:://DEDICATED TO Oxidized FOR THE AMAZING COVER DISPLAYED ON THIS CHAPTER//::

.

I'm really sorry for the breaks I'm taking - I'm back to school which makes things completely crazy plus I'm now on holiday in Corfu (Greece is beautiful) and it was my birthday so I haven't really had a chance to write. Thanks for hanging in there you amazing people!

.

When they say that saying 'one step forward and two steps back" they're really not kidding. Of course, right when I've been given a huge opportunity like a publishing deal I sprain my ankle and lose my ability for a week.

Of course.

Landon clearly knew his stuff considering everything he had predicated and been the right answer and the doctor had agreed with all of his statements. That really annoyed me, I knew absolutely nothing about what condition my foot was in and it was my foot, but here was this model of a man who knew exactly what I'd done to it. Life definitely wasn't fair.

"Yeah just take a right here." We travelled down and through the roads, heading for my apartment, the conversation between us flowing a lot better than it had been on the way here, although that was most likely down to me ignoring the huge bruise on his face but at the same time loving it because it distracted me from his looks.

We'd chatted about mediocre things- the worst injury we'd both ever had; mine was a broken arm in the second grade when I'd tried to use the monkey bars and had, unsurprisingly, plummeted to the ground three seconds in the air. His was a broken rib, fractured ankle and a broken arm all at once. Of course, even in injuries he was a higher caliber than me. He chuckled at my shocked expression as he told the story of him being a careless teen and running across the road without looking before getting hit by a truck, which caused him to be in hospital for weeks and unable to move properly for months.

"My mother was not impressed." He laughed and I grinned, knowing the way they can be sometimes, "she was so angry because she had to look after me and miss this huge charity gala she had wanted to go to, eventually my dad gave in and hired a nanny to look after me for the night so they could attend." Okay, maybe I didn't know how mothers could be... Or well rich mothers anyway.

"Isn't that a little bit ironic?" I frowned, causing him to glance at me in confusion, "I mean she's hosting a charity gala for those in need, but she paid someone to look after her own son... Who was in need?" He chuckled and nodded in agreement, his eyes focused on the road.

"That's mom." He said it simply as though it was an answer he used often and I began to wonder how this man had grown up, what his childhood was like and what experiences he had as a little boy that was a dangerous place for me to get into because then I really started to invest time into a person, and that would more than likely cause me to get my heart broken when he no longer found me interesting or wanted to spend time with me. It had happened too many times to count.

"This is it." I stated, breaking myself out of my own thoughts and he pulled up in the spare parking spot beside our apartment with my instructions. "Thanks for helping me back." I smiled, turning to get out of the car and I quickly opened the door, trying to balance myself as I slid out. Behind me the other door opens and closes and footsteps follow, making their way around the vehicle.

I was stuck, half hanging out of the door, my body trying to reach the ground while I clung onto the seat, scared to land on my foot.

"Need a hand " I looked up sheepishly at Landon he smirked and wrapped his arm around my waist, lifting me softly to the ground before releasing me with a grunt and I blushed as he turned away, opening the trunk. He bent over into the space and I couldn't help but ogle his rear as he did - that man did not have a limb undefined and toned. "I set the crutches to the right height for you so don't readjust them." I just nodded carelessly, continuing to gaze completely unashamed. "Are you gonna be okay to get to your apartment?" He straightened and turned and I quickly moved my eyes upwards, connecting them with his, a heat flushing my face as I gave him an easy smile.

Yeah, completely unashamed.

"Yeah," I stated with a wave of my hand before taking the crutches from him, "it'll be easy as pie." he looked at me suspiciously but gave in anyway, shutting the open doors of his car.

"Okay well if you need anything, let me know and be careful okay, take it easy and give that thing a rest. Really though, like I said i'm free all week, so anything at all." He looked so professional at the moment that I had to stifle a giggle, though that was also maybe down to the pain killers they had given me. "Is someone in?" I nodded and he looked reluctant but got in the car anyway.

"Thank you Landon! I won't need you this week though, don't worry!" I smiled and he smiled back before I turned, hopping away to my front door. I didn't hear the car pull away and presumed he was waiting for me to get in safely, which obviously I was going to do, he was being so over cautious.

I pulled my keys out and shoved them into the lobby door, quite roughly if I'm being honest, but that was because I almost tipped over when I tried to reach into my pocket to retrieve them. Thankfully the door opened and I hopped through but froze in the entrance.

The elevator was broken.

Fuck

"I can do this." I whispered to myself, balancing my crutches onto the first step of the stairs. It took me a minute to pluck up the courage to jump up but when I did I regretted it immediately. "Shit, shit, shit." I hissed, swaying backwards as I tried to steady myself and a sigh of relief escaped my lips when I did.

