29. Logan
Logan
My anxiety rises as Stone and Hanlon’s wedding date looms closer. When I sent in my RSVP, I thought I was going to throw up, but dammit, this needs to end.
On a positive note, ever since my over-the-top demonstration highlighting that Chase may not be as straight as he thinks he is, he’s been more aware of his word choice and my physical boundaries, because not only did my little performance confirm that he finds me attractive, but the hard-on I couldn’t hide in my sweats also made him painfully aware that I’m not immune to him, either.
And since he’s still working through his feelings for Kendra and the possibility that maybe his sea of options is larger than he originally thought, he and I have kept things friendly, but not flirtatious.
We’ve found common ground and a respect for one another that could only occur once the hard conversations were had and things were out in the open. Though I can’t help but feel like we’ve grown closer in spite of it all.
I have one more week of night shift before we leave for the wedding and our trip, and then I get to switch back to day shift, so all in all, things are really looking up for me.
It’s two in the afternoon, and Chase is at the hospital, of course, but he took the lunch I packed for him, and he left me another sticky note of gratitude.
I’ve decided to avoid asking any questions about where things stand with Kendra until we’re in the car on our way to the wedding.
Regardless of Chase’s choice, I need this closure with Stone, but I already know if Chase is choosing to stay with Kendra, it’ll be a double shot straight to the heart, and I’m just not sure that’s survivable.
An image of chumming my wetsuit before jumping in for a shark dive enters my mind, and although I’m not serious, the thought makes me laugh.
It’d be a helluva story, even though I wouldn’t be here to tell it.
I’m humming a new release by Beautiful Deceit, one of my favorite bands, as I move clothes from the washer to the dryer when I’m interrupted by a knock on the front door.
I give it a minute, thinking whoever it is will go away when their knock goes unanswered. Solicitors aren’t common in this complex, but we get them every now and then.
No luck.
The knock comes again, more aggressively this time.
Fine. We’ll do this your way.
I toss the clothes into the dryer before ripping the door open with a rude, “What?”
“Hi. Is Chase here?” the petite blonde with bouncy curls says in a tone as rude as mine.
“Not at the moment,” I reply, not giving her any information.
“Well, can I come in and wait for him? I’ve had a really long day.”
“That depends,” I say. “Who the hell are you?” I ask.
“Oh, geez. I’m sorry. I’m Kendra. His girlfriend. Like I said, really long day. I was hoping to surprise him, but my flight got delayed, and then the airline lost part of my luggage. It’s been an ordeal.”
Kendra is on my doorstep.
Shit.
“Uh, yeah, come on in,” I tell her, moving to the side, because what the fuck else am I supposed to do?
“Thank you,” she says, moving past me into the space.
“No problem.” I’m saying shit I think I’m supposed to say, but I already feel like this is definitely a problem.
“You must be Logan.” She holds her hand out, and a pit opens in my stomach. She seems… nice. Which is terrible. I don’t want to like her.
But before I can stress about it too long, she opens her mouth again as she looks around my condo. “I can’t believe he actually gave up that gorgeous apartment to accommodate a guy who couldn’t wrap it up. Anyway, can you show me to his room so I can put my stuff down?”
It’s like my brain won’t compute.
She wants to share his bed?
I mean, yes, of course she does… but I don’t like it.
Suddenly, I wish Chase and I had bought that stupid townhouse with the third bedroom the day he mentioned it. I could’ve made something up, like I was against sex before marriage and she was going to have to sleep in the extra room.
What a ridiculous thought.
Begrudgingly, I lead her down the short hallway to Chase’s room. Opening the door, I’m hit with his scent. I avoid coming in here specifically for this reason. Getting turned on by how he smells feels like a violation of the stalemate we’ve managed to find.
“Uh, you can put your things in here.”
“Okay, great.”
“I know you said you had wanted to surprise him, but then your flight got messed up. Does that mean he knows you’re here?” Because if he does and he didn’t give me a heads-up, I’ll kill him.
Kendra smiles widely.
“Oh, no, I managed to keep it a secret, but it was close. I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t tell him, though. What time does he usually get home?” she asks. The question is reasonable, but it sets me on edge.
Shouldn’t she know his schedule by now? I mean, yes, it changes all the time, but like, I know his schedule. We communicate.
“He has trauma conference tonight, so it’ll probably be eight or later,” I tell her.
Her face falls immediately.
“Oh. Maybe I should tell him I’m here so he can skip it and get home sooner,” she muses.
“Yeah, it’s not really something he can skip,” I inform her.
“Oh,” she says again. “Right.”
“You’re welcome to help yourself to anything in the pantry or fridge. We cook a lot of our meals ahead of time because of our busy schedules, so we might not have much, but we can order pizza or a delivery service.”
“Um, I think I’d just like to grab a shower if that’s alright?”
“Of course. Guest bathroom is next to Chase’s room.”
She nods and turns to leave. As soon as she’s out of sight, I immediately fire a text to Chase.
