Chapter 61 Tick Tock Logan
I had just finished my history class and was heading toward the café when I spotted Charlotte waving frantically.
“AVA!” she shouted, practically dragging her boyfriend Tristan by the arm.
I smiled and jogged up. “What, is there a fire or just another TikTok recipe you want to try?”
“Neither. Look who I found loitering like a lost golden retriever!” she said, grinning as Nate came into view behind her, wearing a hoodie and carrying a smoothie.
“Hey,” Nate said, offering me that same warm smile that always made my stomach flip. “Fancy seeing you here, Professor Scary.”
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. “Professor what?”
“It’s a diner thing,” I muttered.
Nate chuckled. “She trained me. Survived my fork-tray fiasco.”
“She texted me about it,” Charlotte said, giving me a mischievous look. “Along with the dimple emoji.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Charlotte.”
“What? I just find it interesting,” she said, casually looping her arm around Tristan’s waist. “That Fork Boy here clearly likes you.”
Nate choked on his smoothie. “What? I mean—what?”
I turned crimson. “Charlotte!”
She laughed. “Relax, I’m just calling it like I see it. The way he looks at you? That’s not co-worker energy. That’s flirt-until-you-fold energy.”
“I don’t—” I started, but Nate was rubbing the back of his neck and not denying it.
“I, uh… like talking to you. You’re smart. And funny. And you don’t make me feel like a complete idiot even when I am one.”
“Oh my god,” I groaned, pulling my hoodie over my head. “Please stop.”
“Nope,” Charlotte said excitedly. “I’m living for this.”
Just then, a familiar voice cut through the air.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the diner crew and the drama queen.”
Logan.
He strolled up in his usual effortlessly hot way, with Tristan’s teammate Aaron beside him. Logan’s eyes zeroed in on me… then slid to Nate. And they didn’t move.
“Hey,” I said carefully.
He didn’t smile. “Hey.”
Aaron smirked, elbowing Logan as they stopped beside us. “Tick tock. Logan… tick tock”
That two-word comment made Logan’s entire posture change. His jaw clenched. His hand curled into a fist at his side. I blinked at him, confused.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Peachy,” Logan said, not taking his eyes off Nate. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Nate raised a hand. “Just grabbing a smoothie.”
“Right,” Logan said, his tone clipped.
Charlotte shot me a look, then suddenly turned to Tristan. “Babe, didn’t you say you needed to talk to your advisor? Let’s go.”
“We can wait—”
“Now,” she said pointedly.
Tristan frowned, then caught on. “Oh. Yeah. Now. Definitely now.”
They left, Charlotte winking at me behind Logan’s back. She definitely could feel the tension rising between us.
Aaron stretched, clearly amused. “Catch you later, man.” He patted Logan’s shoulder and wandered off too, whistling like he was in on a joke.
Which apparently, I wasn’t.
Every time Aaron is near us,his entire composure changes.
“What was that about?” I asked Logan.
“Nothing,” he muttered. “Just football stuff.”
“Are you sure?" I was not convinced at all.
He took a step closer to me, eyes flicking again to Nate, who suddenly looked very interested in a patch of grass.
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with him,” Logan said, voice low.
“I work with him.”
“You smile at him.”
“I smile at everyone.”
“You didn’t text me back.”
“I was literally on my way to!”
He didn’t respond. Just slid his hand into mine and started walking, tugging me away from the quad and everyone else.
“Logan,” I said, struggling to keep up, “what is your deal?”
He didn’t answer until we were under the shade of a tree near the law building.
He turned to face me, jaw still tight. “Aaron wasn’t being subtle for no reason.”
“What does that mean?”
His eyes met mine, and I saw guilt, frustration… and something like panic.
“Just football things”. he said, voice rough,