Chapter 3
Holy crap, kissing Kagome was such a corporate solstice party upgrade. If this became the new annual routine, Inuyasha could learn to like this stupid party.
Maybe even love it.
Her mouth was pliant, soft, and warm, luscious in that no matter which way his jaw undulated in little, nibbling waves, her pillowy full lips were there to cushion the less soft, less warm, less luscious shell of his own. Kagome matched Inuyasha's rhythms stroke for stroke, breath for breath. At her first mumble of a barely-there sound, Inuyasha leaned into the kiss, leaned into her as the kiss grew increasingly deeper, increasingly harder. He gave and she took, and if that set the stage for the dynamic of their relationship, Inuyasha would die a happy man. She yielded to him with a breathy little flutter in her throat. Her neck canted, her head tipping back so he could tower over her a little more, the pressure of her palms on his cheeks a little bit harder, the pressure of his mouth on hers a little bit rougher.
When she moaned, when she fucking panted a smoky gasp deep in her throat, Inuyasha was so gone he didn't remotely care they had an audience. Let a bunch of gym bros get boners over watching him cradle her jaw his hands so Inuyasha could penetrate that gorgeous mouth with his tongue. Let a gaggle of gym bunnies swoon and sigh and cry out that they wished to be kissed like that, looking accusingly at the gym bros like, hint hint, nudge nudge.
Kagome was hesitant to receive his tongue. She initially flinched with surprise before she settled against his mouth, into his touch, with a desirous little sigh that Inuyasha wanted to make the notification sound on his phone. He could listen to that breathy hum of pleasure all. Fucking. Day. Her tongue wasn't nearly as sure as her lips, never venturing further than the border of her own mouth. Her strokes were wary, guarded, like she wasn't exactly sure what to do with this hot, wet probing thing that entered her mouth and was currently tracing her upper row of teeth.
The crowd cheering him on with lewd remarks and obscene sounds was a soundtrack to their first kiss Inuyasha could have done without. Apparently, Inuyasha kissed with enough fervour that a horde of burly men felt inclined to shout, "Yeah, give it to her!" in encouragement. The hanyou kept trying to ignore them, focusing only on Kagome's mouth, but the longer they kissed, the louder the assholes became, and eventually the whooping got to her too. When Inuyasha felt Kagome's retaliating kisses begin to soften and retreat, his mind cried out with sore displeasure. He wanted to lose himself in those lips, could imagine that red, swollen mouth indulging other parts of his body. He had a taste and now he craved more. Inuyasha wanted to spend all night watching a specific part of him disappear between those lips with a tight, unhurried pressure, only to reappear, and then disappear, and then reappear, and then—
Fuck, and now I'm hard thinkin' about fucking Kagome's sweet mouth.
When Inuyasha's arms circled her waist—like she couldn't end the kiss if he drew her into his chest—that seemed to be the wrong thing to do, because she detached from his lips with a soft gasp and a loud, wet smack. The sound was moist and a little vulgar and had Inuyasha's swelling hard-on twitch against the seam of his jeans.
"Oh God, I'm sorry," was the first thing Kagome said, her palms raised to his chest only to try and push him away. The gesture had Inuyasha frowning down into her wide, glassy eyes.
"I didn't mean for that to get so—" was the second stupid thing she started to fumble out. Her long, slender fingers rose to her lips like she needed to feel the aftershocks of their kiss on those soft, pink pillows that Inuyasha wanted to reclaim. Her face was flushed, a beautiful mottled red. Her mouth was swollen from being recently kissed, her plump lips wet and inviting with the sheen of his saliva.
Goddammit, Inuyasha wanted to own that mouth and not just for the night.
Because if Inuyasha had suspected she could be his mate when he watched her earlier, then grew more suspicious from how right it felt bickering with her and teasing her, kissing her was the nail in the goddamn coffin.
Inuyasha knew. Holy fuck—how was that vague bullshit accurate?
She was his mate.
Every microscopic part of his body was vibrating in response to the taste of her kiss. It was the clearest fucking thing in the universe. He knew with crystal clarity.
Kagome was his mate.
His fucking mate.
