Lunch was unbearable. Vanessa and her friends sat at their usual table, throwing me pointed glances and whispering behind their hands. I kept my head down, pretending not to notice, but the weight of their stares was suffocating.
And then Logan walked in. I was still sticking to my plan to avoid him.
He didn’t hesitate. He walked straight past Vanessa’s table, ignoring the way she called his name, and slid into the seat next to me.
“Hey,” he said casually, slinging an arm around my shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world.
“What are you doing?” I hissed, my cheeks burning.
“Eating lunch,” he said, stealing a fry from my tray. “When are you finally coming over to my place? We’ve got that project to work on, remember?”
I sight, setting my fork down. “We split the tasks, remember? I’ve got the research done, and you can handle the design. We can get it all done online. No need to make things complicated.”
Logan grabbed my arm, pulling me closer. His voice was quiet but firm. “This isn’t a game, Em. Not to me.”
Before I could respond Vanessa stormed over, her heels clicking against the tile like gunfire. “Logan, what the hell?”.
He didn’t even look at her. “Busy, Vanessa.”
Her jaw dropped. “With her? And what are you two doing, I’m wandering.”
“Working on an assignment, Vanessa.” Logan said.
“The one I was supposed to be your partner in?”
Logan snorted. “And why is that?”
“She’s using this project to get close to you. You know that, right?” Vanessa crossed her arms and then turned to me with a glare sharp enough to cut glass. “You don’t get to weasel your way into what’s mine, Emma.”
My fists clenched under the table. I couldn’t believe how entitled she sounded. “I didn’t ask to be in this project. It wasn’t my choice.”
“Awesome, let’s go to Barnes right now and switch places,” she grinned, her tone sickly sweet.
Logan sighed, clearly annoyed now. “Vanessa, Emma’s my partner because that’s how it was assigned. And if you keep acting like this, you’ll have a whole cafeteria watching your tantrum.
Vanessa’s lips parted as if to argue, but the snickers from nearby tables seemed to catch her attention. “Fine. Whatever,” she spat, her voice dripping with venom.
With that she spun on her heel and stalked away, her friends trailing behind her.
“Vanessa could be your project partner. I’m totally okay with that. It’s probably for the best.”
Logan blinked, caught off guard. “The best? For who, Emma?”
“For us,” I said, my voice quieter now. “She wants to, and—”
“I don’t care what she wants,” he interrupted firmly. “You’re my partner. I need you. Period.”
My cheeks flushed. “Why?”
“What?”
“Why do you need me?”
Something flickered in his eyes—uncertainty, maybe vulnerability—and for a fleeting moment, it was as if his confidence slipped away. But then he cleared his throat and that familiar grin slid back into place, the one he always wore like armor. “I mean, because you’re the smartest person I know. And we’ve already split the task. We’re the team. Always have been.”
I met his gaze, and for a fleeting moment, it felt like the old days—when everything was simple, untouched by complications, before the kiss and all the chaos it stirred up. For a heartbeat, it was just us, easy and familiar.
But then the memories surged back, uninvited and heavy, crashing over me like a tide I couldn’t fight. The weight of everything we’d been through settled on my chest, making it hard to breathe.
I broke the connection, looking away quickly. I stood up, not trusting myself to say anything, and walked out of the cafeteria. His words echoed in my head long after I was gone.