When Love Breaks (21 page)

I nod in agreement, but I don’t want to be disrespectful when talking about her.

“It went as well as can be expected, I guess.”

“Is there any way I can convince you to stay in your room for a little while? Elora has to leave soon, and I’d like a little alone time with her,” Logan interrupts our conversation.

“Oh, come on, Dude. I don’t want to hear you two getting it on in the living room, while I’m stuck inside my bedroom. If you want to do that, then go in your own room.”

“My God. Shut up, Michael.”

I touch Logan on the shoulder to tell him take it easy.

“Hey,” I say to get his attention. “It’s okay. I should probably get home anyway.”

“What? No. Come on. Stay here for a little longer. I probably won’t see you for another week, and even still, you can’t guarantee that.”

I rise up and kiss the tip of his nose as consolation for the next thing that’ll come from my lips.

“I’m sorry. I had the best time with you these past couple days. I’ll miss you terribly, but I’m going to go.” His frown makes me sad, but I really do need to go home, not only to study, but to confront my traitorous brother too. “We’ll call each other during the week, and text every day. I promise.” Grabbing the collar of his shirt, I rise up again and kiss him. It’s just a simple peck on the lips, but I don’t feel comfortable doing anything more in front of his brother.

He drops his head, so it’s resting against mine, and sighs ruefully.

“I hate this.”

My brows knit together.

“What do you mean?”

“The fact that I don’t see you every day. It’s killing me.”

I cup his chin and raise his face to look at me. His expression is raw.

“I’m sorry. I’m trying to balance everything. I’m doing the best I can. Please, understand.”

“I know, and I’m not blaming you at all. I’m just being selfish,” he says then kisses my forehead. “You go. Do what you need to do, then call me, before you lay that beautiful head of yours, down on your pillow. I’ll wait for your call.”

My heart aches for him, as he holds me tightly in his arms. I know how tough it is to want to be together. I know because I feel the same way. Sometimes, I wish I was still working for him.

He pulls back and traces a line on my cheek.

“I love you,” I say, and he smiles.

“I love you too, baby. More than I thought possible.”

He walks me toward the door and opens it for me. He then follows me out onto the porch.

“I’ll call you when I get home.”

“You’d better,” he says. But, before I’m even a foot away from him, he suddenly grasps me by the arm, pushes me up against the wall, and pins me there with his body. I’m breathless as he stares intensely into my hopeful eyes. “One more thing,” he whispers, then he kisses me hard. Our mouths collide, and I push both hands into his hair, grabbing fistfuls at the back of his head. His hands, which were on the wall on either side of my head, are now wrapped around me like a vine. My immensely aroused body is now pleading with me to stay. I feel his hips grind into me, and my knees want to buckle.

My God, do I really have to go home?

He finally breaks off the kiss, but he doesn’t move. I’m trapped by the weight of his body which still presses me into the wall. Our foreheads touch, as we try, in vain, to slow our erratic breaths.

“Be careful driving home,” he pants. I nod, unable to speak.
This
is how much his passion affects me.

He then pushes away, effectively releasing me, and I stand on my own two, wobbly legs. I turn to walk away and for good measure, he swats my behind. My head swivels, and I yelp in response, but I smirk.

And, with that, I drive home.

17

LOGAN

I
watch her taillights, until I can’t see them anymore, then I slink wistfully back inside. Not only am I sad, I’m also horny, which is a problem, when I won’t get to see her again for another six days or so. I plop down onto the couch.

“Sorry she had to go, man. I know how much you like her,” Michael says, holding onto his freshly made sandwich. He sits next to me on the couch.

“I more than like her, asswipe—I love her,” I say, as I rid him of his meal.

“Hey! Go make your own,” he whines as he reaches across me in an attempt to get it back.

“Fuck off. Because of you, she went home early. I think your penance is this sandwich.” I take a bite.

“Fine,” he says, “but next time, you should just go to
her
house.”

“I wish I could. I don’t drive, remember?”

“Well, let’s fix that.”

“What do you mean?”

“All it takes is a modified car, and you’ve got yourself a booty-call.”

He’s so crude…but curiously enough, he could be onto something.

“What do you mean?”

“I saw it on the internet. I found it when you first came home. You can have a car modified to drive with your hands, if you can’t drive with your feet. Just look it up.”

I rub my chin, contemplating all the possibilities.

“You know, maybe, you’re not such a douchebag.” I punch him in the arm.

“No, but you are.” He retaliates, and a wrestling match ensues.

ELORA

A
s soon as I get home, I text Logan. I let him know I got home safe, that I love him, and I’ll talk to him tomorrow. I know it’s little consolation, but it’s all I can offer him right now. I relax on the couch with my feet propped up on the coffee table, daydreaming about what would have happened if I
had
stayed.

