A Different Kind (27 page)

CHAPTER

31

I
t took
forever
to walk home, or at least it felt like that by the time we finally emerged from Moody’s Woods. Though our pace had slowed, having Logan’s house in sight inspired us to run across the lawn and dash inside. It’d been a long walk home, and it felt even longer having carried the weight of my book bag. My legs were heavy, and I was breathing hard as I followed Logan to his room. He paced for a good five minutes, then without saying anything, he started pulling clothes from his dresser drawer.

“Logan, what are you doing?”

“Packing a bag – we’ll stop at your house next.” He grabbed an empty duffel bag from beneath his bed and started to fill it.

“And what, run away?”

Logan stopped. His eyes met mine. “I don’t know what else to do. The Greys know you’re
here,
the government knows you’re
here
, and they must know you’ve been taken or they wouldn’t be so interested in you. All I can think to do is to not be
here
the next time someone comes looking for you.”

“What if this Doggett guy just wants to talk to me – maybe we’re freaking out more than necessary?”

“Dr. Strieber is still missing – do you really want to risk it?”

I took a deep breath. It was only a day or two ago that Logan had told me not to worry about Dr. Strieber. His pointing out that the doctor was still missing told me he was scared. Seeing him so frantic had me scared too. Was I really going to do this, run away? Leave my family and my friends, disappear from my hometown before I even graduated, before I went to my senior prom or even found out if I got an A on that stupid paper about why stars twinkle? Could I do that? Logan zipped the duffel bag, and I wondered if I really had a choice. I started to think I didn’t.

“It’ll be okay,” he said, but somehow I knew it wouldn’t.

Logan went to grab something off his desk. “Shit,” he swore as he passed the window.

I walked up beside him and saw Doggett’s black sedan parked in my driveway. Doggett walked to my front door. He rang my doorbell and waited, but no one was home. That must have been obvious because after a few moments he walked back toward his car, making a call on his cell phone.

“What do we do now? Go out the back?”

Logan thought for a moment. “No, let’s just wait a little bit. He knows you’re not home, and maybe he’ll leave.”

I nodded. “Yeah, that’s safer.”

Logan and I sat down on the edge of his bed. A long moment of silence passed between us.

“Where will we go?” I asked.

“Somewhere where they can’t find us.”

A humorless laugh slid past my lips. “Does such a place exist?”

Logan fell backwards onto the bed. The comforter puffed out around him and he sighed. “Honestly I don’t know, but I have a place in mind, a friend who might be able to help.” He ran his hands over his face. I could tell he was tired. Not just physically, but mentally as well. I could see the gears cranking behind his eyes, working overtime to figure this out.

I lay back, snuggling into Logan’s side. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed my forehead.

“Think he’s still out there?”

“Not sure, I’ll check in a minute.”

Suddenly, I felt incredibly tired. All I wanted was a second to sort my thoughts. I closed my eyes for just a moment. Maybe it was the long walk home, maybe it was my nervousness and fear draining my energy, maybe it was a combination of both, but I fell asleep after that and Logan did as well. I woke a short while later as the orange light of the setting sun started to filter in through the blinds. Twisting around in Logan’s arms, I shook him awake.

“Logan,” I said, my voice rough with sleep.

He stirred awake and sat up, looking around the room as if he’d forgotten how we’d gotten there.

“Shit, I can’t believe we fell asleep.” Logan jumped up.

I glanced at the clock. It was only 5:30. “We weren’t out that long. Think he’s still outside?”

“No, I’m sure he’s gone.” Logan tried to sound reassuring, but he got up and walked to the window a little too quickly.

I didn’t wait for him to tell me whether Doggett was still outside. I was at the window in seconds and staring at Doggett’s black sedan. My hope plummeted, like a falling star burning up in the atmosphere. It was clear he wasn’t going to give up on looking for me. All of my limbs felt like lead, and my shoulders dropped as I stepped away.

Logan turned to me. “It’s fine, we’ll just have to go out the back. Even if he sees us we can lose him in the woods, and we can get you new stuff–”

“Logan, stop.”

He let out a deep breath, staring at me with worried eyes.

“We can’t do this. I can’t just run. If this Doggett guy wants to find me he’s not going to stop, and if the Greys are still looking for me it doesn’t matter where I go. There’s nowhere to run to. I should just go talk to him and see what he wants.”

I tried to be strong, but felt my eyes tear up.

Logan wrapped his arms around me and shushed me as the tears started to fall.

My voice broke. “What if they do take me, what if Doggett takes me like they took Dr. Strieber and they never let me go, or what if the Greys come back and I can’t escape?” I rambled on as if I’d just drunk three double-shot Frappuccinos with extra whip. “Or what if we escape, but they get me next month, or next week, and God, Logan, I just hate not knowing when my last day is going to be. I keep pretending that it’s over, but it’s not over, and I have no idea when my last normal day will be.”

