~ Landon's POV ~
"It's gonna be alright, Zee... It's gonna be alright..."
Landon continued stroking her hair, whispering gently into her ears. Even though Zoie didn't want to tell him what was going on, he understood this much. Her heart was aching. This dumbass of a boyfriend she had left her high and dry. She didn't deserve this heartbreak, and he was determined to be the person who'll make her feel whole again.
After a while of crying, Zoie finally fell asleep. Landon was dozing in and out of sleep too, still holding onto Zoie in his arms.
"Ash... Stop... Come back..."
In between dreaming and being awake, Landon heard her small voice talking. He pried his eyes open and looked at her. Zoie's brows were furrowed, but her eyes were still closed. She swung her head from side to side, looking clearly distressed.
"Asher! Stop!" she yelled louder this time.
Asher...?
"Please!" she screamed. "Don't leave me!"
Landon could only watch as Zoie tossed and turned in her sleep, crying out for Asher's name. He thought about waking her up, but he couldn't move. He was just frozen there, wondering if Asher was somehow connected to all of this. And finally, after she called out his name a few more times, Zoie fell silent again, falling deep in her slumber.
Could it be...?
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"So, I'll see you later at three?"
Landon pulled the car to a stop in front of Zoie's campus building. All morning long, he thought about asking her about last night. But seeing that Zoie was in such a weird mood this morning, he decided not to.
"Yup, thanks for driving me," she said as she took off her seatbelt.
Zoie didn't even give him eye contact as she grabbed her things and left the car. She wasn't like this normally. She was always warm, chatty, and a big hugger. She didn't bother saying bye let alone hug him goodbye.
Something changed with Zoie. Ever since she woke up this morning, she was cold and stoic. Heck, she even told him to throw out all of Ash's stuff. This also points to the idea that maybe something did happen between the two of them.
Nah. There's no way.
Landon refused to believe it. Zoie calling out his name in her dreams didn't mean anything without the context. It could've been about anything, like maybe Asher was being mean to her or something. Just like he used to do when they were kids.
Besides, Asher never cared about girls. All he cared about were cars and money. And Zoie couldn't even stand Asher in the first place. She was so adamant about him not coming with her to college, like she actually hated his guts.
There's no way the two of them would ever... no way.
Even though all the signs were pointing to it, it was still hard to believe. Or maybe, Landon was in too much of a denial to believe it. Because from what Zoie told him about this mystery guy, "D", it didn't fit Asher's profile. Zoie said "D" was romantic, sweet, and caring. All the things that Asher couldn't possibly be.
Also, Asher and Landon had that talk a few weeks back. In Adrian's grave, Landon shared about his love for Zoie. He wanted to propose to her and Asher didn't say anything. In fact, at the end of their conversation, he said:
"She's a lucky girl to have you,"
"You think so?" Landon asked.
"Absolutely," Asher nodded his head.
"So, does this mean I have your blessing?"
"What'd you need my blessing for?"
"You're my older brother, man. I want your blessing when I make important decisions in my life,"
Asher didn't answer for a while. But then, he smiled and said, "You do what you love, lil' bro. You'll always have my support,"
* SKID!!! *
Landon hit the brake and the car skidded to a halt. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't see a woman crossing the street. She was a blonde girl in a Stanford cheerleading uniform, and Landon almost crashed into her, but luckily, he managed to stop just a few inches from her leg. She was, however, shocked by all this, and she fell back to the ground.
"Hey!" she yelled at him. "Watch where you're going!"
Landon quickly got out of the car and came toward her.
"I'm so sorry!" he said apologetically. "Are you okay?"
Landon kneeled in front of the car to help the girl. He stretched a hand out to her and she took it. Her eyes then glanced from him to the car and back to him again.
"You're not Asher," she narrowed her eyes.
"No, I'm not,"
"But this is his car,"
"This is a family car,"
"Are you saying you're his family?"
"Half-brother, yes,"
"Oh," she narrowed her eyes. "So, you're related to Zoie too, then?"
"Um, not exactly," Landon furrowed his brows. "Do you know Zoie?"
The girl scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, sure, whatever," she muttered. It didn't seem like she liked Zoie very much.
"What do you mean you're not exactly related to Zoie?" she asked again.
"Well, our families are close. We grew up together like siblings, but we're not blood related," Landon answered.
"Oh, okay, I guess that makes more sense,"
"What is?"
"All this time, I thought she was in an incestuous relationship with her brother," she snorted a laugh.
"What?" Landon gaped.
"Your half-brother's dating her, right? I saw them, like, kissing or whatever,"
"What are you talking about?!" Landon was full on yelling now, causing the girl to flinch back.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, chill!" she said, putting her hands forward as Landon started invading her space.
What is this girl talking about? Asher and Zoie... were dating?!
"Wait a minute. Is this a family secret that I just blurted out?" the girl put a hand to her lips and shrugged mischievously. "Whoops,"
Landon was frozen in shock, processing everything. Meanwhile, the girl just smiled and turned to her heels. She was about to walk away, but Landon called after her.
