Page 7 of Always My Comfort

I wasn’t looking for someone to settle down with. I wasn’t looking for a quick tumble in the sheets either.

I was only focused on my path.

CHAPTER3

Logan

One Year Ago

Nose tucked into a book, knees pulled up to my chest, and glasses sliding down my nose, I curled into myself on the couch as the girl finally succumbed to her feelings for the guy in the book I had started earlier this morning. I had only been reading for the last two hours, hanging onto the edge of the damn sofa to get to this point.

I hadn’t been able to eat, sleep, or move until I read about how she finally admitted she loved the sucker.

“Are you going to shower, babe?” Richard asked from the kitchen, sipping on a green protein shake. Scrunching my nose at his choice of a meal, I shook my head.

“Not right now. Need to finish this,” I muttered, rereading the last sentence again.

“I don’t know why you bother reading those. They all end the same,” he continued the conversation, and I sighed, knowing I had to put the book down. Once he started, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate.

“What do you mean?” I asked, sticking my bookmark between the pages and closing the book.

“Boy meets girl. She, for some reason, won’t be with him, even though she’s attracted, and same for the guy. But then, something tragic happens, and they end up together. Then, boom—they fall in love.” He finished his protein shake with a burp, and I rolled my eyes.

Typical pig.

“I still don’t understand why you’re questioning why I read. Every book is different.” He shook his head, leaving his glass in the sink for me to rinse and put in the dishwasher. He’d grown up being an only child, and his mother just about kissed the ground he walked on, so he didn’t understand the concept of doing chores.

“Seems like a waste of time to me when, you know, they are going to end up together.” He headed for our bedroom, shrugging his shoulders.

“What else would you propose I do?” I asked, humoring him while I pick up the book again.

“Me, of course!” He slammed the door behind him just as I considered tossing one of the decorative pillows at his head.

Pig.

Ignoring him, I got lost between the pages again. A few minutes later, he headed out for his pre-game run, leaving me with peace and quiet.

* * *

A few hours later,I had finished my book, cleaned our apartment, loaded the dishwasher, and showered. After looking over my reflection, I gathered my long, black hair into a ponytail, curled the ends, and swiped a layer of pink gloss to my lips.

It was hot outside today, and the jersey I had to wear with Richard’s last name on it was thick and heavy, making the already unbearable heat suffocating.

I paired his jersey with a pair of cut-off jean shorts, hoping to at least to catch a tan while watching the game. Sticking my ponytail through the back of a baseball cap for the Atlanta Braves, I slid on my Ray Bans and exited the bathroom.

Scarlett was waiting for me in the lounge, channel surfing while her boyfriend, Matt, scrolled through his phone. She threw the controller to the coffee table and stood. “About damn time. I don’t want to have the worst seats, you know?” Matt rolled his eyes but stood and followed her to the front door.

“You do know we have assigned seats, right?” I grabbed my keys and bag from the kitchen and then locked the front door behind us.

“Don’t waste your breath, Logan. Scar here thinks it’s a lotto system.” Scarlett flushed and shoved her boyfriend.

“I do not think that, you oaf. I was just being dramatic because you are late, as usual.” She pointed at me as we exited the building and got into Matt’s white Wrangler.

“Whatever. Sue me for wanting to look good for Rich. You know he likes to take a picture after the game with the paps to show everyone he’s not a playboy.”

Matt and Scarlett shared a look but didn’t say anything as we merged onto the highway toward the stadium where the Atlanta Braves were expected to play the Tampa Bay Rays in just two hours. Richard hadn’t voiced his concerns with me, but I knew he was nervous about the game, mostly because of some player he mentioned his coach was interested in recruiting.

Said player would be sharing the role of pitcher with Richard, and he hated the idea of an alternative for days when his coach thought he wasn’t good enough.

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