Fallen Crest Alternative Version
Page 68
“Mason,” I started. Logan had feelings for me. It had been said. I couldn’t undo that.
“No.” He shook his head, holding a hand up. “I can’t deal with that right now. I have to deal with what I might be able to control.” He lifted me back to my feet and got up, pulling his phone out as he went into the bedroom.
My knees shook so I sat on the toilet, but I could hear him through the opened door, “Nate? You know where Logan is?” A pause. “Find him.” A second pause. “He knows, Nate, or he will. She figured it out. She’s going to tell him.” He sighed, “Yeah, I’ll figure something out.”
I couldn’t move. It felt like an eternity before Mason came back. His eyes were bleak and he rested his head against the doorframe, holding my gaze.
“What are you going to do?”
“Wait.” He looked down, but I saw the pain. It flashed in his eyes. His shoulders were slumped down. His entire demeanor was defeated. Then he murmured, “I can’t do anything else right now.”
We stayed there like that. It seemed like an entire night passed us by, but then he came over and carried me to his bed. We didn’t bother with the blankets. He laid me down and then got beside me. We didn’t cuddle. We didn’t even hold hands. We just stayed there and waited.
That was the longest night of my life.
Logan never came back.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
We didn’t hear from Logan that night or the next day. Happy birthday to me. When I woke up, Mason was gone. He stayed away most of the day but came back in the late afternoon dripping from sweat carrying a basketball. Nate trailed behind him, plopping down at the table as Mason disappeared up the stairs.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” I frowned. What does one say in the aftermath of an earth-shattering revelation? Apparently, it was ‘hey.’ I stored that away for future use. “You guys were playing basketball all day?”
“Yeah.” Nate bent down, untied his shoes, and kicked them off. He jerked a thumb in Mason’s direction. “When he’s stressed, he doesn’t talk.”
I gritted my teeth. I was his girlfriend. I should’ve known that. “That’s good to know.”
“Yeah.” Frowning, he craned his neck. “Is Mousteff in there? Mason said we could eat here before that party tonight.”
“What party?”
“Dumbshit’s party. That one that your dad’s wife is catering for, you know, that guy?”
“Do you really not know his name?” I couldn’t believe it.
“Wanker.” Nate flashed a grin. “That’s all Logan calls him and Mason doesn’t talk about him. He doesn’t care, so yeah. I guess I don’t know his name. What is it?”
“Peter.”
He snorted. “I’ll stick with Wanker.”
Irritation was boiling up, but Mousteff came from the kitchen at that moment. He set a plate in front of Nate with a sandwich, chips, and another big chunk of meat. Then he turned to me. “Would you like anything?”
“No thanks.”
Nate took a huge bite out of the sandwich and pointed it at me. “You need to eat more.”
“Why are you not worried about Logan?”
He paused, then took a second big bite. Half the sandwich was gone. “I don’t know. He’ll be mad, but he’ll get over it. Those two fight.”
“I’ve never seen them fight.”
“But they do and they have in the past. They’re always fine. They’ll be fine again.”
I sighed and lifted my feet to the chair. Hugging my knees against me, I rested my head on them and let out a deep breath. The knots in my stomach wouldn’t go away. No matter what Nate said, I knew things weren’t going to be fine. They wouldn’t go back to normal, not with me. Somehow my relationship with them was going to change. A knot tightened, twisting in me. I only hoped I wouldn’t lose both of them.
Hearing Mason on the stairs, I looked up and saw he had showered. He pulled his shirt down as his jeans rode low on his hips. When he saw me watching, he frowned. “You’re going like that?”
“What?”
“The party. We should go.” He dropped into the chair next to Nate.
“You’re going to the party?”
“Well, you have to go. I figured I should go with you. Those are your friends, right?”
“I attacked Miranda last night.”
“Exactly. That bitch will be there. Let’s go and find out what she said to Logan.”
It made sense now. I glanced down at my jeans and sweatshirt. Then I shrugged. I was starting not to care what anyone thought of how I dressed.
Nate slid his plate over to Mason. When he took the other half of the sandwich, Nate popped a chip in his mouth and asked, “You want me to come too?”
Mason hesitated, then said, “No. Stay here in case Logan shows up.”
“You want me to wait here?”
“Yeah. Watch the game downstairs. Call a girl over.”
Nate bobbed his head and tossed another handful of chips in his mouth. He said around them, “That sounds like fun. I’ll do that. You don’t mind if I get a blowjob on your dad’s couch?”
Mason frowned at him. “Did you really just ask me that?”
“True. Logan lives here.” He wrinkled up his nose. “Maybe I should put a blanket on the couch.”
Or Logan did live here.
I was horrified at my own thought. I couldn’t think like that. Logan wasn’t Garrett. He wasn’t David. He wasn’t Analise. He was coming back. He had to.
Mason was watching me, and my eyes widened when I saw his gaze on me. A dark look flashed in them, but then he shook his head. The look was gone when he asked, “Are you ready to go?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I murmured, but stood and followed him to the car. It was after we had gone a few blocks that I asked, “Are we going to talk about it?”
As I asked that, I watched. His hand tightened around the steering wheel before he replied, “About what?”
“Mason.”
He never looked over. His gaze remained straight ahead. There was no outward reaction, but I felt the shift. He closed himself off from me.
