“You’re his uncle on which side?” I was trying to make simple conversation. After our introductions had been put out of the way, I helped Nate make Logan comfortable. I got him a pillow while his uncle got him a blanket and even though he protested it, we made him put it on.
Logan fell asleep on the couch within a few minutes and Nate offered me some homemade hot chocolate. He had said it was so I didn’t come over for nothing. I was currently sitting down in Logan’s tiny kitchen table while Nate stood by the stove over a pot of fresh hot chocolate. It smelled delicious.
“My sister is his mother,” he explained without glancing over at me. “Why do you ask?”
I shrugged and traced light circles in the wood of the table. “You’re so young to be an uncle and I didn’t see a striking resemblance.”
Nate laughed. “Yes, my parents…were not expecting me... As for the resemblance, well you must not be looking close enough.”
I titled my head to the side and studied Nate as he worked. He couldn’t have been that old. He turned to glance at me and his blue eyes met mine and I gasped.
“You have the same eyes,” I shouted out in realization then blushed at my sudden outburst.
Nate smiled and nodded. “It’s something we share and that’s not all I’ve contributed to his family. I believe you’ve met his sister?"
I thought back to when I last saw Evie and how different she looked from Logan. “Your hair color?” I guessed. “She has black hair like you.”
Nate nodded as he pulled out two coffee mugs and poured the hot chocolate evenly into them. After he did so, he added some spice that looked like cinnamon. Then he handed me a cup before taking a seat across from me at the table.
“I guess Evie’s hair color isn’t entirely my fault. Her father has black hair too,” he said as I took a sip of my drink. My eyes widened as the hot liquid came in contact with my taste buds and it wasn’t from the temperature.
“Oh my God, this is amazing,” I muttered glancing into my cup of liquid gold. “You have to give me the recipe.”
“I don’t have a recipe,” Nate mumbled as if in thought. I looked at him surprised and he explained, “I just freestyle with my food a lot.”
“Wow, how do you know that the combinations will work?”
Nate shrugged. “It’s a gift.”
“And a curse?” I completed the cliché with a small smile.
Nate returned it. “More than you know.”
I noted that he hadn’t even touch the other cup of hot chocolate. “Are you not going to drink any?”
“It’s for Logan,” he explained. “Something warm to get into his stomach.”
“You’re such a caring uncle,” I complimented. “Why are you in town?”
“Well Logan was sick and his mother was always a worrier and she wanted to come down herself but she has work along with his father so she asked if I could come and check up on him.” Nate leaned back in his chair.
“How sweet,” I murmured missing the comfort of my own uncle. I wondered if he ever considered visiting me.
“So tell me about yourself,” Nate changed the topic. I looked at him questioningly but he just kept his relaxed expression yet his thoughts spoke up. ‘Logan has told us so little about her you would think he’s trying to keep her all for himself’.
I opened my mouth about to retell the lie that I had told to everyone here when a low groan came from the other room. I sprang out of my chair as if I was suddenly electrocuted by my seat. Nate barely moved but he was watching me with an amused expression.
“Why don’t you take the hot chocolate out to him?” Nate suggested. “I haven’t been able to get him to eat or drink anything.”
“What makes you think I can?” I was already taking the full cup in my hands.
Nate just kept his smile and coolly replied, “Just a guess.”
I didn’t give it much thought as I took the mug with me and walked over to the couch that Logan had fallen asleep on. I set down the full mug onto the coffee table and leaned down onto the floor by Logan’s face again. His eyes fluttered open as I sat in front of him. He was shivering and holding the blanket close to him yet I could see the thin sticky layer of sweat that covered his face.
I shook my head feeling sympathetic. “Good morning.”
He mumbled something in reply but I didn’t catch it. He seemed to have shiver spasms every now and then. I desperately wanted to warm him up even though he was complaining about how hot he was earlier. I spotted the hot chocolate and grabbed it quickly.
I brought the mug over to him and motioned toward it. “You’re uncle made it and besides the fact that it’s the best hot chocolate ever made; you need something in your stomach.”
Logan glanced at the mug in my hands before slowly sitting up enough to take a simple sip. He gave it back to me and I returned it to the coffee table deciding not to argue with him about the amount he needed in his stomach. I lifted my hand to feel his forehead and found it surprisingly cool.
“His fever broke while he was sleeping,” I announced loudly enough for Nate to hear in the next room. I began to remove my hand when Logan covered it with his own effectively keeping it on his cheek. He stopped shivering then and relaxed while closing his eyes. I smiled at his cute sleeping form and leaned up a little to kiss his forehead.
He opened his eyes wide then and looked at me with those deep blue eyes. We were just inches away from our noses touching and I slowly began to inch down intending on meeting our lips together when I heard, “Stop”.
