She smiled and tried to sit up on the kitchen counter. On her third attempt, she huffed and motioned for me to help her. I lifted her by her waist and placed her on it. "You're so little."

She snorted. "I know. I have the body of a twelve-year-old boy,"

I threw my head back in laughter. "Not true, Luce. You're hot. You just don't care that you are."

"Aw, that's so nice."

I shrugged and leaned against the fridge. "It's the truth."

"Cameron wants us to move in together. Get an apartment, and all that."

"Yeah? I'm surprised you haven't already."

She picked at her nails. "I want to, but my dad wants us to wait until we're married, or at least engaged."

"What? Does your dad know that Cam practically lived in your cabin?"

She laughed quietly. "I think he's in denial."

"So what are you going to do?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I think he wants to do it for the wrong reasons."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed. "Some stuff happened when you were gone, and he thinks this might fix it."

"What stuff?" I straightened a little, paying full attention. "Fix what?"

"Nothing." She shook her head. "Not important. So you and Amanda?"

I couldn't help the smile that took over. "I'm hoping she might want to spend some time with me, you know? Maybe I can try to convince her to give me another chance. I mean—whatever was there before I left—it's still there."

"And you think she feels the same?"

"I can't be sure, but there's always this . . . I don't know . . . intensity? It's like when we're together, nothing else exists." I paused. "You didn't speak to her at all when I was gone?"

She shook her head. "No. She told us that she just needed some time, and that she'd contact us when she was ready, but she never did. I miss her, but what can I do? Cam even spoke to her when he dropped off the car; he told her to call me. I guess it was just too painful for her."

I cleared the lump in my throat.

She continued, "Sometimes it's just timing, Logan. Two hearts can beat as one, even if they aren't synced. Maybe that's what it was with you two. Maybe you just need to find the right rhythm, the right timing. Maybe now's that time for you guys."

"Maybe," I told her. "I mean I hope so. I want to be together, like you and Cameron are. I want her to be my Lucy. My forever."

She smiled huge. "Then what are you waiting for?" she jumped off the counter. "Go get her."

I grabbed my keys off the counter.

"I plan to."

Amanda

"What's gotten into you?" Alexis eyed me from the across the kitchen. We both stood in our pajamas, drinking coffee.

"What do you mean?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't play dumb. I've known you since we came out of our mamma's coochies, who's the guy?"

"What?" I faked ignorance. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

She took two steps forward and pinned me against the counter. I waited while her gaze roamed all over my face. "Logan's back, isn't he?"

"What?" I screeched. "I mean—no—I don't know. Is he?" Smooth.

"You bitch. When did he get back, and why haven't you told me?"

I sighed, defeated. "I saw him three days ago."

She looked towards the hallway, then back at me. My eyes followed. "What?" I asked.

Her grip on my arm was tighter than necessary when she pulled me into my room. "Talk," she said.

"I don't know. I saw him at a party, and then . . ." I shrugged. I shouldn't have added anything.

"And then what?" she whisper-yelled, leaning against my door.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, don't change the subject. And then what, Dim?"

I sat on my bed. "And then we went to a park and talked for a bit."

"What else?"

"Nothing else."

She crossed her arms. "Quit lying."

"Fine," I huffed. "And then we ended up back at his place."

"WHAT?"

"Shut up! Nothing happened, we just talked."

"You just talked?" she repeated, disbelief laced in her tone.

"Yes," I tried to convince her. "And I slapped him."

"WHAT?"

What the hell? I may as well tell her all of it. "And then I saw him at the bookstore, and the gym, and I punched him, and then we had lunch . . ."

"WHAT?" she said again.

I laughed. "Have you finally run out of shit to say?"

"Shut up."

I laughed again.

She sat on the bed and dramatically flung her body backwards. "This is bad," she said.

"What are you talking about? It's fine. Nothing's happened."

"Yet."

"So you randomly bumped into each other at all these places; it wasn't planned?"

"No, of course it wasn't planned. I wouldn't do that."

She sat back up and turned her body to face me. "Amanda, I need you to be serious for a second." She spoke down to me, like I was a kid, and held both my hands in hers. "Do you want something to happen?"