"I was hoping you'd say that."
***
Lachlan passed out within two minutes on the Ferris wheel. I texted Lucy and told her we'd meet her back in the parking lot. Logan carried him to the bed of his truck and laid him down gently, trying not to wake him. We sat on the edge, his arms wrapped tight around me. "I finally got you all to myself."
I laughed into his chest. "You're so needy."
His body bounced with his chuckle. "I know. I just miss the shit out of you. You're kind of my drug." It was quiet for a moment. "I think you need to tell Ethan, and I think you shou—"
"I'm telling him tonight," I cut in. "I decided this morning that the first chance I got, I had to. I hate lying to him. I hate sneaking around."
"Good," Logan said. "And then maybe after that, once he's okay with us, maybe—I mean, you don't have to—but maybe we could stop missing each other and you could just move in."
My head tilted back so I could look him in the eye. "Seriously?"
"Or not." He shook his head, his confidence waning.
"I'd have to wait until someone could take over my rent and room. I can't just leave right away."
A huge grin overcame him. "But that means 'yes', right?"
I bit my lip and nodded.
His hold on me got tighter. "Oh my God," he mumbled, a disbelieving laugh erupted from him. "How the fuck did I get so lucky?" He held my face in his hands, his grin still in place. He kissed me once, twice. Eleventy-three times. Then he pulled back, his gaze roaming all over my face. "You and me," he said. "We're going to make so many damn moments worth remembering."
27
Amanda
"Babe." I could hear Logan's voice, but he sounded far away. "You're home."
I opened my eyes slowly, and took in my surroundings. We were in his truck in the driveway of my house. It was dark outside. We’d hung around and had takeout with his dad after the carnival, I must've fallen asleep on the way home. "My car's at your house."
"Yeah, I know. I didn't want you driving home this tired." He chuckled. "You fell asleep as soon as we got on the highway."
"Oh," I said, still trying to gain my bearings.
"I know you're working tomorrow night, so I was thinking maybe I could pick you up for lunch and we could spend the day together?"
I sat up straighter and rubbed my eyes. "Okay."
He smiled. "So you're still going to talk to Ethan tonight?"
I nodded through a yawn. "Yeah." I looked to the house. The lights were still on.
"Okay," he sighed. "So just call me when you wake up and I'll come and get you."
I scooted closer and put an arm around his waist. "I'll miss you tonight."
Laughing, he lifted my chin with his finger. "You have no idea how much I'll miss you, pretty girl."
"Thank you for today. I had fun." I kissed him once.
He returned it. "Thank you for all my days."
I kissed him again, deeper this time. Pulling away slightly, he whispered, "I'm kind of crazy in love with you, you know that?"
His words made my eyes drift shut. I'd never get sick of him telling me. Ever. I kissed him again, but he cut it short. "You better go. This is going to make me miss you more."
I hugged him and smiled into his arm. "You know what this feels like?"
He laughed quietly. "Our first date?"
"Uh-huh." I nodded.
"I didn't want to say goodbye to you then. I don't want to say goodbye to you now." He turned his entire body to face me. Chewing his lip, he linked our hands between us. "It was the hardest thing to do, saying goodbye to you. Not just that night, but the night I left." His voice broke. "It was the hardest and stupidest decision I've ever made."
"It wasn't stupid," I told him. My eyes dropped to where his thumb skimmed over my tattoos. "Maybe it needed to be done. Who knows? Maybe it wasn't our time then. Maybe we needed that time apart to grow up. Maybe now's our time. Maybe—"
The front door slamming cut me off. "Amanda!"
Ethan.
He walked towards the car, his hand out, blocking the headlights from blinding him. "That better be you."
"Shit," I muttered.
Logan held my hands tighter. "It'll be okay." His words were shaky. He didn't believe it, either.
Ethan got close enough so that the headlights were no longer in his way. Looking into the car, his eyes widened when he saw us. "What the fuck?" he mumbled.
Then something in him switched.
Rage filled his eyes. His jaw clenched. His fists balled.
"Get the fuck out of the car, Amanda!"
"Ethan," I tried to calm him down.
