Page 79 of That Last Secret
“It’s very legal.” He smirks.
“I hope you know you’ll have to make this for me weekly now.”
I want to regret the words as soon as I say them, but I also want to spend more time with him. Only if he says—
“That works for me,” he replies without hesitation.
“Really?”
“I’ve been lying to myself long enough. I’ve been avoiding you because I’ve been terrified to let these feelings grow into more.”
“I’m so tired of fighting it,” I confess.
“I am, too,” Logan says, looking down. “But I told you I can’t do relationships, and that hasn’t changed. I just… can’t.” He shakes his head as if he’s trying to gather his thoughts.
The way Logan just told me that leads me to believe there is more to him under the surface that he doesn’t show everyone. There’s a deeper meaning to why he can’t do relationships.
I want to ask him, but it’s already been a charged night.
“I’m also nowhere near ready to tell your brothers that I’ll be spending more time with you,” he adds.
“Yeah, they can’t find out.” I nod. “That would be a recipe for disaster.”
“But…” Logan finally lifts his head to look at me. “I can’t ask you to carry another secret. Us hanging out would be a pretty big one. I fear what any of your brothers would do to me if they found out. I think they might actually murder me and make it look like an accident.” He laughs. “So if it’s too much, tell me now.”
I offer him a smile, turning my hand over until he places his hand in mine. “I didn’t ask you to carrymysecret with you, and you’re doing it willingly for me.”
“What do you want this to be then, Em?”
“Whatever you want it to be, Logan.” I shrug. “I told you I can’t do the whole relationship thing either. At least not right now with school. So, good friends?” I ask.
Logan looks at me intently. His tongue rolls across his lower lip as his eyes trail my body once before meeting my eyes again. He still doesn’t offer an agreement, picking up the now empty plate from the counter and putting it in the sink.
Then he rounds the island to where I’m sitting and stands over me.
“Thebestof friends, Emiline.” He grins wickedly.
The way he says it sends chills through every single nerve in my body. If I don’t walk away now, I’m going to do something veryunfriendlyto him, and I don’t have time for that.
I have an exam in the morning.
That should be my only focus.
“Well.” I stand from the barstool. “I’m going to head to bed. Big day tomorrow and all. Lock up on your way out,bestie,” I shout nervously before going down the hallway to my room without a passing glance.
I close the door behind me and let myself fall to the floor.
In for three. Out for three.
This will be one interestingfriendship.
My alarm wakesme at six, the way it always does the morning of an exam. I like to give myself some time to have coffee and a good breakfast and review the material one more time.
Instead of making coffee first, I decide to sit at my small desk and flip through my study guides. I don’t know if it was the conversation with Logan last night or the panic attack knocking me out, but I slept like a rock.
I slept better than I have in months if I’m being honest.
With each page flip of the review book, my confidence grows. With each line I read over, I knew the answer and felt good about it. Once I’m done, I go back to the pages I flagged to review those again, just to be sure.