Logan
What the fuck.
Jaw locked, nostrils flared, I watched Willow walk off with Jordy—the idiot who manned the bathhouse. He was young, in his early twenties, and seemed to suffer from an aversion to shirts and shoes, as I’d yet to see him wearing either. He was always grinning and telling jokes—mostly to the women in camp—and giving the impression of being an easygoing, carefree kind of guy, which was, word for word, my very least favorite type of person.
Willow didn’t appear altogether comfortable with his attention either; the sole reason I hadn’t yet chucked my hammer at Jordy’s perfectly coiffed head of hair. That, and the fact that I hadn’t even recognized Willow at first.
Her hair was down, hanging to her waist in tight, unruly curls, glistening wet in the bright sunlight. I couldn’t remember having ever seen her hair loose like this before, even back before the world had gone to shit. Her clothes were ones I’d never seen before too; form-fitting jeans and a knotted T-shirt showing several inches of smooth skin at her waist. She’d gained some weight since I’d last seen her; her curves had reappeared, and her cheeks were as plump as I remembered them. Even her limp had improved considerably; it was hardly noticeable unless you were looking for it. In time, it would probably disappear entirely.
Willow had healed.
She’d also, at some point over the last two weeks, grown intoa seriously fucking beautiful woman.
I’d never really understood what Lucas had seen in her, and maybe that was because, for me, her obnoxious personality and over-the-top outfits had always overshadowed her looks. But looking at her now…
Staring after her, I was still reeling.
“Hey, Logan! You done over there? Wanna grab a water break?”
Seated astride the beam beside mine, Elijah—EJ for short—was eagerly waving a hammer around. Fresh out of high school when the world called it quits, EJ had just enlisted in the army—a decision he claimed had saved his life. Though he hadn’t been a soldier very long, he still wore his dog tags all these years later, and kept his head and face freshly shaved. Like me, he was a regular on the construction crew, usually serving as foreman when Joshua was busy elsewhere.
While I was thinking up an excuse, another voice chimed in. “I think a water break sounds great, don’t you, Logan?” Peering up at me, Leisel mouthedUXO, before walking off.
Glaring after her, fighting back my rising anger, I gritted out, “Sure, EJ. A water break sounds great.”
“Sweet!” EJ’s enthusiasm was palpable as he swung his leg over the beam, jumping to the ground below. Sighing, I slipped my hammer into my tool belt and followed suit. I was genuinely thirsty, and I really didn’t want Liesel following me around every day, treating me like some sort of pariah—thinking that at any moment I was going to explode.
“Did you see that twelve-point Buck the hunting crew brought in yesterday? We’re gonna be feastin’ tonight.” Grinning, EJ fell in step beside me. “Man, we’re never that lucky; rabbits and turkey, that’s all we ever seem to get.”
As per usual, EJ would talk enough for both of us, while I merely grunted and nodded in reply. Every day it felt like someone was always wanting to talk to me about something utterly irrelevant—I didn’t give a single shit about weather patterns, personal grudges, or the absolute worst of all,who was hooking up with who.And maybe this was typical when your community consisted of only fifty-odd people—but for me, the constant chatting was quickly becoming hellish. Admittedly, I’d even begun to miss the solitude I’d once claimed to hate.
“Hey there, slowpokes.” Britta was headed our way, twirling a hammer in her hand as if it were a baton. “What’s the holdup on your cabin?Mine’s nearly done.”
“Thought you liked a man who could last a while?” EJ retorted.
“Nah, boy—what I like is a man who can keep up.” With a wink, she sauntered off.
“Fuck me,” EJ groaned, turning in a circle to watch her leave. “The things I would do to her if only she’d let me…” Shaking his head, he flashed me a grin. “How about you, Logan—you into older women?”
“Sure,” I muttered. In truth, I didn’t have a clue what I liked—something I’d only just realized. I liked women—that much I knew, but as far as a particular type of woman, I’d never given it much thought. Back before everything had gone to shit, I’d ogled my fair share and I’d certainly enjoyed sex, it just hadn’t been a priority. My main focus had always been getting through school and then getting the hell out of town.
My thoughts strayed back to the countless nights I’d been forced to listen to Lucas and Willow having sex. A minor annoyance that, as more and more time passed, had become torturous. Back then, I’d chalked up my attraction to Willow as a fluke, only brought about by our close living quarters and the distinct lack of females in my life. Now, I no longer had the luxury of ignorance to hide behind; now, I was surrounded by other people, some of them good-looking women, and not a single one inspired the same sort of reaction in me that Willow did.
The realization made me scowl.
I was still scowling as I reached the water cooler, hard enough that I felt a headache coming on. Snatching a cup from the stack, I quickly filled it, dumping the water over my face and neck. Only once I’d cooled down and could trust myself to speak without screaming did I turn to EJ.
“So what’s up with that Jordy guy?” I heard myself ask. Briefly closing my eyes, I cursed myself silently.
EJ glanced at me, brows raised. “What do you mean?”
Striving for nonchalance, I bent down, busying myself with refilling my cup. “Just saw him with Willow and wanted to know what kind of guy he was.”
“Oh man, Willow was walking around camp today?” EJ smiled. “How’d I miss that? She must be feeling better.”
Having not spoken to Willow in several weeks, I merely shrugged and continued drinking my water. Word spread quickly around camp; case and point, everyone had known about mine and Willow’s fight at the gate only minutes after it had happened. Which meant everyone also knew that I was no longer visiting Willow at Doc’s anymore. They could make all the assumptions they wanted, but I wasn’t about to add any fuel to their gossip fires.
“Jordy’s alright, I guess,” EJ continued. “And the girls seem to like him.” At that, EJ rolled his eyes.
