Chapter 62 The lie between us
~Logan’s POV ~
The bass in the club thumped so loud I could feel it in my chest.
Flashing lights, grinding bodies, and the sharp smell of spilled drinks . Tristan was halfway through his second beer, and Miles was already flirting with a girl in red. Me? I was nursing the same drink I’d been holding for the last hour, mind elsewhere.
Ava’s face wouldn’t leave my head.
The way she laughed when she teased me. The way her eyes sparkled when she got fired up about law stuff. The way her voice dropped when she was tired, soft and raw and real.
And the way Nate looked at her like he already knew he was falling.
God, it made my blood boil.
“You’re doing that brooding thing again,” Tristan said, sliding into the booth beside me.
“Shut up.”
“Seriously,” he said, nudging my arm. “You look like someone just kicked your puppy.”
I didn’t answer. Miles dropped into the seat across from us, flanked by two girls who disappeared when he saw my face.
“What’s with you, man?” Miles asked. “You win the game, get the girl, but look like you lost both.”
Tristan leaned in. “Did you tell her yet?”
I stared into my glass. “No.”
“You have to,” he said. “Before someone else does.”
“I can’t,” I snapped.
Miles raised a brow. “You scared?”
“No,” I lied. Then rubbed my face. “Yeah. Maybe.”
“You think she’s not gonna find out eventually?” Tristan asked, more gently now. “Ava’s not stupid. And you’re not exactly subtle when Aaron’s around. It's going to be worse when she finds out herself”.
“He shouldn’t have said anything, He never fails to remind me about it and I regret every single day” I muttered. “It wasn’t supposed to mean anything. The bet was just…”
“A dumbass move?” Miles offered.
I shot him a look.
“He’s not wrong,” Tristan said. “You were the one always bragging about how no girl could crack you. Then Aaron threw out that challenge, and you took it just to prove him wrong.”
“I didn’t know her then,” I said, my voice tight. “She was just this sarcastic girl in a hoodie with sharp eyes and no time for my crap. I didn’t know she’d be—”
“Everything?” Miles said, unusually serious.
I nodded once.
The silence that followed was heavy.
“I can’t lose her,” I said finally. “If I tell her now, it’ll be over.”
Tristan leaned back, arms crossed. “So your plan is to lie? Pretend the bet never happened and hope no one spills?”
I stared at the dance floor, at the couples laughing and living like nothing could fall apart in a second.
“She’s already pulling back,” I admitted quietly. “Nate’s being nice. Harmless, but... she notices him.”
“You think you deserve her right now?” Miles asked, voice steady.
No. I didn’t.
But that didn’t stop me from wanting her like hell. I have never felt like this before. If Ava leaves me today, I'll never be the same.
\~~~
By the time I got back to my apartment, it was nearly 2 AM, and I was wired. The club’s noise still rang in my ears, but it was the silence now that killed me more. I wish I could stay longer.
My phone buzzed.
Ava: You home? Are you back already?
I stared at the screen, my thumb hovering over the keyboard. I didn’t deserve to answer. But I did.
Logan: Just got back. You?
Ava: Can’t sleep. I keep thinking about that soup rookie.
I smirked despite myself. Fork Boy.
Logan: Want me to punch him?
Ava: Logan…
Logan: Kidding. Sort of.
There was a long pause before she replied.
Ava: You okay?
No. I’m lying to you. I made a bet about you. Date,Fuck,then dump you. I let it turn into something real, but now I’m stuck between losing you or breaking you.
Logan: Yeah. Just tired.
Another lie.
I stared at our chat for a while. Wondering how she’d look at me if she knew the truth. If the softness in her voice would vanish. If that trust she gave me so easily after everything she has been through ,would snap like brittle glass.
\~~~~~~~~
The next morning, I found myself walking across campus way earlier than necessary. I hadn’t even planned to go out, but something about sitting alone with my thoughts felt worse.
I spotted her before she even saw me.
Ava.
She was sitting on a bench outside the law building, scribbling in a notebook with her hair tied up and a coffee cup balanced dangerously on the edge of the seat.
She looked... peaceful. Focused. Like she didn’t have someone in her life carrying a secret big enough to blow everything up.
I didn’t realize I was staring until someone stepped into my line of sight.
Nate.
Again!!
“Logan,” he said, cool but civil.
I nodded. “Nate.”
He glanced over at Ava, then back at me. “She said you were out of town.”
“Back now.”
He raised a brow, like he could sense the warning in my tone.
“She’s... something else, huh?” he said, giving a small smile.
I clenched my jaw. “Yeah. She is.”
“She ever talk about you two?”
“Sometimes.” I stepped closer. “What’s your angle, man?”
He blinked, taken aback. “Angle? I’m just trying to be her friend.”
“You drop trays, flirt with waitresses, and charm old ladies, but you’ve got an eye for her. Don’t pretend otherwise.”
He met my gaze. “If you’re so sure she’s yours, why are you this worried?”
That hit harder than it should have.
Before I could answer, Ava looked up and spotted me. Her whole face lit up, and for a moment, everything else blurred.
“Hey!” she called, waving.
I walked over, leaving Nate in my shadow.
“Morning,” I said, sitting beside her, trying to breathe through the guilt.
She smiled softly. “You okay?”
I hesitated. “Yeah.”
Another lie.
But I reached for her hand anyway—and she let me.
Maybe that made me worse. Or maybe it just made me desperate.