I stare at the ceiling again, because if I look at him too long, I’ll do something stupid—like cry. Or kiss him. Or both.
“How’s Pops?” I ask, voice rough.
Logan’s jaw flexes once. He answers carefully.
“He had a better day,” he says. “Watched the game, then when I called him, he was watching the highlights and roasting every single commentator.”
A laugh escapes me—quick, sharp, real. It cracks at the edges, turning into something that burns behind my eyes.
Logan’s mouth twitches like he’s relieved he got it out of me.
“He also made Cameron carry his water like he was royalty,” he adds.
“That tracks,” I whisper, and the laugh fades.
Silence pours back in, thick and honest.
“I don’t want to go home,” I say, and I hate the honesty even as it leaves my mouth.
Logan doesn’t offer a pep talk. He doesn’t tell me to be strong. He doesn’t tell me it’ll be okay.
His pinky finger finds mine, hooking them together like a promise. “I know.”
Two words. Again, so simple, yet my chest caves a little, because he’s not trying to fix me. He’s just…here.
“I just,” I swallow hard, eyes burning, “I can’t take another thing ending.”
Logan’s gaze stays steady. His voice drops lower.
“Then don’t take it all at once,” he says. “Just take the next minute.”
I blink at him.
He looks almost annoyed at how simple his own advice is, like he hates that it’s true.
“You can do one minute,” he adds. “You’re good for one minute.”
We lie there a little longer, and for the first time since the buzzer, the ache in my chest is…quieter. Not gone. Just held.
Eventually, Logan shifts.
“Okay,” he murmurs, like he’s making a decision he doesn’t want to make. “Come on.”
He rolls to his side and pushes himself up, then offers me his hand like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
His palm is warm when my fingers meet his.
I let him pull me up.
I expect him to let go as soon as I’m standing, but he doesn’t.
His grip stays in mine like he’s anchoring me.
Then his fingers slide, deliberate and slow, threading through mine until our hands fit together like they’ve been doing it forever.
My breath catches.
I look down at our hands, then up at him.
