Landon & Shay: Part Two (L&S Duet #2)(80)

“Which means, I’m not where I’m supposed to be,” I joked, standing to my feet. “Job well done, Landon,” I said, holding my hand out for a shake.

What the heck?

Did I really offer him my hand to shake?

What an awkward person I’d become.

He shook my hand with a smile, though, and thanked me for helping him out.

All three of us headed toward the set, and I couldn’t ignore the attack of the butterflies in my stomach as Landon walked beside me. Once we made it to set, Willow and I hung back as Landon went ahead and fully became his character as he stepped on stage. The way he transformed his body was unlike anything I’d seen. How he rounded his shoulders, how he curved his back and fiddled with his fingers. He was no longer Landon, but he was now Larry Price—the broken hermit crab who was too afraid to live.

Watching Landon perform made tears rush to my eyes. He was so good at what he did, completely in the right field of profession for his life.

When he’d mess up, though, he’d step offstage and take a breath. Each time, he’d reach into his pocket and hold something into his hand and take a few breaths with his eyes closed.

“What is that?” I asked Willow, staring at Landon with wonderment. “What is it that he holds in his hand?”

“Oh, it’s his tradition. He’s been doing it for as long as I can remember. Whenever he needs to center himself and breathe, he pulls out that chain necklace and holds it in his hand while taking a few breaths.”

“Is it some kind of special necklace?”

“Well,” she smiled up at me before going back to her phone, “I’m pretty sure it’s your heart.”

Her words stilled me.

My heart.

The heart necklace I’d had given him all those years before was what he used to calm his wild soul.

The actual heart of mine? The one that sat in my chest and had spent the past few years being completely shut off from the world? Without much warning, it slowly began to beat again.

And that afternoon, when it beat? It was beating for him.





Landon was…flexible.

Holy crap. He was flexible in ways I didn’t know people could bend.

I’d taken my fair share of yoga classes at my grandmother’s studio, but I had to admit, I wasn’t a perfectionist at it. Yet, the way Landon was able to bend like a pretzel and hold poses as if it were effortless to him blew my mind.

“Why do I get the idea that this wasn’t your first rodeo?” I joked, dripping in sweat after the class. The women of the group were all gawking at Landon, and I’d admit I couldn’t blame them.

I was gawking, too.

“My therapist had me start a few years back. She figured yoga could be a good way to release some built-up energy,” he explained, grabbing a rag and wiping away the sweat from his face.

“And it helps?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Plus, it’s something I love. I don’t get a lot of moments to slow down in my career, so this feels good. It’s nice to take a break from the hustle and bustle of my life. It’s been a while since I’d been about to take up yoga, though, so I was happy when Maria mentioned taking classes here.”

“I’m glad it works for you.” And boy, was it fun to watch.

“Since I can’t take you out to dinner, do you think I can walk you to your car?”

“I won’t pass you up on that offer.”

We gathered our things and headed out into the cold night. Each breath I took could be seen when I exhaled it into the chilled air. We began walking around the corner to my car as I tried to keep from freezing my butt off. “So, you’re doing well,” I mentioned. “With your heart and mind?”

“Yeah. I know way back then I struggled a lot with finding my footing, but I was lucky enough to have the income to get the help I really needed.”

“That’s really good, Landon. That’s all I ever wanted for you.”

“I know. It took a lot of work, and I still struggle with it, I won’t lie. But I’m in a better place than I’d ever been before. Which is why I’m feeling antsy for this movie to wrap so I can get back to helping others.”

“Helping others?”

“I want to take a year break from acting and travel the US to help kids in underprivileged areas and talk about mental health. I don’t want to just give them money, but I want to be there with them to tell my story. To hear theirs. There is such a stigma over mental health, and I remember being terrified of it in my youth. It felt like a death sentence, but it wasn’t. It took me a long time to realize it wasn’t the end of my life—it was just a piece of it. I want to help these kids learn the same.

“They haven’t been given the same opportunities as I have to better my health, though. There isn’t much time or money that goes into the world of mental health in many urban areas. Therefore, I want to immerse myself in that world to see how I can give back and help.”

I paused my steps and looked at him in amazement. “Don’t do that, Landon,” I whispered, shaking my head.

“Do what?”

“Make yourself a redeemable character in our storybook.”

He gave me a halfway smile. “I just want to do good, Shay. I figured if I’m in this world, I might as well use my time to make it a little bit better.”