Page 33 of The Surrogate Omega, Part One

I send it and wait. In the time it takes me to drink one sip of my coffee, my phone starts ringing. I hide my smile as I answer my phone.

“Hello?”

“You little shit! You just casually throw in that you’re going on a date with Logan and think I won’t notice? When the hell did you and Logan become a thing?”

I have to bite back my laughter. “Gods, Lu, it’s brand new, and besides, there’s not much to tell yet. We’re not even a thing. I don’t exactly know what we are, but all I can say is that it makes me happy.”

Lucy squeals into my ear. “This is so exciting! I know I just met you guys, but the minute I saw you and Logan together, I thought, oh, this is why there was no chemistry between Ev and me, because of this guy. Then I just sat back and waited to see if y’all would ever get your heads out of your asses. I’m glad I didn’t have to wait long.”

“You’re ridiculous, Lu. We’re taking our time. Logan thought he was completely straight until a week ago, and now he’s interested in two guys. And Lake, he’s special, but also completely innocent. We’re going to go slow, and I’m fine with that.”

“But, you’re going on a date tonight, right? So that’s a good start.”

I smile as something settles inside of me. “Yes, it’s a really good start.”

“I want all the details. Who’s planning it? Where are you going? Do you plan to get lucky tonight?”

“Get lucky? What are we, 60? And I don’t know. I’m certainly not going to say no, but I don’t think we’re ready for that. Logan’s planning it. I wanted to, but he insisted.”

“Aww, that’s adorable. So, he’s not freaking out?” she asked.

I rummage through my cabinets as I think of my answer until I find the cereal I was looking for. Grabbing a bowl, I pour some cereal and milk inside before answering.

“I don’t think so. Logan has always taken everything in stride and rolled with the punches. It doesn’t seem like he’s handling this any differently.”

“And how about you?”

My face scrunches in confusion even if Lucy can’t see me. I lean against the counter, the phone resting between my shoulder and ear, as I eat. “Me? Lu, I’ve known I was bi since I was thirteen.”

“Yeah, I didn’t mean that. But you and Logan have been besties for what, fifteen years?”

“Eighteen, actually, but yeah.”

“That’s a long time to be that close to a person that you clearly are attracted to. And don’t deny it. I saw it the first time I met Logan.”

She’s not wrong. I let myself forget about it for a long time, but Logan was my first crush, and it never completely went away. “So it’s probably a bit of a shock that he’s suddenly interested in you as more than friends. And then add in whatever is going on with Lake—it’s a lot.”

I sigh and shove a bite of cereal into my mouth. I really need to get better about my eating habits. And the gym. I typically work out four days a week, but the last couple of weeks I’ve been slacking. Ugh, when did life get so complicated? And why does Lucy have to be so brutally fucking honest and completely burst the bubble I’ve built around me?

“I haven’t thought about it much. It’s not like he purposely pushed me to the side. I do wonder what changed though. But it feels right now, so I’m not going to dwell on it.”

Lucy is quiet for a moment before answering. “That’s fair. I really am happy for you, but don’t bottle it in. If you need to talk to me, or hell, even Logan, about how you’re feeling, you need to do so. You know Logan’s not going to get mad at you for expressing your feelings.”

She’s right. Logan would never hold it against me. But there’s no need to rock the boat. I know he’d never mean to hurt me, even if he did. I don’t want to make him feel guilty. He’s going through enough.

Since I know Lucy won’t accept that answer, I just say, “Thanks, Lu. You’re the best.” Lucy snorts, knowing I’m deflecting, but she doesn’t call me on it.

“I gotta go, babe. I have to get this project done before tonight,” I tell her, and it’s not even a lie.

“Yeah, ok. I’ll let the lame excuse go for now. Have fun tonight, and seriously, I want details. Don’t shut me out for a week, ok?”

“I won’t. I really am sorry about that.”

“I know you are. It’s fine. Talk to you later.”

“Bye, Lu.” I hang up with a chuckle and turn to dump my empty bowl in the sink and crash right into Logan. Literally.

“Oh, hey, Lo,” I say awkwardly, complete with a little wave.Wow, real smooth, Ev. Times like this have been extremely uncomfortable between Lo and me for the last few days. For the most part, it seems like nothing changed, but then there’s times like right now, which feel like the morning after, even though we didn’t fuck or do anything remotely sexual, and I don’t know how to handle it. Plus, I have no idea how much of that conversation he heard.

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