Chapter 138

Ella

Logan’s words had me feeling as though the fire that the sales attendant had started had just been stoked.

“All done?” he asked, pushing himself off of the wall.

“Not even close,” I growled.

Logan raised his eyebrows in confusion. “Oh? Was there something else you needed?”

My hands found their way to my hips as I looked Logan straight in the eye. “So, about that tropical vacation of yours. Where’s your sun-kissed glow? The tan lines? You look just as pale as you were before you ‘left.’”

Logan shifted uncomfortably, scratching the back of his neck. I felt as though now that the attendant had pointed out Logan’s mannerisms, I could see them as clear as day. “Well, you know, not everyone tans. Some people just...burn.”

“Mm-hmm,” I said with a smirk, my gaze unyielding. “And what about those ‘hot women’ you were hanging out with? You seemed to be dodging eye contact while spilling that delightful piece of information.”

He met my eyes briefly and then looked away. “I wasn’t dodging eye contact. Maybe I was just...looking around.”

“Looking around? Or looking for an escape route?” I quipped, not letting him off the hook.

“Okay, fine.” He sighed, breaking into a reluctant grin. “You got me. I didn’t really go anywhere. I've been working from home, buried under mountains of paperwork.”

“I knew it,” I said, but my triumph was short-lived because Logan’s face went serious again.

“But let’s be fair, you got really jealous when I brought up other women,” he said, his eyebrows arched in a gotcha manner.

I felt my cheeks warm up, and I was almost certain they were a blazing shade of red. “I did not get jealous,” I retorted, maybe a little more defensively than I intended.

“Come on, Ella, your face turned as red as a tomato, sort of like how it is now,” he said, smirking. “And you even brought it up when you were in the fitting room. That’s classic jealousy.”

I looked away, frowning. “That’s not jealousy. That’s me wondering why you’re filling our conversation with lies. What do you have to gain from it?”

Logan took a step closer, his eyes searching mine. “I wasn’t lying about everything, you know.”

“Oh, so which part was true? The part where you went to an imaginary tropical location or the part where you hung out with imaginary women?” I was being sarcastic, but it did little to mask the frustration boiling inside of me.

“I never said I went to the tropics to make you jealous. But if you weren’t jealous, then why would you even care about whether I went or who I met?” he said, cornering me in my own logic.

“Maybe because lies have a way of making situations more complicated than they need to be,” I said, choosing my words carefully.

“Or maybe,” he retorted, “it’s because you were hoping there wasn’t any truth to what I was saying.”

The atmosphere between us was so thick I could practically slice it with a knife. I felt cornered.

“So what’s your point, Logan?” I finally asked. “You’ve crafted this web of lies just to play mind games with me? Because if that’s the case, then congratulations. You’ve succeeded in making this already convoluted situation even messier.”

“No, that’s not what I’m trying to do,” he admitted, his voice dropping a notch as a slightly sheepish expression came over his face. “I guess I just… wanted to see how you would react.”

“How I would react? What is this, a social experiment?”

He sighed, the tension deflating from his shoulders. “No, it’s not an experiment. But we’re in this weird space, Ella. And sometimes I just want to rattle the cage to see if anything has changed.”

“Well, congratulations. The cage has been thoroughly rattled,” I said, my eyes finally meeting his. “But next time, maybe try honesty? It tends to work better.”

“And if I had been honest and told you I missed you, and that I stayed in case you needed me, what would you have said?” His words hung in the air, heavy and full of unspoken emotions.

I turned my head, avoiding his gaze as my cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. “You’re just deflecting, Logan. You’re just trying to guilt-trip me into overlooking the fact that you lied.”

“Am I?” he said, but I could sense the defeat in his voice.

“Yes, you are,” I said, taking a deep breath. “And while we’re being ‘honest,’ guilt-tripping won’t get us anywhere.”

Logan looked at me, and for a moment, I saw something flicker in his eyes—regret, maybe, or something more complex that neither of us was ready to untangle. But it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, and he sighed, his shoulders slumping as he exhaled.

“I’m sorry, Ella. I shouldn’t have lied to you."

I glanced at him, my eyes narrowing. “The lying is neither here nor there. What’s bothering me, Logan, is the distance between us these past few weeks.”

He folded his arms, his gaze piercing through me. “That distance? That was a decision you made, remember? We had a one-night stand and then you pushed me away like I was some sort of disease.”

His words stung, but they were true. I met his gaze, unflinching.

“You’re right. And for that, I’m sorry. Trust me, Logan, I’ve been thinking about it nonstop, and I feel like an ass.”

“Good,” he murmured, glancing away. “Because you were.”

I paused, a soft sigh escaped my lips. I lowered my voice and took a tentative step closer, taking note of how my wolf stirred ever so slightly as I did.

“Look,” I said quietly. “I don’t know how I feel about… everything, okay? I just don’t. But I do know one thing: I see you as a friend. And this distance between us… it broke my heart.”

His eyes widened. “A friend? You see me as a friend?”

I nodded, a slight smile tugging at the corners of my lips. “Yes, Logan, a friend. I’ve grown fond of you, okay? I enjoy your company. Sue me.”

Logan stepped closer, his eyes searching mine. “Is that all we’ll ever be, then? Just friends who happened to sleep together one time?”

I sighed, my eyes falling to the ground. “I… I don’t know, Logan. I think us sleeping together was probably a mistake we made on a whim. Neither of us was really prepared for the fallout, you know?”

He nodded, his face tinged with a sincere sort of sadness. “Maybe you’re right,” he murmured. “But I don’t regret that night.”

I swallowed, slowly lifting my gaze to meet his. His clear blue eyes were drawing me closer, but I couldn’t fall victim to it. Not now.

“Listen,” I said, “if you hate me, I understand. But I’m not ready for… whatever this is. Not yet.”

He was silent for a moment, those dark blue eyes taking me in as if he were looking at me for the first time. “I don’t hate you, Ella. Not at all.”

“Good, because the feeling is mutual,” I shot back. The tension felt as though it had lifted, if only just a little bit. We stood in silence for a few eternal moments, our eyes locked, the space between us tight with a mixture of regret and understanding.

Finally, I broke the silence. “So, where does that leave us?”

He looked thoughtful. “I’m not sure, exactly. But I guess we could start by being more truthful with each other.”

“And maybe by not avoiding each other like the plague,” I added, only half-jokingly.

He chuckled. “That sounds fair.”