Page 20 of Fraternizing with the Enemy
I had the strongest urge to dig in my heels. “I don’t mind hanging out til you close.”
“It’s a deep clean night. That’s why there are two of us so late.”
I let him lead me to the front of the café, and Logan held the door open for me to pass through. His coworker watched us leave with a frown, one I fought the urge to return. “Long work the day before school starts,” I said to Logan once he came up to my side on the sidewalk.
“Yeah.” He gave a mock sad face, puffing his lower lip, before saying, “Which probably means we should skip our phone call tonight. It’ll be late.”
I don’t care if it’s late, I wanted to say, but narrowly kept the words in. Didn’t need to seem too eager. “No worries.”
The sun was warm as we made our way back down Gent Street, and I thanked whatever gods were responsible for the full parking spaces earlier, because Logan had to walk me all the way back to Chestnut.
The backs of our hands brushed as we walked, and I was hyperaware of it. His knuckles whispered against mine, a glancing touch that teased my heartrate higher and higher. I imagined making the first move, allowing my pointer finger to hook around his, to draw his hand into mine like a spider into a web.
Just a fraction of a touch caused me to spiral. I was down so bad.
“Don’t you think it’s a little weird?” I asked, purposefully walking slower. I wondered if he noticed. “How well we clicked?”
Logan matched my pace, reaching up and pushing his hair out of his eyes. “No. Is it weird?”
“It’s only been a week, but it doesn’t feel like that.”
Logan just was… easy. Effortless. I could’ve told him my whole life story a day after knowing him. He laughed at my bad jokes, and I laughed at his truly abysmal ones, and it just felt right. Normal.
I mean, we barely knew each other—likereallyknew each other. So why did it feel like we’d been doing this forever? Like we just fit.
Logan scratched the side of his neck. “I can’t imagine I’m that special.”
“You are. Your favorite ice cream flavor is mint chip. You like Untapped Potential. You like football. We’re, like, the same person.”Or like my soulmate.
Logan shot me a quick look before turning back to the sidewalk. “Except you look much better in a cheer uniform than I would.”
The butterflies in my stomach fluttered to life. “I don’t know,” I said, straining to maintain my flirty tone. “I’ll need proof to decide.”
That grin—the one I’d come to adore—spread across his face again, sudden and bright, like it surprised even him
“Did you get your schedule yet?” I asked him.
Logan blinked a few times. “My schedule?”
“For classes.”
“Oh. Ah. No. The office said they’d print me off one tomorrow. Something about a… clerical error.”
“My mom said that there’ve been a lot of things like that lately,” I said, nodding. “A secretary quit just before the school year was over last spring, and the new workload wasn’t divided equally, I guess. Something like that.When my mom talks principal stuff, I kind of tune it out.” My brain was already planning ahead. “If you get there early, we can do a walkthrough of your way to classes. I promise I’ll make your transition into a new school as smooth as possible.”
Another strange look popped across his expression. I wanted to reiterate again that he truly had nothing to worry about—boys as cute as him thrived in Brentwood society. “You seem really excited,” he murmured, and his knuckles slid against mine again. And again, another zing of electricity shot through me.
“Duh.” I gave a little chuckle. “Like I said, people are going to love you. You’ll need a username when you make a Babble profile. Ooh, and we should start brainstorming recommendations for your potential headlines.”Transfer Hottie Has His Sights on A Certain Babe!That had a great ring to it, didn’t it?
“Babble,” Logan echoed as he slid his other hand into the pocket of his apron, still leaving the other out to brush mine. “I’m not really into gossiping.”
“You’re going to hate going to Brentwood, then.”
I’d meant it as a joke, but a thought weighed a little longer on my mind. If he wasn’t into gossiping… would Logan survive well in the Top Tier? Would he be like Landon, who seemed like he would jump ship from the friend group the first second he had the chance? Would he be like Connor, apathetic? Would Logan find it shallow?
Would he findmeshallow?
I wasn’t, of course. But what if he got the wrong impression?
