novelxo Cross-Checked Hearts: Chapter 13
Rolling over in bed, I slowly peel open my eyelids and squint against the bright sunlight that shines through my bedroom window. My head pounds, screaming in protest at the sun that burns the sclerae of my eyes. I roll the other way, burying my face in the pillows as I block out the harsh light.
I shouldn’t have drank as much as I did last night, but it was my first time at a college party, so what the hell. You only live once, right? My memory from the night is still a little fuzzy and I bury myself under the covers as I sift through my thoughts.
It all comes crashing down on me like a ton of bricks as I piece everything together. I remember being at the party, sitting with Silas when Logan showed up. He was pissed, seeing the two of us together and scared Silas away.
“I don’t know how to be your friend, Isla.”
“What if I don’t want you to play the part anymore?”
Logan pulled me into the laundry room and kissed me like it was the first time we had ever touched. I cringe, a heat creeping up my neck and spreading across my cheeks as I replay the chain of events that went down after he took me home. Logan taking me to bed, his fingers inside me and my hand around his cock. Jesus Christ. Drunk me has more balls than I’ve ever had.
“You’re so good.”
“That’s it, baby, don’t fucking stop.”
Oh my god. I really just hooked up with Logan Knight…
My brother’s best friend.
Groaning, I throw the covers off of me and climb out of bed. I look down, noticing that I’m still wearing his t-shirt that he gave me last night. I quickly shuffle across my room, kicking his sweatshirt under my bed as I find that on my floor. Pulling open my drawers, I pull out a pair of sweatpants and slip them on, before grabbing a shirt of my own from my closet.
I shove Logan’s t-shirt under my bed with his sweatshirt before slipping on one of my own shirts. Glancing in the mirror by my dresser, I notice the smeared makeup across my face and hastily wipe it away from under my eyes. Grabbing my hair, I twist it onto a bun on top of my head and wrap a hair tie around it. I look like shit, but I’m not sure that I care with how hungover I feel right now.
My stomach churns and I know I need to find something to eat. Maybe some water. I don’t know, I just know that this feeling needs to go away. That and the embarrassment of what happened last night. Thank God Logan left my room before August found him in here. He wasn’t even supposed to come home last night, so we got lucky with the way it played out.
Although, there is a part of me that doesn’t feel good about how it went down. Logan slipped out of my room like nothing happened and I didn’t see him after that. All it took was one moment, one close call with my brother, and I’m back to being Logan’s dirty little secret.
Sighing in defeat, I slowly open the door to my bedroom and slip out into the hallway as I make my way out into the kitchen. As I walk in, I notice August sitting at the dining room table with his face in his arms. A plate of pancakes sits in the center of the table untouched.
Bypassing him, I walk into the kitchen and find Logan in there handwashing some dishes in the sink. My eyes travel across the planes of his naked back, watching the way his muscles move as he works his hands in the soapy water. He’s still wearing the same sweatpants he had on last night and they hang low around his waist.
He glances over his shoulder as I pull open the refrigerator door and grab the orange juice from inside. “Hey you,” he smiles, his voice soft as his eyes search mine. “How did you sleep last night?”
My face instantly heats up under his gaze and I turn my back to him as I grab a glass from the cabinet and pour myself some of the juice. “Fine, thanks,” I mumble, turning back around to face him as I take a drink. “How about you?”
Logan smirks, shrugging. “I imagine that I could have slept better, but I don’t have any complaints.”
I practically choke on my orange juice as he winks at me before turning back to the dishes in front of him. I’m glad he turned back around because I’m pretty sure I would melt to a puddle on the floor if he kept looking at me the way he does with those ocean blue eyes of his.
“I made breakfast, if you’re hungry,” he offers as he rinses off a plate. “I don’t know if August is asleep or what the hell he’s doing out there.”
Grabbing my glass of juice, I slip out of the kitchen and step back into the dining room. As I pull out one of the chairs, August lifts his head, his bloodshot eyes finding mine. My face contorts as I notice an angry cut on the side of his forehead and the black and blue bruise under his eye.
