jazzie 🪩

"So I ran into Olivia Tucker — you remember her, right? From church? She had a son named John," she said, not looking at the camera.

You had learned years ago that it was easier to say yes, of course than to endure five minutes of your mom describing a person like she was giving a statement to the police.

"Yeah, of course. I remember Mrs. Tucker."

"She mentioned her son John is attending the same college as you." She said it like she was reading off a notecard. Matter of fact. "She said he's playing hockey now."

Oh. That John Tucker.

"Yeah, I know who he is," you said, cleaning up the mess on your middle finger.

"Isn't that a big coincidence?"

"I mean, not really — he's like a year younger than me, right?"

"Yes, but you two used to play together when you were kids. At church, remember?" You did not remember. Your family went to church maybe twice a year. "Anyway, I gave her your number so she could pass it along to him. So you two could talk."

"Mom — what, that's not really —"

"She's probably not even going to use it."

She used it. Mrs. Tucker called three days later, and with the grace of a good Southern woman, she asked you to keep an eye on John — not in so many words, of course. She said he'd moved into a house with some of the other players and she just wanted to know he was taking care of himself. She didn't want you to do much. Just stop by, take a look around, report back. She'd handle the rest by phone.

What she did not tell you was that Tucker already knew about her plan.

He opened the door looking completely unsurprised to see you, leaned against the frame with his arms crossed and a grin that said nice try. He was, it turned out, perfectly capable of taking care of himself and, annoyingly, other people too.

Which is how you ended up here, almost a year later, sitting on one of the stools at the kitchen island in the off campus house, crying into an onion.

"I'm just saying, get a dicer," you said, keeping your eyes on the knife because you had to. "This is inhumane."

"A real chef doesn't use those kinds of things," Tucker said from across the kitchen, doing significantly less chopping than you were.

"Well, good thing you're not a real chef then."

He turned around, visibly offended. "What did you just say?"

You opened your mouth to repeat it — and then Garrett wandered in from the living room, grabbed an apple from the counter, looked at Tucker's side of the kitchen and then at yours, and pointed at you. "She's doing all the work," he said, to no one in particular, and wandered back out.

"He's right," you said.

"He's a traitor," Tucker said.

You opened your mouth to agree and then the sound of footsteps came down the hallway, and Dean came around the corner fresh out of the shower, towel low on his hips and water still tracking down his chest.

You sniffed, eyes watering, nose red.

Dean stopped. Looked at you. And then let out a slow, deeply entertained laugh.

"Well," he said, "I've heard a lot of reactions from girls seeing me like this. But crying might be a first." He tilted his head. "You alright there, sweet pea?"

"It's the onion," you said flatly. "Tucker's making me cut it."

"Sure." He was already turning toward the stairs, completely unbothered. "Whatever floats your boat."

He winked at you over his shoulder as he disappeared around the corner.

You looked back down at the onion.

Tucker was very pointedly not looking at you.

"Not a word," you said.

"I didn't say anything," he said, in the tone of someone who was saying everything.

The party invitation from Tucker arrived as a single text on a Thursday night.

party saturday, be here, i made a playlist

You were in the middle of your readings and you looked at the message for a moment before typing back: do I need to bring anything?

yourself and good energy

You put your phone face down and went back to your reading. Then picked it up again.

what time

nine but come at eight so we can hang before it gets loud

That was Tucker's way of saying he wanted to cook with you beforehand, which you appreciated more than you would ever tell him out loud because he would absolutely use it against you. You sent back a thumbs up and returned to your notes, and you did not think about the fact that Dean would be there, because that was not a relevant consideration.

You thought about it the entire rest of the week.

Not in a dramatic way. Just in the quiet, persistent way of something you kept putting down and finding in your hand again. You were honest with yourself about Dean, had been from the beginning. You knew what he was. Charming in a way that looked effortless because it mostly was, easy with people, the kind of person who filled a room without trying. You'd watched him for almost a year. You knew the way he talked to people, the way he leaned in when something was funny, the way he'd come into the kitchen sometimes when you were there and open the fridge and just stand there for a full thirty seconds like the answer to whatever he was looking for might eventually appear.

You knew that he'd noticed you too. That wasn't ego, just observation. The way his eyes would find you first when he walked into a room where you already were. The way he'd aim a comment at you specifically when he had a whole group to choose from. The way he'd said I've heard a lot of reactions like your reaction was the one that mattered.

You'd been sensible about it for a year. You'd made the choice, every single time, to not do anything about it. And you were fine. You were genuinely fine with that. You knew what Dean was, knew what it would be, and you'd decided the math didn't work out in your favor so you'd left it alone.

It was just that sometimes, quietly, in the back of your head, a voice said but what if you didn't.

You got dressed Saturday night and told that voice to shut up, and went to the party anyway.

Tucker met you at the door at eight on the dot, already in a good mood, which meant either the playlist was really good or he'd already had a drink.

"You look great," he said, holding the door open.

"You say that every time."

"Because it's true every time." He handed you a beer from the counter as you came into the kitchen, already comfortable, already home in the easy way the house had started to feel over the past year. "I was thinking we do something with the leftover rice from yesterday, I got peppers —"

"Tucker."

"What."

"We're not cooking. There are already people here."

He looked genuinely confused. "So?"

You took the beer from him and looked around the kitchen. Logan was leaning against the far counter talking to someone from the team, and Garrett was already in the living room, and the house had that particular pre-party hum to it, not yet loud, still settling into itself.

Dean wasn't in the kitchen.

You noted this the way you noted a lot of things quietly, without making anything of it.

Logan glanced over when Tucker handed you the beer. "You're here early."

"She's basically a resident," Tucker said, like this was a fact.

"I'm a guest," you said.

"Guests don't know where we keep the good knives," Logan said and winked, and went back to his conversation.

You spent the next hour in that easy pre-party mode, moving between the kitchen and the living room, talking to people you knew by name now, accepting a second drink from someone who was mixing them near the back. Tucker orbited you loosely the way he always did at these things, appearing at your elbow every twenty minutes or so to say something that made you laugh and then disappearing again. This was one of your favorite things about him, he was never clingy, never needed to keep you close, just checked in like punctuation.

Dean appeared sometime around ten.

He came down the stairs and into the living room and you saw him before he saw you, which felt important. He was wearing a dark green shirt, sleeves pushed to the elbows, and he had that easy unhurried way of moving through a room like it had already arranged itself around him. He said something to Garrett near the bottom of the stairs and laughed, and you looked away before he could look up.

So. He was here. That was fine. That was completely normal and fine.

You went to find Tucker.

The next hour you spent being very deliberate about not being obvious. You talked to people on the back porch when Dean was in the living room. You came inside when he drifted toward the kitchen. You were not proud of it exactly, but you were not going to stand around waiting for him to decide whether tonight was a night he felt like paying attention to you. You'd done a lot of things in your life. That was not going to be one of them.

Your friend Anna, a sorority sister, texted at eleven: how's the party

You typed back: fine. dean's here.

Three seconds.

oh. OH. okay. call me tomorrow.

maybe

that means yes. don't do anything I wouldn't do

You locked your phone and put it in your pocket and thought about the specific, limited list of things Anna wouldn't do and found it unhelpfully short.

The thing was, and you'd been over this, you'd been reasonable about this, you knew what it would be. A night, maybe a few nights, comfortable and uncomplicated and then done. Dean DiLaurentis didn't do anything that looked like what came after. You'd watched him long enough to know that too. And you'd decided that wasn't what you wanted, so you'd kept your distance, and that had been the right call, and it remained the right call.

You were in college at a party on a Friday night and you had been sensible about this for almost an entire calendar year.

The voice in the back of your head said but you knew that going in and it doesn't have to mean anything you don't want it to mean.

You told it to shut up.

It had a point though.

You refilled your drink. Stood near the back door where the air was a little cooler and the noise slightly less consuming. Watched the party happen around you. Thought, very clearly and deliberately: you know what it is. you've always known. that doesn't have to be the reason not to.

You were still working through the logic of that when you felt someone come to stand beside you.

"(Y/N). You've been avoiding me."

Dean. Not accusing, just observing, the same way he did most things, like he was simply noting a fact about the universe. He had a drink in one hand and he wasn't looking at you yet, eyes scanning the room like he'd just happened to end up here beside you, which you both understood wasn't true.

"I've been talking to people," you said.

"You've been talking to people on the opposite side of every room I was in."

"Maybe I just like that side of the room."

He looked at you then. Really looked, in that direct way of his that felt like being assessed and appreciated at the same time. The music was loud enough that the conversation existed in its own small space, just between you.

"You've been doing that for a year," he said.

"Has it been a year?" You kept your voice light.

"Almost." He took a drink. "I've been patient."

The word landed simply, without performance. Patient. Like he'd been waiting. Like the last year had been something he'd noticed too, kept track of, decided to let run its course.

You looked at him for a long moment. The party moved around you, loud and warm, and you stood in it and made the decision clearly, with both eyes open, which felt like the important part.

"Bathroom's upstairs," you said.

Something shifted in his expression, not surprise, just confirmation. Like he'd known, and now he knew for certain.

"Yeah," he said.

He followed you up the stairs without touching you, which felt somehow more loaded than if he had. You could feel him behind you the whole way, that particular awareness of someone close, and by the time you reached the top of the stairs your heart was doing something inconvenient.

The upstairs bathroom was at the end of the hall. You went in, he came in behind you, and you turned to click the lock and found him already there, close enough that turning around put you nearly chest to chest with him, close enough that you could feel the warmth coming off him before he'd laid a hand on you.

He didn't kiss you right away.

That was the first thing. You'd expected him to, he'd been patient for a year, you'd just told him where the bathroom was, you'd expected him to close the distance immediately. Instead he just looked at you, and the looking was its own thing, slow and deliberate, like he was taking his time now that he finally had you here and he wanted you to know it.

"You made me wait a long time," he said.

"You could have said something sooner," you said.

"I said something tonight."

"Barely."

Something shifted in his expression, not quite a smile, more like he'd just decided something. He reached up slowly and tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, fingers grazing your jaw, and the touch was so light it was almost nothing, which somehow made it worse.

"You're going to be like that," he said. Quiet. Certain.

"I don't know what you mean," you said, which was a lie and you both knew it.

He tilted your chin up with two fingers, not roughly, just — directing. Making you look at him. "Yeah you do," he said, and then he kissed you.

It wasn't tentative. It was a kiss from someone who had thought about this specifically, who knew what he wanted and had decided tonight was when he was going to have it, and you kissed him back and felt a year's worth of deliberate distance dissolve somewhere at the back of your mind.

He walked you backward until your hips met the bathroom counter and left you there, stepped back just enough to look at you again with that same unhurried attention, and you understood then that he wasn't in a hurry. That he'd waited this long and now he was going to enjoy it, and you were going to have to let him.

"Take your jacket off," he said.

You did.

He watched you do it. That was all — just watched, arms loosely crossed, completely at ease, like this was exactly where he'd planned to be tonight. You set the jacket on the counter and looked at him and he looked back.

"Good," he said, like that meant something.

Your heart was doing the inconvenient thing again.

He came back to you slowly, hands finding your waist, and kissed you again, deeper this time, one hand sliding into your hair and gripping, not painfully, just holding you exactly where he wanted you. You made a small sound against his mouth and felt him smile.

"There it is," he murmured.

"Shut up," you said.

"Make me," he said against your jaw, and then his mouth was on your throat and the option to respond coherently became briefly unavailable.

He took his time with your throat, your collarbone, the soft place below your ear that made your fingers curl into his shirt without your permission, and every time you moved to pull him closer he'd ease back just enough to remind you that he was running this. Not mean about it. Just clear.

"Dean —"

"I've got you," he said, against your skin. "I'm not going anywhere."

His hands moved to the hem of your top, pulling it up slowly, and he stepped back to pull it over your head and dropped it somewhere on the floor and looked at you again with that particular focus, and you had to actively resist the urge to cover yourself, because that was not what you did, but the way he was looking at you made you feel like you were already coming apart.

"You have no idea," he said quietly, more to himself than you, and then his mouth was on your collarbone and his hands were at your waist and you gave up on dignity entirely.

His hands moved to the button of your jeans, unhurried, and he looked up at you first — not asking exactly, just checking — and you nodded and he undid it and crouched down to pull the fabric down your legs with a thoroughness that felt like a point being made. He looked up at you from there, and whatever was on your face made him look deeply, quietly satisfied.

"You've been thinking about this," he said. Not a question.

"Don't," you said.

"Don't what?"

"Don't be smug about it."

"I'm not being smug." He pressed a kiss to the inside of your knee, which short-circuited something. "I'm just paying attention."

He stood back up slowly, hands trailing up the outside of your thighs, and lifted you onto the counter like it was nothing, stepping between your knees. You pulled him back in by the collar of his shirt and kissed him harder than you'd meant to and he made a low sound and kissed you back the same way, one hand flat against the small of your back pulling you closer.

"Tell me what you want," he said, against your mouth.

"You know what I want."

"I want to hear you say it."

You pulled back and looked at him. He looked back, completely unbothered, and you understood that he meant it, that he was going to stand here all night if he had to, patient as anything, until you said it out loud.

"Dean."

"I'm right here," he said pleasantly.

"You're so —"

"Tell me."

You told him.

"Please"

The expression that crossed his face was worth it. He kissed you once, hard, like a reward, and said good against your mouth, and then his hand moved and all the words you'd been planning to say next went somewhere inaccessible.

He knew what he was doing in a way that felt almost unfair, thorough, attentive, like he'd already decided exactly how this was going to go and was now simply executing. When you tried to rush it he slowed down. When you made a sound he filed it away and came back to it. The tile was cold at your back and his hands were warm on your thighs and his mouth was at your cunt and the things he said there were quiet and precise and designed specifically to ruin you.

"You've been driving me crazy," he said. Low, unhurried. "All year. You know that."

"Dean —"

"Every time you walked into a room." His hand didn't stop. "Every time you looked at Tucker instead of me. Every single time."

"That's your fault," you managed.

"I know," he said. "I know it is." Something almost rueful in it. "Doesn't change the fact."

When you finally came it was with your head hitting the mirror behind you and holding his shoulder and his name somewhere in the middle of it, and he stayed with you through the whole thing, unhurried, like he had nothing else in the world to do.

He gave you a moment. Then he pulled back and looked at you with an expression that you could only describe as thoroughly pleased with himself, which should have been annoying and wasn't.

"Don't," you said.

"I didn't say anything."

"You were about to."

"I was going to ask if you were okay," he said, which was such an obvious lie that you laughed, and the laugh broke something open in the room, and he grinned, a real one, unguarded in a way you hadn't seen before, and kissed you again before it could turn into a whole thing.

You worked his belt with hands that weren't entirely steady and he helped without comment, and then his hands were at your hips and he pressed his forehead to yours for just a second.

You watched him look for a condom on his backpocket.

"Yeah?" he said quietly. All the performance gone.

"Yeah," you said.

He pushed into you slow and you exhaled against his jaw, fingers gripping his shoulders, adjusting to the feeling of him. He gave you a moment, forehead still to yours, patient, present, and then he moved and everything else became temporarily beside the point.

It was charged the way it only gets when two people have been waiting too long. Not frantic but urgent, with a focused intensity that felt like something being resolved. His grip was firm and deliberate and you pulled him closer when he slowed down and he got the message and didn't slow down again. The mirror was fogging and somewhere below you the party was still happening and it was completely irrelevant.

"Look at me," he said.

You did. He held your gaze and something passed between you that neither of you named, and you felt it in your chest more than anywhere else.

"Months," he said again. Quieter now.

"I know," you said. "I know."

When he came he buried his face in your neck and went quiet and still, one hand flat against the small of your back holding you against him, and you held onto him too because it seemed like the thing to do, and because you wanted to, and those were the same thing tonight.

You stayed like that for a moment longer than necessary.

Then you both exhaled at roughly the same time, which broke the tension, and Dean huffed a quiet laugh into your shoulder.

You untangled carefully, straightened yourselves out. You hopped off the counter and turned to the mirror, fixing your hair, smoothing your top back into place. He leaned against the wall watching you do it, arms crossed loosely, shirt back on. His hair was a mess and he didn't appear concerned about it.

You met his eyes in the mirror.

"This doesn't have to be a thing," you said. Even, matter of fact. Not cold, just clear. You were giving him an out because you'd rather give it than have him feel like he needed to take it badly.

Something moved across his face. He pushed off the wall slightly. "What if I want it to be a thing?"

You turned around. "What kind of thing?"

He held your gaze. Didn't answer right away, which was an answer, and you'd known it would be, you'd known before you came upstairs, and still it took a small quiet moment to settle.

"Right," you said simply.

Not angry. Not hurt, or at least not visibly. You'd gone in with both eyes open and you'd meant it, and the math was what you'd always known it was. That was fine. You were fine.

You unlocked the door.

"Hey," Dean said.

You looked back.

He opened his mouth, closed it. Something in his expression that you couldn't entirely read. "Nothing," he said finally. "Never mind."

You nodded once and stepped out into the hallway.

Downstairs, the party had peaked without you. The music was louder and the living room was full and Tucker was in the kitchen, which is where Tucker always ended up at some point. He took one look at your face when you appeared in the doorway and turned to open the fridge and produced a beer, which he held out without a word.

You took it.

"Having fun?" he asked, very casually, eyes on the fridge.

"Yeah," you said. "Party's good."

"Cool." He closed the fridge. "I made queso."

"Tucker."

"It's in the pot on the back burner."

You looked at him for a second. He looked back, perfectly neutral, perfectly unbothered, and completely full of information he was choosing not to say.

"Thank you," you said.

"Don't mention it," he said. "Seriously, don't. I have a reputation."

You laughed despite yourself, and some of the tightness in your chest loosened, just a little.

Tucker handed you a chip.

You both stood at the stove and ate queso and said nothing about any of it, and that was, genuinely, one of the nicest things anyone had done for you in a while.

Dean came downstairs eleven minutes later, you weren't counting, you just noticed, and grabbed a beer from the fridge and leaned against the counter across from you, and the three of you stood in that kitchen like nothing had happened at all.

Dean looked at the pot on the stove. "Is that queso?"

"Made it myself," Tucker said.

"You absolutely did not."

Tucker looked at you. You said nothing, scooping queso onto another chip. Dean's eyes moved between you both and landed on you with something unreadable in them.

"Can I have some?" he asked.

"It's your house," you said.

He got a chip. Ate it. Looked at the pot. "That's really good."

"I know," you said.

Tucker stared directly at the wall and smiled at absolutely nothing.

It didn't have a name. That was the thing , it never got one, and neither of you tried to give it one, and somehow that made it easier to just let it exist.

It started simply enough. A week after the party, Dean texted you at eleven on a Tuesday night. Just: you up?

The second text was a trailer link. No context, no explanation, just: this.

You watched it once. Typed back: that looks pretentious.

i know. yes or no.

fine.

The house was quiet when you got there , Garrett's door closed, Tucker apparently out, and Dean was on the couch with a beer and the energy of someone who had been waiting without admitting to waiting.

You sat in the middle of the couch.

He pulled up the movie without comment.

It was pretentious and it was also actually good, and you told him so twenty minutes in when he glanced over to see what you thought. He said told you without looking back at the screen. You said you said it looked pretentious, which is not the same as saying it wasn't good. He said that's a very specific distinction. You said I'm a specific person. He didn't say anything for a moment, and then said: yeah.

