"We can work something out. I can always come and check on her every weekend," he offered. I stopped the swing and got up to stretch.
"You don't have to. Aren't you planning to stay in a dorm there?" I asked. He smirked, patting his lap for me. I smiled, walking over to sit on his lap and facing him, crossing my arms around his neck. He placed a secure hand around my waist and stared into my eyes with amusement.
"Yes, but your mom is like family to me, and I don't want you stressing when you should concentrate on your studies. The dorm has parking so I can easily drive down here and stay with her for a few hours,” he reassured me.
"You don't have to, Logan. It's not your responsibility," I whispered.
He leaned up and pressed a tender kiss to my forehead.
"I want to, though."
"Thank you," I acknowledged, wanting him to know how grateful I was to have him in my life. He'd been my rock when Father died, and again when I lost Brother.
It was thanks to him that the man who killed my brother, Lark Huntly, had been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.
His friends were also charged for their involvement and prohibited from attending Brighten again.
I was too distraught at the time to explain what I'd witnessed, so Logan took my place and stood in front of the jury to explain what he saw that day.
His parents had brought him to the school since Mother had informed them of our plan to celebrate Gabriel's birthday.
Logan was approaching me when he noticed the commotion in the top tower. Even though he, too, tried to use some type of magic to stop brother's descent, he was too far away to be able to save him.
Since then, he'd stayed with me through thick and thin, and even though he could have gotten into Brighten Magic Academy two years ago, he had waited, wanting me to reach the age to decide which school I wanted to go to before he applied.
"You’re welcome, Jewel. Want to walk back?" he asked.
"Would it be weird for me to say I don't want to go home yet?"
"Who said you're going home?" he asked with a playful grin.
"Am I staying at your place?"
"I'd love for you to," he replied, closing the distance between our lips and giving me a sweet kiss.
For as long as we'd been friends, I never thought we'd ever be more than that.
Don't get me wrong, Logan's looks alone were like a fresh plate of pancakes with a glorious amount of maple syrup.
His sex appeal would make any girl ready to throw themselves at him, and with his family name, every girl in our town wanted to date him.
The Cross family had been well-known mage warriors for generations and continued to maintain their reputation to this day.
Logan was no exception, having already surpassed his parents in mana level, and his casting speed was on par with an adult who'd trained for at least a few years as a mage warrior.
It was only because of me he'd remained in town for this long, ignoring his parents’ constant push to go to Brighten.
He was already entering on a full scholarship, and only had to take the entrance test because it was a requirement for all students.
Our parents always figured we would eventually date one another but never pushed it. Logan's father was more determined to have him focusing on his future career than on me, but his mother was supportive of our friendship and the possibility of a relationship.
Regardless, his parents had been extremely busy since he was six, which resulted in him growing up alone for a good portion of the year.
That led to him staying with us a lot of the time, especially during the summer when school was out. Mother wasn’t diagnosed then, and my early teens had some of my fondest memories with all of us together.
I hopped off Logan's lap and he stood up to stretch before slipping his hand into mine.
"Let's go," he suggested, and I nodded.