Free Doing It for Love (All About Love #1) by Cassie Mae

don’t even know if he finished the song. Theresa shifts on the couch but doesn’t wake up.
    “This?”
    “Late nights, long hours, you being home alone…”
    I turn my head to look at him. “Yes it will. After this movie’s a success, he’ll get another grant, or even better, he’ll make it into the Indie Film Hall of Fame. He’s going places…
big
places. And it’ll be even longer hours, later nights.” I pause, and Alec turns to me. His brows pull in, and I like that he’s concerned. Not only is he Landon’s best friend, but he’s mine too. I give him a smile. “And I’m one-hundred-percent okay with it. It’s his dream.”
    The corner of his lip twitches upward. “Lucky bastard. He better keep ahold of you.” Alec’s eyes drift to Theresa on the couch. After a few beats he starts tossing the ball again. “You know, you should visit him on set.”
    “I don’t want to get in the way.” I never go to Landon’s shoots. He’s pretty passionate when he’s just editing at home. Whenever I try to talk to him, he half-listens or gets kinda cranky. I figure it’s best for me to support from a distance.
    “I don’t think he’d mind.”
    “Did he say something to you?”
    “Maybe.” He cracks a smile and tosses the ball again. “It’s funny, ’cause when he made that film in high school there was this girl who followed him around on every shoot. She would try to give advice to the actors and tell Landon which camera angle would be best or whatever. We thought she was trying to sneak a part until she kissed him.”
    “Yeah, he told me about her.”
    “I think as long as you’re not like that, you’re good.” Alec adjusts on the floor, resting his head on his palm. “I’m positive he wants you to visit. He’s pretty proud of this one, and he didn’t have a big support system before you.”
    “What about you?” I challenge.
    “I don’t count. I’m not family.”
    “Neither am I.”
    “But you will be.”
    My heart thumps extra hard, foreign butterflies taking off in the pit of my stomach. I eye the ring on my finger, finding an entirely new meaning in it.
    “His parents never supported him?” I whisper.
    “I don’t know if it’s that,” Alec says. “But Landon grew up in a house that argues.” He lets out a small laugh. “And they argue over the dumbest stuff. I remember one time his sister was trying to tell one of her boring-as-hell stories, and she said something about how she was eating Skittles, and Landon was like, no, you were eating Sixlets.
I
was eating Skittles. And they argued for twenty minutes over who ate what and I don’t even remember what she was trying to tell me in the first place. That’s just how they talk. Everything is a battle.”
    I raise my eyebrows and stare at our collage wall. There isn’t a single picture of Landon’s family up there.
    “His parents do this, too?”
    “Yeah. It’s messed.” Alec stretches out, cracking his neck. “Honestly, I thought he’d argue with whoever he ended up with.”
    “We
do
argue.” I laugh.
    “Nah. You may tease the hell out of each other. But you don’t fight over dumb shit. I even see him let stuff go when I know he thinks you’re wrong. I don’t think he wants that fighting crap for his future.”
    And yet we had a fight right before he left for his movie shoot today.
    I twist to my stomach and pick at the carpet. Landon’s from Philadelphia, I’m from Georgia (go Falcons!). We grew up worlds apart and met in New York. Parental introductions seemed like something that would happen when we visited them or vice versa. I wonder…“Should I be worried?”
    “His parents argue every decision he makes.” Alec shrugs. “You’re something I don’t think he wants to argue about.”
    “Well, I’m awesome. Maybe they won’t want to argue
this
decision.” I point to my ring, and he shakes his head.
    “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
    I give him a dirty look and push on his head. Way to