Logan

Logan
Logan
I'm sorry, but you have Cara. Ask her to go with you." Her words sting, but I can't back down. I need to fix this.
"Wait a minute, I hope it's not the same award gala scheduled for next week in Manhattan?" and I can feel the hesitation in her voice.
"Yes," I answered.
"Oops, I'm sorry. I was sent an invitation, and Hardin will be going as my plus one," she says quickly.
My heart drops. I feel the tension in her words, and I grip the phone tighter, fighting the urge to throw it across the room.
"Are you there?" she asks.
"Nadine, Cara means nothing to me," I finally say, desperate to make her understand. "You've got it all wrong. She works for me, and I don't see her fitting to go to the award gala with me... since I have you."
"You have me as what, Logan?" Nadine's voice is sharp, and on edge.
I feel a lump in my throat. I thought we were making progress after yesterday, but I realize now I might have misread everything.
Maybe she was just exhausted, drained from everything that had happened. When she saw me, she passed out from the stress. I had hoped that the steps I was taking to show were working.
But now, I'm not so sure.
I close my eyes for a moment, running my finger along the bridge of my nose, trying to steady myself. I can tell she's testing me, pushing to see if the changes I've made are real or just a temporary shift. She wants to know if I'm truly committed or if this is just another fleeting moment.
I've already messed up enough; I can't let this chance slip away.
"I'm asking you as the woman who owns my heart. The woman who makes my heart beat loudly in my chest whenever I hear her voice or see her walk by. You're the woman I've truly loved, the only one I've ever made love to. You're the one who brightens my world, the one who gave me a gift that means everything to me. You're the woman I want to wake up to every morning for the rest of my life."
I take a breath, my heart heavy with everything I need to say.
"I lost you once, Nadine. But I'm on a mission to make you mine. And I don't care what it takes to break down that wall around your heart, because I know I will succeed. I will claim you as mine, and mine alone."
I let out those words hoping they carry the truth of my feelings.
"I hope that answers your question."
But after everything I've said, she stays quiet. The silence is deafening. My heart pounds in my chest as I wait for any reaction, any sign that my words have reached her. But then, after what feels like forever, she finally speaks.
"I'll have to go... Hardin is here."
For a moment, I didn't even breathe. The name alone makes me run my hand in my hair in frustration.
All I want to do right now is leave my bed, grab my keys, and drive straight to her place.
No, I want to teleport there, erase the distance, and be the one standing beside her, not him. I want to stop him from getting any closer, from filling the space that should belong to me.
I grip the phone tightly in my hand, my jaw clenched. "Nadine-" I start, but I stop myself. What can I even say? I hate the way she's letting another man be her support when I should be the one holding her up.
The thought of Hardin in her life, in her space, makes me feel like I'm losing her all over again.
I run a hand down my face, breathing slowly, forcing myself to stay calm.
"Alright," I finally say, with a tight voice.
I don't want to. Every fiber of my being wants to keep her on the line, to fight, to make her see that what we have isn't over. But I can't force her.
She doesn't say anything else, just a quiet sigh before the line goes dead.
I stare at my phone, my chest tight, my mind racing.
I don't even think about it, but before I can stop myself, I hang up the call.
The silence that follows is deafening like a wall has gone up between us, and I have no idea how to break it down.
Nadine POV
Hearing Logan say everything about me makes a tear slip down my cheek. I don't know why I refused him.
Maybe it's because I don't want history to repeat itself, or maybe I'm just scared. But it is what it is.
Hardin wasn't going with me, and Hardin wasn't with me either. But I used his name to see Logan's reaction, to see if he would be okay with it. To be honest, I'm still in awe of everything he said.
The words were so raw, so full of emotion, and I didn't know how to respond. How can someone love me that much, after everything? After everything we've been through?
I wipe my cheek quickly, I don't want to dwell on the emotions threatening to consume me.
I can't feel vulnerable; There's a storm raging in me. It's a mix of confusion, fear, and something else I can't quite place. It's overwhelming, pressing down on my chest, making it hard to breathe.
I sit there for a moment, staring at nothing, lost in my thoughts.
Did I make the right choice? Should I have listened more or said something different?
But before I can spiral any further, my phone dings, snapping me out of my daze.
I blink, looking down at the screen, my heart skips a beat. Logan.
We just got off the phone. It hasn't even been a full minute. Did something happen in the short space of time since we spoke?
I hesitate for a second before unlocking my phone, my fingers trembling slightly as I open the message. Whatever it is, I have a feeling it's not going to be good.