Late-Night Rendezvous

The ride back was full of laughter and talking. I could see that Logan and Lily were trying to cheer me up. Drew drove behind us after he dropped off Tim at his place.

He helped Kate take her bag from the trunk and went back to his car. It looked like he couldn’t wait to leave this place, and me, behind. I started to feel annoyed.

“What? Not even a goodbye kiss for your girlfriend?” I tried to lighten the mood, walking towards him.

He stiffened and stayed near his car. I placed my hand on his cheek and leaned in to kiss him. He gave me a quick peck on my lips and stepped back from me. My eyes pricked with tears. Why was he acting like that?

“Bye, Rebecca.”

He just got into his seat, and in a flash, he was gone. I stood there with my jaw clenched. What the hell just happened?

After several minutes, I found the strength within me to walk into the house.

Logan climbed the stairs and I followed him. He took my bag to my room and went to his own room, closing the door behind him.

I went to shower and changed into a light dress, which I always had with me but hadn’t had the chance to wear earlier. When I went downstairs, it was already 7 p.m.

Mrs. Jones made a delicious pasta dish, some salad, and other snacks. Mr. Jones poured red wine for us, which he said was made in Italy. The atmosphere was light and pleasant.

We discussed our trip to the lake, then Italian traditions. Mr. and Mrs. Jones had visited Italy several times and started telling us stories about their experience.

It was so interesting listening to them that I almost forgot about Drew. But who was I kidding? Lily needed only mention his name once and I tensed up immediately. I remembered his cold eyes.

I gulped down my wine, deciding that I needed to forget about him, at least for the evening. Tomorrow would be another day, and I would see my family. I missed them terribly and really wanted to go home.

The dinner ended around midnight. Tim was staying the night, but Mrs. Jones told him to sleep in another guest room.

Both Tim and Kate were frustrated to hear that they could not sleep in the same room, but they quickly covered it up. Lily and I giggled as we observed this exchange.

Kate kissed my cheek before going to sleep. “I know that something happened between Drew and you. Is it okay for us to talk about it tomorrow on our way home?”

“Of course! Goodnight, Kate.”

Lily walked with me to my room while Logan stayed with Mr. Jones. They were in the middle of a heated conversation about football when we wished them goodnight.

“Hey, Becca... are you okay?” Lily asked with concern in her voice. “What is the deal with Drew? He acted all distant and cold…”

“I don’t know. Everything was fine, perfect even... And now this change of attitude…” I was frankly flabbergasted.

“Maybe it’s got nothing to do with you two. You know, he and his parents, well, how should I put it... They’re wealthy people and very demanding of Drew. He always needs to meet their requirements and to support the image of the perfect family.

“I even think that his attitude with parties, girls, and drinking, it’s all like a rebellion. A way to prove something to his parents.”

“He told me about that earlier.” I sighed. “I hope he will talk to me... Because now, I don’t have any idea what has happened. It’s not a pleasant feeling, though…”

“I know, Becca. But give him time. Everything will be okay, as soon as he sees you at the college.”

I smiled at her. “Goodnight, Lil.”

She hugged me and went to her room. I closed the door and went to the bathroom. I washed my face, combed my hair, and got dressed in my shorts and a tank top.

I flopped down on the bed and closed my eyes, trying to sleep. But sleep didn’t come. I took my phone from the bedside table and checked it—no messages or calls from Drew.

I tossed my phone back onto the table, trying to calm myself down. I had drunk wine and was sure that I would be able to fall asleep almost immediately. But my mind had other ideas.

So, at 2 a.m., I found myself sitting on my bed with my legs crossed and staring at the wall.

My door creaked. I was ready to see Kate or Lily sneaking into my room, but it was Logan. He had a laptop in his hands. As he saw me sitting on the bed, he smiled.

“I had a feeling that you wouldn’t be asleep,” Logan said. He walked to my bed and comfortably nestled himself on it, our shoulders touching. This touch, his proximity, reminded me of our night together. My cheeks flushed. I mentally cursed.

“What are you doing here, Logan?”

“Well, I thought that you could watch soccer with me. It’s the La Liga game, and Real Madrid is playing. Your favorite, Sergio Ramos, is also on the field.”

As he talked, he opened his laptop and placed it on his lap. As we watched the game, we discussed the players, game style, and the chances for both teams to win the championship.

When the game ended, it was already 4 a.m. The game was so good that it changed my mood. Logan helped me relax, and we continued our conversation. It felt like he had been my friend for a very long time.

It felt as if I had known him my whole life.

He closed his laptop and placed it on the bedside table, then turned to look at me. I watched his every move, wanting to lean into him and hide my face in his chest, but I didn’t move.

“Listen, Becca... I spoke to Drew...”

“Don’t tell me he wants to break up with me and asked you to tell me that?”

“What? Of course not! He likes you too much to do that.”

“Then what? Everything was perfect. I felt like I was the most important person to him. He showered me with attention, and I could feel the depth of his feelings for me. But this morning, he became a completely different person. It was as if I didn't matter to him...” I sobbed.

I didn’t even notice that I had started crying.

In an instant, Logan wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. I hid my face in the hollow of his neck. I felt safe. Again.

“Rebecca, you need to know that Drew is a very jealous man and that this whole thing…I mean, you and him together, like a couple, this is very new for him. He has never dated anyone.

