-Hailey-
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The ride back was quiet. Abby didn’t say much, but I could feel her glancing at me every few seconds like she was waiting for me to crack.
I didn’t know what to say to her. I just stared out the window, watching the streetlights blur past.
Logan followed us on his bike. I couldn’t stop replaying the look on his face when he dragged Tyler out of the tavern not angry, exactly. More like… dismantled.
Raw and wounded.
Abby pulled into the driveway, the engine idling as she turned to me. “You gonna be okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
She didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t push. “I’ll be back in the morning. Call me in the meantime if you need anything, okay? Even if it’s just to talk.”
“I will,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. “Thanks, Abs.”
She gave me a quick hug before I climbed out of the SUV. I stood there for a second as she drove off, then I turned toward Logan.
He was leaning against his bike lighting a cigarette.
“Can I have one?” I asked, quieter than I intended.
He didn’t say anything, just pulled the pack out of his cut and handed it to me. I took one, my fingers brushing against his, and he lit it for me. The first drag burned, but it felt good.
We smoked in silence for a few minutes.
“So… you wanna tell me what that was about?” I asked finally.
“What?” he asked innocently.
I stared at him. “You know what.”
Logan exhaled, the smoke curling up into the cold night air. “What do you think it was about?”
“I think you overreacted,” I muttered.
I could feel the tension rolling off him. “Overreacted? The guy was all over you, Hailey. Talkin‘ shit about me. What was I supposed to do?”
“Not drag him outside,” I shot back, my frustration bubbling over. “You didn’t have to go full Neanderthal on him, Logan. He was drunk. He was spouting nonsense.”
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Logan’s eyes narrowed. “Was he?”
:
My hands clenched into fists at my sides. “Yes, he was drunk, Logan. And yeah, he was being an asshole. But you didn’t need to escalate it like that. You could’ve just walked away.”
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Logan’s eyes went dark as he took a long drag from his cigarette and blew it out. “I did walk away. I wanted to beat the ever–loving fuck out of him… and I didn’t.”
“That’s not the point,” I muttered. “You just throw your weight around every time someone says something you don’t like. I just wanted to have a normal night. Can you please just give me one normal night, Logan?”
He laughed, sharp and cold. “There’s that word again.”
“Normal,” I said, my voice rising. “Yes, Logan. Normal. Like going out to a bar without worrying someone’s going to get dragged out by their collar. Like having a conversation without it turning into a dick–measuring contest. Is that too much to ask?”
Logan flicked his cigarette to the ground, stomping on it with his boot. “You’re gonna need to change your definition of normal, Hailey.”
“Am I?” I snapped, my frustration boiling over. I knew I was behaving a little ridiculously, but I couldn’t stop myself. The stress and the booze were making me lash out.
“Not everything has to be a fight,” I continued. “Not every guy who talks to me is a threat. I can handle myself, Logan. I don’t need you swooping in to save me every five minutes.”
Logan’s lip curled. “You want me to just sit there and let some prick talk down to you? Talk down to *me*?”
“I don’t need you to protect me like that,” I fired back. “I can handle myself.”
He barked a laugh- the sharp, humorless kind. “Yeah, I’ve heard that before.”
I froze.
He immediately tensed, like he regretted it. But the damage was done.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I whispered.
Logan’s eyes darted away. “Forget it.”
“No,” I said, stepping closer. “Say it.”
He dragged a hand over his face. “It means sometimes you think you’re fine, and you’re not. You run into the line of fire without even looking. And I’m left picking up the pieces.”
My shoulder throbbed. My heart twisted. “I didn’t run into anything tonight. You stirred shit up that didn’t need to happen. You always do that. You get angry and you go straight to violence –”
“Don’t pretend you know me like that,” he snapped. “You’ve known me two weeks, Hailey.”
“I do know you,” I shot back. “You don’t know how to de–escalate. You only know how to blow things up.”
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Logan’s eyes closed, like I’d physically slapped him. He looked away for a second, then back at me. “I don’t… know how to be gentle, Hailey.”
I saw the pain in his eyes, but the words slipped past my lips before I could stop them. “Yeah. Clearly.”
The second it left my mouth, I wished I could snatch it back.
He took a slow step toward me, voice low and gravelly. “You sayin‘ you’re scared of me now?”
The question knocked the air out of my lungs.
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“No,” I said. “But this – this constant tension, this need to dominate every situation – it’s exhausting, Logan. I just wanted one normal night.”
That fucking word again.
Logan’s whole expression shifted, like I’d twisted a knife in his ribs.
“Here we go.” He shook his head, laughing darkly. “You want normal. You want beige walls and calm voices and couples counseling and brunch on Sundays.”
“That’s not-”
“You want a guy like *him,*” Logan said, nodding toward the street, toward Tyler’s ghost. “Some clean–cut, nine–to–five motherfucker. Someone your mom wouldn’t eye like he’s a loaded gun.”
“That is NOT what I said,” I hissed.
“You didn’t have to,” he muttered. “I get it. I don’t fit in here.”
My heart was in my throat. “Logan… this isn’t about fitting in-—”
He stepped back from me, like putting distance between us was the only way to breathe. “I shouldn’t’ve come here.”
The words hit like a slap.
“Seriously?” I whispered. “You think this was a mistake?”
He swallowed hard, but he didn’t deny it. “I don’t know how to be what you want.”
“That’s bullshit,” I snapped. “I didn’t ask you to be anything except my boyfriend.”
He flinched at the word ‘boyfriend,’ like it was heavier than it should’ve been.
I pushed on. “And instead, you turned the night into a goddamn turf war.”
He raked a hand through his hair, pacing. “You don’t get it-”
“Then explain it to me!” I shouted.
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He spun around, his face tight with something that made me pause. Fear? Shame?
“I can’t,” he said finally, voice cracking at the edges. “Not tonight.”
Silence fell like a punch.
He wasn’t yelling anymore.
And somehow that was worse.
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I opened my mouth to respond, but the fight drained out of me. I was too worn down to keep going. “Fine,” I said quietly, stubbing out my cigarette and turning toward the house. “I’m tired. I just want to go to bed.”
He didn’t say anything, just watched me walk away. I could feel his eyes on my back, but I didn’t turn around. I didn’t have the energy.
Inside, the house was quiet. My mom was already asleep, and everything was dark. I climbed the stairs slowly, my shoulder aching with every step. I heard Logan not too far behind me.
When I got to the bedroom, I stripped down to my underwear and crawled under the covers, turning my
back to him.
The silence was suffocating. I felt Logan slip in beside me, his body hot and tense.
“Hailey,” he murmured.
“Not now,” I whispered, closing my eyes. “In the morning… okay?”
He didn’t argue, just sighed and turned away from me. He was only a few inches away, but it felt like he was in another room.
I lay there in the dark, staring at the wall, my mind racing. I didn’t know how to fix this didn’t even know if I wanted to.
And as the minutes ticked by, I realized that Logan wasn’t sleeping either. His breathing was too even, too controlled. But neither of us said a word.
We just lay there, side by side, pretending to sleep – both of us tangled in our own thoughts, our own anger,
our own fears.
And for the first time since stepping into Logan’s world, I felt truly alone.
Neither of us slept much.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
