"Logan?" I called as the door slammed behind me.
I looked down the empty sidewalk. Thunder rolled overhead with the promise of rain.
I turned the other way and sagged in relief when I saw Logan sitting on the concrete, his face in his hands.
I hurried over to him and kneeled in front of him, "Logan?"
He took a shuddering breath and looked up at me, his eyes watery, "She shouldn't have known that. I don't believe in that stuff. I never told her my mothers name. She shouldn't have known her name."
"Maybe it really is her gift," I shrugged, laying a hand on his knee in an attempt to comfort him. I didn't expect such a reading from what I thought was BS. I had no idea Logan would react like that.
"I used to blame her," he whispered, staring into my eyes, "When she died. I blamed her for leaving me and dad. For how dad couldn't cope and would forget about me as a teen. When he didn't come to my games or forgot my birthday. When he came home drunk and would hit me. When she died, my world fell apart. I still blame her..."
He grimaced and looked away from me, looking ashamed, "And she was there. She knows I blamed her. She was next to me the whole time..."
"Oh, Logan," I mumbled and pulled him out of his crunched up position.
I sat in his lap and pulled him into a tight hug. Maybe I could squeeze him hard enough to put his world back together.
His arms wrapped around my torso and he clutched onto me, burying his face in my shoulder, "I feel so guilty Eva..."
"Don't. You heard what Madame said. Jenny loves you and wants you to know that. She wants you to let go," I said softly, hoping that Madame Zulu hadn't made that part up.
"I don't know if I can," he whispered.
"You've got to or you'll always feel this way. Letting go doesn't mean you'll forget her."
Logan seemed unable to answer. He just brought his knees up and curled around me, holding onto me like I was the only thing keeping him from floating off into space. I just sat there and made sure to hug him tightly.
"Am I too merciful Eva? With my father?" He asked after a while, leaning back but refusing to let go. People walking down the sidewalk weaved around us, casting questioning looks but we ignored them.
I thought about how Logan had supported his dad. He was a teenager thrust into the real world after a stressful childhood. His father wasn't his responsibility when he had been subjected to years of pain.
I nodded slightly, "Just a little."
Logan nodded, "I think I'm going to send him to rehab and if it doesn't work.."
He shrugged haplessly.
"That's a good plan," I said lightly.
"What's your plan? After this. When you have to go back," he asked.
I pursed my lips, "I..I don't know but I'm not staying in New York. I'm going to leave and I don't want to come back."
He looked at me with those shining green eyes, "Will you take me with you? Can I just stay with you Eva?"
"You'd come with me?" I said in surprise. Our trip was one thing, but to come with me again, that would be a whole other experience. My heart swelled, I wanted him to come.
Logan nodded, smiling weakly, "I haven't ever been as happy as I am with you since mom died. I like how I feel with you. I don't want to go back either."
I grinned at him, "Then you're coming with me because I've never felt like this before. I like being with you. You're more family to me than my parents ever were."
I was taken by surprise when Logan grabbed my face in his hands and pulled me down for a hard kiss. I relaxed against him and melted into his kiss.
Madame Zulu was right. The attraction and passion was overwhelming.
Logan pulled back as I rested my forehead against his.
"Do you want to go back to the hotel? Grab some dinner and watch some movies maybe? It can be another date," I offered with a grin.
"The day I pass up a date with you will be the day I'm six feet under," Logan chuckled.
I got up off of him and reached out a hand, helping him up off the damp sidewalk.
"Nice," he grumbled as it started to drizzle rain.
I shrugged, "It's just rain."
Logan chuckled and wrapped an arm around my waist, tugging me close to him as we started to walk. The rain soaked us but it wasn't really a bother.
Logan laughed as I stomped in a puddle and splashed him with muddy water. He splashed me back and I hip bumped him away from me.
We were soaked when we reached the hotel.
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"We need this too," I said, grabbing some extra fluffy blankets and throwing them in the cart.
"Eva, what happened to the bare essentials?" Logan said from behind the cart, looking at the mound I'd created.
I shrugged, "I've never been camping. I don't know what the bare essentials are."
"Just like, I dunno, sleeping bags, a tent, a mini grill, flashlight, some food, water purifier, things like that," he listed off.
"Well we have all that, now for some homey necessities," I grinned and pulled on the cart to make him keep moving.
We were walking around a Gander Mountain in northern Tennessee. For destination six, we were going camping and hiking on the Appalachian trails that cut through Tennessee and Kentucky.
Logan and I drove as far north as the trails allowed to cut down on the time. Now we were supplying up. I figured we could splurge on this destination since we'd been penny pinching for a while.
I continued to toss what I thought were necessities into the shopping cart. Female necessities were no longer needed since my problem had only lasted three days. I was still rejoicing.
"I think that's good," I said approvingly as I threw a warmer jacket in. I was also getting Logan some hiking apparel, despite his whining.
"Thank god," he sighed and started pushing the cart towards the register.
I jumped on the end and laughed as he sped up to race around the store. The clerk looked at us like we were misbehaving five year olds...which wasn't technically wrong.
I paid for all the stuff, refused to let Logan see the receipt and drug him back to the truck. I don't know why, but I was exceptionally excited about camping.
For a girl who's never been out of the city, the complete opposite of home sounded fun.
Logan tied a tarp over all of our things in the bed and climbed in the cab. I directed him towards a local park that led to the trails.
"We can drive up to the Green springs clearing and then walk from there tomorrow," Logan said as he slowly drove the truck along the dirt road.
We came to a large clearing that had a stream running directly through it. I stayed glued to my window, taking in all the green.
"The camping grounds are about four miles from here," Logan said as he studied a map.
"Do we really have to get all the stuff out now just to pack it up in the morning?" I sighed as I looked at all of our gear.
Logan made a lazy face before brightening up, "I have an idea."
I raised an eyebrow as he started piling things out of the truck bed and setting them aside. I smiled as he then filled the bed with our pillows, sleeping bags and blankets.
"It's warm enough to sleep here tonight," Logan said, putting the tailgate down.
We both decided to eat some snack food we'd brought for dinner and to save the rest for later.
Logan turned on the radio and we laid in the back of the truck while the sun set. Crickets and other bugs began to hum while some owl hooted somewhere.
"Ever gotten a view of the stars like this?" Logan asked, pointing up.
I looked up at the stars and gasped, "Holy shit...no, I've never seen the stars like this."
They were magnificent. I couldn't confuse any with an airplane or such. There were clusters in areas of the sky. Faint swatches of different colors of our galaxy were just barely visible.
No light pollution of the city. Just pure sky.
"Shooting star," I said as a star streaked across the sky.
"You can make a wish on those, you know."
I wish I could live this dream for forever.
It grew late and we started to get ready for bed.
"You can turn the music off," I said to Logan as I brushed my hair out.
"I did," he said from the other side of the truck.
We looked at each other and glanced around. Faint rock music was coming from somewhere and we could barely see some light coming through the trees.
"Wanna go see who's there?" I asked Logan.
He hesitated, "We don't know them."
I shrugged, "Sounds like a party."
I grabbed his hand and started walking towards the light in the woods. Logan followed closely.
The music became louder and I became more excited.