Chapter 3
By the time we stepped outside into the cool night air, I could finally breathe again. The loud music and heat from the house still pulsed in my ears, but out here, it was quieter. Real. I walked a little ahead, trying to put some distance between us so I could clear my head, but Logan caught up easily, stuffing his hands into his pockets like this was no big deal.
“Do you need a ride home?” he asked casually, like kissing me and roping me into his personal drama was the most normal thing in the world.
“I came with Jess,” I muttered, still not making eye contact.
He nodded like he expected that. “Well, she’s probably somewhere in that house making out with Kyle. Or drunk.”
I glanced at him, surprised he even knew Jess existed, let alone her boyfriend. “You know her?”
He smirked a little. “Everyone knows Jess. She’s loud.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
A silence fell between us, and I hated how awkward it felt. I wasn’t used to this—being seen, being talked to like I mattered. I didn’t know what to do with it.
“I meant what I said, by the way,” Logan said after a minute, quieter now. “I’ve noticed you before tonight.”
I stopped walking. “Why?”
He shrugged, looking almost… shy? “Because you’re different. You don’t try so hard. You’re smart, you don’t fake it for anyone, and you actually seem like a decent human being, which is rare around here.”
I blinked. “That’s not exactly high praise.”
He grinned. “It’s the highest I’ve got.”
He walked me the rest of the way to the sidewalk where the cars were lined up like sardines. Jess was nowhere in sight, of course. I should’ve been mad, but somehow, I wasn’t. Not tonight.
“Logan,” I said, turning to face him. “This fake girlfriend thing… it can’t be forever.”
“I know. Just a couple weeks. A month at most. Just until Sarah gets the hint.”
“And you’ll owe me.”
“Big time,” he promised with a smile.
“And I don’t kiss you again,” I added quickly.
His grin faded, but something flickered behind his eyes—something unreadable. “Fair.”
Just then, headlights swept over us and Jess’s voice called out from the open car window, “Alicia! I’ve been looking everywhere!”
I turned toward the car and gave her a half-hearted wave. “Found me.”
She raised an eyebrow as she glanced from Logan to me, her curiosity practically screaming through the window. “Is that who I think it is?”
I ignored her question and climbed into the passenger seat. Logan leaned in before I closed the door.
“Thanks again,” he said softly, only for me to hear. “I won’t forget it.”
As Jess pulled away, she let out a dramatic gasp. “You kissed him! You totally kissed him, didn’t you?!”
I buried my face in my hands. “Don’t start.”
“Don’t start?! You and Logan freaking Saunders were making out in front of the whole party like it was a Nicholas Sparks movie! And you didn’t tell me anything?”
“It wasn’t like that,” I groaned. “It was a setup. Kind of. A fake thing. Long story.”
“Oh my God, is this a secret relationship?! Are you secretly dating him and didn’t tell me because I’d freak out?”
“You’re freaking out now and we’re not even really dating.”
Jess squealed so loud the windows could’ve cracked. “Oh my God, Alicia, you’re living every nerdy girl’s dream. This is better than any romance book we’ve ever read. You have to spill everything.”
But I didn’t want to talk. Not yet.
Because no matter how much I told myself it was fake… the feel of Logan’s lips still lingered on mine.
And deep down, a tiny voice was whispering something I wasn’t ready to admit.
I didn’t want this to be pretend.