Page 86 of Collision
“I know enough. I know that he’s kind and polite. And, most importantly, he knows what he wants.” I underscore the sentiment by lifting my chin, proud of this small, but effective, dig. “And if we’re being honest, I don’t know anything about you either. The one time I tried to find out, you shut me down.”
He clenches his jaw: he has taken the blow.
“Listen.” I take a deep breath and try to calm down. “I don’t want to argue with you now. If you’re worried about me, you have no reason to be, okay? We’ve gone out a couple of times, I assure you he’s a good guy.”
“There are weird rumors going around about him. So no, I’m not comfortable knowing that you’re with him.” He looks me straight in the eye as he says it, and I can’t help but wonder why everyone seems to have something against Logan?
“I don’t know what you’ve heard, but he’s been nothing but good to me so far. He’s nice and well-mannered. People always talk, they say all sorts of things, but that doesn’t mean they should be believed.”
As soon as Logan reaches our table, Thomas gets up abruptly. “I’ve got class, I’d better go,” he blurts out, obviously on edge.
“Thomas…” I mutter dejectedly. I would like to grab his hand to stop him from leaving, but I restrain myself. After all, he’s the one whowanted to be friends. And he can’t throw a fit every time Logan gets near me.
Thomas rounds the table and comes up behind me. He leans over me, grabbing my chin with one hand and urging me to tilt my face toward him. I gasp at the unexpected gesture and, when his rough jaw draws close to my cheek, I shudder. It is the first real contact I’ve had with him in more than a month. Without giving me time to understand his intentions, he plants a kiss just a little too close to the corner of my mouth.
“See you around, stranger,” he whispers in my ear, never taking his eyes off Logan. Then he leaves.
I sit there, stunned, trying to decide what just happened even though I’m pretty sure I already know.
He wanted to mark his territory.
This realization triggers a wave of anger in me. He has no right to lay claim to me! What the hell?
“Hey,” Logan greets me in a small voice, embarrassed by the scene he was forced to witness. “Are you two talking again?” he asks me, his blue eyes boring into mine as he sits down next to me.
I sigh and try to shake off the familiar tension I feel whenever Thomas is around. “It seems so, but to be honest, I don’t know how long it’s going to last.”
“I don’t know why you’re still wasting your time,” he says with ostentatious nonchalance, but I can tell by the way he clenches his jaw that he’s trying to suppress some irritation. And who could blame him? Thomas was doing his best to provoke him. He takes my hand, intertwining our fingers and kissing the back. If there is one thing I like about Logan, it’s that he lets me set the pace; even though we’ve been on four dates already, he’s never tried to kiss me. He wants me to take that step. Even physically, he’s Thomas’s opposite. No piercings, no ink on his skin, no intimidating appearance that makes you uncomfortable. He’s a good guy, the kind that makes your life easier.
“This thing between you two…” He looks at me, growing serious. “I don’t have anything to worry about, do I?”
“No, of course not.” I take a sip of coffee, shifting in my seat. Iwasn’t expecting that kind of question.
“Are you sure? Because I got a vibe that… I don’t know, I don’t like it. And I certainly haven’t forgotten the way he treated me that day in class. Not to mention the way he looked at me just now: he looked like he wanted to take me apart. He doesn’t seem like someone who’s playing with a full deck.”
“He…he’s not so bad.” I feel compelled to defend him; even though he did hurt me emotionally, he was never a danger to me. “In any case, you have nothing to worry about, really. We’ve settled our differences, but it’s nothing more than that.” I smile to reassure him.
“I always wondered why you guys fought. I mean, I was with you at the time, but I admit to not having understood much about it.” He looks at me expectantly, waiting for an answer.
“Oh, the usual stuff, you know… His temper meets my stubbornness and, boom, the bomb goes off. Nothing major, in any case.” I seem to have convinced him.
“By the way, I have bad news. Unfortunately, I have to cancel our bowling date for tomorrow.” He rubs his forehead.
I give him a sad look. “How come?”
“I have to go back to Medford. My grandmother’s birthday is at the end of October, and the whole family gets together to celebrate. It’s a tradition. But it had slipped my mind when I suggested going out to the bowling alley.”
“I understand. How long will you be gone?”
“A week, I leave in the morning.”
“Oh, then you could come see me at the bar this evening,” I suggest, smiling.
“You know I don’t like that place. Besides, you’d be working. I can’t get the time with you that I’d like.”
“I know, but during the week there’s not as much hustle and bustle. And we aren’t going to see each other for days…” I say, doing my best impression of a pleading doe.
“Okay, okay. It’s impossible to say no to those big eyes. Now I’ve got to go, I need to pack my bags.”