I don’t count his flings, which were too many, or his ‘relationship’ with Phoebe. I know that he’s serious about you, and it scares him…”

“But I didn’t give him any reason to be jealous. You and me, we acted very normally. You were often on the phone with Melanie, and I was into him completely. How could he notice anything?”

“I am not talking about us. I’m talking about that Chase guy.”

“Wait…Drew was upset because I talked to Chase? He got jealous because I am planning to meet Chase tonight?”

“Exactly. He told me that he was pissed off to hear you talking with another guy, making plans with him… He wanted to take your phone and tell Chase to back off.”

“What? Chase’s my friend! Maybe I slept with him, but it was once and it meant nothing!”

“Drew didn’t know that. I told him to cool off. He wasn’t thinking straight. I will talk to him today. We agreed to meet and grab a beer, to have some guy talk. Tim is also coming with us, like the good old days. Everything will be okay, I promise you that, babe…”

His last word made me stop crying. I was so happy with Drew that I didn’t even think about Logan’s feelings. How did he really feel about Drew and me being together just after I’d slept with him?

I remembered how it was for me to look at Melanie and him together. It was torture, even if I knew that I couldn’t be with him. And I can’t deny that this attraction is still real between us.

“Logan…,” I whispered, trying to find my voice as I looked up at him. His arms were still wrapped around me, and he looked back at me. We only needed to move a little, and our lips would meet. But neither of us moved.

“Yeah?” His voice was raspy.

“Are you… you know, Drew and me…,” I mumbled, not knowing what to say. He laughed and closed his eyes.

I studied his face. He was so gorgeous. Drew and Logan were different, but they were each stunning in their own way.

“I’m starting to get used to it. I am happy for my best friend. He deserves to have someone as beautiful and as intelligent as you in his life... I like you, and I won’t deny that. But I’ve told you this before…”

“You want to be with Melanie.” I finished his thoughts for him.

“Yep. And you want to be with Drew. I think you and I... well, we could be really good friends, even best friends. Without any romantic feelings. We’ve experienced it, we know how it is between us. So, it will be safe for us to be friends.”

“I would love that. We have this understanding between us, and it’s always easy to talk to you. Who knows what is awaiting us in the future? Maybe in ten years, I will be Drew’s wife, and you will be married to Melanie...

“Or you will marry me, and I will give birth to our children... Or we will forget about even knowing one another...”

“I don’t want to forget about you…”

I opened my eyes and looked at him. Logan was staring at me. There were so many emotions in his eyes, but the most evident one was confusion. He leaned toward me and kissed my lips, just swiftly pressing his lips to mine. As quickly as he kissed me, he pulled away and looked me in the eyes.

“I am sorry, Rebecca. I don’t know what I was thinking…”

“Don’t be, Logan... It was bound to happen. With all the intimacy of this moment and our feelings for one another... If we want to be friends, I think we should set some rules. What do you say?”

“I'm all in. What will rule number one be?”

“Easy. We’re friends, not fuck buddies. No matter what. We won’t have sex again. Deal?” I arched my eyebrow at him.

“Deal.” I saw a twinkle in his eyes when he told me that, but I ignored it.

“How about... I won’t talk to you about my sex life, and you won’t talk to me about yours?” Logan suggested.

“Uh huh. Why not? But you know, for the record, if I'm with Drew, you will know at least a little something about mine...”

“True. But it won’t be you who will be telling me about it. So? Deal?” Logan looked mischievous.

“Fine. How about rule number three, we can call one another any time of the day and ask for help?” I said, grinning at him.

“Deal. I thought that maybe for rule number four, we wouldn’t force one another to break up with other people, no matter what we think about them? I know you don’t like Melanie, and you…”

“No! Stop right there! Never! I never get involved in the decisions about the love lives of any of my friends, and you won’t be an exception. If I did get involved, I think Kate and Tim wouldn’t have lasted longer than a couple of nights. I was very skeptical about him, you know… But okay. Deal.”

“Good. I think we should stop at number five. But what will it be?”

“To not fall in love with one another,” I said.

Logan stared at me. He was confused, I could tell. All the playfulness between us disappeared.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if someday I realize that I am in love with you, I won’t tell you about it until I am sure that you feel the same way. The same goes for you. If one of us does fall in love with the other and it is unrequited love, I am sure that it would ruin everything. So?”

I studied him. He was silent for far too long for my comfort. At last, he looked me straight in the eyes.

“Deal.” Logan smiled, squeezed me in his arms, and kissed my temple. “Now, we have five rules, and I promise to follow them.”

“Me too.”

I stayed in Logan’s embrace for several minutes until I yawned. Logan’s arms dropped from my sides, and he scanned my face.

“Shit! I forgot that you will be driving in the morning. What a moron!” he exclaimed, standing up from my bed.

I laughed and smacked his ass with my hand. He turned and looked at me, taking his laptop.

“What? You deserve it. I have only four hours to sleep.” I winked at him, and he chuckled. Logan walked to the door, opened it, and glanced back at me.

“Night, princess.”

“Night, Logan.”

After he left, I fell asleep almost immediately. He calmed my nerves. He explained the sudden change in Drew’s behavior. I also felt reassured because I knew that Logan would talk to Drew.

He would knock some sense into my man’s mind.