Somewhere around the third act the distance between you closed. You weren't sure who moved, maybe both of you, gradually. His arm along the back of the couch and your shoulder under it and neither of you addressed it.

The movie ended and neither of you moved.

He found something else. A documentary, shorter, that turned out to be genuinely interesting. You watched most of it. Somewhere in the second half you were closer still his arm properly around you now, your feet tucked up beside you — and the lamp in the corner was the only light, and in here it was warm, and you were paying attention to about thirty percent of the documentary.

You woke up at two in the morning with a blanket over you that hadn't been there before. Dean was asleep at the other end of the couch, head back, completely unconscious. The TV was still on. You looked at him in the blue light of the screensaver, the line of his jaw, the stillness of someone actually asleep and felt the quiet weight of something you were not going to examine.

Then you got up, folded the blanket, left it on the cushion, and walked home.

You didn't text him about it. He didn't text you about it. Two days later he sent: you around tonight? and you said depends and he said on what and you said what's the plan and he said no plan and you said okay.

That was how it started.

By November it had a shape, even if it didn't have a name.

You came over two or three times a week. Sometimes it was a movie, sometimes it was just you in the kitchen making something with whatever was in the fridge while Dean sat at the counter with his phone and ate everything you put in front of him without comment except occasionally this is really good in a tone that suggested he was a little annoyed about it. Sometimes the whole house was there, Tucker loud and cheerful, Garrett and Logan drifting in and out, the TV on in the background and sometimes it was just the two of you and the house was quiet and those evenings had a quality to them that you tried not to examine too closely.

He texted you things that weren't questions. A link to an article about something you'd both argued about in passing. A photo of a sunset he'd apparently seen from the library roof, no caption. A voice memo once, at midnight, that was just him reading something in the flat unimpressed tone he used when something was genuinely getting on his nerves — listen to this, the message said, and you did, and you laughed, and he sent back a single: right?

You sent him things back. A recipe you thought he'd actually like. A clip of something that reminded you of a conversation you'd had. He always answered. Not immediately, not performatively, just he answered.

Garrett had noticed, in his way. He'd stopped doing double-takes when you were in the kitchen on a Tuesday night, had started just saying hey and opening the fridge like your presence was a given. Logan was less subtle, he'd caught your eye once across the living room when Dean laughed at something you'd said, and raised an eyebrow, and you'd looked away and he'd had the decency not to push it.

You talked to Anna about it on a Sunday afternoon in November, feet up on her bed, staring at the ceiling while she did her readings across from you.

"So it's a situationship," she said, not looking up.

"I didn't say that."

"You described a situationship."

"I described two people who spend time together."

"With benefits."

"Occasionally."

She finally looked up. "How often is occasionally?"

You said nothing.

"That's what I thought." She went back to her reading. "Are you okay with it?"

You thought about it honestly, the way you tried to think about most things. "Yeah," you said. "I went in knowing what it was."

"That's not what I asked."

You looked at the ceiling. "I'm fine," you said. "It's fine. I know what it is."

Anna made a small noncommittal sound that you chose not to interpret.

The physical part of it was easy in a way you hadn't entirely expected. Comfortable in a way that felt like it should have taken longer to get to. He knew what you liked with an attentiveness that might have been alarming if you'd let yourself think about it, and you knew what worked for him, and there was none of the awkwardness of newness anymore.

The only thing you were consistent about was the condom. Every time, without exception. Until one night in late November when Dean caught your wrist gently before you could reach for the nightstand.

"Why do you always —" He stopped. Nodded toward it. "Every time."

"Because I'm not stupid," you said. "You were getting around a lot before this and I don't know what this is and I'm not asking but I'm also not —"

"I haven't," he said. "Since the party. I haven't slept with anyone else."

The room went quiet.

"Oh," you said. A beat. "Me neither."

Something moved across his face that he didn't entirely manage to control. His thumb traced a slow absent line against the inside of your wrist.

"Okay," he said quietly.

"Okay," you said.

The air in the room changed into something neither of you was going to name. Then he kissed you, and it was different, slower, more careful, like something had been confirmed that he hadn't known he was waiting to confirm, and you let yourself feel it without examining it too closely, because that felt fair.

The first sign was the texts.

Not that they stopped completely, that would have been obvious, and Dean was too smart for obvious. They just slowed. A reply that came four hours later instead of forty minutes. A shorter answer where there used to be a real one. The voice memos stopped. The links stopped. You'd send something and get back a single word where there used to be a sentence, and you'd look at it and feel the shape of what was happening without being able to name it yet.

You told yourself it was school. Exams were coming, everyone was disappearing into the library, that was normal. You told yourself he was busy, stressed, in his head about the end of semester and the hockey team. You were busy too. You had your own readings, your own papers, your own life that existed completely separately from the off campus house and always had.

You kept coming over. Tucker needed someone to watch the game with and you'd promised him a recipe you'd been meaning to show him and you were not going to rearrange your life over a shift in text frequency.

But you noticed.

You noticed the way Dean would come into the kitchen when you were there and open the fridge and not look at you the way he used to. Not hostile, just absent. Like you were furniture. Like the awareness he'd always had of you in a room had been switched off at a source you couldn't locate. He ate the food you made without commenting on it. He answered direct questions. He didn't start anything.

You didn't push. That wasn't who you were.

But by the second week of December you were lying in your room at night doing the math and the math was not coming out well, and you were tired of pretending it wasn't.

You went over on a Thursday.

Tucker was at a class. You'd known that, you'd checked, because you wanted the house quiet, because you wanted five minutes of honesty without an audience. Garrett's truck wasn't in the driveway either. You knocked on Dean's door and he opened it in sweats and a Briar hoodie, textbook open on his desk, and the look on his face when he saw you was almost nothing, which was its own answer.

"Hey," you said.

"Hey." He stepped back to let you in, which you took as an invitation, and you came in and stood in the middle of his room and he closed the door and leaned against his desk with his arms crossed. Not aggressive. Just closed.

You looked at him for a moment.

"What's going on with you?" you asked. Quiet, direct. No accusation in it, just the question.

He shrugged one shoulder. "Nothing. Finals."

"Okay," you said. "That's not what I mean and you know it."

A beat. Something moved behind his eyes and then went still.

"I don't know what you want me to say," he said.

"I want you to say what's actually happening."

He looked at you. Then he looked away, jaw tightening slightly, and you recognized the particular quality of someone deciding something, not discovering it, deciding it, and some quiet part of you braced.

"I think this has run its course," he said. Flat. Careful.

You kept your face even. "Okay. What does that mean."

"It means —" He stopped. Started again. "I don't want this anymore. Whatever this is. I don't want it."

"Okay," you said.

He looked at you, and something in your steadiness seemed to irritate him, which you hadn't expected, and that was maybe the thing that cracked something open in him that should have stayed closed.

"I don't know what you thought this was," he said, and his voice had an edge now, "but it wasn't — I wasn't —" He made a short, almost contemptuous gesture. "You've been coming over here for months like you live here. Cooking, watching movies, acting like this is some kind of —"

"I never called it anything," you said.

"No, but you acted like it was something. You act like everything is fine and nothing bothers you and you're so —" He stopped, and the word he landed on was quiet and precise and clearly chosen to land: "You're so comfortable here. Like you belong here. And you don't."

The room was very quiet.

You looked at him. He looked back, and you could see the moment he heard what he'd just said, saw something flicker across his face that might have been regret but came too late to matter.

"You're right," you said. Your voice was completely level. "I don't."

He opened his mouth.

"I'm not going to make this into something," you said. "You don't want it, that's fine. I went in knowing what it was." You picked up your jacket from where you'd set it on the edge of his bed. "I hope finals go okay."

"Hey —"

"Good night, Dean."

You left. You closed the door behind you, not hard, just closed, and you walked down the stairs and through the front door and out into the December cold and you kept your shoulders straight the whole way home.

You didn't cry until you were in your own room with the door locked, and even then it wasn't for very long, because you'd known, you'd always known, and knowing didn't make it nothing but it made it survivable.

You texted Anna: you were right.

She called immediately. You let it ring twice, then picked up.

"I'm okay," you said, before she could ask.

"I know you are," she said. "Tell me anyway."

The hard part came later, at midnight.

You were lying in bed and you saw a link, a restaurant that had just opened, a tasting menu you'd been meaning to mention and you had his name pulled up in your contacts before you caught yourself. Thumb over send. The restaurant unremarkable and the gesture everything.

You put your phone face down on the mattress and looked at the ceiling for a while.

You'd known. You'd always known. That didn't make it nothing. It made it survivable, which was what you'd agreed to, and you were keeping that agreement.

The next afternoon you went to the off campus house.

Not because of Dean. Tucker had texted you at noon — i made something and i think i made it wrong, come look at it — and you'd said what did you make and he'd sent a photo that made you genuinely concerned for his wellbeing, and you'd said I'm coming over because that was what you did.

You showed up at three in the afternoon in your good boots and your coat, hair done, bag over your shoulder, because you had a study session after and you were not rearranging your life. You walked into the kitchen and Tucker was standing over something on the stove that smelled questionable and turned around with the expression of a man who needed saving.

"What is that," you said.

"I was trying to do the thing you showed me with the —"

"Tucker."

"I know."

You put your bag down and took your coat off and hung it over the stool and rolled up your sleeves and looked at whatever was happening in the pot, and Tucker stood next to you like a man watching a surgeon assess a patient.

"It's salvageable," you said.

He exhaled. "I knew it."

"Get me the garlic."

You cooked. Tucker hovered and passed things when you asked and made commentary that you ignored selectively and the kitchen filled up with something that smelled the way the kitchen was supposed to smell, and it was normal. It was completely normal. You were fine.

Logan came through at some point, stopped in the doorway, looked at the pot. "That smells good." Then he looked at Tucker. "Did you make that?"

"We're collaborating," Tucker said.

Logan looked at you. You said nothing. He grabbed a water from the fridge and left, which was exactly the right thing to do.

Dean came downstairs at some point, and you heard him stop at the bottom of the stairs, and you stirred the pot and didn't turn around.

"Hey," Tucker said, in the careful voice of someone being very casual.

"Hey." Dean's voice from the doorway. A pause. "What are you making?"

"She's fixing what I made," Tucker said.

You felt Dean's eyes on your back. You reached past the stove for the spice rack.

"Smells good," Dean said.

You said nothing. Not pointedly — just nothing. Tucker handed you the paprika.

Dean didn't leave. You could feel him still standing there, which told you something you set aside for later. You plated what you'd made, put Tucker's portion in front of him, put the extra in a container that you labeled with a piece of tape and a marker the way you always did, and started washing the pan.

"There's extra," Tucker said, to the room.

"I can see that," Dean said.

Tucker ate a bite. Made a sound of profound relief. "You're genuinely talented, you know that?"

"I know," you said, drying the pan.

You stayed another forty minutes, finishing your tea, going over the recipe with Tucker so he could try again, answering a text from Anna. Normal. Easy. The house the same as it had always been, Tucker the same as he'd always been, you the same as you'd always been.

When you left you said, "Bye Tuck, don't touch the leftovers until tomorrow, they're better the next day."

"Noted," Tucker said.

You pulled on your coat. Picked up your bag. "Later," you said, generally, to the room, and you walked out.

Dean stood in the kitchen after the front door closed.

Tucker was eating. Not looking at him. The kitchen smelled incredible and there was a labeled container in the fridge and the pan you'd used was clean and back on the rack like you'd never been there.

"She labeled it," Dean said.

"She always labels it," Tucker said.

Dean looked at the fridge. "For who."

"I don't know, Dean." Tucker turned a page in whatever he was reading. "Whoever wants it, I guess."

He couldn't focus in class the next morning.

The professor was talking and Dean had his laptop open and his notes half-started and none of it was going in because he kept coming back to the same thing, the same image, which was you standing at his stove with your back to him like nothing had happened.

Not performing like nothing had happened. Actually fine. The difference between those two things was something he understood logically and couldn't reconcile emotionally and it was making him insane.

He'd expected — he didn't know what he'd expected. Something. Some sign that what he'd said had mattered, that he had mattered, that the months of you being in his space and in his kitchen and in his bed and knowing how he took his coffee and showing up when Tucker texted you and falling asleep on his couch and leaving your chapstick on his nightstand —

You'd taken the chapstick. He'd noticed.

You'd taken it and labeled the leftovers and said later to the room and walked out and that was it, apparently. That was the whole thing. He'd said you don't belong here and you'd said you're right and you'd meant it, and that was the part he couldn't get past. You'd meant it not because you believed it but because you weren't going to fight him on it. Because you didn't need to.

You act like you belong here. And you don't.

He'd said that. He'd actually said that.

He stared at his laptop screen.

You'd been coming to that house since before he'd ever spoken a full sentence to you. Tucker's mom had called you, you'd shown up, you'd been folded into the house slowly and completely the way only people who actually fit somewhere ever are, Tucker texting you unprompted, Garrett knowing your coffee order, Logan moving over on the couch without being asked, and Dean had stood in his own room and told you that you didn't belong there and you'd looked at him like you were giving him the chance to hear what he was saying and he hadn't taken it and you'd left.

And then you'd come back the next day and cooked Tucker's disaster and labeled the leftovers and said later.

Later. Like you'd see them around. Like the house was still just a place you came to, unconnected to Dean, existing independently of whatever he'd decided.

Because it was. Because Tucker was your friend. Because you'd built something there that had nothing to do with Dean DiLaurentis and apparently had no intention of dismantling it on his account.

He wrote something down without reading it.

The thing was and this was the part that was sitting in his chest like something he couldn't shift, he'd ended it because it was getting too real. That was the honest answer, the one he hadn't said out loud to anyone including himself until approximately right now, which was not ideal timing. He'd felt it getting heavier and closer and more like something that had a name and he'd panicked, and when Dean DiLaurentis panicked he went cold, and when he went cold long enough he said things he couldn't take back.

You don't belong here.

He closed his laptop. Opened it again.

You hadn't fought for it. He'd said something genuinely cruel and you'd said you're right and you'd left, and the version of events he'd been running in his head where you'd be upset, where you'd pull back from the house, where he'd see the evidence of having mattered somewhere in your behavior, none of that had happened. You'd come back with your boots and your coat and your labeled container and your later and you were fine.

He was not fine.

That felt deeply, profoundly unfair, and he was self-aware enough to recognize that he had no one to blame for it but himself, which made it worse.

Wait, said something in the back of his head, quiet and inconvenient.

He picked up his pen. Put it down.

Wait.

He didn't finish the thought. He stared at his notes until they stopped meaning anything, and outside the window the Briar campus went on being cold and grey and completely indifferent to the fact that Dean DiLaurentis was sitting in class slowly understanding something he wasn't ready to understand yet.

The problem with ending things, Dean was discovering, was that it only worked if the other person let it end.

You hadn't made a scene. Hadn't texted him anything he had to respond to, hadn't shown up at his door, hadn't done a single thing that gave him something to push against. You'd just continued. Existing in the house, in the kitchen, in Tucker's orbit, completely unchanged, like Dean's opinion of the situation was one data point you'd received and filed appropriately and moved on from.

He ate everything you made. That was the humiliating part. Every single time you left something in the fridge he ate it, sometimes within the hour, standing at the counter in the kitchen alone like some kind of punishment he was administering to himself. Tucker never commented on this. Tucker never commented on anything, which was its own form of commentary.

You'd left soup once. Labeled, like always — back burner, twenty minutes, don't let Tucker have more than one bowl he'll eat the whole thing. Dean had read the label four times. Eaten two bowls. Stood at the sink washing the pot afterward feeling like a man losing an argument he wasn't allowed to be having.

Garrett had found him standing there once, staring at nothing, and said "you good?" and Dean had said "yeah" and Garrett had looked at the labeled container still on the counter and said nothing further, which somehow made it worse.

He started noticing everything.

The way you'd laugh at something on your phone and not share it with the room, just smile to yourself and put it face down. The way you always took your shoes off at the door and lined them up neatly to the left, always the left, and he'd started checking for them when he came downstairs, the presence or absence of your boots telling him things about the afternoon before he'd even gotten to the kitchen. The way you said Tucker's name — comfortable, fond, like a shorthand — and the way you had, at some point, stopped saying Dean's name at all. Not pointedly. Just it didn't come up. He wasn't who you were talking to.

He'd done that. He understood that he'd done that.

He just hadn't understood what it would feel like to have done it.

He tried, for a while, to be reasonable about it.

He made a list, mentally, of all the reasons this was fine. He didn't do relationships. He'd never done relationships. He had a plan for his life that had been in place since he was sixteen, and that plan had no room in it for whatever you were. Whatever you'd been. The comfortable weight of your presence, the evenings when you were in the house versus evenings when you weren't, the way he'd started coming across things during the week and thinking you'd have something to say about this —

That was the problem right there. That was the thing he kept running into.

He'd been having conversations with you in his head for weeks. Full conversations, with your actual responses, because he knew how you thought well enough to fill both sides, and that was, that was not the behavior of someone who was fine.

He talked to Garrett on a Tuesday night, which he never did, and talked around the subject for twenty minutes before Garrett said, flatly: "Just tell me what she did."

"She didn't do anything," Dean said.

A pause. "Then tell me what you did."

Dean stared at his ceiling. "I ended it."

"And?"

"And she's fine."

"That's it? She's fine and you are like this?"

"She's too fine," Dean said, and hated how that sounded.

Garrett was quiet for a moment. Then: "Dean."

"What."

"You absolute idiot."

January settled over Briar cold and grey and Dean settled into a particular kind of misery that he was too proud to name properly. He went to class. He did his readings. He played well enough at practice that Coach didn't get on him, which required more effort than it should have because his head was not where it was supposed to be.

You came over on Saturdays, usually. Sometimes Thursdays. Tucker had apparently taken to texting you about things that had nothing to do with cooking, Dean had seen the thread once, accidentally, and it was just the two of you sending each other increasingly unhinged videos with no context, a friendship that existed completely on its own terms, owed nothing to Dean, and was apparently thriving.

Logan had said, once, carefully, over breakfast: "She was here yesterday."

"I know," Dean said.

Logan looked at him. "Just saying."

"I know," Dean said again.

Logan went back to his cereal and didn't push it, which was the right call, and Dean appreciated it and resented it in equal measure.

He watched you from across rooms and told himself he wasn't doing that.

You never looked uncomfortable. That was the thing that was going to actually kill him. You'd come in, take your boots off, left side of the door, say hey to whoever was around, drift toward the kitchen with the ease of someone in a place they belonged, and it would be normal. Warm. Real. And Dean would be somewhere in the same house eating himself alive and you would be completely, genuinely fine.

He thought about the things he'd said. You act like you belong here. And you don't.

He thought about those words with a frequency that was becoming a problem.

It was a random Wednesday in late January.

Dean came home from a late class tired and cold and in the specific bad mood that came from hours with a professor who seemed to find his suffering amusing. The house was lit up when he got there, which meant people were home, and he could hear voices from the kitchen before he'd gotten his coat off.

Tucker's laugh. And then yours.

He stood in the hallway for a second with his coat half off.

"—absolutely not, that's not how that works—" Tucker, indignant.

"I'm telling you, Tucker, I watched you do it, that's exactly how you did it—"

"I was recovering, there's a difference—"

"There is no difference, the result was the same—"

Tucker said something Dean didn't catch and you laughed, full and real, the kind of laugh that meant you'd actually been caught off guard by it, and the sound of it hit Dean somewhere undefended and just stayed there.