“What the hell happened to you?”
“Jesus,” he groans, dropping his head to his hands. “Can you keep your voice down? I have the fucking hangover from hell right now.”
Logan slips into the room, taking a seat across from me as he sits down a steaming mug of coffee in front of himself. “I’m sure it doesn’t help that you got your ass beat last night too.”
Narrowing my eyes, I look back and forth between the two of them. “Is someone going to tell me what happened? You have a fucking game today, August,” I scold him, directing my angry gaze on him. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“Obviously, I wasn’t thinking, Mom,” he growls at me, lifting his head as his gaze finds mine. “It was just a misunderstanding.”
Logan chuckles as he takes a sip of his coffee and sets the mug back down. “Your genius brother over here didn’t realize that the girl he planned on going home with had a boyfriend.” He pauses, shaking his head as he rolls his eyes. “Her boyfriend walked in on them making out on the couch and decided to drag August outside before introducing him to his fist.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” I look at August, the disappointment hanging heavily in my voice. “What happened to your only focus being on hockey? First you were fucking around with Poppy and now you’re going after girls who have boyfriends?”
“I didn’t fucking know,’ he snaps, cutting his eyes at me. August sighs in defeat, his shoulders sagging. “Shit. You’re right. I’m letting myself get distracted and it’s going to bite me in the ass soon. I’m already in hot water with Coach for being late to practice.”
My stomach grumbles and I finally take a pancake, sliding it onto my plate. We’re all silent for a moment, both of them watching me as I put some butter and syrup on my food before shoveling some into my mouth. “You need to get your shit together, August.”
“Yeah, I know,” he mumbles, taking a drink of the glass of water in front of him before he looks at Logan. “You’re smart for not getting involved with anyone, bro. Seriously, it’s not worth the bullshit that comes with it. I need to be like you and keep my head down and just focus on hockey.”
A piece of my pancake gets lodged in my throat and I cough, choking on it as Logan glances at me from the rim of his mug. He slowly takes a sip, not saying anything as I finally swallow down the piece of food that was stuck.
“Seriously, Knight,” August goes on, after giving me a weird look for choking on my food. I blame it on him, though, because what the fuck? “You’d be a fucking idiot to get involved with someone right now. We gotta think about our futures—our careers that we’re working toward. The league is the only thing that matters.”
Logan nods, but stays silent as he fills his plate with food. I’ve suddenly lost my appetite and want to go crawl back in my bed. I didn’t expect him to come out and tell August about last night, but the way he doesn’t say anything to him confuses me. It’s almost as if he agrees with everything August is saying right now.
Hockey has always come first for Logan and I was an idiot to forget that—even if it was only for a night.
“You’re coming to the game tonight, right?” August asks me as he finally gets himself a pancake. “Mom and Dad are driving in for the night.”
“Yeah, I’ll be there,” I tell him, feeling Logan’s eyes on me, but I avoid his gaze as I finish the food on my plate. “Good luck explaining that shiner you got to Mom.”
“Fuck,” August groans, tilting his head backward dramatically. “She’s going to be all over my shit about it. You don’t say a word to her about it, Isla. Let me handle it.”
I raise my hands in submission as I push my chair back and stand up from my seat. “I know nothing.” Grabbing my plate, I turn away from them and leave it on the counter in the kitchen. “I’m going to go back to sleep for a little bit. I’ll see you guys tonight at the game.”
August nods, shoveling food into his mouth, and I chance a look at Logan as I walk back through the dining room. His lips part, like he wants to say something, but instead he clamps them shut and toys with his mug of coffee in front of him.
Pushing my shoulders back, I lift my chin and direct my gaze away from him, even though the pain from his dismissal snakes its way into my heart. I leave the two of them in the dining room as I slip back into my room and climb into my bed.
Fuck you and your silence, Logan Knight.