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The second the hot water hits my skin, I exhale and feel my body start to relax. Logan was right. I needed this. My body feels like it’s been put through a blender, and standing under the spray is the exact kind of reprieve I needed.

By the time I step out, towel-drying my hair, Logan’s already claimed the couch and has reruns playing on the TV.

“Took you long enough. Get preoccupied in there?” he asks with a smirk.

I flop down beside him, letting the couch swallow me whole. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

He chuckles. “You staying over?”

I shrug, already sinking deeper into the cushions. “If you don’t care. Too lazy to drive home.”

“Shocking, with how much energy you have after today,” he deadpans. “But I’m not mad about another night of cuddles.”

Relief washes through me. Not that I thought he’d kick me out, but after a whole weekend with him, I’m still not ready to go home to my too-quiet house.

Logan gets up with a groan and disappears into the bathroom for his shower. I don’t know why tonight feels different. We’ve done this hundreds of times. We’ve spent entire weekends together before. But something about this one—something abouthim—keeps tugging at my thoughts. Maybe it’s just the weekend getting to me. Maybe it’s the way his family treats me like I belong. Maybe it’s the quiet comfort of falling into step with him so easily. Maybe it’s the way I keep catching myself wondering what it would feel like to kiss him. Or maybe?—

I hear the door to the bathroom open, and before I can stop myself, I call out to him.

“Logan.”

He looks down the hall, blue eyes curious. “Yeah?”

I hesitate. The words catch in my throat.I missed you last week. You’re my best friend. I love you. Let’s live together again. I hate being apart. I want you. I think I have feelings for you.

“Thanks for today,” I say instead.

His brow furrows like he knows I’m not saying everything I want to, but he just nods. “Of course. Thankyou. I know my parents appreciated it.”

He pops back into the bathroom for a moment before coming back into the living room. I’m lying the full length of the couch, and instead of giving me a second to adjust, he drops down right on top of me. His head of wet hair is already soaking my shirt, but I don’t mind at all as I embrace him fully and pull the blanket over both of us. We stay like that until he eventually peels himself off me and insists we go to bed before we fall asleep on the couch. I don’t want to move, but he tugs me to my feet.

The second we crawl into bed, Logan is against me, pulling me close so we’re chest to chest, both of us on our sides facing each other. We don’t usually sleep like this. Typically, one of us has our head on the other’s chest, or we spoon. This feels far more intimate than any position we’ve ever been in, and feels harder to chalk up to platonic comfort, but I’m not complaining.

Maybe he felt something shift Friday night, too.

I feel his breath against my collarbone as his arms wrap tightly around my waist. He slips one of his legs between mine so we’re slotted together and I can feel his dick against mine. He’s not fully hard, but we’ve never been dick to dick before. I try to keep it together so I don’t freak him out by getting hard again.

He leans forward, letting his lips graze the side of my neck and linger there. I don’t want to move away, so I stay there and let myself lean into him more because whatever is happening between us, I want it.

8

RYDER

Morning comes way too fast, but after a whole weekend with Logan, I feel ready to tackle Monday. Logan’s already out of bed by the time I wake up, so I pull on a pair of black sweatpants and head to the kitchen to find him sipping his coffee.

“Morning,” he says with a small smile.

“Morning,” I reply, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

“What mug do you want today?” he asks, opening the cabinet. “‘Shh, my coffee and I are having a moment,’or‘I like big mugs and I cannot lie’?”

“The first one,” I laugh because it’s such a ridiculous question. “I don’t needthatmuch coffee today,” I say, pointing at the slightly smaller option. “I feel refreshed after last night. Gonna head home in a few minutes to start work.”

“Give the people what they want,” he teases, waggling his eyebrows as he hands me the full mug, already made up the way I like.

“Yeah, yeah,” I mutter, smirking over the rim before taking a sip.

He grins and grabs his keys. “I’m heading to work. Text me when you’re done. And don’t forget to lock the door when you leave!”