Inuyasha became so distracted by that realization he tightened his hold around her waist despite her palms pushing against him. Unfortunately, the desperate, lonely idiot he was, Inuyasha didn't register she wanted space between them, because he tried to lure her mouth back to his. Kagome retracted from him with a blush. Her hand reached around her waist to cup his, to pry at his fingers. When he didn't release his grip right away, she tapped the back of his hand, clearing her throat modestly. A bright red tinged her cheeks as she politely told him to let go.
It took Inuyasha's brain a second to understand what was happening, what she was asking him to do. His fingers screamed with the wrongness of letting her go. But she had asked, and he needed to comply, and these gym bros hollering like fuckin' gorillas around them needed to fuck right off.
The more space between their bodies, the more flustered and embarrassed Inuyasha felt. Kagome wouldn't meet his eye now, regardless how much his heated stare lingered on her face. Did she regret kissing him? Did Inuyasha go and fuck this right up already by adding tongue too soon? By seeming like a needy fuck, practically begging her body to come back? By taking way too fucking long to let her go?
She giggled nervously, her fingers still on her lips. She cleared her throat again, muttered a breathy and gorgeously husky, "Well, then!" before turning back to the game of beer pong that was paused so she and Inuyasha could orally cross swords.
"Well done, my friend!" Miroku cheered, brightening the red on Kagome's face, accentuating the nervous laughter that flowed from her mouth in a steady trickle.
Sango was quick to round the table, clasping Kagome's elbows in her hands, and shouting, "Bathroom break!" before whisking her friend away.
Inuyasha watched Kagome's retreating back, mentally begging her to turn around and look at him over her shoulder. He felt his whole body deflate a little when she disappeared from view without peeking at him once.
Yep, one kiss and his mate was already rejecting him.
Such was Inuyasha's goddamn fucking luck.
"My oldest and dearest friend!" Miroku chimed, appearing next to him. "Why have I never known how exceptional of a kisser you are, Inuyasha?" The guy sounded amazed, like a kid who just discovered the existence of dinosaurs.
"Why the fuck would you ever know that?" Inuyasha gruffly answered, a sneering scowl on his face. The pressure between his eyebrows grew tight beneath his frown.
Miroku clapped Inuyasha on the shoulder, his palm rubbing back and forth, which was unwelcome contact given Inuyasha's hard-on was just starting to retreat. The hanyou shrugged away from his friend's touch.
"Why do women have to fuckin' do that?" Inuyasha muttered under his breath, hands in his pockets. His heart beat frenetically with worry. His chest felt hollow, his cheeks hot.
"Flitter off like skittish birds once there is gossip to pick at?" Miroku sighed an empathetic lament. "I understand the frustration, my friend, truly. But worry not, Inuyasha," Miroku said with a grin, offering his friend a wink which Inuyasha rolled away with his eyes, "I am fluent in women's body language, and you, my dear, kissable Inuyasha—"
"Don't fuckin' say that, Miroku," Inuyasha gagged with a wince.
"—most definitely have yourself an admirer. Kagome looked—" He paused to chuckle— "flustered to say the least. I'm inclined to use the word besotted."
Curse Inuyasha's desirous little hanyou heart for feeling hopeful and optimistic in response to Miroku's blather.
Inuyasha flinched at himself with a self-effacing groan when he heard his too auspicious voice ask, "You really think so?"
Miroku smiled warmly at Inuyasha, patting his shoulder a few times before saying, "I've only seen a woman go that shade of red, Inuyasha, when she's let herself go and realized it too late." Miroku chuckled again, bowing his head to his oldest friend to say softly, "Be gentle with her when she comes back. She'll likely be more fragile about this kiss than you're feeling right now."
"I'm not fuckin' fragile," Inuyasha spat and sputtered to Miroku's retreating frame, who tittered his way back to his side of the beer pong table.
When Kagome and Sango returned, Kagome still wouldn't meet Inuyasha's eye. She looked embarrassed to say the least, her cheeks maybe less tomato and more dusty pink. The colour of sunrise suited her face and—
For fuck's sake, Inuyasha mentally spat, inwardly rolling his eyes at himself. One fuckin' kiss and I'm waxing poetic over some woman.
Not just some woman, a voice somewhere inside him corrected. She's your mate.
Now, Inuyasha just needed to get through the rest of this stupid game so he could get her alone, buy her that drink he still owed her. He needed to pick her brain about how she was feeling about that kiss, about him.
Did she know anything about demon mating?