Just then, a noise makes me jump. It’s Daniel. He’s knocking into walls, as he emerges from his room. My faces instantly hardens. Just wait until I get a hold of him. As he rounds the corner, I’m ready.

“I could just strangle you, you know that?” I say with a fury I haven’t felt before. “What did you think you were doing, talking to Logan like that? That was rude and disgusting, and you’re lucky he didn’t punch your face in!” I’m panting.

“Shh! Stop yelling. My head is killing me,” he says, while holding both sides of his face.

“Good! I’m glad you’re in pain. It serves you right for being such an
ass
yesterday!”

He puts his index finger on his lips in another attempt to quiet me.

“I know. I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Blame the alcohol.” He passes me and goes straight for the kitchen, where he downs some over the counter pain reliever and a tall glass of water. When he turns around, he almost bumps into me.

“I’m not blaming the alcohol, I’m blaming
you
. What the hell were you thinking?”

“Ugh. Go away. Can’t you see I’m hungover?”

I bite my lip as an idea forms. Opening a nearby cabinet, I grab a pan with a lid. As hard as I can, I begin banging them together. Daniel winces and covers his ears.

“How’s this?” I shout over the noise. “Do I have your attention now?”

He quickly lets go of his head and snares both my wrists, halting my impromptu concert. I struggle to get free, but he holds on tight.

“What do you want me to say, Elora? I’m sorry. Let this horrific hangover be my punishment.”

With an evil grin, I open both hands, letting the cookware fall clumsily, not to mention loudly, to the floor. Daniel winces again, so I fake pushing out with my hands then pull in and down, slipping through his grasp.

“I don’t want your apology, Daniel. Logan needs it. And, that’s exactly what he’ll get from you the very next time you see him. Do you understand me?” I glare at him, willing him to answer me.

“Sure,” he says angrily. “I’ll apologize to him…when he understands the jeopardy he’s putting your future in.” He brushes past me and sits on the couch. I follow.

“God! Why is everyone making such a big deal about this? Nobody should care if we’re dating. Our relationship didn’t start until I was no longer working for him. What part of that don’t you understand”

“Can you prove that?”

“What? No.”

“Well, there’s your problem. People assume things, my naïve, little sister. The court of public opinion has more convictions than any court in this country. All your employer has to do is catch wind of this, and you can be sued, which opens up questions about what type of relationship the two of you have. Who’s going to hire a nurse who’s a liability, assuming you don’t get kicked out of the nursing program first?”

I know what he’s saying, but I don’t want to hear it.

“God, Daniel. Just stop talking.”

“You know I’m right. If you have any kind of smudge on your record, your school can you deny you your diploma. You’ll have gone through all of that hard work for nothing.” I take a deep breath and look at the floor. He rubs his face, out of frustration, then slings his arm around on my shoulders. “I’m just trying to look out for you. I don’t want to see you fail just because you fell in love with the wrong man.”

I look up at him, as my guard is let down.

“But, I love him. How can I help that?” My head falls against his shoulder again, and a tear drop forms. “I don’t think anyone knows. Maybe, it’ll be okay.”

“I hope, for your sake, you’re right. Even still, you have to be careful.”

I nod.

I’m getting ready for bed, when a text comes in.

R U up?

I smile and respond.

Yes.

It’s only a matter of seconds, before my phone rings.

“Hello?”

“Hey there, sexy,” Logan says. “How’s my girl?”

“Hi. I’m…good,” I say, trying not to sound as if something’s wrong.

“Did you get everything done that you wanted to?”

“I guess so. Although, I’m not sure I’ll ever feel like I’ve done enough studying.”

“Did you resolve anything with your brother?”

“Sort of.”

“Sort of? What does that mean?”

I shrug.

“He apologized for being rude. He says he’s just worried about me losing my job.”

“Don’t worry about that. We’ve done nothing wrong. We waited, just like we should have.”

“I know. I guess whatever happens, happens.”

There’s a pause in the conversation before he continues.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“Yes. Why?”

“I don’t know, you just sound…defeated. It’s nothing I said, is it?”

I sigh.

“No.”

“But, it
is
something.”

“Yes…No…I don’t know. I’m just not in a very good mood right now.”

“I know the feeling. I wish I was there to make you feel better.”

“Me too. But, I
do
feel better just talking on the phone with you.”

“I’m glad. You do the same for me.”

Another pause comes, as I listen to him breathing.

“Well, I guess I’d better go now.”

“Why is it that you’re always the one to end our conversations?” he teases.

“Probably because if I left it up to you, we’d still be on the phone from
last
weekend.”

He laughs.

“Yes, I’d say that’s accurate.”

