Nothing Less

Chapter Twenty-Three.

Songs for this chapter are:

Hurt Me- Laspsley

Caves- Haux

Paper Thin- Astrid S

..

Landon's POV.

The Uber ride to her sister's apartment feels longer than the thirty-seven minutes it was supposed to take. On my app it says we have six more minutes until we arrive at her sister's building on West thirty-fourth street. I was going to take the Subway, but an Uber felt less chaotic, and it's much cheaper than a cab. When I got home from my shift, I had a text from Nora with her sister's address, telling me to meet her there at eight. She didn't go into anymore details. Just address, time, and a smiley face.

She was shy this morning when she left. She kissed me and whispered how much fun she had with me, but Hardin and Tessa were there so she didn't say much else.

I have a feeling she wanted to get there before me for a reason. Maybe she wanted to butter her sister up first? Should I be worried? I won't know what exactly I'm walking into until I cross the threshold of the Manhattan apartment. During the ride, I text Tessa back twice, but she doesn't reply. She's probably with Hardin and otherwise occupied.

I glance down at my phone again and check in with my mom and Ken. I don't mention my plans for the night. I don't need to stir the pot anymore than I already have and I don't want to give our parents anymore table gossip than they've already got. I'm meeting Nora's sister, so I'm sure word will get back to my mom sooner or later anyway.

"Is this it?" Asks Nathan, my shaggy-haired Uber driver. His turn signal is on again, and I hope the street isn't a one-way this time. I think Nathan is used to driving in Brooklyn, not Manhattan. This intersection is busy, we are between fifth and sixth avenue somewhere. I haven't spent much time in Manhattan since I moved here. Now I get why locals don't spend a lot of time near all the tourist attractions.

Nathan repeats himself and finally turns down his radio. Apparently Nathan really, really loves listening to Linkin Park. I wasn't sure there was anyone left in the world who still played their Hybrid Theory album, but this fateful Uber ride proved me wrong. That album came out when I was in elementary school, but liking Linkin Park was a staple of being cool during my youth. Something I wasn't, but when wide-leg JNCO pants were a thing, I tried my best. I even wore a wallet chain. Oh man, I'm glad there was no social media then. If I had a Facebook or Twitter back then, there would be too many receipts of my wanna-be-grunge days. To this day, I can't stand the smell of Lemons because I spent the summer spraying the ends of my hair with my mom's Sun In. I have a feeling that Nathan here had his own relationship with Sun In.

"Yeah. I guess so," I glance out of the window and read the black awning in front of the building on our left. Four-oh-eight West thirty-fourth street is printed in all capital, white letters. Here we go...

I climb out of the car and straighten my shirt out. I went for a simple, non threatening look today. All black. The shirt is a little tighter than I would have liked, but that's what I get for online shopping and guessing my size. It's not too snug though, I think it looks fine.

Well, I really hope it does.

As I get closer to the doorman, he waves his hand at me. He's waiting by the entrance, sitting perched in a stool. He looks familiar, like a cartoon character or someone from a movie. When I approach him, I notice just how short he is. His little body is round and his nose is a tiny bulb covered in broken capillaries.