“He doesn’t look like someone you’d want to befriend. Looks like someone you’d want to f—” I swat at his arm, and he laughs.
“I’m not going to lie; he’s gorgeous and fun to be around, but I’m not going there. As I said before, he’s a friend of Thomas’s,” I explain, and I know Logan understands completely. Well, not completely, completely. Because even though he’s asked many times over the years, I haven’t told him the full extent of my family issues, but he knows that Thomas and I don’t get along and that he told me to stay away from his friends.
“Say no more,” Logan says and drops the subject. We’re silent for a moment until Logan adds more fuel to the fire,figuratively.
“Dylan, I forgot there for a moment, but you were the kid who got to take Summer to junior prom, right? I offered to come back, but she said you’d volunteered. Bet she was breathtaking. I was lucky, though, and got her senior year,” he says with a wink.
“What are you doing?” I whisper.
“Having some fun; stirring the pot.”
Dylan dives right in. “Of course, she was breathtaking; it’s Summer. But as I recall, her dress was hideous.”
I have to give it to him; Dylan appears unaffected through all our exchanges. He has such a confident and casual demeanor.I like it. Hang on…
“Excuse me?” I look at him in horror. “Hideous? Hideous! You picked it, you moron. Made me try on several options before deciding on that floral number,” I jab. I actually wore navy. It’s a struggle to hold back the laugh as I watch Dylan’s mind working for a comeback.
“I stand by my comment. I picked it on purpose.”
Cory and I both burst out laughing. Even Nate has a chuckle despite being new to our banter. And that begins a back and forth of memories between Dylan and me.
“Cool it a little. Even I’m getting jealous of your relationship,” Cory whispers after we’ve been playing this game for a while.
“What does that mean? Shit, does it look like I’m flirting?” I ask, genuinely worried.
“It does, and I know you mean nothing by it, but I know you. Gemma doesn’t.”
She’s right; I need to tone it down. I turn my attention back to Logan who says, “Nothing going on, huh?” I’m about to argue when he changes the subject. “I think I need to meet this Joel and congratulate him on being the first to get you to settle down.” I slap his arm and laugh.
“Shut up,” I hiss quietly. “You know there’s no Joel. Well, there is a Joel, but he was never my boyfriend.”Oh, the lies we weave.
“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” he jokes.
“Stop it,” I laugh. “You’ll always be my one and only.”
“Damn straight,” he says, pulling me closer and pressing a kiss to my cheek. Seriously, if I was ever going to say someone was perfect for me, it would have been him, but neither of us wants that.Thosefeelings just aren’t there.
I draw my eyes to Dylan just as Gemma grabs his hand and leads him to their tent. Before they realize anyone’s watching, I see her bite her bottom lip suggestively and pull at his sweatshirt.
“We’re done for the night,” Dylan calls to the group, his eyes briefly meeting mine with an expression I can’t quite decipher. A hint of tightness fills my chest.Ugh.Now I’ve got my own feelings to decipher about that exchange, at least until the remainder of our group breaks into laughter before covering their mouths.
Nate and Cory are the next to go, and Logan and I enjoy the peace, wrapped in each other’s arms as the flames flicker in front of us.
“Thanks so much for coming this weekend, Logan. It means a lot to me.”
“I’ve missed you. It might seem like I’m busy all the time, but I’m always thinking about you.” It’s something so typical for him to say, but something in his voice seems different.
“Going soft on me?” I laugh, hinting at his shift in mood.
“Nah, just thankful for a great friend.”Yep, something’s definitely off.
“Everything okay back home?” I ask, hoping that he’s okay.
“It will be, Sum. It’s nice to be here and just switch off for a bit.”
I raise my head up from his shoulder and turn to look at him. He smiles, but it doesn’t meet his eyes.
“Loge?”