“Goodnight, Logan. I’ll see you in my dreams.”

“Goodnight, baby. I love you.”

I close my eyes and soak up those last three words.

“I love you too,” I whisper, just before we both hang up.

It’s Saturday again, and so far this week, Logan and I have talked, texted, and in some cases, sexted, every available moment we could. We just can’t seem to get enough of each other. I’ve invited him over for dinner tonight and asked Michael to bring him, promising him I’d take him home when we’re done. Daniel is staying, but only long enough to apologize for his behavior last weekend, then he’s leaving. I’m just putting the finishing touches on dinner when the doorbell rings. Excited, I check myself in the mirror before opening the door.

“Hey, baby,” Logan says as he stands in my doorway. I smile broadly, elated that he’s here.

“Hi,” I squeak and throw my arms around his neck. When I release my hold on him, he brings out a bouquet of flowers from behind his back. It’s a plethora of locally grown blossoms and smells like the fragrance of spring.

“That’s very sweet of you. Thank you. I love them,” I say and kiss him. “Come in, and make yourself comfortable.”

He enters the apartment and sets down a bottle of wine he brought with him.

“Something smells delicious. What delectable concoction did you make this time?”

“Chicken Parmesan. I hope you like it.”

He wraps his arms around me from behind and nuzzles my neck.

“I have no doubt that I will.”

Daniel walks out of his room, and catches our intimate moment. Logan stiffens immediately as the two men size each other up. I hope Daniel sticks to his word.

“Logan,” he says curtly.

Logan nods.

“Daniel. It’s good to see you again.”

Daniel nods back, then inhales deeply through his nose.

“I’d…like to apologize for my behavior the other night. I was out of line, and…I’m sorry,” Daniel says with an icy edge to his voice. I’m not convinced he’s sincere.

“Thank you. I appreciate you saying that.” Daniel nods again. “I want you know that I intend to treat your sister with the utmost respect. I only have her best interest at heart, and I’ll do everything in my power to make her happy. Whatever that may mean.”

Daniel contemplates Logan’s words for a moment.

“I hope so. I won’t see her hurt. She deserves someone who will make her happy, even if that means letting her go.”

My brow takes a nosedive.

“Daniel,” I scold. “Stop it.”

“He has to know,” he’s says as he looks from me to Logan. “Your
relationship
,” he draws quotes in the air, “has the potential to ruin my sister’s life. She might not
only
lose her job, but this could get her kicked out of nursing school. Or, at the very least, she could go all through school and still not be allowed to graduate, because of being fired from her job, over this
relationship
.” He exaggerates the word again. “And, she risks getting sued on top of that. So, I hope you’re willing to risk all that to be with her because if she gets hurt over all this, it’s on you, man. It’s all on you.”

I walk straight up to him and look him dead in the eye.

“This is my decision too, Daniel. I would be just as much at fault as he would be. Don’t you dare put this all on him. That’s not fair.”

I feel Logan’s hand on my shoulder, as he gently eases me backward, taking my place in front of my brother.

“I’m aware of what this looks like to the unknowing eyes of her employer, and I can assure you, she’ll be safe from all that you’ve just described.”

“You can’t know that,” he says.

“I can.”

Daniel shakes his head, then looks over at me.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Elora. It’s a big penalty to pay if you’re wrong.”

“It’ll be fine. You’ll see.”

Daniel looks back and forth between the two of us, before excusing himself, then walking out the apartment door. I exhale at the relief I feel when he’s gone. Logan turns me in his arms. Gazing into my eyes, he studies my face.

“Are you okay with your choice to be involved with me?”

My brows shoot up is surprise.

“
Yes
. Yes, of course I am. Why on earth wouldn’t I be? My God, Logan, please don’t let him get inside your head.”

“It’s not
my
head I’m worried about. I just want to make sure I’ve given you the chance to back out of this…not that I want you to.”

I step forward, wrapping my arms around his waist, and lay my cheek against his chest.

“I’m in this one hundred percent. I don’t care what anyone says. I love you. I want to be with you. And, I hope you feel the same about me.”

He reaches down to lift my chin and takes a moment to look into my eyes, before bending and kissing me, very softly, on the lips. He then pulls me to a tight embrace, and kisses my hair, inhaling, then humming his exhale.

“Okay. No more talking about this then. We’re good?” he asks. I nod and smile.

“We’re good.”

“Good, I’m starving. Let’s eat.”

Another week passes, until it’s finally Friday. I’m stoked at the thought of seeing Logan again after a long week, and I’m pulling in the parking lot at the office to turn in my paperwork, when my phone rings.

“Hello, handsome.” I smile.

“Hey, baby. Do you know what day it is?”

“Yes, and TGIF has never seemed so appropriate.” I giggle.