“Yeah, me too,” Logan said. He looked at me when he continued, “It ended up being exactly what I needed.”
The rest of dinner went by okay, with the tension gone and Logan’s pissiness about being ambushed resolved. After the tremendous dinner, followed by to-die-for tiramisu, I could barely move when we gathered on the street in front of the restaurant.
“We’re staying just down the street at the Claremont,” Tricia said. “Would you like to come back to the room for a bit and keep talking?” There was hope in her voice that I feared would be extinguished by the way Logan was already shaking his head.
“I think Megan and I—”
“You know what? Logan, why don’t you go with your parents? I got a text from the girls where they are. I’ll just Uber to them.” I had my phone in my hand already, and saw that I hadn’t just told a lie, that indeed Chloe had texted me where she and Abby were, unaware that Emily and I had split up a few hours ago and I was now with the Fields family.
I quickly called up my Uber app, turning it to show him. “Really. It’s fine. I’ll just go hang out with them.”
“If you’re sure,” Tricia said, hope again restored.
I looked at Logan as I spoke. “I’m sure. Thanks for the tickets to the game.” I turned back to Tricia and James. “And for the incredible dinner. Big step up from the dining hall.”
“Our pleasure, Megan,” James said. He pulled a twenty from his wallet and handed it to me. “For your Uber.”
“That’s not necessary,” I said.
“Please. Take it. It’s taken me a while to get used to the new way of just letting someone go off and not seeing that they get safely home. So at least let me pay for it.”
I laughed and accepted the money with thanks.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Logan asked.
“I’m good. I’ll just see what they’re up to. Hang with your parents.”
He nodded, and thankfully my car was there within a minute, keeping our awkward goodbyes short.
When I rode off, Tricia and James were already walking toward their hotel, but Logan watched me as my car pulled away.
Chapter19
I satfor an hour and a half, holding a warm beer in somebody’s dorm room while Chloe and Abby charmed a couple of guys and another made a move on me that I shut down pretty quickly.
At midnight I figured the night had peaked with the tiramisu and I should just head back to Creyts, which was two dorms away from the one we were currently at. One of the guys offered to walk me, but I didn’t want to spend any more time with him, or encourage him in any way. And at midnight on a Friday, there were enough people walking between the dorms that I felt completely safe for the couple hundred yards to the corner of campus where Creyts sat.
Across Sturgess I looked at the student houses, most lit up, with several people spilled out onto the sparse lawns, beers in hand, music playing from unseen speakers.
When I got to just across from Logan’s house, I stopped. Would he be home yet? Would the visit with his parents have gone well? Had he gotten pissed at them again once I was out of the picture? There had been a few vibe shifts during the meal. Where had he ended up in terms of headspace? Had he even gotten a chance to process the presentation for his brother?
Would he want to talk?
To me?
Now?
I pulled my phone out and called up our text thread, thumbs poised, then stopped.
Was I a Ches? Maybe. Probably. But the difference was that I wanted to comfort my friend if he needed it. It was a slim difference to hang my pride on, but it was enough.
Are you at home? I’m nearby. On the corner.
There were the bubbles and then they stopped. A feeling of dread came over me.Stupid, stupid.How many texts would he have gotten tonight after their first game? After that moment for James.
He’d be dealing with people all up in his space, and he didn’t need another one.
I turned away from his house, toward Creyts, and was just about to text him to never mind when I heard my name called out.
