Chapter 49 Holding back
~Ava's POV~
The beach trip ended with more laughter than scandal, thankfully. Charlotte and Tristan gave us hell all the way back endless teasing, side-eyes, and dramatic sighs whenever Logan and I so much as held hands.
But we took it in stride. After all, we had survived an awkward walk-of-shame level encounter. Everything else felt like background noise.
When we pulled into the driveway of our apartment complex, Charlotte and Tristan practically jumped out of the car, muttering about never needing to see another couple naked again in their lives. I had snorted into Logan’s shoulder, half hiding my face as he pressed a kiss to my hair and whispered, "Still worth it."
Instead of heading to my place, I followed Logan up to his apartment like it was the most natural thing in the world. My place was quiet and neat, but his felt more warmer. Like a place where things happened, where love happened. And maybe I wasn’t ready to sleep alone just yet. Not when everything had changed between us.
"You sure you don’t want to stop by yours first? Anything you want to get?” he asked, unlocking the door.
I shook my head. "I have a toothbrush here, don’t I?"
He grinned. "You have a drawer now, Ava. A toothbrush is the least of it."
" Then,no! I don't want to” I said
We stepped inside and kicked off our shoes. I watched him toss his keys into the bowl by the door, and for a moment, all I could think about was how much I liked this version of us. Steady. Real.
Because we had already said the words. Now I couldn't have any more doubts about us.
I flopped on the couch, pulling my legs under me. "So, cuddle marathon part two?"
He chuckled, walking into the kitchen. "Let me grab us something to drink first. Still want snacks too, or are we all cuddled out after the traumatic interruption earlier?"
"Snacks are non-negotiable," I called after him.
He came back with popcorn and a couple of sodas, plopped down beside me, and threw his arm around my shoulders. We sat like that for a while, watching some dumb sitcom show, and I found myself tracing lazy circles on his forearms.
Then his phone buzzed. I glanced down. It was face-up on the coffee table, and for a split second before he grabbed it, I caught the name flashing on the screen.
Unknown Number.
But the expression on his face as he read whatever was on …it wasn't nothing.
His whole body stiffened, and the ease we’d settled into immediately evaporated. He didn’t even say anything, just stood up and walked toward the kitchen, staring at the screen like it had some kind of evil intentions.
"Logan?"
He turned, blinking like I’d just reminded him I was there. "Uh, I need to take this. I’ll be back in a bit."
"Wait, what? Where are you going? Who was that?"
"Just something I need to handle. Won’t be long, okay?" He leaned over, kissed my forehead, then slipped his shoes back on like this was all normal.
The door clicked shut behind him, and I was left sitting on the couch, the half-empty bowl of popcorn on my lap, staring at the spot he’d just vacated.
I tried to brush it off. Maybe it was a family thing. Maybe it was work, though Logan didn’t usually get mysterious calls that made him look like he’d seen a ghost.
I sat there for twenty minutes. Then thirty.
I paced. I picked at my nails. I even opened my phone and stared at our last selfie, one he took on the beach right before the Serena storm hit.
Finally, I texted him.
Ava: Everything okay?
No reply.
Another ten minutes. Still nothing.
I grabbed my hoodie from the armrest, pulled it over my head, and stood by the door.
I could go back to my apartment. Let him come back and explain later. I was not going to sit here while he was out there.
But my gut said something was wrong. The way he’d looked at his phone like whatever was on it reached into his chest and squeezed.
Just as I was debating whether to follow him, the door clicked open revealing Logan.
He looked startled to see me standing there, like he didn’t expect to be caught returning.
"Hey," he said softly, slipping his keys into his pocket.
"Hey," I echoed. My voice came out more brittle than I expected. "Everything okay?"
He nodded too quickly. "Yeah. Yeah, just... something came up. Nothing big."
I raised an eyebrow. "Really? Because you bolted like your phone exploded."
He rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding my eyes. "Sorry. Didn’t mean to worry you. It was just... a personal thing. From before."
"From before what?"
"Before you and me."
I stared. "You mean Serena?"
"No. It’s not her. I swear."
His insistence should have reassured me. But it didn’t.
"Then what was it, Logan? You looked like you saw a ghost. And then you left without really explaining anything,Does that make sense to you?”
He hesitated. For a long time. Then he walked past me, dropped onto the couch, and let out a breath.
"Can we just not talk about it tonight? Please?"
My heart dropped. "Why not?"
"Because..." he ran a hand through his hair, frustrated, "...it's not something I can explain right now. But it doesn't affect us. It doesn't change anything between you and me."
"That’s not how relationships work, Logan. You don’t just get to shut me out when something’s wrong."
He looked up then, his gaze tortured. "I know. I know, Ava. I’m not trying to push you away. I just... need a little time."
I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. "Okay."
It wasn’t okay.
But I sat down beside him anyway. Because I trusted him. And because I was in love with him. Even if he was holding back.