Page 159 of Collision
“What? No, absolutely not. You…you haven’t done anything wrong.” I use my fork to poke at the pizza crust.
“So what’s going on?”
“Logan…” I put my fork on the pizza box and turn to face him. “Some things happened while you were away.”
“Meaning?” he asks frowning.
I lower my eyes and bite my lip. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I gulp, cover my face with my hands and then finally spit it out: “Before you left, you said that when you returned you would want an answer from me, remember?”
“Is that what this is all about? Did you get scared?” He touches my hand but the moment he tries to interlace our fingers, I pull away.
“No, I didn’t get scared.” I sigh and try to ignore the clenching in my stomach. “Believe me, the last thing I want to do is hurt you. You deserve honesty, though. You deserve it because I would want it if I were in your place and because you’ve always been good to me. Being honest is the least I can do.”
“Okay…”
“I can’t be with you, Logan. I can’t because…I don’t feel the same way about you that you feel about me.” He sits silently, just staring at me, as if he is trying to process what I’ve just told him.
“You’re ending it?”
I nod softly. It’s the only thing I can do right now.
“Wow…jeez.” He pauses, and for a moment he looks incredulous. Then he gives me a serious look before saying, “Maybe I should have expected this. After all, you didn’t contact me while I was gone and never answered my calls.”
“I really am sorry.”
He seems to be thinking something over. “But it’s not just that, is it?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are you ending things with me because you don’t have feelings for me or because you have feelings for someone else?”
I let the silence stretch out for a long time before I answer. Be honest, Vanessa.
“I have feelings for someone else.”
Logan lets out a bitter laugh. “Thomas,” he says resignedly.
I nod again as I try to puzzle out his face. I can see acknowledgment, sadness, and anger in it. So much anger.
“Are you with him?”
“No,” I answer quickly.
“No?”
“Or rather, yes.” Sigh. “Actually, it’s complicated.”
“Are you his girlfriend, yes or no?” he asks, clearly needled.
“No.”
“Good.”
I blink in confusion. “Good?”
“Vanessa, I like you. I want to be with you. And if to do that, I have to wait for you to realize just how wrong Thomas is for you, then that is what I’ll do.” He gently touches my cheek, but I shake him off.
“Sorry, did you not hear what I just said?”
