Landon had been quiet on the hike back to my place, and when we finally made it, he crashed hard on the couch. Maybe I’d worked him a little harder than I meant to. I looked over at the bruises that had blossomed on his arms and chest from the accident. It was easy to forget just how much damage had been done. I promised myself that I wouldn’t push so hard tomorrow.

If he was still here tomorrow…

I had to get some sense of normalcy back into my life. I threw on some clean clothes and left Landon to rest, heading out the front door without any real destination in mind… Which meant only one thing.

I was going to visit Todd.

As usual, I found him outside his place chopping wood. He stopped himself halfway through a swing of his axe and wiped his brow on his handkerchief, giving me one of his million dollar smiles.

“Here’s a sight for sore eyes,” he says and jogs toward me to land a kiss on my forehead. My arms wrap around his torso. It’s then I notice how much my emotions have shifted. Todd had been a good friend since I’d come to this little town, and maybe someday that was going to lead to something more… But as he held me I knew one thing above all others.

Todd’s not the man I want wrapped in my arms.

He leads us into the house and I step inside, but I sense Todd still waiting behind me. I turn around to see his arm pressed against the living room door frame.

“So,” he starts. “Billie told me about this guy you brought back to your place.”

“It’s only for a few days,” I start, but Todd cuts me off.

“He hasn’t left yet?”

I consider lying for a minute but an honest ‘not yet’ escapes my lips. Dishonesty is wearing me down.

“Where’s he at now?”

“Sleeping on my couch.” I reply, jumping slightly as Todd slaps the wall.

I walk through to the living room and take a seat at the dining table. Todd follows me in, the door shutting behind him.

“This is totally fucking disrespectful.”

“It’s not disrespectful. It’s my house. Look, he’s got no memory, no ID, no wallet. He’s already starting to remember things and I’m just trying to help out someone in need. Where else is he supposed to go?”

Todd pours us both a glass of water and joins me at the table. “Maybe to his own home. He’s a grown man. Let him figure it out for himself.”

“He doesn’t know where he lives.”

“Yeah, well he sure as hell doesn’t live here. You care about people too much, Lucy. This is a man, not some dog with a broken leg. You don’t have to nurse his ass to health.” He reaches out and squeezes my hand. “And Billie thinks he’s dangerous.”

“Billie has been filling your head with bullshit.”

“Says the girl with a gang-banger sleeping on her couch. He was supposed to be on the road by now. What would Billie say if I told her he’s still back at your place?”

“You can’t tell her that he’s still here. Please.”

“What?”

“You can’t.”

“Why the hell are you keeping it secret?”

“Because she hates him for no reason.”

“So?” he replies. “Good for her. He’s bad news and she knows it.”

I stand up, frustrated to all hell and fold my arms. I’d hoped maybe Todd would be a sympathetic ear, but I’d made a mistake coming here in the first place. Before I could walk right back out, Todd grabbed my wrist.

“Stop with the damn attitude. Don’t you see how weird this fucking is? Why would you invite some criminal biker to your house? I’ve never been past your front door, but you let a stranger in like it’s no big deal?”

An anxious cramping in my chest starts to life my panic. I hadn’t taken my pills today… I was feeling good enough that I didn’t think I needed them. I haven’t relived that night since Landon’s been back. His presence has been filling my head so much that he’s all I think about. It’s freeing…

“I need to get back home.”

“What the fuck?”

I press my palm to my chest and try to slow my breathing. “I forgot something.”

“That the real reason you wanna go back?”

I take a few steps toward the back door to calm myself with the view of the ocean.

“Lucy, I don’t want to upset you. You can do whatever the fuck you want. But…I’m worried about you.”

“Yeah, I know. It is messed up. I don’t know what I’ve been thinking. I’ll ask him to leave tomorrow.”

Todd scoffs and takes my forearm. “You’re gonna stay another night with him?”

“Yes. I can’t just kick him out in the dark.”

“Stay here with me then. He leaves right after dawn.”

I file through for an answer. “I don’t wanna leave him alone with my stuff. And you know how much I hate being away from home.”

“You’re that paranoid about him stealing your shit and yet you let him stay? Do you see how dumb this is?”

“Fine. I made a bad choice. Forgive me for trying to do something nice for someone.”

“I mean, are we not a thing, Lucy? You just invite a strange dude to stay over. Do you not see that as a little shitty to me?”

“Todd… You know how I feel. We are not a thing… I’m not ready for that yet…”

I grab at my head. He isn’t going to understand, because I’m not going to tell him the real reason I’m letting Landon stay.

“Just stay here tonight. We’ll get his bike towed tomorrow. Then we gotta call the cops, Lucy. This ain’t your problem to solve.”

“The cops?!” I can’t deal with that thought.

““Lucy Rivers, I really like you,” he says.

Lucy Rivers. Hearing my fake surname come from his lips really drives in the grossness of having this façade. I’ve felt like Lucy Palermo again with Landon. Lucy Rivers. Who is she to me other than a veil to who I really am?

“I like you, too?” I reply, confused.

“Lucy…” My heart skips a beat as he closes the gap between us. What in the hell is he doing?

“This guy… This biker… He’s bad news…” And he trails off, holding a big, awkwardly long pause. “I get it. You’re alone out there in that studio. You’re lost. Vulnerable. Maybe having this guy around makes you feel a little better… But you don’t need him. I’m here for you Lucy. I want you to consider being my girlfriend, officially.”

“What?”

Todd leans back and scratches his head. “That’s…Not quite the reaction I was hoping for.”

“Well, I mean…But…What? Todd, we’re not even dating. Why would I want to suddenly make things official?”

He shakes his head in disbelief. “You can be…Such a fuckin’ bitch sometimes, Lucy. Do I really have to do this with you? What are we, thirteen? Do we have a set number of dates to go on until officially saying we’re going out?”

I catch my head. I can’t deal with this now, or ever for that matter. I don’t need this added pressure. “The answer is no, Todd. You’re m—my friend. I care about you but that’s as far as it’s going to go.”

“Are you seeing other people?”

“No,” I say with a scoff.

“So, what’s the big fucking deal?”

“I just…Relationships scare me, okay? I told you that. You know I haven’t had a serious thing since high school. And the fact you’d ask me this now when I’m obviously panicking. I mean, come on.”

“Well, I assumed we were getting serious but I guess I read us wrong again. Why did you even come here tonight?”

“Don’t be like that. Please don’t get mad, not tonight.”

“I am mad, Lucy. I can get as mad as I fucking want. Of course I’m mad. You come here mentally checked out, probably thinking about that criminal living with you. You shoot me down when I’ve spent days building up the nerve to ask you this… And you’re lying to me, Lucy. I don’t know why you’re keeping this guy at your house, but I know you’re not doing it out of the goodness of your fucking cold heart. Yeah Lucy, I’m mad.”

“I can explain…”

“I don’t want to hear it. It’s time for you to go before I fucking lose it, okay?”

“Fine,” I reply, “but I’m borrowing your truck.”

I didn’t give him a chance to respond as I stood up, snatched the keys off the kitchen hook, and headed straight out the door.