Success.

I felt proud of myself for my achievement for around three seconds before I remembered that I'd managed to get up one step, out of three flights of stairs. This was not going to be a pleasant experience.

Margot was going to have to be called whether I liked it or not, I didn't have the upper body strength to drag myself up all those steps- I was still the chubby kid who fell from the climbing bars. I rested against the wall, balancing the right crutch beside me before sticking my hand into my pocket in an attempt to retrieve my phone. Except it wasn't there.

"Oh come on!" I yelled in frustration, cursing whatever I had done in a past life that meant punishment like this. It was beyond a joke how annoyed and drained I was.

Far below me... Okay so down the one step I had managed to climb in a solid three minutes, I heard the door open to the lobby and I turned around, I was embarrassed at being found like this but if it meant someone could help me then I was completely overjoyed at having company.

"You don't look like you're lying... How did you say you know her again?"

Oh thank god, it was Jimmy from the floor below us! He would definitely help out... If he was in the right mood.

"She left her phone in my car, thanks again for letting me in."

Oh no, please don't let it be-

"There she is!" I groaned, looking up to see Jimmy, the specky scientist from floor two grinning at me, his shopping in his arms.

And of course behind him was Landon who looked at me as if I was crazy. "Peanut? What are you doing on the stairs?"

My eyes darted around in panic, trying to think of an excuse.

"Our elevator hasn't worked... Well since forever I think." I sighed, "that's gonna suck trying to walk up three flights of stairs like that, Liana."

"Thanks Jimmy." I gritted out and he just gave me an easy smile before turning and nodding to Landon.

"Nice to meet you, Landon. Hope to see you around sometime." He walked up to me and squeezed past, his bags hitting me on the way and I let out a yelp at the contact. "Sorry... Well good luck with that foot!" His cheeriness was really rubbing me the wrong way and I glared after him as he leaped up the steps, taking two at a time.

Damn him and his fully functioning legs.

"Easy as pie, huh?" I froze, slowly turning around with a little forced laugh that sounded just as pained as I felt.

"I like difficult pie?" I offered which only resulted in him rolling his eyes at me.

He held out my phone to me and I sighed in relief, taking it from him quickly before unlocking it and beginning to scroll through my contacts.

"So how are you going to get up the stairs?" He sounded smug, which made me even more agitated. "I don't think they have an escalator that you can glide up on." I shot him a fake smile which just made his smirk grow before I tried to call Margot.

"Margot can come down and help me." My answer seemed to amuse him, causing me to glare even harsher. "What?" The ringing through the phone caused me annoyance to escalate.

"That blonde from the gym? She wouldn't be able to lift you up one set of stairs let alone three floors. Just let me help you." His offer hung in the air as I waited for Margot to answer her phone but it remained disconnected.

I bit my lip, my resolve wearing thin.

"Why are you being so stubborn, just let me help." I closed my eyes, hanging up the phone and placing it into my pocket. There was really no other way I was getting up those steps, was there?

"Fine." I spat out and he grinned at my answer, starting towards me. "Just upstairs and then you leave, okay?" He rolled his eyes in response before wrapping an arm around my waist. "Wow, what are you doing?" I quickly shoved him and he raised an eyebrow at the reaction.

"I'm not going to do the stupid 'hobble up the stairs', with you. If you want my help then I'm carrying you up, end of story." He moved to come back in and I quickly held my hands up, my crutch collapsing against the wall as I did.

"What about the crutches? You can't carry them and my up, we won't fit up the stairwell." He shrugged.

"I'll come get them after, now hold on." I didn't get a chance to respond before he had swept me off my feet and suddenly I was in his arms, rising up the stairs.

He huffed out a breath as we reached the top of floor one and I quickly shook my head. "I'm too heavy for you to carry the whole way." I argued self consciously, this was not something I wanted happening to me, he would feel my actual weight - what if he dropped me? That would be so embarrassing.

"Oh please, I've carried three times your weight and grown men, I can handle you for a few minutes."

"Lifting your drunk friend into a cab does not count."

"How about a two hundred and forty pound adult through a field? I've got this."

I paused at his words, not because he said he could but because he's carried grown men through a field, and large men at that - why would he of needed to do that?

We hit floor two and I gave up trying to stop him, we were basically there now and I didn't see any reason to prolong our arguing, maybe I could actually enjoy this for a second, I hadn't let anyone carry me since I was a small child - the only time since then had been a few seconds when Joey used all his strength to lift me into the air during a hug.

It made me feel good... It made me feel more like a girl than a blob of fat. It was nice.