He finished taking his coat off. Hung it up. Walked to the kitchen doorway.

You were at the island, Tucker leaning on his elbows across from you, some kind of card game between you that Dean didn't recognize. You had a mug of something and your hair was down and you were still smiling from whatever Tucker had just said, and Tucker was looking at you with the expression of someone who had won a point. Garrett was on the couch in the next room, feet up, barely paying attention, the way Garrett existed in the house like ambient weather.

"Dean," Tucker said. "Tell her that recovering from a bad move is a valid strategy."

"Depends on the move," Dean said, automatically.

"See," Tucker said to you.

"That's not what he said," you said, and glanced at Dean briefly,not long, not loaded, just a glance, the kind you'd give anyone and looked back at Tucker. "Your move."

Dean got a glass of water. Stood at the counter. The card game continued. Tucker accused you of cheating, you denied it with the specific serenity of someone who was absolutely cheating, Dean watched and said nothing and felt the sensation of standing outside something warm.

An hour later you started putting your coat on.

"Okay," you said, gathering your things. "Tucker. Rematch Thursday."

"Thursday," Tucker confirmed. "I'll win."

"You won't." You pulled your bag onto your shoulder. Looked at Tucker with something genuine and warm. "Bye, Tuck."

"Bye." Tucker was already looking back at his phone.

"Later, Garrett," you called toward the living room.

"Later," Garrett called back, not looking up.

You walked toward the door. Past Dean, close enough that he could have said something, close enough that the window was right there, and he stood at the counter with his glass of water and said nothing, and you pulled the door open and walked out, and the door closed, and that was it.

Tucker looked up from his phone.

The two of them sat in the quiet kitchen, the card game still spread out on the island, your mug still on the counter.

"She forgot her mug," Dean said.

"She'll get it Thursday," Tucker said.

Dean put his glass down. Picked it back up.

"She said bye to you first," he said.

Tucker looked at him for a long moment. Set his phone down. "Yeah," he said. "She did."

The kitchen was very quiet.

"Tucker —"

"I'm not doing this, Dean."

"I'm not asking you to do anything."

"Good." Tucker picked his phone back up. "Because I really, genuinely, am not getting involved."

From the living room, Garrett said nothing, which meant he was listening to every word.

Dean looked at the door.

"She left her mug," he said again, quieter, to no one in particular.

Tucker said nothing. Which was, as always, its own kind of answer.

He lasted four days.

Four days of your mug on the counter — Tucker had washed it and left it there — four days of picking up his phone and putting it down, four days of being a reasonable adult who had made a decision and was living with it, and then on Sunday night at eleven p.m. he put on his shoes and his coat and walked across campus to the Kappa house like a man who had exhausted every other option.

He stood outside in the cold and looked up at the second floor windows and felt genuinely insane.

He found a handful of small rocks from the landscaping border. Looked at them. Looked up at the windows.

He threw one.

It hit the wrong window. A light came on and someone looked out — not you, someone he didn't recognize — and he stepped back into the shadow of the tree until the light went off again.

He tried the next window. Nothing. The one after that.

The window opened.

You leaned out, hair messy, clearly pulled from sleep or close to it, and looked down at him in the dark with an expression that moved through several phases: confusion, recognition, disbelief. Before settling on something that was almost exasperated and almost amused and fully of course.

"Dean," you said, not loud. "What are you doing."

"I need to talk to you."

"It's eleven o'clock."

"I know. You weren't answering my texts."

You stared at him. "You texted me twenty minutes ago."

"You didn't answer."

"I was asleep."

"Can I come up?"

The expression on your face did something complicated. "You want to climb the sorority house."

"There's a trellis."

You looked to the left, apparently confirming the existence of the trellis, then looked back down at him. "Dean."

"Five minutes," he said. "I just — five minutes. Then I'll go."

You looked at him for a long moment, and he stood in the cold and let you look, because he'd run out of ways to manage how this went. You could close the window. That was a real option and he'd accept it.

You didn't close the window.

"The trellis is on the left," you said. "Don't break anything."

He made it up without incident, which he felt was frankly more than he deserved. You'd stepped back from the window to let him climb through, and he came in trying not to knock anything over and stood in the middle of your room feeling the full absurdity of the situation settle over him.

Your room was small and warm. Books on every surface, a desk lamp on low, a quilt on the bed that looked like it had been in your family for a while. It smelled like you, something warm, something that had been living in the back of his brain for months without his permission.

You sat on the edge of your bed and looked at him with your arms loosely crossed, not hostile, just waiting. Giving him the floor.

"I need to say something," he said.

"Okay."

"And I need you to let me say it without — I need to actually get through it."

"I'm not stopping you," you said.

He looked at you. You looked back, and there was something in your expression: patient, steady, not giving him anything, and he understood suddenly that you were going to make him do this himself. All the way. No half measures.

He took a breath.

"I said things to you that I can't take back," he started. "That night in my room. And I knew when I said them that they weren't — I knew they weren't true. I said them because I was scared and I was trying to make you leave and I wanted it to work so I made it as —" He stopped. Tried again. "I wanted you gone and I made sure you'd go and then you went and I've been —" He stopped again.

You waited.

"I've been losing my mind," he said. "For weeks. You keep coming over and cooking Tucker's food and laughing at his jokes and you left your mug on the counter and you said bye, Tuck and walked out like I wasn't standing right there and I —" He stopped. The words that needed to come next were the ones he'd been circling for weeks and he was done circling. "I'm in love with you."

The room was quiet.

"I'm in love with you," he said again, because it had come out steadier the second time and it was true and he was done with it living only in his head. "I have been for a while. I didn't know what to do with it so I — I did what I did. And I know that's not an excuse. I know what I said. But I needed you to know that it wasn't because you didn't matter. It was because you mattered too much and I didn't know how to —"

"Dean," you said.

He stopped.

You looked at him for a long moment. Something in your expression that was careful and real and not entirely closed.

"I know," you said quietly.

He blinked. "You —"

"I knew." You said it simply, without cruelty. "I've known for a while. I needed you to know it too." A pause. "And I needed you to say it. Out loud. To me. Without me making it easy for you."

He held your gaze. "Because you're not going to make it easy for me."

"No," you said. Not meanly. Just honestly. "I'm not."

He nodded slowly. That was fair. That was completely fair.

"I'm sorry," he said. "For what I said. You don't belong here — I knew that wasn't true when I said it. That's the worst part. I knew and I said it anyway."

You looked at him. And he watched something in your expression shift, not all the way, but enough, a small careful opening.

"I know," you said again. Softer this time.

"Can we —" He stopped. Tried to find the right shape for the question. "Is there a way back from this. Is that something that exists."

You were quiet for a moment that felt very long.

"Come here," you said.

He crossed the room and you stood from the bed to meet him and he kissed you carefully, like he was asking, and you kissed him back like you were answering, and it was nothing like the first time and nothing like any of the times in between, because those had all been about desire and this was about something that didn't have the same kind of ceiling.

His hands came to your face, gentle, and you let him, and he kissed you like he was trying to say the things that words hadn't been sufficient for the weeks of watching you from across rooms, the soup, the mug, the way your boots on the left side of the door had started to feel like something he needed, all of it, moving through the kiss like it had somewhere to go now.

You pulled back after a moment and looked at him.

"Say it again," you said quietly. Not a test. Just you wanted to hear it again.

"I'm in love with you," he said, without hesitating.

You looked at him for one more second. Then you kissed him again and this time you meant it differently, your hands in his collar pulling him in, and the tenor of the whole thing shifted from careful to something warmer and more certain.

He walked you back to the bed gently, and you sat and pulled him down with you, and he went willingly, propping himself above you, and looked at you for a moment. Your hair on the pillow, your expression open in a way he hadn't been allowed to see in weeks.

"Hi," he said, quietly.

The corner of your mouth moved. "Hi."

He kissed you again, slower this time, and his hands moved over you with a deliberateness that was different from anything before not performing, not proving anything, just present. Your shirt came off and his followed, and he pressed his mouth to your collarbone, your shoulder, the soft curve of your throat, taking his time in the way of someone who wasn't going anywhere.

"Dean," you said softly, fingers in his hair.

"I know," he said, against your skin. "I've got you."

You exhaled like something releasing.

It was slow and close and almost unbearably tender, the kind of thing that didn't have anything to hide anymore. He was attentive in a way that felt different now not just knowing what worked but wanting you to feel it, wanting you to know he was there, all the way there, not halfway out the door. You made soft sounds against his jaw and pulled him closer and he went, and you moved together in the small warm room with the desk lamp still on low and neither of you suggested turning it off.

When you came it was quiet and deep and you said his name and he held you through it with his face pressed to your temple, and afterward he stayed close, closer than strictly necessary, and you didn't move away.

When he followed he was holding your hand, fingers laced, which hadn't been planned and was completely true, and you held on.

Afterward you lay in the small bed in the quiet and the lamp was still on.

Your head was on his chest. He had his arm around you. Neither of you had suggested otherwise.

"You really threw rocks at my window," you said, to the ceiling.

"Small rocks."

"You hit Anna's window first."

"She didn't see me."

"She definitely saw you." A pause. "She texted me twenty minutes ago asking if I had a 'nighttime visitor.'"

Dean closed his eyes briefly. "Great."

You laughed, quiet, against his chest, and he felt it more than heard it and thought: there it is. there's the thing I've been missing.

He pressed his mouth to your hair.

"For the record," he said, "you do belong there. In the house. That was — I need you to know that was the opposite of true."

You were quiet for a moment. "I know," you said. "I always knew."

"You're annoyingly self-possessed, you know that?"

"You've mentioned it."

"Not a complaint."

You tilted your head to look up at him. Something in your expression that was warm and a little careful still, not closed, just real. This was going to take time, he knew that. He'd put something between you that didn't disappear overnight and you weren't going to pretend it had, because you didn't do that.

"Tucker's going to be insufferable about this," you said.

Dean thought about Tucker, who had said absolutely nothing for weeks and washed your mug and left it on the counter. "He already knows," Dean said.

"He's known for months."

"I know."

"He texted me two weeks ago," you said, "and said 'just for the record I think he's an idiot.' I asked who and he said 'you know who.'"

Dean stared at the ceiling. "I'm going to kill him."

"You're not."

"No," he agreed. "I'm not."

A beat.

"Garrett's going to say I told you so," you said.

Dean closed his eyes. "Did he tell you so?"

"He texted me a single thumbs up the morning after the speech. No context."

"I'm going to kill Garrett too."

"You're really not."

"No," he said. "I'm really not."

You settled back against him and the room was quiet and warm and your hand was resting on his chest and outside the world was doing whatever the world was doing and in here it was just this, finally, with a name on it.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," you said.

The first time Paige saw you, she was immediately distracted.

You had transferred into Hopkins High School halfway through the semester, quietly slipping into class with headphones around your neck and a nervous smile while the teacher introduced you.

Paige spent the entire class staring.

Completely obvious about it too.

"You know she can probably feel you staring, right?" one of her friends whispered afterward.

Paige shrugged without shame. "I think I'm gonna marry her."

"You don't even know her name."

Five minutes later Paige absolutely did know your name.

And by the end of the week?

She knew your favorite snacks, your favorite music artist, and the fact that you color-coded literally everything.

She was down horrendously.

By sophomore year, the two of you were inseparable.

You sat through basketball games doing homework in the bleachers.

Paige walked you to every class she could.

The two of you stayed up on FaceTime until ridiculous hours despite seeing each other all day already.

And eventually, after months of painfully obvious flirting, Paige finally asked you to homecoming.

She was more nervous for that than any basketball game she'd ever played.

"Why are you pacing?" her mom asked.

"What if she says no?"

"Paige," her mom laughed. "That girl looks at you like you hung the moon."

Still, Paige nearly passed out waiting for your answer.

Then you smiled softly and said-

"I was wondering when you'd ask me."

That was it for her.

Completely over.

The two of you survived high school together first.

Then college.

When Paige committed to UConn, you made the decision to move to Connecticut with her after graduation, determined to support her dreams the same way she supported yours.

And through everything-the pressure, the injuries, the nonstop media attention-you stayed steady beside her.

Especially after Paige's ACL injury during college.

There were nights she sat on the bathroom floor frustrated and exhausted while you gently rubbed her back and reminded her she was still the same person with or without basketball.

"You don't have to earn being loved," you whispered one night while she cried quietly into your shoulder.

Paige swore she fell even harder in love with you right then.

The summer before sophomore year of college, the two of you got secretly married.

Tiny courthouse.

Immediate family only.

No social media.

No public announcement.

Just soft vows and tearful smiles.

Paige cried first.

You cried harder after seeing her cry.

"You're my wife," Paige whispered afterward like she still couldn't believe it.

"Forever," you whispered back.

And somehow, life only became sweeter after that.

During junior year, conversations about starting a family became more serious.

Paige always talked about wanting kids someday.

Not someday far away either.

Real someday.

Soon someday.

"I want a little boy," she admitted one night while laying across your lap. "Or a little girl. I don't care. I just want a family with you."

"You already have one."

Paige smiled softly. "I want tiny shoes in the hallway too."

So quietly, during junior year, the two of you started the IVF process.

And unbelievably-

It worked the very first try during senior year.

Paige genuinely thought she was hallucinating when you showed her the positive pregnancy test.

"No way," she whispered.

Then louder-

"No actual way."

You started laughing while tears filled your eyes.

Paige immediately dropped to her knees in front of you, hands gripping your waist gently like she was scared this wasn't real.

"We're having a baby?" she whispered emotionally.

You nodded.

And Paige completely lost it.

She cried harder than she did winning basketball awards.

Harder than she did after huge games.

And from that moment on?

She became the most emotional person alive.

She downloaded parenting apps immediately.

Read baby books during road trips.

Talked to your stomach before every game.

Prayed over you constantly.

And somehow, all the happiness made her even better on the court.

Her teammates swore impending fatherhood unlocked another level in her game.

"She's playing like a woman with a mortgage and a family to feed," Azzi joked once.

Paige pointed proudly. "Exactly."

By the time graduation arrived, your son was only a few months away from being born.

And while the WNBA draft approached quickly, Paige promised you one thing over and over again.

"You and the baby come first."

Always.

No matter what.

So when the Dallas Wings drafted her, the first person Paige looked for was you.

The second her name was called, she burst into tears before grabbing your face with both hands.

"We're going to Dallas," she whispered emotionally.

"You did it," you cried.

"No," Paige corrected softly, resting a hand against your pregnant stomach. "We did."

Dallas became home faster than either of you expected.

A small house.

Baby clothes everywhere.

Paige trying to build nursery furniture at two in the morning while cursing under her breath.

And despite being a WNBA rookie, she still somehow made you feel like the center of her entire universe.

Then came the night Leo was born.

Paige was away for a road game while you stayed home in Dallas at thirty-eight weeks pregnant.

"Text me if literally anything feels weird," Paige warned before leaving.

You laughed softly. "Baby, I promise."

"You better."

That night, you sat curled on the couch watching the game proudly wearing one of Paige's hoodies.

She looked incredible out there.

Focused.

Confident.

Happy.

Then suddenly-

Pain shot through your stomach.

You froze instantly.

Another contraction hit minutes later.

"Oh my God."

Everything after that happened fast.

Your friend rushed you to the hospital while Paige remained completely unaware because phones weren't allowed during games.

Meanwhile, Paige finished the game smiling during postgame interviews with absolutely no idea her entire world was changing.

It wasn't until almost four hours later when she finally checked her phone.

17 missed calls.

Texts.

Voicemails.

One message from your friend:

SHE'S IN LABOR.

Paige nearly dropped her phone.

"She WHAT?"

Her teammates watched in alarm as Paige grabbed her bags immediately.

"I HAVE TO GO."

The trip back to Dallas felt endless.

Paige spent almost the entire flight praying.

Please let them be okay.

Please let me make it.

Please.

And when she finally burst into the hospital room breathless and exhausted-

She stopped completely.

Because there you were in bed holding a tiny baby wrapped in a blue blanket.

Your son.

Leo.

Paige's entire face softened instantly.

"Oh my God," she whispered emotionally.

You smiled tiredly. "Hi."

Paige walked toward you slowly like she was scared the moment would disappear if she moved too quickly.

Then she looked down at Leo.

And absolutely melted.

He was tiny.

Perfect.

Sleepy.

And somehow already looked a little like both of you.

Paige started crying immediately.

"You made him," she whispered in awe.

"We made him," you corrected softly.

Paige leaned down carefully, kissing your forehead first.

Then Leo's tiny head.

And in that moment?

Nothing else mattered.

Not basketball.

Not fame.

Not cameras.

Not pressure.

Just this.

Her wife.

Her son.

Her family.

The life she spent years praying God would give her.

And as Paige finally held Leo against her chest for the very first time, tears slipped quietly down her face while she looked at you.

Malone's - Monday afternoon

It's pouring so hard by the time you make it into Malone's you're drenched head to toe, you hadn't accounted for the rain earlier when you left the apartment so you didn't have an umbrella and you're paying the price now.

"Oh hell no" Della scowls as soon as you are inside "Go back and put on some dry clothes before you get sick. There should be extra shirts in there"

"Thanks" You call out rushing to the back bcause in your head if you move fast enough you'll drip less water on the floors.

Della rolls her eyes "Jean do me a favor and mop the floors, again" It has been a common occurence for wet students to walk in in the last 20 minutes or so and poor Jean is on mopping duty.

"Damn is it raining already?" Hannah asks when you get to the break room in the back, her and Allie are getting their things from their cubbies clearly being done with their shifts already.

"No, it's national baptism day" You reply sarcastically getting a chuckle out of both girls "I waited for it to clear out after my lecture and it didn't so I had to run all the way here in the rain"

"Aw babes" Allie hands you a clean hand towel that you work through your hair to squeeze out as much water as you can "Here change your shirt"

"Thanks" You do "So, you guys done for the day? Any plans?"

"I'm going to Sean's for a movie marathon and hopefully some action" Allie wiggles her eyebrows, you shoot her a wink.

"I have this compossition assignment I have been working on for forever and haven't been able to get quite right, hopefully the rain will serve as good ambiance" Hannah shares.

"Well, stay safe in the rain"

"We will" They nod and say their goodbyes leaving you in a now dry shirt but still wet everything else, sighing you decide to just get it over with and start your shift, at least the towel dried you enough so you're not dripping water anymore.

A few orders later a few of the football players walk in, Beau sending a smile your way and once they're seated you walk to their table to get their order "Okay guys, what can I-"

"Why are you all wet?" Beau interrupts you with a frown.

"You can't just ask girls that" Another player scolds him and you laugh alongside them but Beau still lookss concerned.

"I walked from campus and it was raining" You shrug "Most of it is drying already, don't worry"

But of course Beau couldn't not worry because if you kept the wet pants and socks you'd get sick and if Dean found out he hadn't helped you then he'd get mad but also he had grown to love you as a close friend ever since Seb and so he couldn't just let you get sick so after the team ordered he snuck out and got a pair of clean sweats and socks from the football bag he kept in his car.

"Here" You were trying to make sense of badly written orders when he presented you with the dry clean clothes "They might be a bit big but at least you won't get sick"

Your entire expression softened and you understood then that these people were not only there for your son but also for you.

Your apartment - Wednesday morning

"Shit you look rough" Are the words that come out of Tucker's mouth when you open the door for him.

You give him a glare "Just take the baby please" You motion to the playpen where Sebastian sits, thankfully unaffected by your cough attacks.

