“Your family looks happy,” Isaid before Mike had a chance to speak again. “Glad you have them.”
“Uh, yeah.” Mike scratchedthe back of his neck. “I should get back. Umm. It’s nice seeing you again.Maybe we can catch up sometime?”
“I’d like that,” I lied.
I didn’t want to catchup with him, but it was surprisingly hard to gather up any anger to feel overit.
Mike was living his life. We’d parted ways along time ago. I didn’t want to be his friend, but I didn’t want him to bemiserable, either. Seeing him happywasgood.
Mike walked away withoutanother word. Logan didn’t let go of my hand right away, not until Margerycame back over with breakfast for both of us and needed the space to put theplates down.
My stomach rumbled as thesmell of bacon rose to my nostrils.
The clatter of cutlery toldme Logan wasn’twasting any time getting started.
I’d been so worried aboutbeing back here.Comingback here. About people I knew popping up in mylife again, ghosts from the past haunting me now that I was withinjustpassing bydistance of their homes.
The worst thing I could haveimagined happened almost the moment I set foot in town. And Logan had turned itinto a non-issue with one word.
Why couldn’t I keep himforever?
“Thank you,” I said, pickingup my fork. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Deal with that asshole foryou? It was my pleasure.”
I poked at my eggs. Theywere just as fluffy as I remembered them, a small comfort in a stiflingexistence.
The whole time I’d been in SanFrancisco, I couldn’t remember eating a scrambled egg. That was somethingreserved forthisplace, a balm for some of the worst days of mylife. I hadn’tneededthem.
I was going to have to learnhow to scramble an egg like this.
“Thesearegood,” Logan said,eating like a starved man. I should have let him stop for breakfast earlier,but I was already wondering how the hell I was supposed to say goodbye. Drawingthis out any longer would only make it worse.
“Well, I’m grateful,” Isaid.
“Seriously, it was nothing.”Logan looked up at me. “I’m not… I don’tcareif people thinkI’mgay. I never cared. I…”
I waited for him tocontinue, but he shoved a piece of perfectly-crisp bacon in his mouth instead.
Logan had learned a lotabout himself, hadn’t he? He’d come to San Francisco thinking he was straight.Really, sincerely believing it.
He’d turned my world upsidedown, but I must have done the same to him.
“Is she prettier than me?” Iasked, sighing. It was a stupid question, but I was looking at my replacement.Hard not to wonder if I was just second best.
“No,” Logan said without somuch as glancing over again.
I appreciated the loyalty.
“You want him back?” Loganasked between mouthfuls.
“No.”
The last thing I wanted wasMike back. Now less than ever.
“She can keep his sad,closeted, prematurely-ejaculating ass,” I said.
Logan snorted. “Well, at least I’mnotoneof those things.”