Should he even tell her? Fuck—how should he tell her?
Could it be possible she already knew? In the same way he did?
Okay, he mentally sighed, watching Miroku grab hold of a ping pong ball and miss one of Kagome's remaining cups. Don't panic. Shit's fine. This is fine. I can do this.
Miroku's second ball sunk into one of Inuyasha's cups and Inuyasha wasted no time bringing the solo cup to his lips, swallowing the contents with a dramatic dip of his head. When he lowered the cup, he found Kagome's eyes on him. She was staring at his mouth, rather, watching the bob of his Adam's apple as he swallowed. When she caught him staring, her eyes widened and nostrils flared and she turned her gaze away abruptly.
Inuyasha couldn't help smiling in response, feeling a little less heavy and a little more inspired. Maybe Miroku was right and Inuyasha didn't need to panic just yet.
The hanyou missed his next two throws, too distracted by Kagome. His tongue tasted faintly of ginger thanks to those drinks of hers, and he wondered the specific colour blue her hair shone beneath the fluorescent, warm yellow lights. He shriveled his nose at himself, nauseated by how soft he'd gone over this dumb crush. Panic fluttered in his chest when he saw Kagome looking at him, his face still smooshed up in an irritated expression. For fuck's sake, she probably thought he was jeering at her.
Jesus, he hated himself like this.
Her teasing remarks about his shit aim were minimal but sharp, like her lingering embarrassment had her feeling unsure of her verbal sparring skills. Thankfully, Kagome didn't seem to take the look on his face personally—she probably just assumed he was cranky about missing his shots. Inuyasha couldn't help but feel a little disappointed they didn't devise terms about what he'd win or lose or have to do if he missed his shot or won them the game.
Miroku had one cup left and it was now Kagome's turn.
Inuyasha couldn't stop himself from stepping forward and resting a large hand on her narrow, delicate, soft and creamy—for fuck's sake, brain!—forearm to stop her shot before she made it. "Let me do it," Inuyasha said, softer than he meant to, inwardly cringing at how he took Miroku's words to heart and was trying to be delicate with her. "We each get one trade off shot, right? Use yours now."
"When I literally just watched you blow your last two shots?" She snorted a scoffing, sarcastic sound. "No way, Inuyasha," she stated firmly, her eyebrows furrowed when her eyes flicked to his. "It's my turn. I'll get it."
Inuyasha crossed his arms with an incredulous exhale through his nose. "She's that confident?"
Kagome steeled her expression—read: she pouted, and it was fucking adorable. "I'll get it," she repeated, her eyes narrowing at him. "What do I get if I land the shot?"
The hopeful surprise was written all over his face before he could stop it. "You—you still wanna—?"
"Sex!" Miroku yelled from the other end of the table, his hands cupped around his mouth to accentuate his volume. A roar of laughter ricocheted around them, prompting Kagome to retreat into her shoulders with a hearty red on her face.
Inuyasha cast Miroku a crude expression and an even ruder gesture with his hands. The hanyou's heart was pounding, which felt a little ridiculous, honestly. Intense physical workouts? Nah, totally fine. Kissing one tiny human woman who was destined to be his? Welcome to pound town. Wait, no, not actual "pound town". Although, he couldn't deny how much he'd love to take her home, smell her arousal on his king sheets. Inuyasha inwardly groaned. For fuck's sake... If Kagome caught sight of his roaring erection, would he be able to blame it on Miroku—for putting ideas in Inuyasha's head?
He sighed outwardly this time. The fact he was getting so worked up over some girl—
Again, that voice inside him gasped with incredulity at his daftness, not just some girl. Mate. She's your mate.
Mate.
The word circled his brain, occupied his mind, devoured every possible thought as Inuyasha could do nothing but stare at her, his heart pounding relentlessly, hopefully.
"I-Inuyasha?"
He flushed when he realized he was just standing there staring at her. Like an idiot! He cleared his throat. "I'm thinkin'."
"About what you want?"
You. I just want you.
"Not exactly."
Her head cocked at that. "What're you thinking about then?"
How to phrase what I want in a way you won't reject it.
When the phrasing appeared in his brain like a Eureka! moment, Inuyasha's lips slid into a cocky half-grin that had Kagome's eyebrow perking up. He took a confident step towards her, his body towering over her by a good head—and she was even wearing heels. Man, she was so much tinier than him.
