I stared at the words, my breath catching so sharply it felt like a physical thing.
Not shock, not exactly. More like the sudden weight of understanding clicking into place.
I thought of the way his hands had trembled slightly at my waist. The way he’d kissed me like it was both a want and a line he didn’t trust himself to cross. The apology that had come immediately after.
This wasn’t just about me.
It was aboutbeforeme.
Me:Thank you for telling me.
Me:That actually explains a lot.
Logan:Yeah?
Me:Yeah. It didn’t feel like hesitation
because you didn’t want me.
Logan:I do want you.
That’s what’s getting to me.
I leaned back in my chair, eyes closing, letting that truth settle between us.
Me:I don’t expect anything
from you, Logan.
Logan:I know. But you deserve
everything. I just need patience
while I remember how to let
someone in without losing myself.
My throat burned as I listened to the gentle tapping of Harper’s pencil against her notebook, hoping it would ground me amid the flow of conflicting emotions I was feeling.
Me:I’m not going anywhere.
Me:And I’m not asking you to forget
her. She’s part of Harper and you.
Me:But wanting again doesn’t erase
what you loved before.
There was a long pause.
Then:
Logan:You don’t know how
much that means to me.
Me:I think I do.
