The Rent Boy (EDITING)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Then Everything Changes-

     "Hey," he greeted as he stepped aside, welcoming me in. I beamed a smile back at him, rubbing my hands together to try and warm up. "That was quick. I swear, I only sent that text a few minutes ago." He joked, laughing softly. 

    "Wasn't really that far away," I offered as an explanation. He nodded and ushered me up the stairs towards his room. I found that we always felt more relaxed and comfortable around each other when we were in his room, rather than anywhere else in the house. I wasn't really sure why, but for me I think it was because it was all Logan. Logan's room, Logan's stuff. Just entirely Logan. 

    I couldn't restrain myself once the door was shut. I was immediately pressing myself up against him, crowding him by the door, hands running up and down his back and stealing his heat. Our lips were joined, not properly kissing but just sort of moving in a lazy rhythm. Logan let out a surprised gasp when I snook a bite, though, prompting his hands to push at my shoulders, giving him enough room to lean out of reach of my lips. 

    My brows crumpled in a mixture of confusion and disapproval. 

    "Before we do this..." he waved his finger between us both. "There's something I really need to talk to you about. I can't avoid it anymore." The seriousness of his expression and tone put together caused me to take a step back, watching him carefully. 

    "Okay...?" I'll admit his words had me slightly on the worried side, hesitant to hear what he had to say. He gestured a hand for me to sit down on his bed. I obliged, and he followed soon after, sitting beside me. 

    "This might be a little tough to wrap your head around," he began, taking a deep breath. "I haven't really known how to say it - never really planned to even tell you it, when I first called you. I never thought you'd actually stick around this long and be this...important to me." 

    I nodded for him to continue, since no words really came to mind and I just wanted him to get this over with and stop with the serious talk. Serious talk-plus-Logan wasn't something I found I liked.

    "I..." he closed his eyes momentarily, gathering his thoughts, before reopening them. "I have a terminal illness. I have Cancer." 

    I felt my head slowly nodding, my eyes just staring straight through his, waiting for the punch line. But the punch line never came, and Logan's lips never curled into a smile. It was when I realised that Logan wasn't pulling a joke on me that I burst into laughter, shaking my head against the burn of tears I felt already building up at the corners of my eyes. 

    "What? Are you- you're crazy, right? Tell me you're crazy because you can't be serious right now, Logan, you can't be serious. That's just insane!" My voice slowly built up to an angry shout, standing up and putting some distance between me and the guy sitting on his bed. The guy that I thought I knew, that I thought I trusted and understood. 

    "Ash, I tried to tell you before. I really did! But every time, something always came up. I never wanted to hurt you-"

    "Bullshit Logan! Don't fucking screw with me! You don't have...Cancer," I spat the word with disgust, one tear slowly burning a trail down my left cheek. "That's ridiculous. You can't." My voice broke on the last word. I turned away from embarrassment, facing his door and dragging a hand down my face, wiping away the tears. 

    "Ash," 

    I spun back around to face him, wiping my nose with my sleeve. My whole body suddenly felt weak. If I held my hand up horizontally, I was sure that it would be trembling. I felt sick to the stomach. I just wished that that word would stop repeating itself inside my head.