Logan
Sorry for ruining the surprise, but Kendra just showed up on our doorstep, and I thought you should know.
I don’t expect him to answer. I always assume he’s doing something hella important, but apparently, this message warranted an immediate response.
Chase
WHAT?
Logan
Yup. She wanted to know if you could skip conference to come home early.
Am I stirring the pot a little? Yes. I don’t like her vibe. Kendra comes across as entitled, and I’ve never been a fan of that particular attitude. I like it even less when it means she’s adding to the list of people making demands on Chase’s already limited time.
Chase
Where is she now?
Logan
Shower.
Chase
Fuuuuuck. I’m so sorry, dude.
Logan
Doesn’t matter to me. You’re the one who has to sleep with her.
I grimace. I could have said literally anything else: share a room with her, entertain her, show her around. But no, I went straight for ‘sleep with her.’
Nice, Logan.
Trying to move on from my word choice, I fire off another text.
Logan
Could be a good thing. Maybe some time face-to-face will help you decide which direction to take things.
So much for not mentioning it until we’re on the road.
I stare at the screen until the shower stops running, but I don’t get another response and dread fills my chest.
When Kendra reemerges, she’s in jeans and—I suck on my tongue to prevent myself from lashing out—one of Chase’s long-sleeved medical school T-shirts, using a towel to dry her hair.
She just saunters in here and goes through his stuff like she fucking owns it.
“So, does Chase have his own side of the pantry or something?” she asks, tossing her wet towel over the back of one of the wooden kitchen chairs.
Maybe that’s where Chase’s intolerance for wet towels on the floor comes from, I muse.
“I don’t want to take your stuff, but I’m sure he at least has a Pop-Tart I can eat. ”
“A Pop-Tart?” I repeat.
What is he, five?
“Yeah, you know, one of those toaster pastry things with the icing on them?” she explains condescendingly.
“I know what it is. Chase and I are grown men. We eat eggs and toast or smoothies for breakfast. No children’s pastries. And please don’t leave your wet towel on the back of the chair. It’ll ruin the finish.”
Kendra rips the towel from the back of the chair with far more attitude than necessary.
“Sorry. Where should I put it?”
I look at her like, ‘Are you serious right now?’
“The washer and dryer are right behind you,” I point out, trying like hell to rein in my annoyance.
I can’t even call it a laundry room because it’s technically just a closet along the back wall of the kitchen.
I mean, I know this place is small, but until now, the only time it ever felt cramped was when Chase and I were actively trying to avoid each other; otherwise, I like being able to see and hear him from every room.
But with Kendra here, despite her small stature, it already feels like the walls are closing in.
This bitch tosses the towel so that it lands halfway in and halfway out of the washer before turning back to my refrigerator and pulling out the carton of eggs.
It’s going to be a long fucking day.
Week?
“So, Kendra, how, uh, how long do you plan on staying?” I ask, knowing I’m being totally obvious, but she’s been here twenty whole minutes, and she’s making my fucking teeth itch.
Popping her head around the side of the refrigerator door, she smiles.
“Well, our anniversary is tomorrow, so I want to do something special for him,” she says sweetly. “And then I was hoping maybe he could show me all the cool tourist spots in Boston. So probably through the weekend.”
Oh, for fuck’s sake. Tomorrow is their anniversary? I’m going to have to rent a hotel room.
“Hey,” I say, answering Chase’s call at six p.m., hoping like hell he’s calling to tell me he’s on his way home.
Kendra has been prattling on all day. I’m trying to play nice host, but it’s incredibly hard when she’s hellbent on being a not-nice guest.
“How’s it going over there?” he asks by way of greeting.
I slip off the couch and move to my room, shutting the door behind me and moving into my bathroom for some semblance of privacy, even though I know there is none.
“Just tell me you’re almost home,” I whisper.
I can hear him wince.
“Actually, I’m calling because I’m going to be late. I mean, later than I thought. Dr. Fetterman asked me to do night rounds with another intern after conference.
My initial instinct is to be outraged on Chase’s behalf. These cocksuckers do nothing but make demands on him and his time. But I also know that making him feel bad about it when he’s already stressed isn’t going to help him.
So, instead, I try to offer reassurance so he can focus on what needs to get done tonight.
“No worries. There will be lasagna in the fridge when you get home if you want it.”
“Thank you. What about Kendra?” he asks.
“Yeah, I’ll feed her, too.”
Chase huffs a laugh, but then says, “No, I mean…how is she?”
“Um, well, I’ve never met her until today, so I don’t really know how to answer that, unless she’s kind of a brat every day, but we’re doing fine. She doesn’t know that I told you she’s here, though, so just do me a favor and act surprised whenever you see her, okay?”
“It won’t be an act,” he says. “I’ve gotta go, but Logan? I really appreciate this.”
“Anytime.”
I give myself a solid minute before moving to the living room to deliver the news. Looks like Kendra and I are dining alone.