"Thank you." I murmured, meaning for more than just his help upstairs. He glanced down at me but I couldn't look at him and so I kept my head low, only telling where he was looking by the lower tilt of his chin.

"Happy to help, Ma'am."

Oh there was that word again! He had to know what it did to women, I mean no man with his looks could not know that him saying those words would make a girls legs turn to jelly. Let's just say I was glad that I currently did not rest any weight on my feet, otherwise I wouldn't be standing.

"This is it." I pointed to the door with the twenty three painted on it in white paint and he nodded, lowering me down. I pulled out my key and unlocked the door, praying we didn't have any washing lying on the dining table or dirty dishes in the sink.

Thankfully, Margot had clearly been on one of her cleaning sprees so the place looked immaculate. Normally I rolled my eyes at her persistence but today I was happy for her slight OCD.

"Woah, this is a nice place." Landon whistled and I nodded, looking around, pretty proud of the home we had built for ourselves.

"Margot likes interior design." I informed him. "Margot?" I called, confused as to where she could be, she said she wasn't going out today.

"I thought you said someone was in." He murmured, shooting me an accusing glance.

"She is!" I defended, "Margot!" 

"Oh is that my prince come from the land, how I wish I could be there with you." I froze, my eyes widening as I tried not to laugh at the voice floating through the door. Landon's eyes were as wide as saucers as he listened to the words. "Walking on those... what do you call them again?"

I stayed silent, my hand covering my mouth, waiting for Margot to appear. 

"Liana - I said 'What do you call them again?'" Her voice sounded agitated and I could feel my cheeks getting sore from the strain of containing my laughter. "Okay it's really not that hard." There's a thump and then the door to her bedroom swings open, revealing a pajama clad Margot. "Feet. That was all you had to say Liana just fe-" She froze as her eyes landed on the man standing beside me, her expression morphing into one of utter embarrassment as she turned red. "Oh you never said we had guests Liana." 

If looks could kill I would of been dead.

"You didn't really give me a chance, Margot." I informed her which made her look become even icier and I quickly held up my hands in defense. She could definitely be scary when she needed to be - even in her pink, kitten patterned clothes, I felt a little intimidated by the intensity of her glare.

"It's good to see you Landon, I wasn't being a total weirdo, I swear. I have an audition for the role of Ariel in the Little Mermaid so I was getting into character because someone is meant to be helping me twenty-four, seven." Her gaze returned to me and that's when her eyes glanced down at my foot. "And apparently she won't be anymore because she has injured herself - what the hell happened to you?"  

I sighed, my shoulders slumping as I realized she still needed help with using the heelies.

"This is actually my fault." Landon answered before I could, causing me to look at him in shock. "I scared her and she dropped something on her foot - I completely take responsibility for this." His eyes glanced at me and he offered me a small smile, causing my face to heat up and I quickly looked away from him before I got even more flustered.

"So you went to the hospital - didn't they give you anything to help you walk?" My eyebrows shot up into my hairline as I began to spin but Landon was already almost out the doorway.

"I've got the crutches!" He called before disappearing out of sight and for the second time in the space of thirty seconds he managed to surprise me with his caring nature.

Hands suddenly grabbed my arm, digging their nails into my flesh as I was dragged to the coach, hobbling the whole way there. "Ouch, Margot! Careful - the bandages aren't a prop." I hissed and she shot me an apologetic look before transforming it back into a smirk as we sat.

"So spill - where was he? Was he annoyed at you? Were you annoyed at him? Did he take you to the hospital? What happened to his face?" 

"If you give me a second to speak you might actually get some answers." I nervously watched the doorway, afraid of him overhearing our conversation. When I was sure he had gone down at least one flight of stairs I resumed the conversation. "I don't know where he was, I just know he now has a week off, and no he wasn't annoyed, if he was I think the whole foot thing changed that anyway." I sighed, "Yes he took me to the hospital because he thought it was only right and he said he had a fight with someone - that's how he got the bruise." Though I really wanted to know what the fight was for.

Her smirk was triumphant as she listened and I rolled my eyes, "What?"

"He gave you some information, that's a starter." I scoffed, "I'm serious, you clearly have a thing for him."

"I do not!" I argued immediately, pushing the very idea of it away. I didn't like Landon - I didn't even know his last name! "He's a stranger."

"A stranger that took you to the hospital and i'm presuming carried you up the stairs." I went to retort but I couldn't, "See, I know what i'm talking about." I rolled my eyes, sinking into the soft cushions and she started thinking, her face contorting into one of concentration. "So we just need to make you guys spend more time together, hmm...."

"Margot!" I moaned, "I don't want to spend more time with him, i'm fine seeing him for a small amount of time a week."

I don't think my sanity could deal with anymore than that.

Or my hormones.

