Page 30 of From Angel to Rogue

“Lan.” She giggled and tried to take a step toward me, but I was already on her side. “Slow down. You’re not late.”

“I am,” I breathed, glancing at my watch. “Thirteen minutes, to be exact. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s okay, Lan,” she whispered sweetly. “You must have been practicing with Serena and I was perfectly fine waiting here.”

Katy was a sweetheart to Serena but Ser discarded her every time with some snarky remark. I could see the light dropping from Katy’s eyes every time she did that and it only made my blood boil. Hopefully, Ser learned her lesson and could either see how wonderful K was or leave us the fuck alone.

“I promised you first.” I couldn’t help but tuck the lone wavy strand behind her ear. “How about I buy you two milkshakes today to make up for it?”

She licked her lips, averting her gaze. “I’m good with one, Lan. Two would make me sick.”

“Fine.” I took hold of her hand and pressed a kiss like it was the most natural thing I’d ever done. “How about fries instead?” I knew she loved to eat and I loved buying her food just so I could watch her eat. It made her happy and that made me happy.

“Okay,” she mumbled. “Half for you though. I need to fit into my dress this weekend.”

“You’re going to look perfect no matter what. It should be the dress’s fault if it doesn’t fit you.”

She rolled her eyes, swatting me hard. “Stop joking, Lan.”

I liked that I wasn’t Landon anymore andLanto her. “Fine.” I laughed, tugging her closer.

After getting one thick chocolate shake and a bucket of salty fries from Louie’s, Katy and I walked out to our favorite hangout spot. The park square was an acre of land in the town center, full of lush trees, spring flowers, and a small pond in the center with tiny ducks that Katy loved to feed. She even carried a little pouch of bird food, knowing we would somehow always end up here.

After hanging out with the ducks to her heart’s content, we walked over to our little spot between two oak trees that had a soft patch of grass.

We sat side by side, my angel’s head on my shoulder as she happily slurped her shake. I couldn’t help but steal some for myself, which always made her adorably angry. I still didn’t like sugar but I loved to play with her.

Never knew I’d find peace in Bellevue. Maybe I found peace with her.

“Lan?” she asked in a pensive tone minutes later.

“Yes, angel?”

“I’m not an angel. It makes me feel like a convent nun or something,” she muttered under her breath. “Stop calling me that.”

“You can’t tell me what to call you,” I said in a light tone. “I can call you anything I want.”

“Really?” She arched a brow. “Who gave you such permission? My mother named me Katy Evans.”

“I think angel suits you better.”

“Fine, whatever. I’m tired to argue with you today,” she huffed, smoothing the skirt of her pale blue sundress. “What I was tryingto ask you was have you decided? If you’re going to stay with the band or pursue classical?”

“I thought it’s already been decided I’m staying with the band. I love playing with the boys, and it’s not much different. I still get to play music.”And see you.“I’m a part of theFour Foxesnow, and there’s no going back.” I grinned.

“Oh God,” she groaned. “Don’t even get me started on that. Emmie is still arguing with Mikey about that name. But…” Her worried blue-green eyes met mine. “You’re sure, right? I know you only joined because I asked you to. I don’t want you to feel like it’s something you have to do at the expense of your dreams.”

“Katy.” I took both her hands in mine and held them tight. “I’m sure. It’s my own decision. Like I said, I’m still playing my keys, only it’s a different stage and I don’t give a fuck about it.”

She flushed. “Okay, but you shouldn’t say the f-word.”

She was so adorable when she got all prim and proper on me. “I’m going to be a fucking rock star, I should curse some, angel.”

“Lan, we’re only fifteen. We can’t be seen cursing. What would the elders say?” Her eyes darted around the empty park, almost like people were watching us.

“Okay, so we shouldn’t curse.” I leaned closer, almost touching her nose as I studied the light green specks in her eyes. “But can we do other things?”

The red flush on her cheeks turned deeper. “No,” she blurted, jumping back. “We can’t.”

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