It came from Logan and it was so faint that I almost didn’t hear it. Regardless, I moved away just in time for a coughing fit to take over. He dropped my hand and sat up on the sofa as his coughs racked his body. I moved from the floor to sitting next to him on the couch. I rubbed his still bare back soothingly as he finished.
“I don’t want you to get sick,” Logan explained avoiding my eyes. I dropped my hands to my lap and sighed wishing that was really his reason. I could her Logan thinking, ‘The ball is in a few days. I have to stop this obsession while I still can. I know a kiss will only make it harder to walk away’.
Even though a part of me wanted to argue, another was agreeing with him. The ‘agreeing part’ was winning too. I had to ensure that in a few days I could walk away from him and not care. Yet so far, I was failing at that.
“How are you feeling?” Nate suddenly emerged from the kitchen.
Logan nodded covering himself with the blanket again. “I’ll survive.”
“Are you going to be able to take me to the ball?” I asked with a short laugh meaning something entirely different than I had asked aloud.
Logan made eye contact with me for a moment understanding my hidden question. “I wouldn’t miss it.”
Of course Logan ‘wouldn’t miss’ our breakup. I was sure he wanted this whole mess to be over just as much as I did if not more. Maybe this whole situation would be like a Band-Aid. As soon as it was over I could rip it off in one painful jerk and never have to look back. I could hope that at least.
Logan cleared his throat and turned toward me. “Should you be getting home?”
I looked toward his window and noticed the darkening sky before nodding. I stood up and gave Logan another small peck on the forehead while requesting him to eat into his ear.
I could feel his gaze on me as I walked over to Nate and shook his hand. I thanked him for the hot chocolate. He assured me that we would see each other again and I agreed since he didn’t know what was to come.
I gathered up my things and waved goodbye while wishing Logan to ‘get well soon’ before leaving to catch the bus home. I sighed as I made my way out of the apartment building. What a long day…
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Walking inside my door, I threw my keys and backpack aside before running a hand through my hair. What I wanted more than anything else was to take a relaxing hot shower and turn in for the night. Fate…had other ideas…
I barely made it three steps inside my house when I heard a shrill voice say, “What a crazy mess you’ve gotten yourself into!”
I couldn’t see the owner of the voice from where I stood but I knew immediately who it belong to. No one could have an incredibly high and annoying voice as this person. I walked around the corner of my hallway and into my living room only to find Cassandra Perkins leisurely lying on my couch and flipping through a book.
“What are you doing here?” My mood turned sour instantly.
“Heavens dear, is that how you treat a guest?”
“Oh heavens,” I mocked. “Of course not! How rude of me to be rude to an intruder!”
Cassandra rolled her eyes as she stood throwing the book she had been reading down onto the couch. “It’s a great piece of work,” she motioned toward the novel. “I helped with it of course but I think your life is a much more interesting piece. Imagine if your life were turned into a book! I wonder what we would call it.”
I looked down at the novel and noticed the title Cupid’s Granddaughter. I rolled my eyes then swearing at that book. It was stalking me and I was starting to get sick of seeing it.
“What do you mean?” I bravely asked. “Why is my life so great?”
Cassandra’s short frame seemingly appeared next to me as she swished her hand in front of her as if to literally show the possibilities. “Think about it: you have this loner boy, who is obviously a pity case, falling for you and then you have this sexy hot fake boyfriend. Who do you go for? Well, personally I would go for the sexy one but it’s your choice. I’m sure my readers would enjoy it regardless of who you choose. You’ve already turned down the loner kid so I doubt that relationship is going to go anywhere. I’m rooting for the fake boyfriend.”
I stared down at her like she was crazy. “Excuse me, but can you please get out of my house?”
Cassandra made a few tsk, tsk noises. “I’m so hooked! What’s going to happen next?”
I pointed toward the door. “Out! And stop stalking me! I can feel your presence around and it’s not cool."
Cassandra looked offended but started to leave nonetheless. “I’m never going to stop watching you, sweetie. I mean, how can I not watch and see what decision you make?”
I didn’t answer her obviously rhetorical question. I only glared at her until she finally left. I sighed when I was alone and sank down on my couch. I ended up landing on that stupid book.
I pulled it out and studied the cover which was a simple red felt book with gold lettering. I shook my head as I tossed it aside on a table. I didn’t why that book kept popping up but it was starting to get annoying. It almost seemed like someone was trying to tell me something.
I stretched on the couch feeling all the exhaustion of the day. Class, Greek Jason, regular Jason, Logan, Nate…
The Snowball was just a few days away and after that, all this craziness would hopefully be behind me.
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Author's Note: That's it for updates tonight. Pictures shall come later and the ball is next! Stay tuned!