Chapter 177

“You left,” Dylan said through the phone later, when I sat at home crying and Logan was still in the hospital.

“I’m sorry…”

Dylan listened quietly for a moment. Then he said, “How much did you hear?”

“Enough,” I sniffled.

“What are you going to do?” he asked.

“Nothing yet.”

“’Yet’ implies you plan on doing something later,” Dylan said. “You don’t have to say it. I think I can guess. And if I’m right, let me just say that you both are alike in your monumentally bad ideas.”

“I’m done backing Logan into a corner,” I said.

“It’s his grandfather doing that.”

“To protect me.”

“Hazel –”

“I won’t let him sacrifice everything for me,” I said. “It’s better for everyone if I walk away.”

Dylan sighed. “You could just talk to him…”

“That wouldn’t work. He deserves to be free of all of this…” Blinking, more tears fell from my eyes.

“He deserves to hear the truth from you. Tell him, see what he has to say, and then the two of you figure out how to move forward, together or apart. That’s how relationships work, Hazel. That’s how love works. You both need to stop putting words into each other’s mouths and actually talk.”

Maybe he was right, but I wasn’t ready. “I don’t know if I can do it if I have to see his face…”

“Then maybe that’s your cue that you shouldn’t be doing it? Just a thought,” Dylan said.

“I’m sorry, Dylan.”

He sighed again, louder, long-suffering. “At least, think about it. Get your head on straight. Talk to your other friends. Maybe one of them can talk sense into you. I’ve already got my hands full here, dealing with him.”

“You shouldn’t –”

Dylan cut me off before I barely started. “I am friend to both of you, but God damn, do you both make it so difficult. You trampled all over me so that the two of you could be together. I’ll be damned if I let you throw that all away because of stuff that maybe the other person is feeling.”

“Dylan –”

“It doesn’t have to be tonight. It doesn’t have to be tomorrow. But talk to him. Before you walk out forever. Talk. Tell him the truth. If you care about him, trust him to be able to handle anything you throw at him.”

I made no promises, but I do say, “Thanks, Dylan.”

Standing in the hallway, Dylan hung up the phone with Hazel. The janitor finished cleaning up the spilled coffee an hour ago, but Hazel hadn’t returned. Seemed now that she wouldn’t.

Dylan rubbed his aching temples. God, these two were both impulsive. But they cared about each other too. They really deserved each other.

If only they could figure that out on their own…

Tucking his phone into his pocket, Dylan returned to Logan’s room. He was fully perched, worry all over his face.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s fine. She just wants you to get some rest,” Dylan said.

Logan immediately slouched, worry clearing. “She’s pissed.”

“She’s pissed,” Dylan confirmed. She wasn’t just pissed, but Logan could figure that out on his own.

Dylan walked to the corner, back to the comfortable chair, and flopped down into it. He grabbed the remote and flipped on the television. “Should we see what’s on?”

He’d had enough of Logan and Hazel’s drama for one day. They’d either figure it out or they wouldn’t. He’d either be the best man at a vowel renewal or there to pick up the pieces. Either way, he’d done all he could. The rest was up to them.

Logan wasn’t at work the next few days, so I took the time to get in touch with my contacts, refresh my references, and get my resume in order. During my break, I worked on a letter of resignation, though I didn’t submit it yet.

Instead I held onto it, waiting for the day Logan returned.

When Logan finally returned, he didn’t greet me at all. He simply walked by late in the morning and entered his office. Glancing at him through the window as he sat down, I saw that the bruises on his face were still healing.

I wondered what the story was for the office. Surely he didn’t tell everyone that he was in a boxing match.

The polite thing to do would have been to wait to bombard Logan with my resignation, but I’d been so amped up about it for so many days. I needed to pull the trigger on this and move on with my life, no matter how much it was sure to hurt.

The time had not added any fresh perspective. I was as determined as ever to step out of Logan’s life and let him breathe again without having to worry about protecting me so much.

So, gathering my strength, I take the printout of my resignation letter and head to Logan’s office. Gently, I knock on the open door.

“Come in,” he said. As I do, he glanced up. “Hazel…” He stood. “Close the door please.”

That was probably for the best, so I turned and closed the door. When I turned back around, Logan was crossing the room toward me. He stopped right in front of me, close enough to touch, though he didn’t.

“I’ve missed you,” he said, and my heart cracked. I clutched the resignation closer to me, losing my nerve now that I had Logan, flesh and blood, right in front of me. “What’s that?”

He reached out and plucked the letter from my grasp. Turning it toward him, he read it in its entirety, his face falling as he progressed.

When he finished, he looked up at me, some hurt in his eyes and asked, “You are resigning?”

“It seems the right thing to do,” I said.

“How could that possibly be true? Is this because of what happened the other night?”

“No,” I said quickly, then relented, “Not entirely.”

“I need an explanation,” Logan said.

“It’s in the letter…”

“The letter glosses it all. ‘Looking for different opportunities?’ Be honest with me.”

That was what Dylan said too. He was right. I couldn’t dance around this. Logan deserved straightforwardness.

“If I were gone… your grandfather might ease up,” I said. “And you wouldn’t have to be with Tina anymore. You would have more of your life back.”

“Hazel…”

I hold up my hand, stopping him. “I know you like to pretend that everything is fine, but it’s not. You joined that boxing ring so you could feel in control, right?”

“Did Dylan tell you that?”

“I heard you,” I admit.

Realization and understanding cross Logan’s face. “That’s why you left…”

“You feel out of control because of me, Logan. I have to leave, don’t you see? It solves all of your problems.”

“Like hell it does,” Logan said. His brow furrowed with anger. He crumpled up my resignation letter and tossed it onto the crowd. “You seem to be misunderstanding things to a tremendous degree, Hazel. I am about to sort that out for you.”

He stepped toward me. I stepped back but quickly backed up into the closed door. He stepped closer, boxing me in. Lifting his hands up, he cupped both sides of my jaw and tilted my face toward his.

I glanced at his lips and licked my own.

My broken heart pulled itself together enough to thunder loudly against my ribs.

His eyes dipped down to claim my gaze and then held it prisoner.

“My problems are only bearable because of you, Hazel. Don’t you understand how much I adore you?” Logan said, and kissed me.