an option at this point.
The look that he shot me would have sent a weaker woman running, but since I was used to his rough edges, it didn’t faze me at all. Plus, we were in my house, so if anyone was going to be scurrying to the exit, it was going to be him.
“What?’
“I was thinking about online dating-”
“And why in the fuck would you ever consider such a thing?” he bit out, cutting me off.
“Well, why do you think, Dalton?” I drawled out. “I mean, it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.”
“Because you don’t have enough swinging dicks sniffing around you?” he practically snapped. “You need to recruit more adoring fans?”
“Why does it have to be all that?” I almost yelled. “Why can’t I just want to find a nice guy to date?”
He shot me that look again. “Because nice guys aren’t on dating apps, Leandra.”
“That’s not true,” I argued, though it sounded right. “Nonetheless, I still don’t see how it’s any of your business, Dalton.”
“For the same reason that you’re not allowed on the north side of town after dark,” he replied coolly. “I mean, despite our differences, you can’t honestly believe that I’d ever want something bad to happen to you, Leandra.”
“I don’t know what to think when it comes to you,” I told him truthfully.
Just then, another scream vibrated throughout the living room, and I watched a frustrated Dalton walk over to the coffee table, grab the remote control, then mute the television. “That fucking shit is so unnerving, Leandra.”
“Well, regardless, the shows are interesting,” I muttered, though he wasn’t necessarily wrong.
After tossing the remote control on the couch, he walked back over, but this time, instead of going back to where he’d been standing, he kept walking towards me until my back hit the front door.
However, if he was trying to intimidate me, it’d take a lot more than him just towering over me, glowering at me like I was the reason for all of the world’s problems. Again, I was used to him being an asshole, so this little maneuver wasn’t going to cut it.
Or so I was hoping.