"You miss that shot, Kagome," he whispered, his voice deeper than he meant, his gaze more intense than he meant for it to be when her quivering coffee stare locked onto his, "and you leave the bar with me tonight."
The oohs that erupted around them were so dramatic, they had Inuyasha scoffing loudly, his cheeks pink. If the noise the crowd made were written down in an online chat it'd be written, OoOoh!
Kagome swallowed obviously, Inuyasha's eyes lingering where her blouse covered the hollow of her throat. Bless her little heart, she lifted her chin in that sweetly defiant gesture that had Inuyasha's balls tingling. She was feisty, and fuck if Inuyasha ever liked that.
"And if I don't miss?" Her voice was hard but there was a breathiness there like she was flustered.
That was all Inuyasha needed to hear before his grin cracked open even wider. He shrugged, forcing his body to appear more indifferent than he felt. "Then you get an IOU."
"An IOU?" she deadpanned.
He shrugged again. "An open favour. To use whenever you want." He met her eye. Arousal and alcohol consumption shook hands in the way her severe brown eyes stared back at him. Her teeth worried her bottom lip. Inuyasha chuckled, the sound resonating in that space where his neck met his chest. "You get to ask me for whatever you want and I won't say no."
Her head tilted back, chin forward, in a cute little showdown. Her eyes narrowed. "Whatever I want?"
"Whatever you want," he echoed, his voice gruffer, his insinuation floating over her skin like a breeze that raised the hair on her arms. When he caught her nipples pebbling from the shockwave of gooseflesh that dimpled her skin, it took all of Inuyasha's willpower not to cup his hardening cock and tell the damn eagerness to relax.
Kagome retreated from him, a blush on her face, her eyes flicking away. "Fine."
"Fine?"
She nodded, blushing harder. "Fine."
Inuyasha grinned. "Fine."
Who would've thought a bunch of gym bros would be hardcore into voyeurism? When the terms were set and agreed upon, the meatheads started cheering Kagome on. Some blatantly wanted her to miss. Others, including many gym bunnies, were shrieking for Kagome to not let him win without a fight, despite the allure of an open-ended IOU.
When Kagome lifted that little white ball in her hand, turning it between her fingers, Inuyasha held his breath. She peered at him from the corner of her eye, lined up her shot, and then paused to look at Inuyasha again. Her gaze was so brief, Inuyasha could have made it up out of wishful thinking. She looked like she was contemplating something. Inuyasha stared at her like he could see the metaphysical cogs turning in her head. The hanyou's eyes narrowed suspiciously, wondering what she was up to.
Kagome cleared her throat, squaring her shoulders, lining them up with her hips—fuck, Inuyasha wanted to grab hold of those hips—and she bent her elbow. She gave a few practice flicks of her wrist that had Inuyasha's brain shooting to the dirtiest places. His cock spasmed against his fly in agreement with the lewd thoughts he had about wanting to watch and feel Kagome flex her wrist in a completely different context.
Her shot looked good, which—Inuyasha was man enough to admit—disappointed him. Not that he didn't mind owing her an open-ended favour, but that situation took the control out of his hands, and Inuyasha liked control, craved it. Arguably, his alpha dog demon instincts demanded control. But Inuyasha shrugged it off, impatiently willing Kagome to hurry up about it and take her damn shot. The suspense was killing him.
When Kagome adjusted her wrist slightly, which would alter the trajectory of the ball, Inuyasha's eyebrows shot up with surprise. She was going to miss with this new angle. She peeked another quick glance at him then looked away, her eyes back on Miroku's lingering cup on the other end of the table.
Once Kagome flicked her wrist and the little ball went soaring through the air in an arc, there was a pregnant pause where only the music lingered. The ball missed the cup by a few inches, the plink plink plink on the table loud before the ping pong ball bounced onto the floor. The crowd ignited with a thunderous OoOoh!
Holy fuck.
Kagome missed the shot.
She missed the shot on purpose.
Inuyasha didn't know what to think. She missed intentionally. Kagome wanted to leave with him.
Kagome wanted to leave with him?!