He swiftly moved to the driver's side, opened the door and pulled Logan out. I didn't even have time to react before his fist met Logan's jaw.
"Stop," I screamed. "What are you doing?"
I jumped out and went straight for Logan, but Ethan held on to my arm and pulled me back. "Get in the fucking house, Amanda." His tone was as loud as it was harsh. I heard the front door open and footsteps, but my eyes were fixed on Logan. He stood with his arms stretched and his hands against the side of his truck. He spat blood.
I stepped forward, wanting to go to him.
Ethan blocked my path. His chest heaved with his breaths. "I'm not fucking around, Amanda. Get in the goddamn house."
"Fuck you, Ethan."
"No!" he yelled. "Fuck you, Amanda."
Logan raised his head now, his lip busted, blood pouring from his mouth.
Ethan continued, "Do you know how fucking worried I've been? I've been calling you all fucking day. Your phone's off. I called everyone. Mom's in a fucking panic. I even called Dad!"
I sucked in a breath. The guilt took over. He stepped closer. "The whole fucking day I've been tearing my hair out, and you've been fucking around with him? HIM!" He pointed to Logan, but kept his glare on me. Logan's hands went in his front pockets. "You've been fucking around with him—and behind my fucking back. You knew how I'd feel, because you kept it from me. You knew I'd be pissed and you still fucking did it!" His voice got louder. I took a step back, not wanting to feel the full wrath of his words. "I'm gonna ask you one more time," he said, his voice lowered. "Get. In. The. Fucking. House. NOW!"
"Babe," Logan spoke from behind him. He spat out more blood. "Go," he said quietly. "We're just gonna talk."
Ethan turned to him. "Don't you fucking tell her what to do." He shook his head, and moved closer to him. "Don't you fucking dare talk to her. Your opinion doesn't count anymore, asshole."
Logan just nodded, but his eyes were on me. Pleading.
Then a hand wrapped around my elbow. "C'mon, Dim." Alexis. "Let's just go inside. They have a lot to talk about."
I looked at Logan. He raised his chin slightly.
***
Lachlan passed out within two minutes on the Ferris wheel. I texted Lucy and told her we'd meet her back in the parking lot. Logan carried him to the bed of his truck and laid him down gently, trying not to wake him. We sat on the edge, his arms wrapped tight around me. "I finally got you all to myself."
I laughed into his chest. "You're so needy."
His body bounced with his chuckle. "I know. I just miss the shit out of you. You're kind of my drug." It was quiet for a moment. "I think you need to tell Ethan, and I think you shou—"
"I'm telling him tonight," I cut in. "I decided this morning that the first chance I got, I had to. I hate lying to him. I hate sneaking around."
"Good," Logan said. "And then maybe after that, once he's okay with us, maybe—I mean, you don't have to—but maybe we could stop missing each other and you could just move in."
My head tilted back so I could look him in the eye. "Seriously?"
"Or not." He shook his head, his confidence waning.
"I'd have to wait until someone could take over my rent and room. I can't just leave right away."
A huge grin overcame him. "But that means 'yes', right?"
I bit my lip and nodded.
His hold on me got tighter. "Oh my God," he mumbled, a disbelieving laugh erupted from him. "How the fuck did I get so lucky?" He held my face in his hands, his grin still in place. He kissed me once, twice. Eleventy-three times. Then he pulled back, his gaze roaming all over my face. "You and me," he said. "We're going to make so many damn moments worth remembering."
27
Amanda
"Babe." I could hear Logan's voice, but he sounded far away. "You're home."
I opened my eyes slowly, and took in my surroundings. We were in his truck in the driveway of my house. It was dark outside. We’d hung around and had takeout with his dad after the carnival, I must've fallen asleep on the way home. "My car's at your house."
"Yeah, I know. I didn't want you driving home this tired." He chuckled. "You fell asleep as soon as we got on the highway."
"Oh," I said, still trying to gain my bearings.
"I know you're working tomorrow night, so I was thinking maybe I could pick you up for lunch and we could spend the day together?"
I sat up straighter and rubbed my eyes. "Okay."
