Logan’s face was painted with something between awe and hesitation. Not confusion about what had just happened, but something gentler… like he was quietly wondering what I’d do now, how I’d feel after kissing him.
It was sweet. Thoughtful.
So, I smiled.
Then I brought my thumb up to his mouth, just to feel those lips again.
Without warning, he caught my hand in his, pressing a kiss to the pad of my thumb. Then he turned it over and kissed the back, in a deliberate motion that made my heart kick.
“I’ve been waiting to do that for too damn long,” he murmured, his voice rough with honesty.
Just like that, I wasn’t sure if I was going to hold back from kissing him ever again.
29
ELLIE
After swimming, and well, kissing, Logan and I decided to dry off and pack it in for the day. He people-watched while I tried to finish the last few pages of my book, both of us silently agreeing not to mention the kiss.
Which, honestly, was perfectly fine with me.
Because right now? I was a full-blown mess inside my own head.
Why the hell had I kissed him?
I didn’t regret it. Not even a little. In fact, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. But with everything I was already navigating, did I really need to addthisto the mix?
What Logan and I had—our friendship—it worked. It had always worked since we were kids. So why did I suddenly feel the need to tip the balance? Why now, in the middle of my personal chaos, did I risk dragging him into it with me? Though I guess he was already coming along for the ride.
The saddest part was, Logan wouldn’t even hesitate to stand beside me in any storm I created. He always had.
How long had he been waiting to kiss me? And why hadn’t he done it sooner?
Sure, I’d been with Buck. But was it reallythatlong? And if Logan had told me how he felt, if I’d known, would things have played out differently?
That was the question circling in my brain since the moment his lips touched mine in the ocean.
If I’d known Logan wanted me, that he felt something more than friendship, would I have picked him?
The honest answer?
I would’ve picked Logan in every single universe.
He was Logan. My best friend. My anchor. My constant. And these feelings—this storm of emotion—felt like a warning.
We were almost to our room,ourroom, this time with two beds. Close enough to tempt every thought I was trying to suppress, but still played into the desire I had.
So many questions. No real answers. But as Logan placed the keycard against the lock, the biggest one surfaced again and again:
Did I always love him, but never recognized it because I didn’t know whatreallove looked like?
Because if just a few days alone with Logan while I was finally, completely single was enough to shake the way I saw him so deeply…
Was it possible I hadn’t ignored the truth, but simply never knew what it meant?
I’d experienced healthy friendships. Even healthy family love. But romantic love? That was the one thing I realized…
I’d maybe never gotten quite right.