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He shakes his head, his low chuckle breaking some of the awkward tension.
“As long as they’re similar to your other ones, you got it.”
The drive to my place is filled with uncomfortable silence. Every so often, I attempt to open my mouth to say something. Maybe apologize that he’s zero for two in our accidental orgasm challenge? But then I realize that sounds so lame and I shut my mouth.
We make the trek up my three flights of stairs, and I insert the key into the lock when my neighbor’s door cracks open, and Mrs. Pilson’s head peeps out. “Addy, is that you?”
“Hi, Mrs. Pilson,” I yell since she’s half deaf. “How are you today?”
Her eyes narrow, staring suspiciously at Logan. “Well, my arthritis is acting up. This darn rain.”
“Sorry to hear. Did you put the wet towels in the microwave and heat them like I suggested?”
“I did, dear. My joints are still giving me problems,” she replies, but she has her sight still locked on Logan. “You have a man behind you. Do you need me to call 9-1-1?”
I look back at Logan. “Oh, no. He’s with me.” Darn it, this lock is so stubborn.
“What do you mean he’s with you? Are you in some sort of trouble?”
I try twisting the key, and it jams. “Come on! What? No, he’s…” I look back at him.
Logan steps forward, sticking his hand out to her. “Hello. Logan. I’m Addy’s boyfriend.”
Mrs. Pilson’s eyes widen at the news. “Boyfriend? You don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Well, I do now.”
“But you’ve never had a boyfriend. I’ve never even seen you with a—”
“Okay! So sorry to cut our chat short, but we’re kind of in a hurry.” Now that she knows he’s not a danger, her eyes glimmer with interest. They drift up and down his chest, and I roll my eyes, throwing my shoulder into my door because I need it open right the heck now.
“My, my, you sure know how to pick them. Maybe he can come in and help me with my dishwasher. It’s clogged—”
My lock finally gives, and I stumble into my apartment, reaching out and snatching Logan’s shirt, pulling him inside. “Bye, Mrs. Pilson!” I yell, slamming my door.
“That wasn’t very nice,” Logan says, humor prominent in his eyes.
“Not sure what you’re talking about. I’ll just be a minute.” I leave him and his damn attractive smirk as I go hide in my room to collect myself. A few breathing techniques to calm my rapidly beating heart, and I move into gear. I take a hot shower and get dressed. This time, I decide to forego the pajamas and stick with a pair of jeans and a tank top, then stash his hoodie in the back of my closet. If he asks for it back, I’ll claim it was lost or stolen.
When I come out, Logan is looking at photos I have hanging on the fridge. “Ready?”
He steps back. “This your family?”
“Yeah.” I stare at the photo of me, Mom, and Dad at my graduation. “My parents are super old school. They didn’t want me to come to Chicago. Worried about all the crime they see on the news. My mom refuses to come visit, and I don’t have a car or extra money to take the bus back home. It’s been over a year since I’ve seen them.” I’m not sure why I disclosed so much information, but I rip my eyes away and throw my backpack up on my shoulder.
“And a boyfriend?”
I roll my eyes. “His photo must have fallen off. You ready?”
Logan laughs and comes up to me. “So, I’m not stepping on anyone’s toes playing your knight in shining armor?”
I roll my eyes. “Mrs. Pilson ruined that lie for me. I’m pretty sure she’s made it halfway through her bridge group, telling them how she saw a real-life male walk into my apartment.”
“You’ve never had a guy here?”
Can he make me feel like any more of a loser? “If you haven’t noticed, I’m not equipped with all the bells and whistles men go for.”
He’s close enough to reach out and cup my chin, raising my head up. “I don’t think you’ve looked at yourself lately.”
My heart drops. “Why? Do I have something on my face?” I pull away to look in a mirror, but Logan captures my arm and pulls me back.
“I mean, you’re too hard on yourself.”
“I’m not hard. I’m honest. There’s no reason to believe—”
“You’re beautiful, Addy.”
His words shut me up. I stare at him, waiting for that smile. The laugh and joke. But his eyes tell me a different story. He’s being honest. Something passes between us—something unfamiliar. I don’t know how to read him. These feelings blossoming…I need to shut them down. It’ll only be harder for me in the end when this façade is over, and we go our separate ways.