He smiled. "So you're still going to talk to Ethan tonight?"
I nodded through a yawn. "Yeah." I looked to the house. The lights were still on.
"Okay," he sighed. "So just call me when you wake up and I'll come and get you."
I scooted closer and put an arm around his waist. "I'll miss you tonight."
Laughing, he lifted my chin with his finger. "You have no idea how much I'll miss you, pretty girl."
"Thank you for today. I had fun." I kissed him once.
He returned it. "Thank you for all my days."
I kissed him again, deeper this time. Pulling away slightly, he whispered, "I'm kind of crazy in love with you, you know that?"
His words made my eyes drift shut. I'd never get sick of him telling me. Ever. I kissed him again, but he cut it short. "You better go. This is going to make me miss you more."
I hugged him and smiled into his arm. "You know what this feels like?"
He laughed quietly. "Our first date?"
"Uh-huh." I nodded.
"I didn't want to say goodbye to you then. I don't want to say goodbye to you now." He turned his entire body to face me. Chewing his lip, he linked our hands between us. "It was the hardest thing to do, saying goodbye to you. Not just that night, but the night I left." His voice broke. "It was the hardest and stupidest decision I've ever made."
"It wasn't stupid," I told him. My eyes dropped to where his thumb skimmed over my tattoos. "Maybe it needed to be done. Who knows? Maybe it wasn't our time then. Maybe we needed that time apart to grow up. Maybe now's our time. Maybe—"
The front door slamming cut me off. "Amanda!"
Ethan.
He walked towards the car, his hand out, blocking the headlights from blinding him. "That better be you."
"Shit," I muttered.
Logan held my hands tighter. "It'll be okay." His words were shaky. He didn't believe it, either.
Ethan got close enough so that the headlights were no longer in his way. Looking into the car, his eyes widened when he saw us. "What the fuck?" he mumbled.
Then something in him switched.
Rage filled his eyes. His jaw clenched. His fists balled.
"Get the fuck out of the car, Amanda!"
"Ethan," I tried to calm him down.
He swiftly moved to the driver's side, opened the door and pulled Logan out. I didn't even have time to react before his fist met Logan's jaw.
"Stop," I screamed. "What are you doing?"
I jumped out and went straight for Logan, but Ethan held on to my arm and pulled me back. "Get in the fucking house, Amanda." His tone was as loud as it was harsh. I heard the front door open and footsteps, but my eyes were fixed on Logan. He stood with his arms stretched and his hands against the side of his truck. He spat blood.
I stepped forward, wanting to go to him.
Ethan blocked my path. His chest heaved with his breaths. "I'm not fucking around, Amanda. Get in the goddamn house."
"Fuck you, Ethan."
"No!" he yelled. "Fuck you, Amanda."
Logan raised his head now, his lip busted, blood pouring from his mouth.
Ethan continued, "Do you know how fucking worried I've been? I've been calling you all fucking day. Your phone's off. I called everyone. Mom's in a fucking panic. I even called Dad!"
I sucked in a breath. The guilt took over. He stepped closer. "The whole fucking day I've been tearing my hair out, and you've been fucking around with him? HIM!" He pointed to Logan, but kept his glare on me. Logan's hands went in his front pockets. "You've been fucking around with him—and behind my fucking back. You knew how I'd feel, because you kept it from me. You knew I'd be pissed and you still fucking did it!" His voice got louder. I took a step back, not wanting to feel the full wrath of his words. "I'm gonna ask you one more time," he said, his voice lowered. "Get. In. The. Fucking. House. NOW!"
"Babe," Logan spoke from behind him. He spat out more blood. "Go," he said quietly. "We're just gonna talk."
Ethan turned to him. "Don't you fucking tell her what to do." He shook his head, and moved closer to him. "Don't you fucking dare talk to her. Your opinion doesn't count anymore, asshole."
Logan just nodded, but his eyes were on me. Pleading.
Then a hand wrapped around my elbow. "C'mon, Dim." Alexis. "Let's just go inside. They have a lot to talk about."
I looked at Logan. He raised his chin slightly.
