Chapter 135 Chapter 134
Logan POV
I should’ve walked away.
That thought comes late.
Not when I kissed her.
Not when things crossed the line.
Not even when I knew I wasn’t going to stop.
No—
It hits me now.
Standing in the quiet courtyard with Harper still pressed against me, her body warm against mine, her fingers curled into my hoodie like she hasn’t decided if she’s letting go yet.
That’s when it hits.
I should’ve walked away.
But I didn’t.
And the worst part?
I don’t regret it.
Not even a little.
Harper shifts slightly, her forehead brushing against my chest, and my hand tightens instinctively at her waist.
Like my body doesn’t trust the space between us.
Like it doesn’t want it.
“You’re still here,” she murmurs.
A quiet breath of a laugh leaves me.
“Yeah.”
“That’s new.”
She doesn’t say it like an accusation.
Just… a fact.
And she’s right.
Normally?
I’d already be gone.
Distance.
Control.
Reset.
That’s how I keep things simple.
But right now—
Nothing about this feels simple.
I glance down at her.
Her hair’s a little messy.
Her lips slightly flushed.
Her breathing not quite steady.
And something tightens in my chest.
Dangerous.
“Don’t start overthinking,” she says softly.
Too late.
“I’m not,” I lie.
She tilts her head, looking up at me like she doesn’t believe a word of it.
“You are.”
I don’t argue.
Because yeah—
I am.
Because this?
This isn’t what I do.
I don’t stay.
I don’t linger.
I don’t stand in the middle of campus holding a girl like she matters.
But Harper—
She feels like she matters.
And I don’t know what to do with that.
Her fingers tighten slightly in my hoodie.
“You’re doing it again.”
“What?”
“Getting quiet.”
I exhale slowly, dragging a hand through my hair.
“Just thinking.”
“About what?”
I hesitate.
Because the honest answer?
Everything.
“…You,” I admit.
Her eyebrows lift.
“That sounds concerning.”
“It probably is.”
She smiles a little, but it fades.
Because she feels it too.
The shift.
The weight.
“This changes things,” she says quietly.
Yeah.
It does.
I nod once.
“Yeah.”
We stand there for a second longer.
Neither of us moving.
Neither of us ready to step away.
But the cold creeps back in.
Reality pushing at the edges of the moment.
Harper glances around the courtyard again.
“As much as I don’t want to move…”
“Yeah,” I agree.
“We’re definitely going to get caught if we stay here.”
I huff a quiet laugh.
“Probably.”
She looks back at me.
“So what now?”
That question lands heavier than it should.
Because there are two answers.
The one I should give.
And the one I want.
I look at her.
And I already know which one wins.
“Come on,” I say, taking her hand.
Her eyebrows lift.
“Where are we going?”
“My place.”
Her breath catches slightly.
I feel it.
Even in the dark.
There’s a pause.
“Logan…”
“You can say no.”
I mean it.
I give her an out.
Because I should.
Because this is already more than it was supposed to be.
But she doesn’t pull away.
Doesn’t step back.
Her fingers tighten in mine.
“I’m not saying no.”
That’s all I need.
“Good.”
We start walking.
Campus is quieter now.
Streetlights stretching long shadows across the pavement.
Our footsteps the only sound between us.
Her hand stays in mine the whole way.
And neither of us says anything about it.
The Ice House comes into view again.
Lights still blazing.
Music still loud.
The party didn’t slow down at all.
Harper glances at it.
“They’re still going.”
“Yeah.”
“And you just left.”
“I told you. They’ll survive.”
She shakes her head, a small smile tugging at her lips.
“You’re a terrible captain.”
“I’m a selective captain.”
“That’s not better.”
I smirk as we step onto the porch.
Voices spill out through the windows.
Laughter.
Shouting.
Something breaking.
Normal.
Familiar.
But right now—
Not what I want.
I glance at her.
“You ready?”
“For what?”
“To walk through that without Marco making a scene.”
She winces.
“That’s not possible.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
I open the door.
Noise crashes into us immediately.
“SHAW!” Marco shouts from the couch. “WHERE THE HELL—”
He stops mid-sentence.
Because he sees Harper.
And then his grin spreads slowly.
“Oh.”
“Oh no,” Harper mutters under her breath.
Cole looks over from the kitchen, takes one look at us, and just sighs.
“About time,” he mutters.
“Don’t start,” I warn.
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to.”
Marco jumps up, pointing between us like he just solved something.
“I knew it! I literally said—”
“Marco,” I cut in.
“Sit down.”
He grins wider.
“Worth it.”
Harper huffs a laugh beside me, trying not to react.
I glance at her.
“You’re not helping.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your face did.”
She bumps her shoulder lightly into mine.
“Your teammates are ridiculous.”
“You’re just figuring that out now?”
We move past them, down the hallway.
The noise fades behind us.
Replaced by something quieter.
More contained.
More dangerous.
I stop outside my door, glancing at her.
“You sure?”
Her eyes meet mine.
No hesitation.
“Yeah.”
That’s it.
I open the door and let her step inside first.
Then I follow, shutting it behind us.
And just like that—
Everything else disappears.
No music.
No teammates.
No noise.
Just us.
Harper takes a step further into the room, then turns back toward me.
And the shift happens instantly.
The air changes.
The tension comes back.
Stronger.
Quieter.
“Logan…”
“Yeah?”
“We probably shouldn’t—”
I cross the room before she can finish.
My hands find her waist again.
Pulling her back into me.
“You said that earlier,” I remind her.
Her breath catches.
“I know.”
“And you still stayed.”
She swallows.
“Yeah.”
I lean down, voice low.
“You can still leave.”
Another out.
Another chance.
She doesn’t take it.
Her fingers curl into my shirt.
“I’m not leaving.”
That’s all it takes.
Whatever control I had left—
Gone.
My mouth finds hers again.
And this time—
There’s nothing holding it back.