"Does Dean know you're dying here?" You don't reply and thats answer enough for the hockey player "Oh, that's the reason you asked me to pick him up instead of dropping him yourself huh? Don't want Dean to find out you're sick"

"You were around!" You argue but the raise in your voice just makes you cough more and Tucker give you an 'uh huh' look "Fine, I just don't want him to be here right now and we both know the second he knows I'm sick he won't leave me alone"

"You two still fighting?" He picks Sebastian up, the baby instantly regarding him with a big smile.

"No" You admit "But that doesn't mean I'm happy with him"

"I get it" Tucker nods "What he did was kind of shitty, but you know he did it because he cares right?"

"Sadly" You say "Still, I need some space from him"

"Gotcha" He picks up the baby bag by the door and moves to go but before exiting the apartment he turns to you "I'll bring by some soup after practice"

"Thanks Tuck" You smile at him and wave at your son, normally you'd be all over him with kisses and hugs but the last thing you want is to get him sick too "Bye baby, be good"

Briar U's hockey rink - Wednesday afternoon

The tupper in Tucker's locker is calling his name, ever since he'd started preparing it earlier and the house filled with the smell of homemade chicken noodle soup Dean had been dying to have a bowl, and when Tucker had slapped his hand and told him it wasn't for the house it had only fueled the desire, so now, while his teammates showered and prepared to go home after a brutal practice, all Dean could think of was who his roommate had made soup for and what were the chances he could eat the soup before Tuck came out of the showers (they were pretty high if he was being honest)

"Dean!" Logan shouts bringing him out of his trance "I've been calling you for like 5 minutes dude, Jules is asking you know where Seb's pink hat is"

"If they are planning on another photoshoot to post on the fifth line tell them the hat's at his mom's, if it's for anything else it should be on the bottom drawer of my dresser" The blonde replies absentmindly before turning back to the soup container "Hey, you got any idea who Tuck's cooking for now?"

"No idea, why? He make your favorite and didn't give you any or what?" Logan asks.

"He made chicken noodle soup and wouldn't let me have a drop"

"Huh, someone sick then?"

"I guess"

Hockey house - Wednesday night

Dean's in the middle of a heated makeup session with a redhead when Tucker walks in the house, used to his ways, the curly haired man walks past and to the kitchen where he dumps a few things he was carrying, Dean turns slightly as the redhead kisses his neck, fully intending on greeting Tucker and going back to what he was doing but then he freezes deattaching himself from the girl on his lap.

"Why do you have Geoff?" He questions his roommate who freezes halfway inside the fridge, slowly Tucker closes the door and turns around with wide eyes that he disguises as quickly as he realizes what he's doing.

"Geoff?" He plays it dumb, like he doesn't know the ridiculous name of the toy giraffe standing on the counter.

"Geoff the girraffe" The blonde gets the girl off of him plopping her down on the couch, she whines but doesn't leave, just makes herself more comfortable as he approaches the kitchen counter.

"Oh that's been there all day bro" Tucker lies, or at least tries lying but Dean doesn't buy it.

"Oh my god" He points accusingly "She's sick?"

He's already by the door grabbing his keys when by the time Tuck realizes it "Hey no" He steps in front of the door "She's better but you shouldn't go because then you'll get sick and who's gonna take care of Seb then?"

"Not you you traitor!" Dean argues "Get out of my way Tuck"

"Dean-"

"What the fuck are you two idiots doing?" Logan walking down the stairs is distraction enough for Dean to be able to slip past Tuck.

"Seb's sleeping in my room, you're in charge, Tuck's banished!" The dad shouts back as he jogs to his car.

"What just happened?" Logan stares blankly at Tucker, then at Dean's car speeding away.

"So which one of you boys is gonna take over now?" The redhead speaks from the couch reminding the two guys by the door of her presence.

"I'm on babysitting duty" Logan shakes his head and goes back upstairs.

Your apartment - Wednesday night

You've just gone over a cough attack when the knocks on the door start, you pause the movie on your tv and with all the energy you can muster you get up off the couch where you've been all day. In your delirium from how sick you are you don't even think about looking at who's knocking before opening the door.

"How long have you been sick and why didn't you tell me anything?" If your throat didn't feel like there were tiny razorblades scratching against it you would've screamed at Dean to get out that very second, but you're too tired to do anything other than watch him as he practically tornadoes into the apartment.

"What are you doing here?" You manage to let out, voice scratchy and rough.

"No, nooooo. Nope" He shakes his head, picking up a notepad and a pen from your coffee table and handing it to you "This is your new form of communication, no more talking" You give him a look "Have you gone to the doctor yet?"

You shake your head "It-"

"Did your sickness affect your hearing too? I said no speaking" He's so lucky you're not 100% right now because you would've slapped him for speaking to you that way any other time.

'it just started today

it's just a cold'

You write down on your notepad

'i'm fine

you can go'

"No, I'm not leaving you like this are you crazy?" You roll your eyes annoyed at his insistance.

'you're gonna get sick'

"I have an exeptional immune system actually, I don't get sick" He counters "Did you eat your soup?" You roll your eyes again and nod "Good, good" He nods "Are you feeverish? In pain? Should I get you some medicine?"

You don't answer and instead just plop down on the couch and press play on your movie, if he wants to stay fine, you're too weak to stop him right now, but you're still sharp enough to remember you're still upset with him, so you'll just ignore him.

Your apartment - Thursday morning

You wake up in your bed that morning not remembering when you fell asleep, the your sore throat seems to have settled a bit, you don't feel feverish and you're not immediately coughing but a headache seems to have arrived to settle your sickness for sure.

You do your morning routine and then head to the kitchen to refill your water bottle and try to eat a banana or something that won't make your throat feel like you're stabbing yourself again. In your kitchen counter though, lays a bowl of oatmeal next to a bowl of berries with a little note stuck into one of them.

'eat, hydrate, rest. ive got seb'

You know it's from Dean and you choke up a sob at how sweet it is that he tucked you into your bed, apparently stayed the night, made you breakfast and… you do a full 360, cleaned up your apartment? The whole place looks spotless, the tissues you'd left everywhere are now nowhere to be found, the counters look like they've been wiped away recently, the dishes are all stacked neatly on the drying rack and your living room looks the tidiest it has in a while.

Even though you spent last night acting like he wasn't there, he still stayed and took care of you. Does that make you forgive him completely for ruining a perfectly good date? No, but it does make you realize you're no longer mad at him in the way you'd been since it happened.

Briar U's hockey rink - Thursday afternoon.

"Okay bud, let's try this" When Dean asked if he could bring Seb into practice with him he had been fully prepared to have to recruit Beau to help babysit, because Jules wasn't available, but then coach Jensen had gruffly said

"Sure, you idiots take practice as a joke anyways so why the hell not?"

For most of the practice, Seb had sat on the bench with whoever was not being personally attacked by the coaching staff called out for drills and combinations but as he energy started to calm down and the team was split into small groups to run easier drills or stretch cooling down, Dean decided it was time to bring Seb out to the ice.

You'd both brought him to the rink last month but he had missed his naptime and was cranky so Dean didn't get to actually skate with him properly, today he was planning on changing that.

"Here we go" He slides smoothly through the ice making sure not to go too fast as to not startle him "Yeah, see, nice huh?" His voice is soft as he keeps skating, Sebastian looking unconvinced still but not upset.

"Look at you!" Logan skates to the father and son "Soon you'll be in skates bud"

"He's gotta learn how to walk first" Birdie points out skating past.

"As soon as he learns balance on solid ground he's moving to the ice" Dean says "But no pressure right?" He bounces the baby "Let's try a spin" As he moves he feels the tiny body tense up and clutch his jersey tighter "Don't worry Seb, I've got you" He reassures.

A couple minutes later most of the team has gone into the locker room to change and it's only the roommates on the ice with the baby, Dean and Tucker over their misunderstanding of the night before. Sebastian's more comfortable, giggling when Dean spins or one of the guys skates past him now.

"Time to do a lap with uncle Logan" The brunette announces taking the baby from his father's arms.

"Logan I swear to god if you drop him" Dean points accusingly, he has an immense amount of confidence in his teammates, that's why the team is so good, and he knows they would never do anything to intentionally harm Sebastian, but it still makes him nervous to not be the one in control when so many accidents happen in hockey rinks every day.

"I'm not going to drop him" Logan frowns "Don't worry Dean, I've got him"

And at first, he truly has him, the duo skate a few laps smoothly and easily at a slow-ish pace that is comfortable for the baby while Dean, Garret and Tucker watch from the side and talk about practice, then in seconds Logan decides to speed up and as soon as he does so Sebastian cries out, Logan stops at the other side of the rink and is trying to calm him but in just two seconds Dean's already there and taking the baby into his arms.

"Shh" The blonde tries to calm the baby who clutches him like his life depends on it, which, Dean supposes is what it actually feels like for him "You're okay, I've got you, Daddy's got you" He throws a dirty look at Logan and starts slowly skating away knowing they are clearly done with this now "I'm sorry, I know that was scary, uncle Logan is just an idiot"

"Dude, I'm so sorry I didn't mean to" Logan follows, face full of regret "I didn't realize I was going too fast, I'm sorry"

"You're good" Dean tells him once they're off the rink, Sebastian's cries have calmed down now and he's just sniffling into his chest "Just… hearing him cry like that scared the shit out of me"

"I get that" Logan nods "Really, I'm sorry"

"Don't sweat it dude" The blonde pats his shoulder "He's okay, you're okay, it's all good"

"Hey bud, why don't you come have a snack while your dad showers huh?" Tucker joins them, equipment half off, with a baggie of baby snacks from the baby bag, Seb's eyes tracking every one of his movements before putting his arms out to get carried by him "I'll keep him out here so he doesn't have to suffer through the stink of the locker room while you get ready"

"Traitor" Dean hums at his child who's already stuffing his mouth with snacks happy in his uncle's arms "Thanks Tuck, I'll be quick" Tucker waves him off.

Paige's brain stopped functioning instantly.

"She's pretty," Paige repeated before common sense could save her.

Azzi stared at her in horror.

"That's my sister."

Paige blinked once.

"...Right."

"My YOUNGER sister."

"She's twenty-two, not twelve."

"That's not helping your case."

Unfortunately for Azzi, Paige was already doomed.

And things only got worse when you visited Dallas for the first time a few weeks later.

Azzi invited you to one of the Wings games while you were on break from school at University of Connecticut.

Paige told herself she would act normal.

She failed immediately.

The second you walked into the practice facility beside Azzi, Paige forgot how conversations worked.

You were somehow exactly how Azzi described you.

Calm.

Funny without trying.

Easy to talk to.

And worst of all?

You didn't care that Paige was famous.

You teased her within fifteen minutes of meeting her.

"Azzi says you're dramatic after losses," you said casually while sipping your iced coffee.

Azzi immediately snorted.

Paige looked betrayed. "Wow. Okay."

"She said you once ignored everybody for two hours because someone blocked your shot."

"That was emotional processing."

You laughed softly.

And Paige was completely done for.

After that, she started finding excuses to talk to you constantly.

"Do you wanna come to practice?"

"You should sit with us for film."

"Can I show you around Dallas?"

Azzi noticed immediately.

And she hated it.

Not because she didn't trust Paige.

Actually, that was the problem.

Azzi trusted Paige with her life.

Through injuries.

Pressure.

The transition from college basketball to the WNBA.

That was her person.

Which was exactly why she felt protective.

Because you were her little sister.

And even though you were an adult fully capable of making your own choices-

Azzi still saw the little girl she grew up protecting.

So no.

She absolutely did not react well when Paige admitted she liked you.

"You cannot date my sister," Azzi said flatly one night after practice.

Paige blinked. "Why?"

"Because I said so."

"That's not a real answer."

Azzi looked genuinely stressed now.

"Paige."

"What?"

"That's my FAMILY."

Paige softened a little then.

Because she understood.

Really.

Azzi wasn't trying to control you.

She was scared.

Scared her best friend dating her sister could ruin everything if things went badly.

And honestly?

Paige couldn't even blame her for that.

Still, none of it stopped her from falling harder.

Especially once you started falling too.

It happened slowly.

Late-night FaceTimes after road games.

Paige bringing you coffee before your classes.

You sitting courtside at Wings games cheering louder for Paige than anyone else.

And somehow Paige became softer around you.

The version of her the public rarely saw.

Quiet.

Affectionate.

Needy in a way she'd deny immediately if anyone pointed it out.

One night after a tough loss, Paige ended up sitting with you alone in the empty practice gym long after everyone else left.

She looked exhausted.

Mentally more than physically.

The pressure of being a rookie in the WNBA while carrying enormous expectations weighed heavily sometimes.

You noticed immediately.

"You okay?" you asked softly.

Paige shrugged, staring down at the basketball spinning slowly in her hands.

"People expect me to be perfect all the time."

Your expression softened instantly.

Paige laughed quietly afterward like she regretted admitting that.

"I sound dramatic."

"No," you said gently. "You sound tired."

That hit her harder than she expected.

Because most people saw the headlines.

The stats.

The fame.

But you saw her.

The actual person underneath all of it.

And honestly?

Paige fell in love a little right there.

Eventually, despite Azzi's continued disapproval, Paige asked you out properly.

And unfortunately for Azzi?

You said yes immediately.

"She said YES yes," Paige told Azzi later looking entirely too happy.

Azzi stared at her blankly.

"You're smiling too hard."

"I'm in love."

"You've been dating for six hours."

Paige pointed seriously. "And?"

Azzi groaned dramatically.

For a while, Azzi remained stubborn about it.

Not mean.

Never mean.

Just intensely protective.

She questioned Paige constantly.

"What are your intentions?"

Paige looked offended. "What am I, a boyfriend in a 2000s movie?"

"You better act like one."

But over time?

Azzi started noticing things.

Small things first.

Like how Paige always made sure you sat beside her on flights.

How she memorized your favorite snacks without trying.

How she looked for you first after every game.

How she softened instantly whenever you entered a room.

Then came the moment that finally changed everything.

The Wings had just lost a frustrating game.

Paige played well statistically, but she took losses personally sometimes.

The media afterward was brutal.

Questions.

Pressure.

Constant comparisons.

By the time the team got back to the apartment building, Paige looked exhausted in a way Azzi recognized immediately.

Normally after bad losses, Paige isolated herself.

Instead?

She went straight to you.

Azzi watched quietly from down the hallway while you opened your apartment door and immediately pulled Paige into your arms without hesitation.

No cameras.

No basketball.

No expectations.

Just comfort.

Paige practically melted against you instantly.

You rubbed your hand gently against her back while whispering something that made her finally laugh softly for the first time all night.

And for the first time-

Azzi really saw it.

Not a crush.

Not flirting.

Love.

Real love.

The kind that steadied people.

Protected them.

Made hard things easier.

Paige looked peaceful with you.

Safe.

And honestly?

Azzi couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her best friend look at someone like that.

Later that night, Paige nearly dropped her phone when Azzi texted her unexpectedly.

Take care of her.

Paige stared at the message for a solid ten seconds.

Then immediately replied:

Always.

A minute later another text appeared.

If you hurt her I'll request a trade just to beat your ass.

Paige burst out laughing instantly.

Then smiled softly while looking across the couch at you half asleep against her shoulder.

Start of the spring semester - your apartment - early morning

"Alright, you're going to be fine, I'm going to be fine, we're all going to be fine" You say to Seb who stares at you with those wide curious eyes and gummy smile.

"You realize he's been to the daycare before and you have had college classes before as well right?" Dean gives you a weirded out look.

You narrow your eyes at him "What are you even doing here anyways?"

"Contrary to popular belief, I am not a deadbeat"

"Literally no one believes you're a deadbeat" You tell him picking up your tote and triple double checking for the 20th time this morning if you have everything.

"Okay, either way I wanted to drive you for your first day of school" He rolls his eyes taking the baby into his arms, Seb immediately becoming distracted by the chain under his shirt.

"You do realize I've had college classes before right?" You throw his words back at him making him scoff.

"Let's go" He turns to the door and then whispers loudly to your son "Your mom is not good at firsts, I should know, I've been there for a few of them"

"For fuck's sake Dean, I was not a virgin the first time we slept together!"

"I didn't say anything about that, get your head out of the gutter, I meant your first time skating, and your first time in New york, oh and get this… Your first time giving birth!" He makes jazz hands that get him a roll of the eyes and a push as you walk ahead of him through the door, he just laughs and makes sure the door is locked behind him.

Malone's - Later the same day

"I think I might just find myself a sugar daddy" You sigh stacking napkins, you're in the middle of a shift complaining to your co-workers and new friends, Hannah and Allie "I forgot how much I disliked school"

"You're halfway there" Allie shrugs "Your baby daddy is rich isn't he?"

"Filthy" Hannah adds nodding.

"Yeah but he's also… Dean" You say.

"Okay" Hannah drags on the word "And what's that supposed to mean exactly?"

"Well… we share a kid so anything else would only complicate things" You tell them.

"Okay but what if it doesn't?" Allie perks up "Like what if you two fall madly in love and it all works out and you end up being the perfect little family? You should always give love a chance"

"Or, we find out we don't work out as a couple and maybe we realize it too late and then we have a nasty split that leaves Seb in the middle of a custody battle" You shrug "It's too big of a chance to take, plus Dean Di Laurentis? Not a settling down kind of guy"

"But-" Hannah doesn't let Allie keep arguing.

"Listen, Allie is a romantic, she's going to keep arguing for you to give it a chance, so I'm going to play devil's advocate" Allie frowns "And say, if you think it is not a good idea then don't force anything, but if you choose to give it a chance, we'll back you up"

You're surprised and moved by her words, you have not known the two for that long but the best friends have basically adopted you in the short time you've been around "Thank you guys" You say "But Hannah, I'm not sure that's how devil's advocate works"

"Whatever" She shakes her head "You still got my point"

Hockey House - Wednesday night

The house is filled with chatter when you walk in, the guys have probably the entire hockey team plus a good amount of football players plus girlfriends in here.

"Hey! You're here" Logan greets you as you're setting your things on the table by the door.

"Yeah, something smells good" You say walking towards the smell curious on what Tuck's preparing for the group they've assembled tonight.

"Oh! Thank god you're here!" Beau exclaims, there's a crowd of around 10 guys in the kitchen, your son in a football's player you can't remember the name of arms throws himself your way the second he spots you, thankfully the football player has good reflexes and grips him tighter before safely passing him over.

"I am! What's all this?" You eye the kitchen counter while Seb slaps you with a wet 'kiss' that's more of a blubbering smack with his whole face "Oh thank you"

"Last night I couldn't sleep so I called my mom and she gave he all the baby pureed food recipes I ate as a baby and then I also got some more from a mom website so I thought we could run a taste test with Seb and find out what he likes" Tucker explains with an excited glint in his eyes "But we wanted to wait for you"

"Okay" You nod "And the party you have going on here?" You look at the full house.

"Oh, some of the guys on the team heard about it and were curious"

"And then Dean mentioned it and I might have invited my teammates" Beau adds.

"Cool" You resign yourself, at least you knew people would show up for your son if ever needed.

Some time later Dean has Seb in his lap while you sit infront with a spoon and the bowls, so far you've discovered he loves peaches, bananas and carrot and hates squash and apples.

"That looks like diarrhea" Beau grimaces at the bowl Tucker hands you next.

"It's literally just pumpkin" The curly haired chef narrows his eyes at the quarterback "And if your shit looks like that I think you should get checked up"

"Can we not talk about shit while feeding the baby?" Garrett complains.

