Page 114 of Asystole

I stare at him in disbelief.

“Are you saying that if I had stood up to you earlier, all this could have been avoided?”

“Perhaps. But you didn’t stand up to me earlier, proving this was the right call.”

I can’t even argue with him. If he hadn’t had his stupid rules in place, I probably would’ve married Kendra by now. If I had, maybe she wouldn’t be the selfish, bitter woman she turned into, but I guess we’ll never know.

What I do know is that I’m insanely grateful I’m with Logan because, in all my time with Kendra, I’ve never felt like I do when I’m with him.

“So, you’ve made it clear these are your choices and the path you want to take despite knowing the consequences. You’ve never pushed back before, which tells me this young man is worth it to you. You never did that for Kendra. Perhaps once the dust settles a bit, we can all have a conversation about the best ways for your mother and me to help you moving forward. Now, I’m going to the bar. You boys want to come along? Heidi?” he asks, making eye contact with my mom, who can read him better than anyone. She smiles and says, “Why don’t we let them mingle with their friends, and I’ll come get a drink with you?”

My dad nods and heads for the bar, clearly ready to move on.

My mom leans in to hug me.

“We are proud of you, honey.” To Logan, she squeezes his shoulder and adds, “It will take us a minute or two to adjust, but we look forward to getting to know you.”

And then she’s off, and I can’t decide whether I want to dance the jig or puke my guts up.

Thankfully, Stone and Hanlon appear a second later, holding a shot glass in each hand. Hanlon passes one to me and Stone hands his extra to Logan.

“That looked intense,” Hanlon says, already in on Logan and I’s not-so-secret secret. “Drink up, bastards. This is a party.”

No sooner do I tip my head back than Hanlon is pulling me onto the dance floor as the song changes from slow and sappy to something with a beat.

“I’m out,” Stone says, pressing a kiss to Hanlon’s cheek. “You boys have fun.” Suddenly, his pointer finger is less than an inch from my face. “And keep your hands to yourself,” Stone warns.

Little does he know, I’m having the best night of my life, and fucking with him will only make it better.

I snap my teeth, causing him to pull his hand back as I smile.

“Not a snowball’s chance in hell, Addario. Come on, Hanny Bananny, we have some catching up to do.”

I smack Hanlon on the ass and then drag him to the middle of the dance floor.

Chapter 41

Logan

“Fuck, I hate that guy,” Stone says, as we watch Chase blow a kiss to Stone right before planting his hands on Hanlon’s ass and leaving them there.

I just snort a laugh.

It’s Hanlon who taught Chase how to be comfortable finding physical comfort from other men. It’s Hanlon who normalized the idea for Chase that maybe there is no such thing as gay or straight or bi. Maybe it’s just about finding your person, and I’ll be eternally grateful to him for that.

Besides, watching Stone squirm is pretty fun.

“He’s not so bad,” I say, accidentally drawing Stone’s attention to myself.

Stone’s eyes stay on me as I watch in awe of my boyfriend as he dances terribly around his best friend, not holding back and showing no shame. It makes my heart sing for fucking joy that Chase’s light has returned. This is the guy I met in that hospital room all those years ago.

“Does he know?” Stone asks, taking me by surprise.

“Know what?” I return.

“That you’re into him.”

I should just say yes. There’s no need to hide it now, but this is my chance for true closure. To let go of the hurt I’ve carried for years, and if Chase and I are truly going to give this a shot, I need to make sure I’ve let it all go.