Page 21 of Fraternizing with the Enemy
Logan’s eyes once more rose to mine, though sharper this time. “Do you like it? Going to Brentwood?”
“Absolutely.”
“You like all your friends?”
I thought about Riley, Ashton, and Kyle, and that was suddenly more complicated. “I like being a cheerleader,” I said confidently, even though that wasn’t quite his question. “I think that helps make school fun, you know? Being the one who rallies everyone up, gets them excited. It can be annoying sometimes, though. Like how everyone’s pushing me to date the quarterback so we can be the next power couple.”
I shouldn’t have said it. The words lingered weirdly, especially the D word.Date. It almost felt awkward.I don’t want to date him, I wanted to say to Logan now.I want to date you.
“What if you liked a guy that was a loser?” Logan asked, and we paused at the crosswalk. He didn’t ask me where my car was parked; he just followed along. “The guy people pick on. Outcast. Not the quarterback, but a dweeb?”
I fought the urge to scrunch my nose, because he seemed weirdly serious. “It probably wouldn’t work,” I said. “We’d be too different.”
Logan nodded slowly, like he understood, but the question itself confused me. Surely he couldn’t mean himself, because Logan was anything but a dweeb. Fit, tall, smiley—there was no way he was calling himself a loser. I mean, sure, he had a few… awkward tendencies—like enjoying mini golf and announcing my arrival to Expresso’s as if the Queen of England had opened the door—but nothing fatal flaw-worthy.
We came to my car all too soon, the red sedan parallel parked on the street. Before heading to the driver’s side door, I hesitated. “I’ll wait for you in front ofthe office tomorrow,” I told Logan. He stood with the sun behind him, the rays threading through his golden hair, making it almost look as if it were glowing. “I’ll be in my cheer uniform. Hard to miss.”
Logan caught my hand in his, and I immediately stilled. His skin was warm where it caressed mine, the pad of his thumb slipping smoothly over the backs of my knuckles. Sparks tingled in his wake.
“You don’t…” He let out a small breath. “You don’t have to wait for me. In the morning, before school.”
“I want to.”
“I’m someone who chronically runs late.”
“And I’m someone who chronically keeps people on track.” I batted my lashes. “It’s one of my job descriptions, you know.”
He didn’t laugh. “You’re really sweet, you know. You have your heart on your sleeve.” Logan’s voice lowered. “You should be more careful with it.”
“Will you break it?” I meant to sound flirtier, but the words came out breathy.
Logan’s gaze lifted to mine, and it lingered—quiet, thoughtful. Like he was trying to memorize something, too. “Someone will,” he said instead, dragging his thumb once more over my skin. I fought the urge to close my eyes. “If you’re not careful.”
“It’s a good thing I have good instincts.” I squeezed his fingers, warm and solid in mine, and before I could think twice—before I could chicken out—I rose onto my tiptoes and kissed the edge of his cheek. His skin was warm and impossibly smooth beneath the curve of my lips, and for one strange second, it felt like the world stopped turning—just a blink in time where something changed.
My first kiss. Technically.
Logan was totally worthy of it.
I sank back onto my heels slowly, my stomach fluttering. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” I asked, almost shyly now.
But in the moment I’d kissed his cheek, something had changed. Logan didn’t smile. Didn’t laugh, didn’t tease, didn’t even blink. His expression shifted, subtle but sharp, like I’d hit him instead of kissed him. His eyes—shuttered before—were wide now. Unguarded.
For a second, he just… stared. Like he was trying to process what just happened. What it meant.
I could’ve grinned like an idiot.Did I just make his heart flutter?
Logan’s grip on my hand tightened. Barely there, but enough, as if to sayno, don’t go yet. “You’ve got more ahead of you than just Brentwood,” he murmured, and that low tone he used matched his expression. “Don’t stay stuck in high school.”
His words made me actually flinch. He hadn’t spoken unkindly, but he also hadn’t spoken lightly. I couldn’t shake the accusation that seemed laced in his voice. “I’m not,” I immediately protested, but my voice didn’t have the strength it’d possessed a moment ago. “I’m not.”
“Good.” Logan lifted his blue gaze to mine, and it lingered. Searching. I had no idea what for. He regarded me almost… wistfully. Was that the right word? As if this was going to be the final time we saw each other. Not the beginning, but the end. “I should get back.”
My inner flirt had totally disappeared. The back-and-forth banter had evaporated at his line.You’ve got more ahead of you than just Brentwood. Don’t stay stuck in high school.Logan had backed down immediately,which made me wonder why he had felt it was so important to say in the first place. Was it because of what we said earlier, about Brentwood being high in the gossip department?
I should’ve asked—but for the first time since I met Logan, my stomach turned in a way that didn’t feel good.
In a way that had me thinking about Maisie Matthews.