You ignore them and give Seb a taste of the puree, he doesn't even give it a chance, as soon as it touches his pursed lips he slips his tongue out letting whatever little food had gone in out and squirming when you try to give him some more.

"See" Beau points "Diarrhea"

"I'm actually curious about the taste" Nick, a football player says and you hand him the bowl with a disgusted look, you've tried not to make faces so Seb tries all the new flavors unbiased but he's already decided he doesn't like this one and the smell is quite frankly, nauseating. You all pause and look at Nick as he takes a big spoonful into his mouth, the regret is instant and he runs to the sink to spit out and rinse his omouth making you all laugh, Sebastian joining in.

"Okay this is the last one" Tucker hands you the bowl, this one's bright green and when you look up you can already see Beau making a face at it "It's broccoli"

"All right, open up Seb" Dean grimaces behind as your son tries reluctantly, surprising you all when he opens up his mouth for more, giving you a satisfied hum as he savors it, you offer him more half expecting him to throw it out but he eats it and claps his hands "Oh he likes broccoli"

"There's no way" Beau shakes his head "Give me some" He takes the bowl and spoons some up bringing it to his mouth, Seb screams then making grabby hands at the bowl clearly angry at Beau for taking his food "Yeah, no, all yours kid" The quarterback grimaces handing the food back to you as everyone laughs.

Hockey house - Thursday afternoon

Garret has been awkward around the baby ever since he was born, being an only child and not having any younger cousins he had never been around kids that small before. Today he's the only one in the house, Logan out with Jules, Dean on a quick trip to New York for a family emergency and Tucker probably still on campus. His plans? To melt into the couch while watching as many of the Jurassic park movies he can get through until he falls asleep.

His plans, however, get interrupted only a few minutes into the first movie when you burst in through the front door with the baby bag in one arm and the baby in the other.

"Tuck!" You call out.

"He's not here yet" Garrett lets you know from his spot on the couch.

"Shit" You curse contemplating your options before walking his way "Okay, I'm so late, Tuck agreed to watch him over and-" Your phone buzzes, Tucker letting you know he's late and will be there in 15 minutes "Oh, he'll be here in 15 minutes but I can't wait so can you just-"

Garrett almost jumps when you plop the baby on his chest "Uh-"

"Tell Tuck I said thanks and I'll Dean will be here in a few hours! Thanks G, bye!" You don't let him get any words out before you're gone.

The brunette blinks at the baby who stares back at him with a gummy smile devouring his own fist, drool spilling down into Garrett's chest. "Okay… um… no, yeah, we're okay" He sits up slowly making sure to keep Sebastian as safe as possible "Do you uh… you like Jurassic Park?" The baby makes a noise and slaps him on the chest "No… okay sure, no dinosaurs how about um… what the fuck do babies like?" He whispers to himself "Oh i meant frick, shit, no, I'm sorry, don't tell your mom"

He pulls out his phone and texts a 'hurry your ass home' to Tucker who replies with a thumbs up and nothing more.

For the next ten minutes Garrett awkwardly sits on the couch with the baby in his lap, his duck plushie clutched in the hand he's not chewing on as he stares curiously at the man holding him and every time the baby so much as shifts Garrett holds his breath, eventually Sebastian grows tired rubbing his eyes and settling into his uncle's chest, droopy eyes closing and soft snores escaping.

"Great, now stay like that until Tuck gets home and we'll be fine bud" He whispered settling back into the cushions and pressing play on the movie again.

Just a few minutes later, under the heat of the baby on his chest, Garrett falls asleep too.

It's not until hours later that he wakes, Sebastian now turned the other way around, eyes wide on the screen that's now playing cartoons but still on his lap and Dean, Tucker and Logan sit around him with plates of food with their attention also on the tv.

"Welcome back to the land of the living G" Dean greets him shoveling a forkfull of steak into his mouth.

"How long have you guys been home?" Garrett asks all confused "And why didn't you take your kid?"

"I tried" The blonde shrugs "But every time I got close to getting him off of you he'd cry so I just let him do his thing"

"Okay well, take him" Garrett motions to the baby that's now looking up at him with a smile, completely unaware of the awkwardness coming from the man holding him.

"Fine, look for yourself " Dean puts his plate down, by now Logan and Tucker are watching intently "Hey bud, come with daddy" The baby's smile disappears the moment his dad puts his hands under his armpits to get him up and instead he complains with a screech and flailing of his arms "See? Seb, son, we need to change your diaper at least before you leak all over uncle G"

Garrett grimaces at the sentence "Get him off please"

"I'm trying!" Dean argues picking Sebastian off finally, the baby wailing immeidately "Yeah, yeah, I'm such a bad dad for not letting you stay with Garrett even though your diaper is full and you can get a rash" He rolls his eyes "So dramatic, you get this from your mom"

Your apartment - Saturday afternoon

"So this one then?" You're on a facetime call with Allie and Hannah while trying on different outfits.

"Yeah, that one makes your boobs look fricking amazing" Hannah says, Allie agrees.

"Okay great, and then do we think hair up or down?" You're getting ready for a date, your first one since before having Sebastian, a date with a guy from the Tennis club "Wait, I think Dean's here"

Lo and behold, when you open your apartment door Dean stands there with a bright smile and a paper bag he lifts proudly "Uncle Tuck sent some snacks for Seb"

"God bless uncle Tuck" You say letting him in "Thank you so much for agreeing to babysit him tonight"

"I'm his dad" Dean deadpans "It's not babysitting, just taking care of my kid while his mom has a deserved fun night out, so you going out with friends? Hitting Malone's, someone's apartment, what is it?"

"See, most guys don't see it that way, especially on a Saturday night when they could be out partying" You point out "And neither, I'm going on a date"

Dean chokes on nothing "A date?"

You shrug "Yeah" And walk back to your room to finish getting ready and say goodbye to Hannah and Allie. Dean's already texting Beau about it.

"So… do I get to meet the date?" He asks trying to act nonchalant and failing.

"Well, I'm meeting him at the movie theater so no" You tell him putting on your shoes "But if it all goes well maybe next time"

"He's not even picking you up?" The blonde asks in disbelief "Who is this guy?"

"Goodbye Dean!" You ignore his questions and walk out the door.

The movie theater - Just a bit later

"Dude, I've always wanted to do espionage" Beau whispers loudly to Dean, both guys looking obvious as hell as they stand in the movie theater lobby dressed in black and with sunglasses even though they are inside, Seb sporting his very own little pair strapped into his dad's chest too.

"Lowkey, me too" Dean admits "Probably not for this but hey, we have to make sure she's not dating a complete douche"

"Look! There she is" Beau points at you, the two wait until you're walking into the room and follow a minute later, somehow managing to make it to their seats, three rows behind you without you noticing "Are you sure you won't just think whatever guy she dates is a douche anyways?"

"No" The blonde frowns "Only the ones who deserve the title" Beau hums unconvinced.

The movie, as it turns out, is an action one that has Beau hooked, but Dean can't stop looking at you and your date, noting every move he makes and scoffing at them. Then, something in the screen explodes loudly, Beau gasps, Seb wails in fear, that's when you turn around and notice them, Beau looks scared, Dean is trying to calm the baby down and you sigh offering your date an apology and telling him you have to go before walking up to Dean, taking Seb and walking out of the movie.

Dean immediately follows behind but you don't turn, too busy trying to calm your baby down until he stops you by your elbow, finally you look at him with anger "What?" You snap.

"I'm sorry" Is all he can say.

"Oh yeah?" You chuckle and that's when he understands how badly he fucked up "For what exactly? For bringing our seven month old baby into a loud action movie and scaring him to death or for ruining a perfectly fine date for me?"

"Everything"

"No Dean, I don't think you understand" You sigh, Seb's cries have calmed now and he tucks his little head into the crook of your neck as you continue to rock softly "That" You point to the movie room where you left your date "Is probably the only guy in all campus that's not repulsed by me being a mom and you've ruined it for me"

Dean's heart breaks a little at your words "No one is repulsed by you"

"You don't get it" You are about to cry out of frustration "You are Dean Di Laurentis, girls bow at your feet, you can have your pick every single night, you get to keep your perfect body. I don't have that Dean, guys won't even give me a second look, I can't just date around or sleep with someone because they all know I am Dean Di Laurentis' baby mama" He hates the way his name comes out of your mouth like it's venom "And if they do, they see someone with stretch marks, and loose skin and-" You choke on your words "You'll never get it Dean, how can you?" He says your name and you don't let him say anything more "Can you just drive us home?"

Now, Beau did notice you two leave earlier, but he didn't think you'd forget about him, I mean, surely you didn't just abandon him at the movie theater right? Well, now that the movie is over and he's done two laps around the parking lot with no luck finding Dean's BMW he realizes he's been left behind.

"Damn blind idiots" He mutters pulling his phone out to order an Uber "God how I hope they get their heads out of their asses and realize they love each other so they stop doing this shit"

Hockey house - Thursday afternoon.

"Yo, whoever flushed the blue package baby wipes when they clearly say do not flush next time you're the one's unclogging the toilet" Logan wipes his sweat covered forehead with his forearm and points at his two teammates sitting in the living room "And where the hell is Dean?"

"Seb emergency" Garrett answers without looking up from his textbook "Apparently he lost his ducky and wouldn't stop crying"

"I will never get over you saying the word ducky" Tucker snickers.

"Dude, you've been singing the itsy bitsy spider for days" Garrett shoots back.

"She's a ver determined spider" The curly haired guy almost looks offended at the quip.

"I'll take the itsy bitsy spider over baby shark any day" Logan's putting his toolbox away in the cabinet under the sink when he notices the bright yellow plush he's all too familiar with "Hey I found ducky!" He lifts it up with a triumphant smile.

The baby's cries are loud against his ear when he calls Dean "Fuck you want?" The clearly stressed dad answers the phone, in the background Logan can hear you yelling at him for swearing in front of the baby.

"Now, that's no way to talk to your savior" Logan frowns.

"I stopped going to church when I was 12" Dean snaps back "But maybe I need to take this kid in for an exorcism"

"Stop talking about our son like that!" You complain, probably taking the crying baby out of his arms because Logan notices the cries are more distant now.

"Anyways, I found ducky" Logan says.

"I fucking love you" The blonde sounds so relieved, already moving to get his car keys "Seriously, this weekend, drinks on me and you get first dibs"

When you, Dean and Seb show up at the house a little while later you look like you've been in combat for weeks. Both your hair desheveled, your clothes crumpled and faces flushed and if it wasn't for the milk stain on your shirt and the crying child in Dean's arms, your friends would be sure that you had been fooling around in Dean's car before walking in.

"Hey bud" Logan regards the squirming kid belting his little heart out "Look what your favorite uncle found for you"

"You're not the favorite shithead" Garrett says from the couch.

"Neither are you" Tucker adds.

Sebastian stops crying when he notices the yellow duck plushie in Logan's hands, instead of loud wails he just hiccups with big wet blue eyes as he's handed the stuffed animal.

"I would so get mad at you for cursing in front of him but I'm too tired for that" You tell Garrett already on your way upstairs to Dean's room, probably for a well deserved nap.

"Here" Dean plops the now calm child into Tuckers lap ignoring the laptop he was working on "You're the least likely to let him die" And walks away "He's due for a feeding in like an hour"

"So when do you think mom and dad will realize they're soulmates?" Logan asks the sleepy baby over the couch.

Malone's - Saturday morning.

"You know, you could always just bring him in with you" Della offers, you're going over your new job as a waitress.

"That won't be necessary" You tell her "He's going to the campus daycare and Dean's looking after him when he's free, but thank you so much"

"Of course hon, just know the option is there if you ever need it. As long as you do your job I have no problem with the little dude joining you" She sends a smile your way and walks away leaving you at the counter with your breakfast.

"Here you go, sorry for the wait" Hannah, who you've learned you're going to be sharing many shifts with places a glass of orange juice in front of you.

"Thanks" You say back.

The bell on top of the door dings and you hear the rowdy hockey players that have become your baby's family and therefore your family walk in.

"Hey mama" Dean plops down next to you, Seb strapped into that ridiculously expensive baby carrier he insisted on buying "What are you doing here so early?" He steals your glass of juice and drinks it whole in one big gulp, you give him an annoyed look.

"I was coordinating everything with Della" He looks confused "The job? As a waitress? I told you about it last night when I dropped Seb off?"

"I was half dead by the time you dropped by" He admits "I woke up at 4 am for the roadie and didn't get to nap at all in the bus, sorry" He then waves Hannah over "Can I get the big daddy breakfast with extra sausages and another orange juice please? Oh and a coffee, one cream two sugars"

"You got it" Hannah mumbles.

Dean turns back to you at the same time as he grabs Seb's hands that are outstretching towards the napkins in front of you "Anyways, why the hell are you getting a job?"

"Because I have things to pay?" You deadpan "I also have a meeting with the financial advisor in 40 minutes, the school agreed to let me hold onto my scholarship but even then, the rest of the money is still a little too much and I don't want to drain all my savings like that so… job" You motion to the place.

"Thanks" He tells Hannah when she places the three big plates, orange juice and coffee cup in front of him "Why didn't you tell me you needed money?"

"Because I don't need money from you" You shrug "Don't worry, Seb's getting all he needs, this is just for my stuff"

"You know I've gotchu whatever you need" He says, your mom reflexes save his breakfast from Sebastian's curious hands smashing into it.

"Thanks but I'm good" He doesn't like this, but he knows he's not going to win the argument so he just hums already planning how he's going to increment the money he sends you for Sebastian in a way that you won't instantly notice "Hand him over so you can eat before he faceplants into the eggs"

Your apartment - Monday night

"So I was thinking" Dean starts, he's on the floor doing tummy time with Sebastian.

"Oh no"

"Shut up" He shakes his head "I was thinking, if we make it to the frozen four this year, this little guy will be old enough to come see daddy play"

You make a face "I don't know"

"Oh come on, we can get him those huge earmuffs and get the puck bunnies to bodyguard" See, the thing about the puck bunnies is you shouldn't like them, but you can't help it. Sure, they are known for sleeping with the hockey players, but if you really think about it, they have a type and a limited dating pool in the school but they really don't harm anyone and they are nice once you get to know you. Oh and they love your kid because he is Dean's kid so really, you have no problem with them.

"How about this" You sit next to him with a yogurt cup that will most likely be stolen from your hands in just a few seconds "If you make it to the finals and the trip is not too long we'll make it"

"Great, going to order the ear muffs now" You know he's being truthful because he's already pulling up Amazon on his phone, the season is barely halfway through.

The Hockey House - Tuesday afternoon

"Dean if you don't pick your shit up I will throw it away" Tucker's yelling up the stairs when you walk into the house with Seb in your arms "Oh hey guys!"

"Hey Tuck" You give him a tired smile, at only six months old, Seb's decided that sleep is no longer something he's interested in.

"You look like you're about two seconds from collapsing" He frowns taking both the baby and baby bag from you.

"Feel like it too, he's decided he's allergic to sleeping more than 20 minutes at a time" You drop onto the couch with a sigh.

"I can watch him for a bit if you wanna nap" You throw up a thumbs up, your eyes already closed "Okay bud, today you're learning how to make a peach cobbler"

A while later you wake up to find Tuck cleaning the kitchen whit the baby strapped into his chest while humming a country song you don't recognize, the surprising thing? Seb's totally asleep, mouth open, little snores, drooling all over Tucker's chest asleep.

"Holy shit" You whisper making your way to the kitchen "You are magical Tuck"

"Huh?" He looks confused, then notices your gaze on the baby "Oh! He's been asleep for a while, I was explaining how to pick the perfect peaches to him and he just conked out" He shrugs as if it's nothing.

"John Tucker I think I might be in love with you" Of course that's the moment your baby's father decides to walk into the room, furrowed brows in annoyance at your words because although you two are not together he's not sure how he feels about you saying those words to one of his best friends.

"What the fuc-" He doesn't get to finish his sentence though because you practically throw yourself into him to cover his mouth, he catches you by your waist pressing you flush against him, frown still present in his face.

"Shut up" You whisper shout at him "I've been trying to get him to sleep for forever and he wouldn't settle now look at him"

Econ 201 - Wednesday morning

"Dude I have a problem" Dean's sitting next to his new friend, Beau, in class.

"You have a lot of those" Beau keeps taking notes of the board "It's the reason you're a hockey player"

"This is serious" Dean insists.

"What level of serious?"

"Camille tried sexting me last night and I didn't text back" Beau's pen basically drops from his hand and suddenly he's not into class at all becuase his buddy needs serious help if this problem is stopping him from sexting Camille freaking Green back.

"You have my undivided attention" The brunette says, his whole body turned to the blonde.

When your name comes out of Dean's mouth Beau gasps, yes, this is very clearly a serious problem if you're involved.

"Yesterday she told Tuck she was in love with him" Beau's eyes go impossibly wide at Dean's words "And it's been bugging me ever since"

"No bro like that's totally valid" Beau nods "If my baby mama said she was in love with my best friend I would go crazy too. So what happened next?"

"She told me to shut up because the baby was sleeping" Dean continues with his story "And then the other guys got home and we had dinner and then she left so we didn't get to talk but-"

"Gentlemen" The professor called, the class eerily quiet around them, all their classmates staring at the two "Anything to share with the class?"

Malone's - Wednesday night

"So" Garret plops down next to Tucker in the booth, throwing his arm around him "How's it feel to be a step dad?"

"Fuck you talking 'bout?" Tucker asks confused.

"It's all everyone on campus is talking about, John Tucker, the dad that stepped up" Logan says teasingly sitting on the other side of the booth, Tucker's still confused.

"Word on the street is that you'r dating Dean's baby mama" Garrett finally explains making the curly haired guy choke on his water.

"Where the hell is that coming from?" He asks "Wait, is that why everyone's been giving me weird looks?"

Dean arrives then with Beau by his side, the quarterback dapping him up before joining his own teammates leaving Dean to find his roommates.

"Why do you two look like you've pulled the prank of the year?" He asks Logan and Garrett who can't help but to cackle.

"Hey Tuck, I can give you a baby of your own if you want" A girl walking by winks at the Texan who gives his friends a mortified look.

Dean gives the table a questioning look "Apparently someone's been saying Tuck's dating your baby mama and has become" Garret starts, Logan joins with a big smile and at the same time they both say "The dad that stepped up"

"Wait… what?"

"Dean!" You barrell towards their table "What the hell did you do?"

"I didn't do anything" The blonde raises his hands.

"Then why is the whole campus thinking I'm in love with Tuck?" That's when it dawns on Dean.

Morning always made Logan softer. Not in the most obvious ways, but it managed to make his edges quieter. You’d wake up to one of his arms banded heavily around your waist, his skin warm beneath your cheek as you’d rise to the view of his hair flattened from one side of sleep and his voice a lower baritone than usual. 

The room was pale with early light. A thin, grey-blue wash coming in through the blinds, catching on the dresser, the abandoned hoodie near the chair, the water glass on the nightstand, the edge of the shirt you were wearing.

His shirt.

Because at some point during the night, after the party had ended and the hockey house had gone quiet in waves, you had stolen it from the floor and put it on without asking. It smelled like Logan. Laundry detergent, skin, something warm and clean beneath it. It hung loose over your body, soft from use, the hem falling high on your thighs when you shifted.

You had woken before him.

That was rare.