"Hey, wait a second!"
The girl turned around and cocked her head to the side.
"I can't talk. I have to go to class," she said, pausing for a beat before adding, "But if you want to wait, I'm free after twelve,"
There was something about the way she talked. It was like she was flirting with him. She was batting her eyes at him, and licking her lips invitingly.
"How will I find you?" Landon asked.
"Give me your phone," she gave out her hand.
Landon gave her his phone and she typed her number in and saved it.
"See ya," she winked as she gave him his phone back.
Landon took the phone and saw the screen. The girl's name was Karlie.
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It was about 2 PM when Landon was leaving a coffee shop across campus. He got into the parked car, closed the door, and let out a heavy sigh. From the coffee shop window, you could see Karlie sitting on a chair, sipping her hot mocha. In front of her was an empty glass of iced coffee and the chair in front of her was empty too. Karlie turned her head to the side and caught Landon's eyes as he was staring at her too. She let out a smile, a sexy and taunting smile, as she waved her hand at him.
Swallowing hard, Landon started the car's engine and the car pulled away. He drove fast along the street, making his way back to campus. All the way there, he was reminded of all the things Karlie had told him an hour prior.
"At first, she told everyone he's her brother. Until now, everyone at school thinks so too. But I knew something was fishy. The way he looks at her and vice versa, those two aren't just siblings. And when this guy, Miles, started going after Zoie, Asher was all over her. He pretty much sabotaged that relationship so he can have her for herself. And I guess he succeeded because they started hanging out in secret,"
"Why would they have to do that in secret?" Landon asked.
"I don't know, I just think those two are kinda freaky, but no one believed me when I told them," she rolled her eyes. "But who's laughing now, right?"
She started laughing maniacally, and Landon smiled only to keep her talking.
"In my opinion, I think he's just using her. She's weak and easy to control, you know? Meanwhile, he's kind of crazy. I think he's, like, a sex-addict sociopath or something,"
She said all this as if it was nothing. Landon was trying to decipher if anything she said was even true.
"But also, she's not all that innocent either. She acts like she's all innocent and fragile, but she knows what she's doing,"
"How do you know they were dating?" Landon redirected the question.
"I saw them leaving a school event. They were hiding from everyone and making out in the parking lot,"
Karlie then pointed to a parking lot across the street.
"Just right there actually,"
Landon turned his head to the parking lot across the street. His chest started burning with fire. Although this girl seemed crazy, she wasn't lying. He could tell that much.
"So, not only that they're hiding it from everyone here, I guess they're hiding it from your family too, huh?" she spoke again. "Gee, so much drama,"
Karlie let out a giggle and continued sipping her drink. Meanwhile, Landon's fists were curled. He suddenly became so angry. At Asher mostly. Because how could he? He was supposed to be Zoie's bodyguard but he took advantage of her instead.
"So, how long are you staying around here?" she asked.
"A few more weeks,"
"Cool," she said with her head tilted to the side. "Maybe I'll see you again soon?"
Landon simply stood up and put a twenty dollar bill down on the table.
"Thank you for your time," he said flatly, walking toward the door.
"Anytime," she said with a wink.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Everything finally made sense now. Zoie's reaction when Landon kissed her and why Asher left so angrily when he saw them. It made sense why Zoie wanted to go after him. And when Asher left, Zoie was heartbroken because of it. All the puzzle pieces fit. And although Landon didn't like it, he understood the full picture clearly.
That son of a bitch!
Landon started remembering everything Zoie said about the mystery guy. She met him at a bar and they had a one-night stand. Maybe she didn't realize this person was Asher at the time. And that was why she was so upset when Damon assigned Asher as her bodyguard. So then, she was forced to go to college with him. And if what Karlie said was true, that was when Asher made his move on her.
* SKID! *
Landon pulled the car to a sudden stop in front of Zoie's campus building. Zoie was standing in the same spot where she was dropped off. She waved at him and smiled as she approached the car.
"Hey," she said. Her voice was warmer than it was in the morning, a sign that her mood had shifted a little.
"Hey," he replied, smiling back at her.
"So, which sushi place are we going to later? Jo and Nic might meet us there," she said as she pulled out her phone, probably texting her friends.
"Zee," Landon said firmly. "Were you...?"
He couldn't continue what he wanted to say, so he just stopped midway.
"Was I what?"
Landon stared at her for a moment. When he looked into her eyes, suddenly, all the anger and rage disappeared from his body. All he felt was love for her. He felt bad that she had to go through this unnecessary heartbreak because of Asher. Just like how it was when they were kids, Asher would bully her until she cried. And when all was said and done, Landon would be the one to comfort her, showing her what it means to be truly loved.
"Never mind," he shook his head and smiled. "Let's go find a sushi spot,"
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- - - - - - To Be Continued - - - - - -