Page 89 of Staying Selfless

I feel like I’m on a first date, and everyone is eagerly watching and judging every move, but it’s not that big of a deal that he and I are cool now, is it?

Zanders offers some awkward smiles to my family and friends before turning to head towards the exit, but Logan stops him by grabbing his forearm.

“Thank you so much for coming.” She opens her arms and wraps them around him in a hug.

Zanders hesitates for a moment until he realizes what’s happening and returns her embrace. When they pull away, I can see the grateful smile on his face and the thankful one on hers before he leaves the waiting room and heads back to Ohio.

Mary kisses me on the cheek, and Marc pats my shoulder as the group all heads towards the exit, wanting to get home.

But before I make a move, Logan comes up to me and presses her cheek into my chest while wrapping her arms around my waist. I can’t do much to hold her since I’m using these crutches to stand, so I just place my head on hers.

Even though she’s wearing a brave poker face, I can sense her worry through the tightness in which she’s holding onto me.

“I’m okay,” I whisper to her.

“I know.” She hides away in my chest. “But you scared the shit out of me.”

“I’m sorry, baby, but I’m alright.”

“I can’t have something happen to you, too.” She pulls away to look at me but keeps her hands grasping my waist.

My heart instantly sinks for her. With everything she’s been through, I don’t want her to constantly live in fear that something terrible will happen to the people she loves.

“I promise. Nothing is going to happen to me.”

Back at my parent’s house, Logan sets up the couch for me in an all too familiar way, not wanting me to climb the stairs tonight. In the meantime, I take the quickest, most awkward, standing-on-one-foot shower of my life.

When I come back out, I’m greeted with a bowl of pasta made by Mary and a bag of ice waiting in Logan’s hands.

“Let’s get you set up on the couch,” Logan suggests as my parents, Marc, and Ali head into the dining room to eat.

I hobble over to the sofa on my crutches before plopping myself down. Logan builds a stack of pillows under my ankle before placing the bag of ice over the swelling and bruising, wrapping it securely in place.

She hands me my bowl of pasta. “Thanks, baby. Are you going to eat?” I ask, noting the lack of food in her hands.

“I’m not hungry right now.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she says, unconvincingly, with the shake of her head as she avoids my eye contact.

I place my dinner on the coffee table as I grab her hand, pulling her to sit on my lap.

“I’m fine.” I wrap my arms around her waist, hiding my face in her neck. I pull her down to lay on me as I stroke the length of her arm, trying to make her feel better.

She nods her head against me. “I don’t think I’ll ever get that image out of my head. There were a few seconds when you were just lying on the ice, and you weren’t moving at all,” she adds quietly as her voice cracks.

“Logan, I’m okay.”

She turns into me, cupping my face with her hand, her piercing emerald eyes searching mine. She places her warm pouty mouth against my lips as I try to reassure her with my kiss.

“I love you,” I remind her, speaking against her mouth.

“I love you too, Eli. I honestly cannot handle losing someone else, so I’m going to need you to promise me that nothing is going to happen to you.”

“Nothing is going to happen to me. I’m going to live to be so old that it’s going to be awkward as fuck that I’m still alive. I’m going to be over a hundred, wearing a diaper and shit, but I’ll still be kicking.”

Logan laughs in my embrace. “Diaper and shit. Sounds hot, babe.”

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