Page 154 of Collision
“What else was she supposed to tell me? Is there something I don’t know?” I ask.
“No, of course not. I’m just sorry that she treats you that way.” He smiles at me and continues. “But maybe we should stop talking about her. Let’s not give her importance that she doesn’t deserve. So, what did you want to tell me?” I give him a dubious look. “Before Shana came, it seemed like you were about to tell me something,” he explains.
Damn, my speech. I clear my throat and begin picking at the cuticles on my hands again, looking, from time to time, over at the paper wrapped roses to my right. I am here at the moment of truth, and though I hate the idea of doing it here with all my heart, I cannot wait any longer.
I let out a long sigh. “Logan, listen…I need to tell you something.”
The gentleness of his face only makes it harder.
“Tell me.”
“Well, I’m not…I’m not very good at this sort of thing, so I don’t really know where to start…”
I am interrupted again, this time by his phone ringing. And, suddenly, I can breathe again. Logan pulls the phone out of his pants pocket. He looks at the display, then frowns. He seems annoyed.
“Sorry, but I have to take this,” he tells me.
“Sure, go ahead,” I say. Will I be able to talk to him by the end of the day?
“Mike, I’m busy, what is it? Yes… Are you kidding? Can’t you call your brother? Oh, come on.” He rubs his forehead, irritated. “ All right, all right. Yeah, I know. I’m coming. Give me a minute to get there, I’m leaving campus now. Bye.” He ends the conversation and, with his eyes still on the phone, shakes his head slightly.
“Everything all right?” I ask.
“Not really. A friend’s car broke down just outside of the city, and he wants me to pick him up.” He puts his phone back in his pocket and gets up from his chair. “That’s okay with you, right?”
I instinctively get up along with him. “Sure, of course it is.”
“Okay, we can save this conversation to another time. Would you like to have dinner together tonight?”
I lower my eyes to the tray that had, until recently, held my dinner and then look back at Logan. Tackling this conversation privately would actually make my conscience feel more at ease. So I nod, because I really just want to put an end to this thing as soon as possible.
“I’ll make a reservation at the restaurant, pick you up in an hour?”
Restaurant? Absolutely not. Terrible place to dump someone. Although, to be fair, Logan and I are not technically together.
“Um, honestly, I’d actually prefer somewhere more private. If that’s okay with you. Besides, it’s already after eight o’clock. I don’t want to be out too late.” I shrug.
“Okay,” he says, still not entirely convinced, and slips on his jacket. “Let’s order a pizza at my place, then?”
This suggestion seems even more inappropriate than the last, but I don’t see any alternative.
“Okay,” I reply in a small voice. “I’ll wait for you right here.”
“Good. I’ll see you in a bit.” He grabs the roses from the table, walks over and puts them back in my hands. Then he lifts my chin with two fingers and, staring intently into my eyes, says, “I’m going to hold you to that—don’t run away.” He kisses me on the cheek, lingering a bit more than necessary.
And I get the strangest feeling in my stomach. Almost nauseating, as if every inch of my body is suddenly rejecting this small contact.
“I’m not running away,” I answer with a tiny smile.
Logan winks at me and leaves the cafeteria. I watch him walk away and only then do I realize that Thomas is here. He’s standing at the back of the cafeteria, with his arms folded, leaning back against the wall. He’s surrounded by a few guys from the team, but he’s staring at me, and the look he gives me makes my blood run cold. The full body shivers I had felt earlier are back and even more intense.
Oh, God. Thomas.
How long has he been standing there?
Forty-One
I remain riveted by the sheer force of his stare. Thomas’s face tilts slightly. His eyes move from my eyes to the roses I hold in my hands. From the roses to my cheek, which, until a few moments ago, had Logan’s lips attached to it. And finally he comes back to my eyes.