But I wasn't going to tell Margot that.

"I've got it!" She exclaimed, completely ignoring me, causing my to groan again in reluctance. "You've got to stay here for a week, and he has a week off of work." I shot up, my eyes widening.

"Margot no. No, no, no." 

She pushed me back into the couch, "Oh shut up, i'm doing this for your benefit, you'll thank me at some point. Plus he's going to agree - he's taking full responsibility and you said he feels guilty for it so there's really nothing better. You can be attended all week by Dr. Biceps." She squealed in delight, hopping off the sofa and I struggled to my feet, attempting to grab her.

"Maggot, don't you dare." I hissed and she gasped at the nickname, walking backwards towards the door.

"For that horrible nickname, i'm definitely asking him." 

"You can't ask Landon-"

"Ask me what."

Margot and I both froze as he entered the flat, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he slowly placed the crutches against the kitchen counter.

"Nothing!" I quickly jumped in, shooting him a false smile, "We weren't talking about you, we were-"

"Actually, Landon, we were." I huffed out a breath as Margot placed a hand over my mouth, causing my words to get cut off. Anticipating what she was going to do I quickly stuck my tongue out, licking her palm, but instead of retracting her hand like I thought she would, I should have remembered that it was Margot, and so instead she just rolled her eyes at me. "Good try." My shoulders sagged in defeat.

Landon chuckled at us and I shot him a glare which clearly told him to go away but clearly he had no respect for people's homes and chose to lean against the counter in defiance. "So what did you want to ask me, that Peanut clearly doesn't want you to, Margot?" She grinned at his words and turned to face him, slowly walking towards him and I knew she was going to lay it on thick.

"Well," She paused, "Landon." He looked at her expectantly, "My dear friend Liana here was having a great week, really filled with ambitions to fulfill and exciting things to do."

Yeah, I had work to go to and a book to fret over. How exciting.

"But alas, she is now bedridden and cannot perform any of those duties, in fact she is now incapable of succeeding in simple things sch as cooking food, or even walking to the television." She gasped in horror and covered her mouth, shaking her head. "And who is responsible for this awful tragedy that has fallen upon her - You Landon." She stared at him while he just watched, an amused expression coating his features. "And I am a good friend," Lies,  "But I will not be in all week, I have rehearsals. And therefore she needs someone to look after her, she's incapable of doing it herself."

"I'm sorry who cooks your foo-"

"With the state she is in!" Margot practically screamed the phrase in an attempt to shut me up and I quickly backed off, not wanting to make a blood vessel pop, plus I knew how she got when she was in a character, she hated to be interrupted. Her facial features relaxed and she turned back to, a now shocked looking, Landon. "And so I believe that you, as the reason for her injury, have a duty to look after her this week - seen as you have nothing better to do, am I correct?"

The room was silent, and I wanted to kill Margot. We didn't really know this guy - was she utterly insane? He could in fact be a murderer or a rapist or a robber, and she was welcoming him into her home while I was vulnerable. 

Why was I friends with her again?

Landon studied Margot for a solid ten seconds before his eyes drifted to me, glancing down at my foot before slowly trailing up, and I felt my heartbeat increase with every second his eyes didn't leave my skin. His eyes found mine and even, across an entire room, I could sense the intensity that they always shone with. His familiar smirk slipped back onto his lips.

"That was a stunning performance, Margot." He flattered she grinned, shooting me a victorious glance which I returned with a dead panned stare. "But there was really no need for it, I already offered to help Liana out this week, however she rebutted those attempts."

When I said before that looks could kill - I really did not know the meaning.

"Oh, really. I wasn't told this." Margot could of announced that she was actually related to a snake at that point in time, and I honestly wouldn't of questioned it. Not one tiny bit.

"Peanut!" Landon gasped, making me glare at his humored face, "I can't believe you didn't tell her that. I'm hurt." He clutched onto his chest and my fingers twitched in my balled up fist, by the side of my leg. 

Oh how I would love to just fly at him and -

"So he already offered to help?" I didn't look at Margot because I knew there would be a smug expressions slapped right onto her flawless face, and I really didn't want to see that, or acknowledge it. But all three of us knew that she had won and I had no say in the decision that was currently being made. 

I really need to have a word with Margot about what she considers friendship to be and whether she wants ours to remain.

"Yes, I suppose he did." I grumbled, still avoiding her stare and I wish I could say that it was my own choice but Landon's had captured me in their beautiful gaze and I couldn't bring myself to tear away from them; they portrayed so much emotion, plus it allowed me to broadcast how pissed off I was with him at the moment.

"Well it's agreed then, Landon will come and look after you all week. This is so fabulous!"

That was definitely not the word I was going to use to describe this.