Rarer still was the fact that you had not immediately moved. Normally, your brain began making lists the second your eyes opened. Things to do. Texts to answer. Hair to fix. Lip balm. Water. Breakfast. Whether it was socially acceptable to leave without speaking to Dean if Dean was in the kitchen.

But Logan was behind you, breathing slow against the back of your neck, and his hand was tucked beneath the shirt at your stomach, palm warm against bare skin.

So you stayed.

For a while, at least.

Then he woke. You knew because his fingers moved first. A slow flex against your stomach. Then his breath changed, mouth brushing the back of your shoulder in something too lazy to count as a kiss.

“Morning,” he murmured.

His voice did something unfair to your spine.

You closed your eyes again.

“Morning.”

His hand shifted under the shirt, not quite purposeful yet, just finding you. His thumb dragged softly over your skin. You felt him inhale against your neck, felt the pause that followed.

Then, lower, “This my shirt?”

You smiled without meaning to.

“No.”

“No?”

“I found it.”

“In my room.”

“Possession is complicated.”

His mouth pressed to your shoulder,“You look good in it.”

You opened one eye,“You can’t see me.”

“I know.”

“That’s not how looking works.”

His hand slid over your stomach, fingers spreading against you, pulling you back a little more firmly into his chest, “I remember.”

Your body warmed so quickly it was embarrassing,“Ridiculous.”

“Yeah.”

But his mouth had moved to your neck now, lips slow and warm, and ridicule became difficult to maintain under such conditions. His hand moved higher under the shirt, then lower again, teasing in no particular hurry. Morning Logan did not rush. Morning Logan seemed to have decided that time was something other people worried about.

You tilted your head without meaning to.

He noticed, “There?” he asked, mouth at the side of your throat.

You swallowed, “You know.”

“I want to hear you.”

You made a small, irritated sound and his hand stilled.

“Too early for that?”

“It is too early for you to be smug.”

“I’m not smug.”

“You’re horizontally smug.”

He laughed quietly against your skin, and the sound made your stomach tighten.

Then his hand slipped lower, suddenly you stopped caring about smugness.

Your breath caught, and Logan’s arm tightened around your waist, holding you steady as his fingers moved beneath the hem of his shirt. Slow and careful. 

The room grew smaller.

It was always like that with him when he touched you in the morning. There was no lipstick to hide behind. No dress. No heels. No red nails arranged carefully around a glass. No sharp little comments delivered from a position of social control. Just your bare legs tangled in his sheets, your hair loose against the pillow, his shirt riding up your thighs, his hand between your legs while he kissed your neck like he had all morning to learn you again.

“Logan,” you breathed.

“Yeah?”

You had no follow-up and he smiled into your skin like he knew that too.

His fingers circled slowly, and your hips moved back before you could stop them. He inhaled sharply.

That was when you felt him properly, hard against you, warm through the thin fabric of his boxers, pressing into the back of your thigh.

Your eyes opened.

He went still, “Sorry,” he said immediately.

You turned your head slightly, though you could not fully see him from this angle.

“Why?”

His mouth brushed your shoulder again.

“Didn’t mean to rush you.”

“You didn’t.”

A pause.

“I like it.”

His hand on your waist tightened, “Yeah?”

“Yes.”

He kissed your neck again, this time with intention. His fingers moved again, and your thighs parted under the shirt, one knee sliding forward over the sheets. 

“You want me?” he asked.

Your breath left you in a soft laugh, “What a humiliating question.”

“Is it?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because you know.”

“I still want you to say it.”

You closed your eyes.

The curtains glowed faintly with morning. His hand moved steadily. His mouth was warm at your shoulder. Your body was already softening for him in a way that made denial feel stupid.

“Yes,” you breathed, “I want you.”

His breath changed.

“Good.”

The word settled low in your stomach.

You would have complained, but he chose that moment to push his fingers inside you, and your complaint dissolved into a gasp.

“There you go,” he murmured.

You reached back, hand finding his hair awkwardly, fingers sliding into it as he worked you open with a patience that made you want to crawl out of your skin. He knew you too well now. Not fully, and there were still discoveries. But it was enough to make you resent his competence when it was being used against you.

“Slow,” you said, though you were not sure whether you were telling him or yourself.

He kissed your shoulder.

“I’ve got you.”

When he finally rolled you onto your back, the shirt slid up your thighs, and Logan looked down at you like the sight had interrupted every remaining thought in his head.

You looked away immediately, “No.”

His hand paused at your hip, “No?”

“Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you’re making notes.”

His mouth curved.

“You’re wearing my shirt and nothing else.”

“That does not require documentation.”

“It might.”

“Logan.”

He leaned down and kissed you, smiling into it, one knee pressing between your thighs. You bit gently at his lower lip because he deserved it. He groaned because apparently punishment and reward had become indistinguishable to him.

The kiss deepened.

Morning softened, then heated.

His boxers went somewhere. You did not know where. The shirt stayed, though by the time he rolled a condom on and came back over you, it had been pushed up over your waist, bunched beneath your ribs, leaving you bare under him except for the fabric tangled around you like a weak argument.

He kissed you when he pushed in.

You needed that. The first stretch made your fingers dig into his shoulders, mouth opening against his.

He stopped immediately.

“Okay?”

“Yes.”

“Colour?”

“Green.”

His forehead lowered to yours.

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Just-morning.”

He huffed a soft laugh.

“Morning?”

“Everything feels more.”

His expression changed into something warmer, more focussed on your reactions.

“I’ll go slow.”

At first, he did, slow, deep strokes that made the room blur at the edges. His chest brushed yours, his mouth moved against your cheek, your jaw, the corner of your lips. Every sound you made seemed louder in the quiet morning, every shift of the mattress too obvious, too intimate. 

He kissed you again, and his hand slid beneath your knee, lifting your leg higher around his hip, and you stopped thinking about daylight entirely.

For a while.

Until he shifted.

Until one of his hands slid to your waist and the other braced beside your head, and his mouth paused near your ear.

“Cherry.”

You made a small sound of acknowledgement.

“Can we try something?”

Your eyes opened.

He lifted his head so you could see him properly.

“What?”

His thumb moved once over your waist.

“Turn over.”

Your stomach dipped.

You looked at him and he held your gaze.

“You don’t have to.”

“I know.”

“We can stay like this.”

“I know.”

“Colour?”

You swallowed, “Green.”

His eyes darkened.

“You sure?”

You nodded.

Then, because nerves made you sharp, “Logan, I’m asking you to fuck me, not invest in a pension.”

He blinked and then laughed, head dropping briefly to your shoulder, “Jesus Christ.”

“What?”

“You’re impossible.”

“You like me.”

“I really do.”

The softness of it made you quiet.

That was inconvenient.

He kissed you before you had to answer.

Then pulled out slowly, carefully, and helped you turn onto your stomach. The first thing you noticed was how exposed it felt. Which felt stupid because you had just been naked under him in the morning light. But for some reason, this felt different. You were on your knees now, forearms against the bed with his shirt falling beneath you, the hem still twisted around your waist. The second thing you noticed was that you couldn’t see his face- couldn’t read the little changes there, couldn’t watch his mouth part when you shifted against him. You couldn't see whether he looked wrecked, whether he looked too composed, whether he was looking at you the way you wanted him to.

You could only feel his hands.

One on your hip, the other smoothing up your back beneath the shirt. 

“Still green?” he asked.

His voice came from behind you, lower than before. Different. 

Your fingers curled in the sheets, “Yes.”

He kissed the back of your shoulder. Which helped as he guided himself back to you and pushed in slowly. 

Your breath caught immediately and he stopped, “Too much?”

You shook your head quickly, “No.”

“Cherry.”

“No, it’s good.” You closed your eyes. “Just different.”

His hand moved along your spine.

“Different good?”

You exhaled, embarrassed by the answer before you gave it.

“Yes.”

He stayed still for another second, letting you adjust. Then he moved.

The angle made your whole body go tight.

“Oh.”

The sound left you before you could make it pretty.

Logan’s hand tightened on your hip.

“Yeah?”

You pressed your face into your forearm.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Sound pleased.”

“I am pleased.”

“Quietly.”

His laugh was rough.

But he listened.

For a few strokes, there was only the quiet rhythm of it. His hips meeting yours slowly, the bed shifting beneath you, his breathing getting heavier behind you. One hand stayed on your hip, guiding. The other moved under the shirt, over your back, over your waist, like he was trying to keep contact with as much of you as possible.

It was good. It was very good in fact. 

It was also strange. Not in a bad way that made you want to change colours, but strange enough that you went quiet. Too quiet.

Logan noticed after maybe ten seconds and slowed,“Hey.”

You swallowed.

“What?”

His hand moved up your back again.

“You with me?”

“Yes.”

“You got quiet.”

“I’m allowed to be quiet.”

“You are.”

There was no argument in his voice. No push. Just his observation.

Then his body leaned over yours, chest pressing to your back, mouth near your shoulder, “I just like knowing where you are.”

Your breath caught for a reason that had nothing to do with the angle.

You turned your head slightly on your forearm, trying to see him- but you could not.

Logan seemed to understand at the same time you did.

“Oh,” he murmured.

Your face heated,“What?”

“You can’t see me.”

“I can see the pillow.”

“Not the same?”

“Not remotely.”

He laughed softly and kissed the back of your shoulder again.

Not teasing this time.

“You want to stop?”

“No.”

“You want to turn back over?”

You hesitated. Because no, you didn’t. The position was too much and not enough and exactly enough, all at once. You wanted to stay there. You wanted him behind you. You wanted the weight of his hands and the sound of his voice and the sharp, deep pleasure of the angle.

You also wanted to see him.

Logan’s hand slid to your jaw, gentle, turning your face just enough for him to kiss your cheek.

“Cherry.”

“I don’t want to stop.”

“Okay.”

“I just…” You exhaled, “I don’t like not knowing what your face is doing.”

He went still for half a second.

Then his forehead dropped between your shoulder blades.

The sound he made was not quite a laugh, and not exactly a groan. 

“You’re worried about my face?”

“Not worried.”

“No?”

“I like evidence.”

His hand tightened on your jaw.

Then, low, “Evidence.”

You immediately regretted the word.

“No.

His mouth brushed your shoulder.

“No evidence?”

“Do not start.”

“I’m not starting.”

“You absolutely are.”

He kissed the top of your spine, still half over you, still inside you, and the intimacy of that nearly took your knees out.

“Look at the dresser,” he said.

You blinked.

“What?”

“The mirror.”

Your head lifted.

The dresser mirror sat across from the bed, half cluttered by a water bottle, his watch, and an abandoned roll of tape someone had left in his room for reasons you did not understand. It caught the bed at an angle. Not perfectly. But enough.

Enough to see yourself on your knees in his shirt. Enough to see Logan behind you, bent over your back, hair messy, jaw tight, eyes dark and fixed on your reflection. Your whole body reacted.

Logan felt it and his gaze flicked to yours in the mirror.

“There she is,” he murmured.

Oh. That was worse. That was so much worse.

You looked away immediately.

His hand slid from your jaw to your throat, not squeezing, just resting there, guiding your face back up.

“No hiding.”

“You are behind me.”

“Still no hiding.”

“That is unreasonable.”

“Look.”

Your pulse jumped.

“Bossy.”

“Green?”

You swallowed.

“Green.”

“Then look.”

You did.

Your eyes met his in the mirror, and Logan moved again. Your mouth fell open.

His face changed behind you, composure cracking just enough for you to see it. His jaw flexed. His eyes went darker. One hand gripped your hip while the other stayed at your throat, holding you steady and visible.

That was what you had needed.

Not to be looked at like an object.

To be seen. To know he was with you. To know he was losing it too.

Logan’s voice dropped, “Good girl.”

Your body clenched around him.

His eyes shut for half a second, “Fuck.”

You would have smiled if you had not been too busy trying to remember how breathing worked.

He straightened behind you, just enough for you to see more of him in the mirror. His hands moved to your hips again, dragging you back onto him with careful pressure.

“Still good?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“You like seeing?”

You made a sound that was not an answer.

He slowed, “Cherry.”

You glared at his reflection.

“I hate when you require verbal participation.”

His mouth curved, “I know.”

“Then why do you keep doing it?”

“Because you like it.”

You did not answer. Which was the answer he was looking for. 

He leaned over you again, mouth near your ear, eyes still on yours in the mirror, “You like seeing what you do to me.”

Your fingers twisted in the sheets and a flush washed over your body. 

“Logan.”

“You do.”

“Don’t make it sound like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you know.”

His hips rolled into yours, and your answer broke apart, “I do know,” he murmured.

The next stroke made you drop your head. Immediately, his hand came to your jaw.

“Uh-uh.”

You groaned.

“Logan.”

“Look.”

You did, because apparently your body had decided obedience was the theme of the morning.

And there he was.

Behind you in the mirror.

Flushed and focused and so visibly affected by you that the exposure no longer felt one-sided. His hands on your hips. His body moving behind yours. His shirt bunched around your waist. Your own face wrecked in the reflection, mouth parted, eyes glossy, hair loose around your cheeks.

It should have embarrassed you more.

It did.

But the embarrassment fed the heat instead of stopping it.

“There you go,” he crooned, “That’s better, isn’t it?”

“Don’t be smug.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I’m trying not to be.”

“Try harder.”

His laugh broke into a groan when you pushed back against him, just a little, just enough to prove you could. His hands tightened.

“Oh, you’re gonna be like that?”

You glanced at him in the mirror, “Like what?”

His eyes darkened, “Careful.” He shifted the angle, one hand sliding around to your stomach, pulling you up slightly so your back arched against him.

The next thrust stole your breath. “Logan.”

“I know.”

His hand pressed gently over your stomach.

“Right there?”

You nodded, too fast.

He kissed your shoulder.

“Words.”

“Yes.”

“Good,” Your eyes fluttered as his mouth brushed your ear, “So good for me.”

You hated the sound you made.

Logan loved it.

You knew because his rhythm stuttered, his hand slid lower, fingers finding you beneath the shirt, and your arms almost gave out.

“Wait-”

He stopped instantly. Everything stopped, his thrusts paused suddenly, his breathing was still heavy behind you but his spine had straightened as his hand lifted away.

“What? Too much?”

You shook your head, breathless.

“No. Just-” You laughed once, broken and embarrassed,“I need a second.”

His hands went gentle at once.

“Okay.”

He stayed still inside you, chest against your back, mouth at your shoulder, breathing hard. The restraint in him made your head spin almost as much as the pleasure had.

“You okay?”

“Yes.”

“Still green?”

“Yes.”

His hand moved slowly over your side.

“No rush.”

That was the thing that ruined you. As if he was perfectly content to stay there, holding you together, waiting for your body to catch up to what it wanted.

You turned your head enough to find his mouth.

He met you halfway, kissing you awkwardly over your shoulder. It was not elegant. The angle was terrible. Your neck protested. His nose bumped your cheek. Somehow, that made it better.

When you pulled away, you were smiling faintly.

“What?” he asked.

“This is logistically complicated.”

He huffed a laugh.

“Yeah?”

“Emotionally also.”

His expression softened in the mirror.

“Yeah?”

You looked at him, then nodded.

He kissed your shoulder again, “Good different?”

You closed your eyes.

“Unfortunately.”

His laugh warmed your skin.

Then, carefully, his hand returned between your thighs. He moved slowly at first, building you back up with maddening patience, fingers circling in time with the deep drag of him inside you. The mirror kept catching pieces of everything. His face. Your hands in the sheets. The flex of his arms. Your own expression every time he found the right angle.

You could not hide from it.

After a while, you stopped trying.

“That’s it,” Logan said, voice rough, “Look at you.”

Your breath broke, “Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Say things.”

“You like when I say things.”

“I like when you are quiet.”

“No, you don’t.”

“No,” you admitted, because there was no point lying to someone currently making you shake, “I don’t.”

His eyes met yours in the mirror, “There she is.”

Your body tightened.

Logan felt it immediately, “Close?”

You nodded. 

He kept you there. One hand between your thighs, the other at your hip, his mouth at your shoulder, his gaze holding yours in the mirror as the pleasure built fast and bright and inescapable.

You tried to drop your head when it hit.

His hand caught your jaw gently.

“Look at me.”

You did.

And came with your eyes on his reflection, Logan’s name breaking out of you as your body clenched around him. He held you through it, hips stilling, fingers working you softly until you were trembling and breathless beneath him.

“That’s it,” he murmured, “I’ve got you.”

Your arms gave out properly then.

He caught you before you collapsed fully, easing you down onto the mattress, turning you gently onto your side without pulling away too quickly. His body curved behind yours, one arm around your waist, mouth against the back of your neck.

For a few seconds, all you could do was breathe.

Logan’s breath was ragged too.

“You okay?” he asked.

You nodded.

“Words, Cherry.”

“Yes.”

“Too much?”

“No.”

“Good different?”

You shut your eyes, “Very.”

His forehead rested against the back of your shoulder and you could feel his smile.

“Don’t be pleased.”

“I’m a little pleased.”

“You would be.”

He kissed your shoulder, “I liked that.”

Your face warmed.

“I noticed.”

“Yeah?”

“You were not subtle.”

His hand moved over your stomach beneath the shirt.

“Neither were you.”

You opened one eye.

“I was extremely subtle.”

“Baby.”

“What?”

“You came looking at me in the mirror.”

Your whole body went hot.

“That was an accident.”

“Was it?”

“An emotional accident.”

He laughed softly.

You turned your face into the pillow.

“No.”

“No what?”

“No discussing.”

“Okay.”

“Immediately.”

“Okay.”

A pause.

Then, because he was himself, “Just one thing.”

You groaned into the pillow.

“Logan.”

His mouth brushed the back of your neck.

“You were so pretty, “His arm tightened around your waist, “Not teasing,” he said quietly.

You swallowed.

The morning light had gone warmer now, spilling across the sheets, catching the bare line of his arm over your body, the wrinkled fabric of his shirt still on you, the reflection of both of you faint and softened in the dresser mirror.

“Thank you,” you said, very softly.

His hand flattened over your stomach.

“You’re welcome.”

You lay like that for a while, half tangled, half dressed, both still trying to become normal again.

Eventually, because you could not allow sincerity to remain unattended for too long, you said, “That was logistically intense.”

His laugh hit your shoulder.

“Yeah.”

“And suspicious.”

“Suspicious?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“I feel like you learned something.”

“I did.”

You turned your head slightly to find him smiling against your skin.

You narrowed your eyes, “What?”

“You like seeing my face.”

“That is not new information.”

“You really like seeing my face.”

“That phrasing is vulgar.”

“You asked for evidence.”

“Don’t.”

He laughed harder when you elbowed him lightly, “Sorry.”

“You are not sorry.”

“I’m not.”

“You’re going to become insufferable.”

“Probably.”

You sighed.

He kissed behind your ear.

“But not right now.”

You softened despite yourself.

“No?”

“No.” Another kiss, lower this time. “Right now, I’m going to clean you up, get you water, and maybe steal my shirt back eventually.”

You looked down at the shirt. Then pulled it closer around yourself.

“No.”

“No?”

“This is mine now.”

“It says Briar Hockey.”

“It says mine.”

He laughed.

“Fine.”

You smiled into the pillow.

Behind you, Logan’s hand moved slowly over your waist.

You were sitting cross-legged on your bed with your laptop open, a half-finished coffee on the windowsill, and three different tabs pulled up for the same article you had not actually read. Your notes were arranged in front of you with the kind of order that suggested motivation if no one looked too closely at the fact that you had spent the last ten minutes re-writing a heading because the first version looked “ unsupported.”

