Chapter 41 He's mine
~Ava~
By the time lunchtime rolled around, I still couldn’t shake the grin off my face.
Everything felt surreal, I felt like I was floating through the day. My mind kept replaying Logan’s words, the way his arms had held me, the warmth of his chest against mine. And okay…maybe the whole parking lot kiss was a little over-the-top, but the way he looked at me afterward? Like I was the only girl in the world?
Yeah, I wasn’t complaining.
I was grabbing a smoothie at the student café when it happened.
Logan, in all his tall, tanned, and annoyingly hot glory, walked in with two of his football friends. His eyes scanned the room once, and the second they landed on me, his face lit up. A casual smirk, a head tilt that said, There you are.
My heart fluttered.
But just as he started to head in my direction, she happened.
Natasha Keller.
The girl had legs for days, platinum-blonde hair that definitely wasn’t natural, and a smile she flashed only when she wanted something.
"Logan!" she called, practically purring.
Bitch! Get your dirty hands on my man!
He froze mid-step, jaw tensing slightly, before composing himself with that practiced smile of his.
"Hey, Natt."
Natt? really?
She touched his arm like she owned him, leaning in way too close for my liking. And suddenly, my smoothie didn’t taste as good anymore.
I watched, heart sinking, as she laughed at something he said. She flipped her hair, giving him a look, and my stomach twisted.
Jealousy wasn’t something I usually dealt with. But then again, I’d never had someone like Logan before. But Natasha hooked up with Logan in the past and that's what making me furious.
And Natasha? She was the type to go after anything that wasn’t nailed down. Including boys who were already taken.
Especially them.
Logan said something else, then clearly tried to walk away, but she caught his sleeve.
That was it.
I strode over to them.
"Logan," I said sweetly, stepping between them like I hadn’t just rehearsed it in my head ten times.
His eyes locked on mine, immediately softening. "Hey."
"Hey," I replied, sliding my hand around his waist casually, like I belonged there. Because I did.
Natasha’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh. Hey, Ava. Didn’t see you there."
"Clearly." I smiled tightly. You were busy throwing yourself to my Man!
Logan cleared his throat. "Natasha was just leaving."
She shot him a disappointed pout. "You sure you don’t wanna hang out later? I was thinking of having some friends over,and we could do something like we used to…"
"We already have plans," I cut in, meeting her gaze.
Logan raised an eyebrow but wisely stayed silent.
Natasha hesitated, then offered a sugary smile. "Well, if you change your mind..."
I didn’t wait to hear the rest. I tugged Logan toward an empty table by the windows.
Once we sat down, I let out a breath.
"You okay?" he asked, amused.
"Do you want to hang out with her?"
"What? No."
"Because she clearly wants to hang out with you. And possibly eat you alive."
Logan laughed, reaching across the table to grab my hand. "Are you jealous, Ava?"
"Of Natasha? Please."
He smirked. "You totally are. It’s kinda hot."
I yanked my hand away. "Logan. I’m serious."
He straightened. "Okay, listen. I don’t care about Natasha. I care about you. That kiss this morning? That wasn’t just for show. That was me making it very clear to everyone that I’m yours. And yeah, I knew she was watching. I wanted her to."
My heart did an embarrassingly mushy flip.
Still, I crossed my arms. "Then maybe you shouldn’t smile at girls like that."
"Like what?"
"Like they matter, like you would do anything for them. It's annoying”
He blinked, then leaned closer, his voice soft. "Ava, you’re the only one who matters."
Cue the meltdown of my emotional defenses.
I sighed. "Fine. But if she touches you again, I might lose it."
He grinned. "Duly noted."
We ate lunch together, and he made a point of resting his hand on my knee the entire time. It was subtle, but enough to keep anyone from trying what Natasha did.
That afternoon, we had English Lit together. Logan had never been a fan of Shakespeare, but when we were assigned a group activity, he immediately slid his desk next to mine.
Charlotte, ever the gossip, shot me a smug look from across the room.
But it was during the discussion when Natasha the bitch struck again.
She asked the professor if she could switch groups "for educational purposes" and somehow ended up in ours.
What a lucky I had today.
The second she sat down, Logan’s hand found mine under the desk.
I squeezed it tight,I was afraid to go ballistic on this plastic bitch.
She leaned forward, flipping her hair. "So, Romeo and Juliet. Tragic, huh?"
Logan nodded without looking at her. "Super tragic."
"They had such chemistry, though," she added, eyes locked on him.
I couldn’t take it anymore.
"You know what’s even more tragic? Girls who can’t take a hint,why don't you go where you're wanted? We clearly don't want your presence over here”
Natasha’s smile froze.
Logan bit back a laugh.
"Let’s just focus on the assignment," I added sweetly.
For the rest of class, I made a point of staying close to Logan. My hand rested on his thigh, and when he read a line from Romeo about love being worth dying for, I leaned in and whispered, "Don’t get any ideas."
"Too late," he whispered back, eyes on my lips.
After class, Charlotte practically tackled me. What does Tristan feed this girl? She's getting heavier day after day.
"You’re savage! I saw that face-off. And girl, I am living for it."
I groaned. "Was I too much?"
"No! You were perfect. Natasha needs to be taken down a peg or two, she's all over every guy at the campus”
Logan appeared then, sliding an arm around my waist like it was second nature.
"Want a ride to the diner?" he asked.
I nodded.
As we walked to his car, he glanced at me. "So… how jealous were you today? Scale of one to ten."
I narrowed my eyes. "Depends. How smug are you feeling right now?"
"Eleven."
"Then ten."
He laughed, pulling me into his side. "For what it’s worth, it was kind of adorable."
I elbowed him lightly. "Shut up."
He leaned down to whisper in my ear, "You know you’re the only girl I want."
And in that moment, I believed him completely.
Because Logan wasn’t just the hot football guy anymore.
He was mine.
And I was his.
Even if I had to fight off half the campus to keep it that way.