Miroku was up next. Some wisecrack left his lips, encouraging Kagome to disregard all the notches she'd locate on Inuyasha's bedposts later tonight. Inuyasha cursing a flustered shout at Miroku, the man warded away the half-demon's fury with a laugh and wave of his hands. His tongue poking from the corner of his mouth, drawing a blush from Sango, Miroku lined up his shot and sunk it into Kagome's final cup.
Kagome's red cheeks matched that of her cup when she sputtered out of her gulp and took a step back from the table. Sango quickly came scurrying over, whispering quietly in Kagome's ear. Inuyasha only mildly regretted he didn't hear what the brunette said to her.
It was Inuyasha's turn again, and he spun the white ball between his fingertips.
He was about to line up his shot when he paused and turned to Kagome, taking two broad steps towards her to clear the distance between them. Sango took a defensive step in front of Kagome that had Inuyasha smiling appreciatively at the taller woman for being protective of his mate.
"If I make this next shot, you're gonna tell me why you missed yours on purpose."
He expected her to deny it, to sputter or fight back about how dare you assume I missed on purpose! But Kagome surprised him by merely huffing a laugh and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"And if you miss?"
"Then I guess that IOU is back on the table."
She considered that for a heartbeat before nodding. "Fine."
"Fine."
When Inuyasha landed the shot with a victorious game-ending cheer from those around them, he turned to offer Kagome a gloating, broad smirk that had her rolling her eyes at him with a click of her tongue. Eager to get her to himself for that drink he owed her, Inuyasha wrapped his fingers around her elbow to guide her towards the bar, calling over his shoulder that he and Kagome were retiring from the game.
Once they reached the crowded bar, Kagome turned abruptly to look over her shoulder. When she located Sango, not looking miserable in her one-on-one with Miroku, a small smirk slid up Kagome's face and she turned back to Inuyasha. The hanyou leaned against the bar, his wallet in hand, as he ordered Kagome's whiskey and ginger-ale and himself another wheat beer. A loud silence lingered between them, the music occupying the space between their torsos like a tangible presence. Inuyasha tapped the toe of his shoe to the beat in eagerness to distract himself from the hammering of his heart.
When the bartender returned with their drinks, Inuyasha took a gluttonous swig of his beer before he turned to Kagome, the warmth of the alcohol still sliding down his esophagus.
"So, why'd you miss?"
Kagome took a few tentative sips at her straw, her eyes roving the bar-top with a pause that had Inuyasha growing impatient, antsy, and anxious all in one tangled mess. This woman was exceptionally talented at leaving him a blubbering mess of eagerness.
Her glass was half-empty before she spoke. "Maybe I'm not ready to say goodbye to you just yet."
Inuyasha stared at her like he didn't know what to make of her. "You coulda just told me after the game you wanted to...hang out." Fuck, that sounded lame.
She shook her head, the straw still on her lips. Her cheeks pinkened. "It wouldn't've be the same."
"No?" Inuyasha smiled at her, a small, fragile little curl that had his eyes gleaming.
"No," she answered in a quiet voice. Her cheeks hollowed out from the intensity of her glass-draining swill. Inuyasha flushed at witnessing the long draw of her suction, the power behind her lips that was clearly glossed over during their kiss. She put her glass on the counter and pushed it away with her fingertips. "Now it feels like you won me."
Inuyasha stared at her. "And what have I won, exactly, Kagome?"
She flushed, her eyes meeting his slowly, coyly. "More of my time."
"And?"
"And?"
"What else?
She granted him a teasing little smirk that narrowed her eyes playfully. "You want more from me, Inuyasha, than just my time?"
"Maybe." He smirked back at her.
Inuyasha placed his forearms on the bar-top and leaned his weight into his elbows, clasping his hands together. The change in position brought him closer to Kagome, brushing the slope of her bare shoulder. She leaned against him, her bicep searing his skin beneath the sleeve of his t-shirt. The proximity and smell of her had Inuyasha's smirk blooming up his face, made his body feel warm in spite of the alcohol. She smelled like jasmine and vanilla. Heady, spicy, feminine. He liked it a fuckin' lot.
"You really against dancing with me?"
Inuyasha exhaled a snorty laugh, fighting the heat that wanted to flare from his cheeks. He distracted his fingers with his pint glass. "I might need a few more beers in me first—" He chanced a look at her, smirking when he saw the way she looked at him expectantly, her own little smile curving up from her lips—"but I could probably be tempted."
