Springy

But as much as you loved being near him, a small voice in the back of your mind kept you from reaching out, from closing the small distance between your hand and his. You were scared. Scared that if you let yourself touch him, if you gave in to the urge to lean against him, you’d be seen as too needy, too clingy. Logan wasn’t exactly the most open person, and you didn’t want to push him away.

Your hand twitched on the cushion beside you, fingers inching closer to his leg. You paused midway, your heart skipping a beat as doubt washed over you. What if he didn’t want you to? What if you were overstepping? The thought was enough to make you pull back, retreating before you could close the gap.

Logan’s eyes flicked over to you, catching the movement. He didn’t say anything, but the small furrow in his brow showed he’d noticed. You forced a smile and looked away, hoping he wouldn’t think too much of it.

Minutes passed, and you found yourself fighting the same battle. You wanted to be closer to him, to feel the reassurance of his solid presence. Steeling yourself, you leaned your head against his shoulder, just for a moment. The warmth of his body seeped into you, and for those few seconds, everything felt right. But just as quickly, you pulled back, sitting up straight as if nothing had happened. You could feel the heat rising in your cheeks, embarrassed by your own actions.

Logan didn’t move, but you could feel his gaze on you. The silence between you grew heavier, the crackling fire the only sound in the room. You swallowed hard, unable to bring yourself to look at him.

Finally, Logan broke the silence. “You don’t gotta hold back, darlin’.”

His voice was rough, but there was a softness to it that caught you off guard. You glanced at him, finding his intense blue eyes watching you, the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.

“I’m not…” You started to deny it, but the words died in your throat. He’d seen right through you.

Logan let out a small sigh, more of an exhale, and shifted on the couch. Before you could react, his large, calloused hand was covering yours, his grip firm but gentle. He didn’t say anything more, just left his hand there, the warmth of his skin grounding you.

“You don’t gotta be scared ‘round me,” he continued, his voice low and steady. “I know I ain’t the easiest to get close to, but… if you wanna touch me, lean on me, whatever… I’m not gonna push you away.”

The sincerity in his words made your chest tighten, and you felt a wave of relief wash over you. You hadn’t realized how much you’d needed to hear that, how much you’d been holding back out of fear. Tentatively, you turned your hand over under his, your fingers brushing against his rough palm. He didn’t pull away, didn’t flinch—just let you take your time.

Encouraged, you leaned back against him, this time letting your head rest fully on his shoulder. Logan didn’t move, didn’t say a word, but his hand squeezed yours, a silent reassurance that this was okay. That you were okay.

For a long time, you stayed like that, the fire crackling softly in the background, the weight of your fears slowly melting away. Logan’s presence was solid, steady, and as you finally allowed yourself to relax against him, you realized that this was what you’d been craving all along—a connection, the simple comfort of being close to him.

“Thanks,” you whispered, the words barely audible.

Logan didn’t respond right away, but when he did, his voice was softer than you’d ever heard it. “Anytime, kid.”