Addicted to You (Swanson Court 2)

“Did he go with a girl?” I ask Laurie.

She nods slowly.

I turn to Dylan. “Tell me more. I’m your sister.”

He holds back for a while, and I tease him mercilessly until he volunteers a few details. Her name is Kelly. She’s also premed. They came to see a show. She went home after, and he decided to stop by my place. It’s not much, but from Dylan it’s a whole lot of information.

He allows me to keep teasing him while we order take-out and then we stay up late watching episodes of the Avatar. Dylan spends the night on the couch and is still asleep when I leave in the morning.

He’s going straight back to school, a detail that would break my mom’s heart if she finds out that he came all the way without going home.

My walk to the office is invigorating. The air is crisp and smells of all the different flavors of New York. I allow myself to dwell on how different I feel from just a few days ago. How the knowledge that I would see Landon in the evening makes me want to break into song as I walk.

A few blocks from my office, my phone rings. Pleasure rises inside when I see that it’s Landon.

“Good morning,” he says.

“Good morning.”

“Did you have a good night?”

I smile. “Hmm..mm.”

“Dream of me?”

“What do you think?”

He sighs. “Your brother still around?”

“Yeah. He’s leaving today.”

Landon is quiet for a moment. A horn blares loudly close to me. “Where are you?” he asks.

“On my way to work. I’m a few blocks from the office.”

“You’re walking?”

“Yeah,” I reply, surprised at his tone. “It’s the only way to keep my weight f

rom catching up to my IQ.”

He doesn’t laugh at the joke. “You and Laurie walk together?”

I see where he’s going. “Sometimes, other times she leaves earlier than me.”

“I’m not convinced it’s safe,” he states, confirming my idea.

“Well, it is. I’ve been doing this for two years.”

He is silent, and I hear him expel a breath. I understand how safety is an issue for him. But I’m not a billionaire hotelier. I don’t need a bodyguard.

“When are you leaving the office?” he asks.

I tell him.

“Joe will pick you up,” he states, with an edge of finality in his voice. “Just let me know when you’re about to leave.

“Landon, it’s not necessary.”