Your phone buzzed beside your knee.

Daddy

You answered immediately.

“Hi, Daddy”

“Hello, princess”

His voice was warm, smooth, and perfectly awake, which meant he had been up for hours. Your father did not believe in mornings as an inconvenience. He believed they were for calls, decisions, movement, and occasionally terrorising your family with brisk efficiency.

You smiled down at your notes, “Are you calling because you miss me or because someone has made a bad decision and you’re coming down to see me?”

“Both, potentially,”

“Oh no,”

“It’s not an emergency,”

“That is exactly what you say when Uncle Robert has purchased something with wheels,”

“He has not purchased anything with wheels,”

“Livestock?”

“Not this time,”

“Land?”

There was a pause. You sat up straighter.

“Daddy,”

“It’s not purchased,”

“That pause had major acreage in it,”

Your father laughed softly, and you could picture him too clearly: phone at his ear, probably standing by a window somewhere, one hand in the pocket of neatly pressed trousers, watch glinting at his wrist, the little crease between his brows that appeared when he was pretending something was simpler than it was.

“We’re coming down to Boston,” his voice crackled slightly over the speaker, “Your aunt wants to look at the harbour property before dinner, your uncle wants to discuss the education expansion with your grandparents, and your mother suggested I see you before the entire thing becomes impossible.”

You frowned, trying to track all the pieces in your mind, “Harbour property? Is this the townhouse or the office?”

“Townhouse tonight. Office tomorrow.”

“For the expansion?”

“For dinner after the expansion conversation,”

“Daddy, those are not the same thing,”

“No, but your uncle believes talking near water makes everyone more agreeable,”

“Is this the dairy side or the education side?”

“Both, unfortunately,”

“Those are never supposed to be in the same meeting,”

“Tell that to your uncle.”

You pressed your lips together to keep from laughing, “Should I call Nana?”

“Not unless you want her to join the meeting and frighten everyone.”

“Nana frightens people because she asks very reasonable follow-up questions.”

“Nana frightens people because she asks very reasonable follow-up questions while wearing pearls.”

You grinned, leaning back against the headboard. This strange old rhythm of your family was comfortable, discussed with the same tone other people used for dentist appointments and supermarket lists. You had grown up inside it, so the scale did not always occur to you until someone outside your family looked at you funny. Even then, you tended to assume the funny look was because you had explained it badly.

“So you’re here today?”

“By lunch, if your aunt stops asking whether the driver can take a prettier route,”

“Which aunt?”

“Claudia,”

“Oh. She does love an ornamental road,”

“She does.”

You reached for your coffee and took a sip. It had gone cold, but you drank it anyway because wasting coffee felt rude when it had committed no crime besides time.

“Lunch, then?” you asked.

“If you’re free.”

“I’m free.” You looked at your laptop, then closed it with immediate relief,“I was studying, but I can study later.”

“Were you studying or arranging your studying?”

You narrowed your eyes at the air, mouth pursed unhappily. He hummed knowingly

“That was a private distinction,” you murmured. 

“I raised you.”

“That is not a legal argument.”

“It has held up so far.”

You smiled, then turned your phone speaker down slightly because the room suddenly felt too quiet around his voice,  “Where do you want to go?”

“Somewhere you like.”

“That is too much pressure.”

“Somewhere your mother likes, then.”

“That is still pressure, but more expensive,”

A rustle sounded on his end, perhaps papers, perhaps the leather folio he carried everywhere. 

Your father’s things always looked like they belonged to someone who had inherited them from another century and then treated them properly. His practical items were polished, calfskin wallets, old brass, fountain pens, quiet tailoring, initials stamped into corners. He believed that the price of something should pay for its value added to your person. 

“Your mother mentioned something else,” he sounded conspiratory over the phone, probably smiling at your suspicious gaze. 

Your hand stilled around the coffee cup, “What?”

“Garage Logan.”

You blinked. Then frowned.

“Mama calls him Garage Logan?”

“She said there was Logan from the garage and Logan from hockey.”

“They are the same Logan,”

“I gathered that eventually,”

You sat up, “Does Nana know?”

“About Logan?”

“About the naming issue.”

“I assume so.”

“I can call her.”

“Please don’t turn this into a conference.”

“It is important to classify people accurately.”

“Your mother said he fixed Cherry.”

“He did fix Cherry.”

“And helped with Winston.”

“Yes.”

“Useful boy.”

“Daddy.”

“Am I wrong?”

“No, but you’re saying it like Mama.”

“Your mother is often right.”

You looked away from nothing in particular and pretended your face had not warmed at the simple phrase useful boy. It was ridiculous, because Logan was useful. That was factual. He had fixed things. He had driven things. He had held Winston properly and secured the crate without making you feel dramatic. There was nothing scandalous about usefulness.

“He’s very kind,” you corrected, then immediately wished you had said less because your father had the kind of silence that could take notes.

“Kind,” he repeated.

“Yes.”

“And useful.”

“Daddy.”

“I’m listening.”

“You’re categorising.”

“Listening with structure.”

You pressed your free hand to your forehead. “He works at the garage with his father and brother. He plays hockey. He helped me with Winston because I couldn’t fit him in the rental, and he has a truck. He is also friends with Hannah’s boyfriend, technically, and everyone sort of knows everyone, but he is very much his own person, not just Garage Logan.”

“Noted.”

“You’re smiling.”

“I am.”

“Stop.”

“No.”

You sighed, but you were smiling too.

“Bring Cherry to lunch,” your father casually added.

Your attention snapped back,“The car?”

“Yes. Your mother said she’s running beautifully.”

“She is.”

“I’d like to see.”

Your face softened at once, as it always did when someone in your family treated the Chevy like she deserved, “She’s better than when I got her.”

“Then I’d like to meet the boy who helped.”

You stopped.

“You want to meet Logan?”

“I want to thank him.”

“That sounds like a meeting.”

“It is.”

“Daddy.”

“What?”

“You’re being fatherly,”

“I am your father,”

“Yes, but you’re doing it with tone.”

“I have only one voice.”

“That is not true. You have your meeting voice, your Nana-is-right voice, your Mama-is-watching voice, your Uncle-Robert-is-about-to-do-something-expensive voice, and your fatherly voice.”

“And which one is this?”

“Fatherly with undertones.”

He laughed, warm and low, “Lunch first, princess. We’ll decide the rest after.”

Lunch turned into an afternoon.

That was your father’s fault.

He arrived at the restaurant just after noon in a pale blue linen shirt, sleeves rolled neatly to his forearms, a navy jacket folded over one arm despite the heat, and a watch that looked simple only if one knew nothing about watches. 

The signet ring on his right hand caught the light when he hugged you, the old family crest worn smooth by years of use, the tiny engraved animals around the shield softened into gold suggestions rather than sharp lines.

You had always liked that about old things. How they stopped announcing themselves once they had been touched enough.

Your father kissed your forehead before he sat down.

“You look tired.”

“Thank you.”

“That was not a criticism.”

“It sounded like one from the skincare aisle.”

“You’re working too much.”

“I am working a reasonable amount.”

“You sent your mother a voice note at two in the morning about Winston’s emotional development.”

“That was unrelated to work.”

“It was related to sleep.”

You took a sip of water and ignored him elegantly.

He asked about school first. Then Hannah. Then Allie. Then whether Dean had recovered from whatever story your mother had apparently been told about cereal. You did not ask how Mama knew about Dean and cereal. There was no point. Mama had sources. Mama had always had sources.

Then, because your father was your father, he asked about Cherry.

You brightened immediately, “She’s wonderful. She sounds different now. Like she’s not arguing with herself.”

Your father’s eyes softened over the rim of his glass.

“What?” you asked.

“Nothing.”

“That is not a nothing face.”

“You sound like your grandfather.”

“About cars?”

“About beloved, impractical things.”

You considered this, “That’s a compliment.”

“It is.”

He asked about the work done on the car, and you explained as best you could, which was to say you remembered every emotional detail and approximately seventy percent of the mechanical ones. 

Logan had explained the issue with such careful clarity, had shown you where the part sat, had used his hands to point out the problem, and unfortunately, somewhere between his thumb brushing over metal and his voice saying, see here, this was loose before, your memory had become less technical and more atmospheric.

Your father watched you while you spoke and you noticed too late.

“What?”

“You remember his explanation very vividly.”

“I remember the car vividly.”

“And his hands?”

Your fork stopped halfway to your plate.

“Daddy.”

“I’m asking.”

“No, you are not. You are doing fatherly undertones again.”

“Your mother said he has good hands.”

“Mama said that?”

“Not in those words.”

“What words?”

“She said you described them for eight minutes.”

You stared at him, your father looked calmly back, bringing his fork speared through salmon up to his mouth. 

Your face warmed. “I was describing his work.”

“I’m sure.”

“I was.”

“I believe you.”

“You do not.”

“I believe that you believe you were describing his work.”

You covered your face with one hand.

Your father laughed, and the sound loosened something in your chest. He had always been like this with you, warm, teasing, impossibly observant, never making your feelings feel dangerous, only visible and understood. That was perhaps why being seen by him was both comforting and unbearable.

After lunch, he insisted on seeing Cherry.

You drove him two streets over to where you had parked her carefully in the shade, and he walked around the Chevy with the grave attention of a man inspecting a horse before purchase.

It had been ten days since Winston.

Two weeks since the garage, since the rain, since Logan’s hands had disappeared beneath Cherry’s hood and come back marked with grease, since he had looked at your car like she was something worth listening to and not just something pretty enough to stare at.

Ten days was not long.

It was barely enough time for anything sensible to form. Barely enough time to justify the way your stomach had started recognising his name before your brain had a chance to be dignified about it.

But ten days was also enough time for habits to begin. A good morning text that was not every morning, which somehow made it more exciting when it did arrive. A picture of a ridiculous car in the garage calling it ‘attention seeking’. A photo you had sent back of Winston bleating at you angrily from outside the barn, the same one he had been to, calling him a ‘brat’. A late-night exchange about oil leaks that had somehow become a conversation about coffee, goats, and whether Dean Di Laurentis counted as an OSHA violation. So watching your father inspect the tangible evidence of Logan entering your life, felt like a spot shined on whatever you were becoming. 

“She looks good.”

You leaned against the passenger door, delighted.

“Right?”

Your dress moved when you did, soft red fabric catching around your ankles before the breeze pulled it loose again. It was one of your pieces that you saved for these lunches with your dad, or a dinner with nana and grandpa when they flitted through the city. Fitted through the bodice, thin straps over bare shoulders, a skirt that tied at your hip and made every step seem slightly more dramatic than you had intended. Pretty first and practical only under duress.

Your father noticed the way you stood beside the cherry, one hand resting on her side mirror, the other hooked around the strap of your woven bag, thin silver watch glinting at him, nails polished the same glossy cherry red as the car.

“She was pulling slightly before.”

“You noticed?”

“I’m your father.”

“That does not automatically give you diagnostic power.”

“No, but paying attention does.”

You smiled and looked down at the hood, tapping one nail lightly against the mirror before catching yourself. The tiny sound gave you away more than your face did. You were not nervous exactly. You were simply aware, suddenly and annoyingly, that your father was standing beside the car Logan had fixed, discussing the boy you had not yet properly let into this part of your life.

“Logan said she just needed someone to listen before it became a bigger thing.”

Your father glanced at you.

Then at the car.

Then back at you.

“I’d like to meet him.”

You exhaled through your nose, “You keep saying that.”

“And you keep avoiding it.”

“I am not avoiding it. I am processing the administrative burden.”

“Text him.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

“He might be working.”

“Then he can say no.”

You looked down at your phone, then up at your father.

He lifted his brows slightly.

You unlocked it.

Your phone suddenly felt too smooth in your hand. You shifted your weight, the dress sliding against your legs, and plucked once at the strap of your bag before forcing your fingers still.

“Do not look at me like that,” you huffed.

“I’m not looking at you like anything.”

“You are looking at me like you taught me to ride a bike.”

“I did teach you to ride a bike.”

“And I fell into the hydrangeas.”

“You were very brave.”

“I was concussed by shrubbery.”

“You were not concussed.”

“You cannot diagnose that either.”

“No,” he said mildly, “But I paid attention.”

You looked back down at your phone, cheeks warmer than you were willing to acknowledge, and opened Logan’s contact.

cherry 🍒

hi mechanic!! very normal update, Daddy would like to meet you because Mama told him about Garage Logan and also because Cherry is running beautifully.

not scary.

fatherly, but not scary.

mostly.

The reply took nearly five minutes, which was long enough for you to decide Logan had thrown his phone into a river, moved countries, or shown the message to Dean.

Mechanic 🔧

Daddy?

Your face went hot immediately.

You typed, deleted, typed again.

cherry 🍒

my father

Mechanic 🔧

I figured

cherry 🍒

do not be strange.

Mechanic 🔧

Wasn’t planning on it cherry

you paused over text.

Mechanic 🔧

I’m at the garage until seven. I can come by after?

You looked up, almost relieved, “He can come by after work.”

Your father nodded like he had expected this. “Good.”

“And then you can thank him, and everything will be very normal.”

“Of course.”

“You’re saying of course in a way that suggests you have follow-up questions.”

“I always have follow-up questions.”

“That is exactly what I feared.”

You had assumed the afternoon would end after that. Lunch, car inspection, Logan scheduled, fatherly curiosity temporarily contained.

Instead, your father looked at his watch and said, “We have time.”

“For what?”

“Shopping.”

“Daddy, I can hang out with you without shopping.”

“I know, princess.” He placed one hand lightly at your back as you both started down the pavement, “But I like spending money.”

“That is not a virtue.”

“No, but it is one of my more harmless flaws.”

You gave him a look.

He smiled.

The shopping was not extravagant by his standards, which was to say it would have been alarming if you stopped to translate it into anyone else’s.

 Your father never rushed through money. He believed impulse was vulgar but pleasure was not. 

So he let you wander, listened when you held up two cardigans and explained that one was “academically sweet” while the other was “emotionally brunch,” and only asked practical questions when you reached for shoes that looked like they might injure you out of principle.

The gingham dress was in the third shop.

Red and white. Fitted bodice, flared skirt, white lace trim at the hem and neckline, sweet enough to look like something from an old picnic photograph and short enough that you paused in the changing room mirror with a hand hovering over the skirt.

You stepped out slowly.

Your father looked up from his phone.

His expression softened immediately.

“Oh, darling.”

You looked down at yourself, fingers brushing the lace at the hem, “Is it too much?”

“No.”

“It’s very red.”

“You’ve always looked good in red.”

You turned slightly, watching the skirt move, “Nana sent me a pair of red shoes from the attic. The patent ones? With the little strap.”

“Your grandmother has never thrown away a shoe in her life.”

“She says it’s archival instinct.”

“Your grandmother calls many things instinct.”

“And Granddad says they’re from the nineties.”

“Your grandfather thinks every red shoe is from the nineties.”

“Nana said that too,” you looked back at the mirror, smiling despite yourself, “Do you think the shoes would go?”

“With the dress?”

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

“Not too much?”

“You’ve never been too much.”

The sentence landed quietly, he said it casually, watching the way you turned in the mirror and looked back at his phone, most likely mid-email. 

Your chest warmed with it, a familiar sort of safety you had never thought to name until you saw how differently others moved through the world. 

Your father had never looked at a dress and seen danger. Never treated your prettiness like a liability, never made you feel that men’s reactions were your responsibility to pre-manage. He complimented you the same way he complimented a well-grown rose or a good piece of craftsmanship; with pleasure, attention, and no ownership over what came next.

You smiled at him in the mirror.

“I’ll get it.”

“I gathered.”

“You say that like I’m predictable.”

“You are.”

By 7:30, the sun was sinking into that golden late-evening haze that made every parked car look nostalgic and every pavement crack look cinematic. Logan arrived in his truck looking like he had come directly from work, because he had.

He parked behind Cherry and got out slowly, eyes moving first to the Chevy, then to your father, then to you. His hair was slightly damp at the temples, as if he had washed his face before leaving the garage, and his shirt was clean enough that you knew he had changed, there was still a faint shadow of grease near one wrist.

Your stomach did something ridiculous.

“Hi,” you said brightly, because brightness was easier than whatever else wanted to happen in your chest.

“Hey.”

“John Logan,” your father said, extending his hand.

Logan stepped forward and shook it properly, “Sir.”

“Thank you for taking care of my daughter’s car.”

Logan did not glance at you like he wanted help and you liked that more than you should have.

“She brought it in quickly,” he nodded, “made it easier.”

You looked at him swiftly.

Your father’s gaze moved to you for half a second, then back to Logan.

“And Winston,” your father added.

Logan’s mouth twitched, “Winston made himself known.”

“He does that.”

“He tried to eat my hoodie.”

“He liked you, then.”

“That what that means?”

“In Winston’s language, yes.”

You stood beside them, feeling oddly warm all over. There was something strange about watching your worlds touch. Your father, polished and composed in the evening light, linen shirt still uncreased despite the day, signet ring at his hand. Logan, taller, younger, work-worn, steady in a way that was difficult to miss. Both of them talking about your car and your goat like those things mattered because they mattered to you.

Your father walked around Cherry again, asking Logan questions that began politely and became more technical with each answer. Logan explained what had been wrong, what had been replaced, what still needed monitoring. He did not make the repair sound more impressive than it was and admitted when something was a guess and when something was certain. His words were clear, hands moving once or twice to indicate parts under the hood, then stopping as if he remembered he was not at work.

“She talks about this car like it’s alive,” your father said eventually.

Logan glanced at you. You were touching Cherry’s hood with the tips of your fingers, as if checking whether she approved of the conversation.

“Old cars have moods,” Logan shrugged.

Your father watched him, “Do they?”

“Some do.”

“And this one?”

Logan looked at Cherry the Chevy, then back at you for the briefest second.

“This one likes attention.”

Your breath caught, but you rushed to look down at the hood and pretend you were assessing paint quality.

After a few more questions, your father looked toward the distance, thoughtful. “I’d like to see where the work was done.”

Logan paused. 

“My dad and brother are probably closing up last-minute repairs tonight,” he replied carefully. “I can show you properly tomorrow, if that works?”

Your father nodded, “Tomorrow, then.”

“Ten-thirty,” Logan clarified, "I'm on my break then."

“Good. We’ll come at ten-thirty.”

The next morning was hot before ten.

The pavement shimmered slightly and turned every bit of metal around the garage into something that looked like it might burn if touched too quickly. The air smelled like oil, rubber, warm asphalt, and the faint sweetness of the coffee you had insisted on bringing because showing up empty-handed felt wrong after asking to inspect someone’s workplace.

Your father’s driver dropped you both near the garage entrance at 10:27.

Not a taxi, though technically you had called it a cab because that was easier.

It was black, polished, quiet, and unmarked except for the smallest gold crest embossed near the rear door. Not flashy, that would've been worse. Your grandmother insisted on keeping the family cars quiet, saying that unless you were a travelling circus- you should not show up in a clown car.

Logan noticed, his gaze flicked to the door when you pulled in. Then to your father’s leather folio when he stepped out, where the same crest sat in one corner, pressed almost flat from age. Then, briefly, to the side of your tote.

You pretended not to notice that he noticed, because explaining family crests outside a working garage felt like the kind of thing that made people look at you funny.

You were wearing the dress that you bought yesterday, paired with the shoes.

