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CHAPTER 23: GOOD WEIRD AND CLEANLINESS

LOGAN

The air smells of grease.

And Aaron's ridiculously expensive orange perfume.

"Man you need to change your perfume," I saw, mixing car wash soap into the small red bucket at my feet.

"It's a deodorant," he deadpans.

"Why does it smell like oranges?"

"it's supposed to smell like citrus and it does. You don't have a working sensory system."

"I don't get why you would like to smell like fruits when you pay hundreds for that smell," I mutter.

Aaron hops up on the store counter. It's a good thing Jake isn't here and the shop is closed because I am pretty sure he'd be poking holes in Aaron's ass with a wrench if he saw him sitting on the same place as the cash register.

We are at Hardy Hands right now, the day is bright and clear but on Wednesdays, we have the shop closed for customers. I could go home too but driving to Nana's takes an hour or so and today I am not feeling it. And anyway, my car needed a wash so here we are. Stealing soaps from the shop, shitting on where I eat, and all that.

"Lo, this one works like a magnet for girls," Aaron says, arms folded in front of him.

"Yeah, no thanks."

"C'mon, you smell like soap and musk most of the time," he whines, "And disgusting rancid sweat after a practice."

I raise my eyebrows at him, "Oh are we shaming me for normal bodily function?"

"I mean, you smell a lot worse than me so."

I throw the soap-covered wet rag at him and it misses him by an inch. Deliberately.

"Logan, what the fuck! I like this jacket!" He picks up the rag and dumps it at the roof of my car.

"Yes I know you do, hence I threw it," I say dryly.

A completely hypothetical situation but if I was to catch on fire right this second, he will not be removing his jacket to stop me from burning. He will find something else, he will definitely do something. But one thing he isn't going to do, is ruin his varsity jacket. It's probably Tom Ford or something, I don't know shit. All I know is Aaron loves his clothes and shoes more than all of us combined.

But that's alright because we know he's a softie underneath all.

"All I am saying is," He walks over to me, "With all the game you have, maybe smelling good will be in your cards."

"Aaron, I don't smell like a pig!"

"You smell like...cleanliness."

I chuckle, "What the fuck's that now? And for the record, I have plenty of game for the both of us, sucker."

"Oh?" he raises his eyebrows at me, "Is that why you go all tongue-tied in front of Ellie?"

My hands freeze inside the water-filled bucket and I slowly look up at him. He's grinning like the rip-roaring asshole that he is; I slowly take the sponge from the bucket and splash it on the car windows. I thought this would give me enough time to form a coherent reply but apparently, I was wrong.

"I don't get tongue-tied, she just makes me feel...weird. Good weird." I admit.

"You couldn't even place an order yesterday."

"But I went up there and ordered, In her close proximity, so you're wrong."

He doesn't need to reiterate yesterday's incident with me. My mind is doing that enough already; it's like the moment I walked up to her is running 24/7 on a loop inside my head and it sucks because I need to get her out of my mind. She's not mine to think about.

But if only it were that easy. I will never get over the way her hair bobbed left and right in a ponytail as she was talking to her friend. It was tied up with a red scarf and the closer I got to her, the better I could smell her lavender-vanilla scent. I didn't even know something like that existed until I first met her.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. Jesus, I am getting in deep.

"She's with Duncan," I mutter.

Aaron snorts, "I don't think anyone is capable of being with that clown. He only talks shit or about himself."

"Yeah well, she's been on dates with him," I slow down on the scrubbing when I realize I am gripping the sponge a bit too hard. I need to get a grip before it's too late. I don't want to mess up my hockey career or give Nana something to worry about over a stupid crush on a girl who probably thinks I am a jerk or a loser. Or maybe both.

"Have you asked her?"

I look at him like he's lost his mind, "Fucker, what part about her going on multiple dates with Parker do you not understand?"

"I am just saying, you shouldn't make any decisions before asking her out."

"Yeah, yeah, we still up for tonight?"

I change the conversation because I don't want to talk about it. But it's worse because talking about a party reminds me of the last party I went to; it included a lot of Taylor Swift and sunshine smiles from Ellie. I smile at the memory. It was probably the happiest I have ever seen her and boy if it didn't light up the room.

"I see what you did there, and yes we are so hurry up and go shower. You're using my deodorant by the way."

I groan, "God save us all."

                            

                              ★-★

Small chapter because it was my birthday Yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!   
When is your birthday???                        
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