“Logan has feelings for me.” I paused, holding my breath. “What she said was right, wasn’t it?”
“No.” He shook his head, holding a hand up. “I can’t deal with that right now. I have to deal with what I might be able to control.” He lifted me back to my feet and got up, pulling his phone out as he went into the bedroom.
My knees shook so I sat on the toilet, but I could hear him through the opened door, “Nate? You know where Logan is?” A pause. “Find him.” A second pause. “He knows, Nate, or he will. She figured it out. She’s going to tell him.” He sighed, “Yeah, I’ll figure something out.”
I couldn’t move. It felt like an eternity before Mason came back. His eyes were bleak and he rested his head against the doorframe, holding my gaze.
“What are you going to do?”
“Wait.” He looked down, but I saw the pain. It flashed in his eyes. His shoulders were slumped down. His entire demeanor was defeated. Then he murmured, “I can’t do anything else right now.”
We stayed there like that. It seemed like an entire night passed us by, but then he came over and carried me to his bed. We didn’t bother with the blankets. He laid me down and then got beside me. We didn’t cuddle. We didn’t even hold hands. We just stayed there and waited.
That was the longest night of my life.
Logan never came back.
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
We didn’t hear from Logan that night or the next day. Happy birthday to me. When I woke up, Mason was gone. He stayed away most of the day but came back in the late afternoon dripping from sweat carrying a basketball. Nate trailed behind him, plopping down at the table as Mason disappeared up the stairs.
“Hey.”
“Hey.” I frowned. What does one say in the aftermath of an earth-shattering revelation? Apparently, it was ‘hey.’ I stored that away for future use. “You guys were playing basketball all day?”
“Yeah.” Nate bent down, untied his shoes, and kicked them off. He jerked a thumb in Mason’s direction. “When he’s stressed, he doesn’t talk.”
I gritted my teeth. I was his girlfriend. I should’ve known that. “That’s good to know.”
“Yeah.” Frowning, he craned his neck. “Is Mousteff in there? Mason said we could eat here before that party tonight.”
“What party?”
“Dumbshit’s party. That one that your dad’s wife is catering for, you know, that guy?”
“Do you really not know his name?” I couldn’t believe it.
“Wanker.” Nate flashed a grin. “That’s all Logan calls him and Mason doesn’t talk about him. He doesn’t care, so yeah. I guess I don’t know his name. What is it?”
“Peter.”
He snorted. “I’ll stick with Wanker.”
Irritation was boiling up, but Mousteff came from the kitchen at that moment. He set a plate in front of Nate with a sandwich, chips, and another big chunk of meat. Then he turned to me. “Would you like anything?”
“No thanks.”
Nate took a huge bite out of the sandwich and pointed it at me. “You need to eat more.”
“Why are you not worried about Logan?”
He paused, then took a second big bite. Half the sandwich was gone. “I don’t know. He’ll be mad, but he’ll get over it. Those two fight.”
“I’ve never seen them fight.”
“But they do and they have in the past. They’re always fine. They’ll be fine again.”
I sighed and lifted my feet to the chair. Hugging my knees against me, I rested my head on them and let out a deep breath. The knots in my stomach wouldn’t go away. No matter what Nate said, I knew things weren’t going to be fine. They wouldn’t go back to normal, not with me. Somehow my relationship with them was going to change. A knot tightened, twisting in me. I only hoped I wouldn’t lose both of them.
Hearing Mason on the stairs, I looked up and saw he had showered. He pulled his shirt down as his jeans rode low on his hips. When he saw me watching, he frowned. “You’re going like that?”
“What?”
“The party. We should go.” He dropped into the chair next to Nate.
“You’re going to the party?”
“Well, you have to go. I figured I should go with you. Those are your friends, right?”
“I attacked Miranda last night.”
“Exactly. That bitch will be there. Let’s go and find out what she said to Logan.”
It made sense now. I glanced down at my jeans and sweatshirt. Then I shrugged. I was starting not to care what anyone thought of how I dressed.
Nate slid his plate over to Mason. When he took the other half of the sandwich, Nate popped a chip in his mouth and asked, “You want me to come too?”
Mason hesitated, then said, “No. Stay here in case Logan shows up.”
“You want me to wait here?”
“Yeah. Watch the game downstairs. Call a girl over.”
Nate bobbed his head and tossed another handful of chips in his mouth. He said around them, “That sounds like fun. I’ll do that. You don’t mind if I get a blowjob on your dad’s couch?”
Mason frowned at him. “Did you really just ask me that?”
“True. Logan lives here.” He wrinkled up his nose. “Maybe I should put a blanket on the couch.”
Or Logan did live here.
I was horrified at my own thought. I couldn’t think like that. Logan wasn’t Garrett. He wasn’t David. He wasn’t Analise. He was coming back. He had to.
Mason was watching me, and my eyes widened when I saw his gaze on me. A dark look flashed in them, but then he shook his head. The look was gone when he asked, “Are you ready to go?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I murmured, but stood and followed him to the car. It was after we had gone a few blocks that I asked, “Are we going to talk about it?”
As I asked that, I watched. His hand tightened around the steering wheel before he replied, “About what?”
“Mason.”
He never looked over. His gaze remained straight ahead. There was no outward reaction, but I felt the shift. He closed himself off from me.
“Logan has feelings for me.” I paused, holding my breath. “What she said was right, wasn’t it?”
