LOGAN
Ihad the windows rolled down, a soft summer breeze sneaking through the cab while the drive-in speakers hummed with faint static. The screen lit up with the first set of previews, but truth be told, the only thing I could focus on was Ellie.
She had one hand in the popcorn bucket balanced between us, the other holding a Coke, straw bent just so. Her bare feet were propped on my dash, and I should’ve cared about the little smudge her toes were leaving on the glass, but instead I just sat back, memorizing the picture.
I picked it up, popped it in my mouth, and smirked. “Worth every penny, Ace.”
Her laugh filled the truck, that soft, belly-deep sound that always managed to curl under my ribs and stay there. She shook her head, pretending to focus on the screen, but I saw the way her cheeks pinked.
A minute passed. Two. Then she shifted, pulling her feet off the dash and tucking them underneath her. She leaned toward me, shoulders brushing, her warmth soaking through my shirt. Her fingers toyed with the edge of the popcorn bucket like she was working up courage.
“Logan?”
“Yeah, Ace?” I said it gently, already sensing something in the way her voice dropped.
“I love you. I love you, and I don’t want this to be some in-between thing anymore. I want us to be real. Official.”
The world stilled. The screen, the cars parked around us, even the night air—none of it mattered compared to the girl beside me.
I set the popcorn aside, reaching for her hand. Her fingers fit into mine so naturally it damn near hurt, like we’d been made this way and just hadn’t realized it until now. My throat tightened as I stared at her, all fierce and vulnerable at once.
“Ellie,” I said, voice low, steady even when my heart was racing like a stampede, “you just gave me the only thing I’ve ever wanted. I love you too, more than I’ve ever loved anyone. Being yours? That’s all I’ve dreamed about. And now that I am… I’m never letting go.”
Her smile spread wide, the kind that reached her eyes and made them sparkle like the stars overhead. She let out a little laugh, half joy, half disbelief, like she couldn’t quite hold in how happy she was.
“I’ve never been as loved as I am with you, and I would be doing us a disservice if I let anything hold me back from being completely yours. There was no reason left to wait and ask because I know how serious I am about you.”
“Good thing you didn’t wait,” I murmured, tugging her closer until her shoulder rested against my chest.
I wanted to leave it up to her. I didn’t want to be the one to ask and possibly force her hand. Hearing her say she wants us to be official, that we would be holding hands, and I could show her off in public? That was music to my ears.
I’d do anything to show off Ellie Cassidy the way she deserved.
She laughed, softly, tucking her face against my arm. Then, just when the moment had settled sweet, she shoved a handful of popcorn at my mouth. “Boyfriend or not, I’m still not sharing my popcorn equally.”
I sputtered, choking out a laugh, half the kernels falling into my lap. “You’re terrible.”
“You love it,” she shot back, grinning as wide as I’d ever seen.
And she was right. I did love it. I loved her. Every stubborn, smart, mischievous part of her.
The movie started, colors flashing across the screen, but I barely noticed. My girl—my girlfriend—was curled against me, her hand in mine, joy radiating off her like the glow of the projector.
I placed my thumb beneath her chin and tilted her head to mine. Her eyes darted back and forth to each of my eyes as she studied me, capturing my face in her hands as I leaned in.
I kissed her, slow and sure, a promise and a thank you all in one.
Thank you for trusting me.
Thank you for giving me a chance.
Thank you for loving me.
Because I’ve loved her for practically all my life and now that I have her, there was no letting her go.
She melted into me, smiling against my lips, and I knew—this was it. The start of everything.