When Logan’s gaze narrows in on me, I know I’ve said too much.Oopsie. “Wait... What else aren’t you telling me?”
Forcing myself to rein in my emotions, I roll my eyes to the ceiling. The last thing I need is Logan discovering what happened after graduation. Those memories are mine, and I’m not about to share it with my overprotective brother. He would lose his shit for sure.
So I settle for telling him what happened at prom, giving him a brief rundown of my altercation with Michelle.
“So, yeah. Rowan broke up with her after she called me a freak and tried to hit me,” I admit, watching as his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “I ran out. He came after me. And... we kissed.”
“Seriously?” Logan’s voice rises an octave.
“I made the first move,” I lie, crossing my arms in defense. “And, of course he kissed me back. Then I came to my senses and told him it was a mistake.”
Looking utterly bewildered, this time my brother runs both hands through his hair. “Holy shit.”
The fight drains out of me and I sigh. “Look, I appreciate the fact you were just trying to protect me, but you should’ve let me handle him on my own.”
Defeated, he slumps back onto the couch. “I’m sorry, Iz. I really thought I was doing the right thing.”
Sinking down beside him, I tuck an arm through his, resting my head on his shoulder. “I know.”
We sit in silence for a few minutes before his asks, “So that’s why you bolted last night? Because of what happened at prom?”
I roll my head to look up at him. “It’s... hard to explain.”
“Maybe him being here is a chance to fix things between the two of you,” Logan says gently. “Get some closure?”
“Closure?” I snort. “Really, Logan? What am I supposed tosay? ‘Hey, Rowan, remember when you kissed me at prom and we pretended it never happened? Good times!’”
“You know what I mean.”
“I don’t need closure. I need to not see him again.” I take a long sip of my coffee. “Besides, he made that decision for both of us a long time ago.”
“He’s changed, Lizzy. We all have.”
“Oh, I see. So, you’d call boinking every actress and socialite in Hollywood achange? Not to mention he’s seen more often than not with Carrie Southern. Figured they were on and off.”
Logan shifts uncomfortably. “Actually...”
I narrow my eyes. “Now what?”
“First of all, they’re just friends. Turns out, he’s kind of looking for a fake girlfriend,” he says sheepishly, a slight question in his tone.
“Seriously?” I ask, sitting upright. “Why?”
“The studio says he needs to clean up his image if he wants to work for them as a director. They want Rowan to be in a stable relationship. Something along the lines of not being a liability.”
A sharp and incredulous laugh bursts out of my mouth. “And what does any of that have to do with me?”
“Nothing.” He shrugs. “I just... thought you should know.”
“He can do whatever the fuck he wants. I don’t give a shit.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
He barely flinches when I punch him in the arm. “Asshole.”
His chuckle bleeds into a heavy sigh. “Look, I’m sorry if I overstepped, but I’m not sorry for trying to look out for you. You’re my sister, Lizzy. After everything you went through when we were kids... I couldn’t sit back and watch it happen all over again.”
We sit in silence for a few minutes as the tension between us slowly fades away.
