Page 77 of Asystole

Kendra is on my doorstep.

Shit.

“Uh, yeah, come on in,” I tell her, moving to the side, because what the fuck else am I supposed to do?

“Thank you,” she says, moving past me into the space.

“No problem.” I’m saying shit I think I’m supposed to say, but I already feel like this is definitely a problem.

“You must be Logan.” She holds her hand out, and a pit opens in my stomach. She seems… nice. Which is terrible. I don’t want to like her.

But before I can stress about it too long, she opens her mouth again as she looks around my condo. “I can’t believe he actually gave up that gorgeous apartment to accommodate a guy who couldn’t wrap it up. Anyway, can you show me to his room so I can put my stuff down?”

It’s like my brain won’t compute.

She wants to share his bed?

I mean, yes, of course she does… but I don’t like it.

Suddenly, I wish Chase and I had bought that stupid townhouse with the third bedroom the day he mentioned it. I could’ve made something up, like I was against sex before marriage and she was going to have to sleep in the extra room.

What a ridiculous thought.

Begrudgingly, I lead her down the short hallway to Chase’s room. Opening the door, I’m hit with his scent. I avoid coming in here specifically for this reason. Getting turned on by how he smells feels like a violation of the stalemate we’ve managed to find.

“Uh, you can put your things in here.”

“Okay, great.”

“I know you said you had wanted to surprise him, but then your flight got messed up. Does that mean he knows you’re here?” Because if he does and he didn’t give me a heads-up, I’ll kill him.

Kendra smiles widely.

“Oh, no, I managed to keep it a secret, but it was close. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell him, though. What time does he usually get home?” she asks. The question is reasonable, but it sets me on edge.

Shouldn’t she know his schedule by now? I mean, yes, it changes all the time, but like, I know his schedule. We communicate.

“He has trauma conference tonight, so it’ll probably be eight or later,” I tell her.

Her face falls immediately.

“Oh. Maybe I should tell him I’m here so he can skip it and get home sooner,” she muses.

“Yeah, it’s not really something he can skip,” I inform her.

“Oh,” she says again. “Right.”

“You’re welcome to help yourself to anything in the pantry or fridge. We cook a lot of our meals ahead of time because of our busy schedules, so we might not have much, but we can order pizza or a delivery service.”

“Um, I think I’d just like to grab a shower if that’s alright?”

“Of course. Guest bathroom is next to Chase’s room.”

She nods and turns to leave. As soon as she’s out of sight, I immediately fire a text to Chase.

Logan

Sorry for ruining the surprise, but Kendra just showed up on our doorstep, and I thought you should know.