Chapter 52 You deserve all
~ Ava’s POV~
The cafeteria buzzed with a lot of noise, voices bouncing off the walls, trays clattering.
I sat across from Charlotte, my fingers wrapped around a cold coffee cup, staring blankly at the swirling cream inside.
I hadn't taken a single sip.
Charlotte was yapping about some group project disaster, but I wasn't listening to her. I was busy lost against the storm in my head.
I couldn’t stop thinking about last night.
What was going on with Logan? Why did he leave like that?
The way he’d bolted from the apartment without even meeting my eyes. The haunted look when he returned, hours later.
"Okay, you're scaring me now," Charlotte said, dragging me out of my thoughts.
She leaned forward, eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?"
I hesitated, the words sticking in my throat.
Finally, I set the cup down with a soft clink and whispered, "It's Logan."
Charlotte's eyes sharpened immediately. "What happened? Did he cheat on you?!"
“What? No!" I said
She frowned “then what did he do to get you so lost in your thoughts?"
I tucked my hair behind my ear, feeling slightly exposed.
"He got this call...last night," I said. "Unknown number. As soon as he saw it, he just...panicked. Left without explaining anything. I waited for him, but when he came back, he wouldn't talk about it. He just held me."
I swallowed. "Like he was afraid I'd disappear."
Charlotte's mouth tightened.
"That’s...intense."
"Yeah," I said, rubbing my hands together. "I don't know what to do. I don't even know what happened. He looked...terrified."
Charlotte studied me for a long moment, then leaned in, lowering her voice.
"Ava...how much do you actually know about Logan's family?"
The question caught me off guard.
I blinked. "I know his mom died when he was young," I said slowly. "But other than that...not much. He never talks about them. I only know about his brother Levi”
Charlotte let out a low whistle.
"Wow," she said. "He really kept you in the dark, huh?"
"Why?" I asked, my stomach knotting thinking about every worst scenario. "What don't I know?"
Charlotte glanced around the noisy cafeteria, like she was checking to make sure no one was eavesdropping.
Then she leaned even closer.
"Logan’s dad is Sebastian Carter," she said, voice barely above a whisper.
The name meant nothing to me. I must have looked as confused as I felt, because she rolled her eyes dramatically.
"Sebastian Carter. Billionaire real estate tycoon. Owns half of the skyscrapers in the city. Probably half the politicians too," she added bitterly. "He's been on the Forbes list for, like, two decades."
I stared at her, stunned.
"You're kidding."
Charlotte shook her head. "Nope. Logan’s basically heir to a freaking empire. If he wanted to, he could be swimming in money. They got a lot of money”
"Then why..." I struggled to piece it together. "Why live like this? He has a basic apartment. He drives an old truck."
Charlotte shrugged. "From what I heard, Logan wants nothing to do with his father. And honestly? Can’t blame him. He has a...reputation."
I leaned in, heart pounding. "What kind of reputation?"
Charlotte's lips twisted.
"Ruthless. Cold. A total control freak. Business first, family never. There’s a lot of ugly rumors. People disappearing after crossing him, deals made in the dark...but nobody ever proved anything."
She paused. "Logan’s mom died when he was a teenager. After that, he and his dad barely spoke. And when Logan turned eighteen, he cut ties completely."
I sat back, my heart reeling.
Logan had never breathed a word of this. Did he not trust me?
All the pieces were starting to click right now. The guarded looks, the way he never let people too close.
I thought I knew him.
But there was a whole world inside him I'd never touched.
Charlotte softened when she saw my face.
"Look," she said gently. "Logan's not his father. He's one of the good ones. But...he’s carrying a lot. Stuff he probably doesn’t know how to talk about."
I nodded slowly.
"I just wish he'd trust me enough to let me in," I said quietly.
Charlotte reached across the table and squeezed my hand.
"He will," she said. "When he's ready."
\~~~~~~
The rest of lunch passed in a blur.
I barely tasted my food. My mind kept spinning and spinning trying to piece Logan together in a way that made sense.
I thought about how tightly he had held me last night.
How broken he had looked.
He wasn’t pushing me away because he didn’t trust me.
He was protecting me.
From something I didn’t even understand yet. But the real question here was what was he so afraid of? What happened to him?
By the time the final bell rang, I knew what I had to do.
I had to see him.
That evening, I stood in front of Logan’s apartment door, my heart hammering against my ribs.
I didn’t even text first. I just...needed to be there.
Needed to make sure he was okay.
Before I could knock, the door opened.
Logan stood there, disheveled and looking exhausted like he hadn't slept a minute. His hoodie hung loose on his frame, and his eyes were bloodshot.
"Ava," he breathed.
Before I knew what I was doing, I stepped forward, wrapping my arms around him.
He caught me instantly, pulling me tight against him, burying his face in my hair. Neither of us spoke for a long time.
Finally, he pulled back just enough to look at me.
His eyes were glassy, pain evident in his pretty blue eyes.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "For leaving you like that. For scaring you."
"You didn’t scare me," I said softly. "I was just...worried."
He closed his eyes for a moment, like the words physically hurt him.
"I want to explain everything," he said. "But...I need time. There are things I have to handle first."
I reached up and cupped his cheek, feeling the slight tremble under my fingers.
"You don’t have to explain yet," I said. "I'm not going anywhere you can take your time, I'll be here when you need me”
He leaned down, pressing his forehead to mine.
"Thank you," he whispered.
Logan shifted, still holding onto me like I might vanish if he let go.
I pulled back just enough to look up at him. His hair was a mess, falling into his eyes, and he looked... broken, in a way he never usually let himself look. Like all the walls he usually kept up were falling little by little.
"Hey," I said softly, brushing his hair out of his face. "It's okay to lean on someone sometimes, you know."
His lips twitched like he wanted to smile but not quite a smile, more like a ghost of one.
"I’m not good at that," he said, voice low and rough.
"I know," I said, smiling a little. "You’re used to doing everything on your own. Carrying the weight all by yourself"
He gave a dry laugh under his breath. "Yeah. Something like that."
I slipped my hands down his arms and laced my fingers through his.
"You don't have to carry it alone anymore," I said, squeezing gently. "You can share it with me."
For a moment, he just stared at me, like he couldn’t believe I was real.
Then he lowered his head, pressing a kiss to my knuckles slowly and carefully, like he was memorizing the feeling of my hands.
When he spoke again, his voice was so soft I almost missed it.
"I’m scared," he whispered. "Of dragging you into my mess. Of losing you."
I shook my head, disagreeing with him.
I stepped closer, until there was barely an inch between us, and placed my hand over his heart feeling it race under my palm.
"You won’t lose me," I said, steady and sure. "Whatever’s coming...we’ll face it together."
His breath hitched, and for the first time, I saw tears glistening in his eyes. I've never seen Logan cry, and safe to say I didn't like this side of him. So broken,so vulnerable.
He bent down, resting his forehead against mine again.
"I don't deserve you," he murmured.
"You do," I whispered back. "You deserve all the good things you’re afraid to ask for."
He let out a shaky breath, and then, he kissed me softly on my lips but I kissed him back fiercely, threading my hands into his hoodie, holding him close.
When we finally broke apart, both breathless, he rested his forehead on mine again, smiling this time a real, small, boyish smile that made my heart ache.
"Thank you," he whispered again.
I smiled back.
"Always."