Her face erupted in a broad, dazzling smile that made his chest feel warm and tight. "So, it sounds like you're taking me to dance and then you're taking me home."
Inuyasha took a drink at the wrong time. He was milliseconds away from choking on his beer. Thankfully, he recovered well enough by clearing his throat a couple times. Meeting her eye, the hanyou couldn't help the laughter that rippled from his throat, shaking his shoulders.
"What?" She asked, her smile faltering as her blush grew. Her eyes paced between his accusingly. "What's so funny?"
He rose to standing, his fingers clenching the bar-top until his knuckles discoloured. The smell and heat of her small frame was getting him hard. His was probably such a shit-eating grin, but he couldn't help it. "I like where your head's at, Kagome."
That just made her blush more. God, he liked getting that reaction out of her. It made him wonder how deep her blush spread when she orgasmed.
Fuck, that thought sent a bolt of heat straight to his cock.
"What do you mean?"
Inuyasha grinned roguishly, adjusting the position of his lower torso to create space in his already tight jeans for his growing erection. "I just said you'd be leavin' with me—that doesn't mean I'll be taking you home."
Her gentle pink turned into a fierce red as she looked away, clearly self-conscious about the assumption.
Inuyasha pounced. "Disappointed?"
"Embarrassed, rather," she answered, not meeting his eye. "You know what they say about making assumptions."
"Feelin' a bit like an ass, Kagome?"
She snorted at that. "So, what was your plan for leaving here with me then? If we're not, you know, going back to your place?"
Inuyasha shrugged, fighting back a grin. "Initially, I just thought we could go grab some food. Maybe a coffee." He shrugged again, indifferent, cool, collected. Definitely not hard.
That's right. Play it cool and not like your insides are a fuckin' volcano burning you from the inside out...
Her head fell to the side as she considered that, her palms wrapping around her empty glass. "Oh, so like...a side quest kinda date."
Inuyasha polished off the remainder of his beer with a cheek-filling swig then motioned the bartender over to order them another round. Inuyasha turned to Kagome, his cheek in his palm as he quirked an eyebrow up at her. "You callin' yourself a side quest kinda girl?"
She shrugged, her blush still visible. Kagome had been wrapping a strand of hair around her finger. As she considered Inuyasha's question, she paused, releasing the lock and tucking it behind her ear. Inuyasha had seen her do that enough times tonight to know she felt uncomfortable. Her voice when she spoke next was timid, unsure. It made Inuyasha clench his jaw.
"Main quest girls get taken home, no?"
When her hand returned to the bar, moving back to clasp her empty cup, like she didn't know what else to do with her fingers, Inuyasha's hand found the back of hers. His skin slid over her knuckles until her full hand was nestled beneath his palm. His pink complementing her red, they both flushed as Kagome slowly flipped her hand over until their palms pressed together. Inuyasha's pink deepened as Kagome slipped her fingers between his. It felt like slow motion that they both were captivated to watch: the drag of her fingers snaking between his.
Nothing had ever felt more right than Kagome's fingers entwined with his, the heat of her palm radiating into his skin. Contact with her, touching her, even as innocently as this, seemed necessary for some reason. Inuyasha knew he'd never be able to go the rest of his life without the sensation of Kagome's skin on his. Her heat seeped into his rime, threatening to thaw his cold, bitter heart.
Inuyasha swallowed past a growing lump in his throat. "How about—" He started saying, his digits curling between her knuckles— "we get a few more drinks in us and then we map out the rest of the night from there? Maybe not make any assumptions about side or main quests just yet?"
Despite the fact you're my mate and abso-fuckin'-lutely my main quest. My only mission.
Kagome's gaze fixated on their hands as her fingers fused around the the back of his hand, holding him snugly. "The rest of the night?" Inuyasha shrugged at her in answer. She smirked back. "You think I'm gonna be with you all night, Inuyasha? Drinking? Having some kind of food? Not being taken home in any sort of capacity?" She sneered at him. "It's the winter solstice, in case you forgot, the longest night of the year. There's a hefty amount of nighttime to kill."
He chuckled at that, his thumb caressing hers. When their next round appeared, Inuyasha took a greedy mouthful, eager to wash away the apprehension that was quivering his insides like a goddamn teenager. "Well, apparently I'm takin' someone dancing against my will. So maybe, after a few spins, we can see where we land from there."