Logan kissed me. As my words died away I felt this need to be near him like never before. It was like every feeling I’d ever had for him surged through me at once. Tears slid down my cheeks and Logan pulled me closer. That moment felt like the most important moment I would ever have. Like whatever I chose to do at that moment had to count because I didn’t know how many moments I’d ever have again. I didn’t know what I’d have time for, what experiences I’d miss out on. It felt like things were being stolen from me, and I didn’t even know what I was being robbed of.

Our kiss broke and my forehead rested against his. Heated breath filling the space between us.

“Logan,” I said, my words heavy. “I have to tell you something.”

Logan shushed me and kissed me again. “You can tell me later.”

I pulled away. “What if there isn’t a later?”

Logan brushed a stray hair out of my eyes. “Don’t be so dramatic; you don’t know that.”

“We don’t exactly know that things are going to be rainbows and puppy dogs either.”

Logan frowned. “Payton–”

“Logan, I love you.” It came out in a rush and that next second dragged on as if time was forced to slow to make up for the speed of my words.

Brown eyes looked me over, then this wide grin stretched across Logan’s face. His hands ran through my hair and pulled me to him for another needy kiss.

“I love you too,” he said between kisses. “God, I don’t want to lose you.”

The tears started to fall again, mixing with our bittersweet kisses. Logan’s lips moved to my neck. My hands slid beneath his shirt, trailing up his back. His hands dropped to my hips and he pulled me to him. Soon we were sprawled on the bed and I’d tugged his shirt free.

We’d been in this position more than a few times before, but something felt different this time. It was like we both knew there was a possibility this was the last time things could ever be like they were then. Something was coming, something that would change everything. Whether it was the Greys or the government or something unknown, we both felt it.

My fingers slid across Logan’s back. His hands traced up my sides, pulling my shirt higher as they went. Our lips refused to part until Logan’s fingers brushed the lace of my bra. He paused, pulling away just millimeters. His eyes met mine, looking at me like he needed some kind of sign to continue. I smiled at that thought. Jared had never sought my approval before trying to push things to the next level, he’d always just gone for it and waited to see if I’d object. Ian had been the same way. But that wasn’t Logan.

I gave a short nod. He pulled my shirt over my head. His lips traveled down my neck, leaving soft butterfly kisses in their wake. Those soft tingling touches made me gasp. They made me want more. Logan pulled me onto my side and kissed me deeply. One hand tangled in my hair, the other wrapped around my waist, tugging me tight to him. My fingers trailed down his sides until they hit the rough fabric of his jeans; they followed the edge of the fabric until they came to a cold metal button.

I unfastened it.

Our kiss broke and Logan’s eyes met mine.

My hand sunk beneath the fabric.

Logan’s eyes widened and a sharp inhale of breath passed his lips.

He kissed me again; then he had me on my back, his hands sliding my jeans from my hips, and I twisted beneath him in a frantic attempt to kick the fabric away. With one last flick of my foot I was free of my jeans, and Logan pressed his weight into me. I moaned. Then my fingers were at his hips, pushing his already loose jeans away.

We twisted beneath the covers, mouths and hands devouring every expanse of available skin. There was this moment when nothing was left between us and the world fell away. My breath caught in my throat. Logan’s heavy gasps mingled with mine, and he pushed a stray hair behind my ear.

His eyes soaked me in and he said, “Are you sure?”

I nodded.

L
ogan kissed my forehead. My whole body felt alive, like every nerve was hyperaware. My toes curled as Logan ran a finger down my arm, sending sparks of electricity in its wake. Even the sheet against my bare skin seemed softer somehow. For a moment everything was perfect.

I snuggled into Logan’s side.

“We should probably get dressed,” he said.

I frowned. “Don’t wanna. Nothing good is going to happen when we get out of bed.”

Logan kissed me again. “I know, but we can’t stay here either.”

Logan got up, pulled his jeans on, and went to the window. I got out of bed and started to get dressed.

I pulled my shirt over my head. “Is our mystery man still waiting outside?”

I prayed that he’d gone, that he’d forgotten about me, just as I hoped the Greys had. For one shimmering second I thought maybe all of this would go away. Maybe it’d never really existed to begin with, and my biggest worry would be Mrs. Reed’s concern that I was corrupting her son. Maybe it was all just paranoia and wild theories.

I watched Logan’s back muscles flex as he glanced at me over his shoulder.

“I’ll take your silence to mean yes.”

Logan’s eyes fell to the floor. “We could still try to make a run for it. He’s just one guy; we could be out of the house and into the woods like that.” Logan snapped his fingers. “We don’t even know that he knows we’re in here. He rang your doorbell, but he never came to mine.”

I looked toward the window. “He’s sure waiting around like he knows we’re here.”

“He’s probably expecting you to go home at some point.”

“What happens when we run and they find us?” I wasn’t sure if by
they
I meant the aliens or the government, but it didn’t really matter.