The red patent shoes from Nana and Granddad’s attic, polished until they gleamed, with little straps across the foot and white lace socks ruffled above your ankles.

The dress flared when you stepped out of the car, lace brushing high over your thighs, the gingham bright and almost too cheerful against the industrial heat of the garage.

You loved the dress. Loved the shoes. Loved that Nana had wrapped them in tissue paper and said, “They were waiting for you, darling,” like shoes had destiny. Loved that Granddad had insisted they were from the nineties and Nana had corrected him twice. Loved that your father had looked at the whole outfit that morning and smiled like you were eight again and wearing something you wanted everyone to admire.

You stepped onto the pavement and lifted the skirt slightly with both hands, turning toward your father.

“Do they go?”

Your father’s face softened. “You look beautiful, darling.”

“Not too much?”

“You’ve never been too much.”

You smiled so quickly it was almost childish, then did a little twirl because sometimes joy had to move through the body or it became uncomfortable sitting still.

The skirt lifted with the motion, lace flicking around your thighs, shoes clicking lightly on the pavement as you turned.

Across the garage, Logan stopped functioning, you could see the exact second his brain missed a step. 

He was near the open hood of a car, talking to another man who had to be his brother, only in a white vest darkened slightly at the collar with sweat, work pants, and a rag tucked into his back pocket. 

His forearms were marked with grease. There was a smear of oil near his wrist and another faint one at his jaw, like he had pushed hair out of his face without thinking. He was nodding at something his brother said, one hand braced on the edge of the car, when you waved.

His eyes found you, and your smile faltered by half a breath

Because Logan in his truck was one thing. Logan in the hockey house was another. Logan holding Winston had been dangerous in an entirely different category. But Logan at the garage, sweaty and focused and marked by the work of his own hands, was something your brain had not prepared a polite file for.

He lifted one hand, indicating one second, then said something to his brother and turned toward the sink near the side wall to wash his hands.

You watched the movement of his shoulders.

Then realised what you were doing and looked very intently at your father’s cuff.

Daddy was looking at you. You smiled too brightly in response.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“That is not a nothing face.”

“It’s a father face.”

“That’s worse.”

“It usually is.”

Logan came over drying his hands on a clean towel, though the oil at his wrist had not fully gone. Up close, the vest situation was worse. His arms were tanned from work and summer, his hair slightly messy from heat, his expression composed in a way that made you suspect he had built it deliberately in the thirty seconds it took to cross the garage.

“Morning,” he greeted the both of you, but was glancing down at you more often than not.

“Hi,” you replied.

Your voice somehow sounded normal.

His eyes flicked to your shoes. Then back to your face.

“Nice shoes.”

You brightened immediately because shoes were safer than arms.

“Nana and Granddad found them in the attic. Well, Nana found them. Granddad supervised and misremembered the decade.”

His mouth curved and he nodded thoughtfully, “They go with the dress.”

“That’s what I said.”

Your father extended his hand before you could continue explaining the complete genealogy of the shoes. Logan shook it with his now-clean hand.

“Good to see you again, sir.”

“And you.”

Logan nodded toward the garage, “We can take a look around. My dad’s out on a parts run, but my brother’s here if you need anything.”

Your father glanced toward the man by the car, who lifted a hand politely before disappearing back under the hood.

“I won’t take long.”

That was a lie.

A man lie. A lie told by someone who believed thirty questions counted as taking an interest rather than taking long.

Logan seemed to know it and he handled it beautifully.

He walked your father through the garage with calm competence, showing him the bay where Cherry had been worked on, the parts replaced, the old piece still set aside because you had asked to see it and then, apparently, forgotten to take it. 

Your father asked about suppliers, older Chevy parts, lead times, whether anything had been difficult to source, whether the issue might recur in extreme weather. Logan answered everything he could. When he did not know, he said so.

Your father liked that. He liked people who knew the limits of their own expertise. It made the things they did know more trustworthy.

At one point, Daddy turned to you, “You said you heard the sound while driving.”

You nodded, “Yes. It was like… not a rattle exactly. More like Cherry was clearing her throat with resentment.”

Logan looked down for one second.

You frowned at him. “Don’t laugh.”

“I’m not.”

“You are internally.”

“I’m not,” He looked at your father, “It was good that she brought her in.”

You went still.

Logan continued, easy and matter-of-fact. “It was a good catch. Saved it from becoming a bigger job.”

Your father’s expression shifted.

“Oh,” you said softly, because the praise had hit you harder than it should have.

Logan glanced at you, “It did.”

You looked away, suddenly very interested in the floor.

Your father looked between you both and said nothing.

They moved to Cherry next, your father had sent someone to drive her up to the garage this morning. Logan opened her hood, and your father leaned in slightly, looking with the respect of a man who had been taught that machines, animals, and old houses all punished arrogance eventually. Logan pointed out the replaced part, the tightened connection, the areas to monitor. You stood beside them, trying to focus on the car and not on the fact that Logan’s shoulder kept brushing yours whenever he shifted.

It was not intentional. Probably.

The garage was warm. The air between you warmer.

You were very aware of the white lace at the hem of your dress.

Very aware of oil on his forearm.

Very aware that your father was standing three feet away, hearing every breath you tried to keep normal.

“Cherry seems pleased,” your father said after a while.

You looked at him, “The car or me?”

“Both.”

Logan’s mouth twitched.

You crossed your arms, “She is pleased.”

“She likes attention,” Logan nodded solemnly.

“You keep saying that.”

“It keeps being true.”

You looked at him. He looked back.

Your father closed Cherry’s hood. And you both snapped away.

After the garage tour, your father thanked Logan with a seriousness that made the whole space feel slightly more formal. He shook his hand again.

“I appreciate you taking care of her.”

The her could have meant the car or you; the ambiguity was not lost on anyone.

Logan’s expression stayed steady, “Anytime, sir.”

Daddy looked at him for a moment longer, then nodded.

“Steady boy,” he said quietly when Logan stepped away to check something his brother had called about.

You turned to your father immediately, “Daddy.”

“That is not criticism.”

“It sounded like classification.”

“Sometimes classification is useful.”

“You and Mama are becoming very organised about him.”

“Your mother has opinions.”

“Mama has opinions about everyone.” You looked toward Logan, who was speaking with his brother near the other car, one hand on his hip, head tilted slightly as he listened.

Steady boy

Your heart did something you did not have time to inspect.

The car pulled up outside the garage a few minutes later, you blinked, not too sure where it had disappeared to in the first place.

Logan glanced back, though he tried not to make it obvious, gaze flicking to the crest as if the details were not adding up in a corner of his mind.

Your father checked his phone.

“I need to go.”

“Already?”

“Your uncle is unsupervised near a drinks menu.”

You laughed.

He placed one hand at the side of your face and kissed your forehead, “Love you, princess. I need to go, otherwise he's going to drink his way through Boston.”

“I’ll join him next time,” you said brightly, “I beat his beer record last month. I have to protect my title.”

Your father closed his eyes for half a second.

Logan, from several feet away, went very still.

“Lord help me,” Daddy murmured. Then, with another kiss to your forehead, “Love you.”

“Love you too, Daddy.”

He looked over at Logan one last time, gave him a polite nod, and left. The car door closed behind him. The crest flashed once in the sun. Then he was gone.

For a moment, the garage felt too quiet.

Or maybe you were only aware of Logan again.

He came back toward you slowly, rag in one hand, expression carefully neutral in a way that meant it was not neutral at all.

“What?” you asked.

“Beer record?”

You lifted your chin, “My uncle talks a big game.”

“And you beat him?”

“Last month.”

“At what?”

“Beer.”

“I got that part.”

“You asked.”

“You don’t look like someone who breaks beer records.”

You frowned, “What does someone who breaks beer records look like?”

“Not like that.”

You looked down at your dress, lace socks, red shoes.

Then back up.

“This outfit is not drinking-specific.”

“No?”

“No. This is a morning garage visit with Daddy specific.”

He smirked at the word.

Daddy.

You did not notice it at first. Why would you? It was what you called him. It had been what you called him since you could speak. It was as neutral to you as Mama, Nana, Granddad. The family words were not performance. People belonged somewhere, and their names showed it.

Logan, however, was looking at you like he had noticed something else.

Your eyes narrowed, “What?”

He wiped the rag over his wrist, but the oil smear remained stubbornly near the inside of his forearm,“So you call him Daddy all the time?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Just like that?”

You blinked, “That is his name to me.”

“Right.”

“Why are you saying right like that?”

“Like what?” His mouth twitched.

You stared at him.

Then it clicked, “Oh.”

His smile widened by half a fraction.

“Do not,” you said immediately.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Your face did.”

“My face?”

“Yes. Your face made an insinuation.”

“That’s impressive.”

“It was inappropriate.”

“Was it?”

“We were talking about my father.”

“You were.”

“Logan.”

“What?”

“You are impossible.”

He smiled properly then, and the sight of it made your stomach flip so unexpectedly that you had to look down and busy yourself with the strap of your shoe.

The oil on his wrist caught your eye again.

“You missed a spot.”

He glanced down, “Yeah?”

“Yes.”

“It’s fine.”

“It is not fine. You will touch something and transfer it.”

“To what?”

“My dress has white lace.”

His gaze dropped to your dress, to the white lace at the neckline before he dragged it carefully back to your face, and your breath caught. What excuse could you use for bringing his laser-sharp attention there?

He noticed that too, of course.

“Textile preservation,” you said quickly.

“Right,”

“Don’t right me,”

“Wouldn’t dream of it Cherry.”

You took the clean edge of the rag from his hand before you could talk yourself out of it, stepping closer to wipe the oil from the inside of his wrist. It was a practical action. A sensible action. Preventative. You were saving lace, fabric, maybe upholstery. A person could care about fabric without it meaning anything.

Unfortunately, his skin was warm under your fingers.

Warmer than you expected, though that was ridiculous because it was hot in the garage, and he had been working, and everything around you smelled like oil and rubber and summer asphalt.

His wrist flexed slightly when you touched him, tendons shifting beneath your fingertips, and the rag slipped awkwardly between your fingers so that you were no longer only touching cloth to skin.

Your knuckles brushed his forearm and Logan went still.

You kept your attention very carefully on the tiny smear of oil.

“You always this helpful?” he asked.

“I learned from you,”

“That’s dangerous,”

“Being helpful?”

“Learning from me.”

You glanced up. That was a mistake.

He was looking at you already, and the garage seemed, all at once, much smaller than it had when your father was there. There were still noises around you - a tool clinking somewhere, his brother calling into the office, a car passing outside - but they felt further away now, softened around the edges.

You looked back down at his wrist.

The oil was almost gone.

Laughably gone, actually.

A shadow more than a stain.

His hand shifted, turning slightly beneath yours until your fingers slid from his wrist to the inside of his forearm. Your thumb paused there, caught against warm skin and the faint drag of muscle beneath it.

You should have moved. You did not.

Logan leaned closer.

The space between you changed temperature. Enough that his shadow fell over the red gingham of your dress, over the white lace at your hem, over your hand still curled too carefully around his arm.

He smelled like soap under the garage, clean cotton beneath oil and heat and metal.

And you knew, suddenly, that he could smell you too.

Cherries.

Not the sharp fake kind- it was warmer than that, softer, clinging to your throat and your hair and the little pulse point at your wrist because you had sprayed perfume there that morning without thinking it would matter.

His gaze flicked down.

Your grip tightened around his forearm before you realised you had done it- the rag had stopped moving completely.

Logan looked at your hand, then at your face.

“There,” you said, though the word came out too soft to sound useful.

His mouth curved faintly.

“Still dirty?”

You looked down. The oil was gone, entirely.

Your fingers were still wrapped around his arm, “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

You let go too quickly, which was worse, because it made the thing obvious.

Logan caught your wrist before you could retreat fully.

Not hard.

Just his fingers around you, warm and steady, the same hand that had tugged your stool closer to his at the kitchen island when Dean and Allie came bursting through the door mid-argument, loud and laughing and half on top of each other, moving you out of the chaos without even noticing he had; the same hand that had handed you his socks during movie night because he had noticed you curling your bare feet beneath you, then laughed when you tucked them under his hoodie and made him jump; the same hand that had adjusted the strap of your bag when it slipped down your shoulder outside the diner, plucked once at the bow in your hair just to watch you swat him away, and set a coffee beside your notes during a study session without asking how you took it because, somehow, he already knew.

The same hand that had been moving through your days in quiet, ordinary ways, fixing small discomforts before they became complaints, making room before you had to ask for it, touching the edges of your life with a carefulness- made you feel stranger than carelessness ever had.

“Cherry.”

“What?”

“You keep getting close and acting surprised when I notice.”

Your breath stopped, just for a second, then you recovered. Badly.

“I was cleaning you.”

“Mm-hm.”

“You were visibly dirty.”

“Sure.”

“And I am wearing white lace.”

“So this is about the dress?”

“This is about prevention.”

His thumb moved once against the inside of your wrist.

You looked at him, and something in his expression had changed. Still teasing, but there was something steadier beneath it. Something warmer. Something that made you wonder, for one startling second, if the flush high on his cheekbones had less to do with the heat outside and more to do with the fact that your hand had just been wrapped around his forearm for no practical reason whatsoever.

Your eyes moved over his face.

The slight pink at his cheek. The oil near his jaw. The way his mouth was almost smiling but not quite. The way he was looking at you as if he knew exactly what you were doing before you did.

“Nice dress,” he said, low enough that it felt like he had not meant to say it out loud.

You stilled, “What?”

His gaze dropped again, briefly, to the red gingham and white lace, then lifted back to your face.

“Your dress,” he clarified, “It’s nice.”

You blinked.

It was a stupid compliment.

Because your father had called you beautiful in it that morning and it had made you feel loved, and Logan had called it nice under his breath in a garage with oil on his arm and heat on his face, and that made you feel seen in an entirely different, much less manageable way.

“Oh,” you breathed.

Brilliant

His thumb brushed your pulse again. Your fingers curled helplessly around the rag.

Honesty.

You were good at honesty when surprised. Terrible at managing it. You could not lie quickly enough to make yourself safe. That was the problem. That had always been the problem. When Marian assumed Logan was your boyfriend, you could correct her, but you could not make the idea sound ridiculous because it did not feel ridiculous. When your father called him steady, you could object to the classification, but not the truth. When Logan held your wrist and said you kept getting close, you could explain lace and oil and textile preservation all you liked, but neither of you believed that was the whole of it.

“I don’t always know I’m doing it,” you said finally.

His expression softened.

“The getting close part?”

You nodded once. His grip loosened, though he did not let go completely.

“I know.”

You swallowed, “And sometimes I do know.”

Logan went still.

You looked down at his hand around your wrist, then back at him,“I think.”

His mouth parted slightly, but before he could answer, a loud clang came from the next bay, followed by his brother swearing.

Both of you startled.

Logan let go first.

His brother’s voice carried across the garage, “I’m fine!”

Logan closed his eyes briefly.

You pressed your lips together, looking beyond his shoulder into the bay where he was rubbing his forearm, grumbling to himself.

“Is he?”

“Probably.”

“Should you check?”

“He yelled, so he’s alive.”

“That is not a full medical assessment.”

“It works.”

A laugh slipped out of you before you could stop it, and just like that, the air loosened enough for breathing to become possible again.

Logan looked at you for another second, then glanced toward the office.

“You coming Friday?”

You blinked, “To what?”

“We have a game.” He tilted his head at you, almost surprised you hadn’t already been invited.

“Oh.”

The word came out smaller than you expected. Hannah and Allie had told you about it a few nights ago, passing around a bottle of wine that Mama had sent over along with a few face masks.

Perhaps that was why you had not remembered it properly. Or perhaps you had remembered, and simply had not let yourself think of it as Logan’s game until Logan was the one asking.

His gaze returned to yours.

“Am I invited?” you asked.

“Yeah.” His mouth curved faintly, “Of course, Cherry.”

Your face warmed.

A hockey game. His hockey game. Not Hannah’s and Allie’s boyfriends’ game. Not a group thing by default. Logan had invited you.

“Yes,” you said too quickly, then corrected yourself into normalcy, “I mean, if that’s okay. I don’t want to intrude.”

“You wouldn’t.”

“I can come with Hannah and Allie.”

“Yeah.”

“I should wear blue then.”

The thought caught, and you immediately launched into the safer territory of clothes, colour, and female diplomacy.

“Hannah said Briar blue is technically the correct colour, but Allie said red is more emotionally honest for me, and I said school spirit matters, but so does personal branding. Then Hannah said I could wear blue with red lipstick, which is probably the compromise civilization was built on, but Allie said if I wear blue and red I’ll look like I’m trying to represent both the hockey team and my own internal monarchy, which I said was unfair but not fully inaccurate.”

Logan was watching you.

You realised, halfway through a thought about whether navy counted as blue or merely a social compromise, that he still had your wrist. You had not noticed him take it again.

His fingers were loose around you now, thumb resting over your pulse, warm and steady against the point where your body was giving you away. He was looking down at your hand like he could feel the quick little beat beneath his touch.

You stopped talking.

Because he lifted your wrist slightly.

His eyes flicked to yours once, giving you a chance to pull away, and when you did not, he lowered his mouth to the inside of your wrist.

He did not kiss you. Not properly. That would have been easier to understand; and currently, nothing was easy to understand.

His lips only ghosted over the skin there, warm breath first, then the almost-touch of his mouth, so light it could have been an accident if either of you were still pretending to be stupid.

Every thought in your head disappeared. Completely.

The blue. The red. Allie’s extremely accurate but unnecessary commentary.

Gone.

Logan’s mouth hovered for one second against your pulse.

Then he let your wrist go.

You stared at him.

He stared back.

“What?” he asked, voice too calm.

You blinked.

Once.

Twice.

“I was talking.”

“I know.”

“You interrupted me.”

“Did I?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

Your mouth opened.

Then closed.

Because he had not kissed you. Not enough for accusation. Not enough for evidence. Nothing you could hold up in court, which felt deeply unfair because your entire nervous system had already entered a guilty plea.

His mouth curved. The smallest, most dangerous smile.

“You were saying something about monarchy.”

You looked away immediately.

“I have decided not to continue.”

“That’s a shame.”

“It was a very good point.”

“I’m sure.”

“You don’t even know what the point was.”

“No,” he said, eyes still on you. “But I liked listening to you make it.”

Your mouth closed again. That sentence was close to becoming something dangerous. 

You looked down at your shoes, then at the garage floor, then anywhere except him.

“I’ll come to the game. As a friend?” you asked before you could stop yourself.

The word sat between you.

Friend.

The category that had worked for Winston, for coffee, for cars, for latches, for oil, for everything that was easier than naming the slow, warm shift happening underneath.

Logan looked at you for a second too long.

“If that’s what we’re calling it.”

Your breath caught.

Somewhere behind him, his brother swore at an engine. The heat shimmered over the pavement outside. Cherry sat beside you both, quiet and red and repaired, as if she had known from the start that every part of this was leading somewhere neither of you had fully agreed to go yet.

You looked down at your dress.

Then back at him.

“I’ll wear blue.”

His eyes flicked over the red gingham before he could stop himself.

“Yeah?”

“For Briar.”

“Right.”

“Obviously.”

His mouth curved.

“Obviously.”

You smiled then, small and helpless

Logan looked at you like he had noticed that too.

By the time you left the garage, the sun was higher, the day hotter, and your wrist still felt warm where his mouth had almost been.

You told yourself it was the weather.