Page 123 of After All This Time

I clap my hands, giddy at whatever is about to unfold.

Twenty minutes later, Harper strolls in, her blonde hair loose around her shoulders, looking effortlessly stunning. She stops at the bar, her gaze bouncing between me and Logan. "What's the emergency?"

Logan freezes like a deer caught in headlights. His balls? Gone. They've crawled right back up where they came from, so I give him a nudge, hoping to kickstart his courage.

"My shift's done in fifteen,"he blurts out, his voice shaking slightly. "You wanna hang out?"

"Sure,"Harper says, sliding onto a stool.

"Not hang out,"Logan stammers, clearly realizing his mistake. "That's not what I meant. I mean… do you want to get a drink?"

Harper arches a brow. "Dude, we're in a bar."

"Harper!"I laugh, wishing I could save this train wreck.

Logan explodes, his hands flying up. "Do you want to go somewhere and have a real drink with me? And not as friends. I mean, at a place where the night might end with me finally getting the balls to kiss you instead of watching you walk away like I'm some kind of idiot?"

Dead silence.

Harper looks at him as if he's just spoken in tongues, her face turning a deep shade of pink.

"Yeah,"Harper finally murmurs, her voice soft but sure. "We can do that."

The smile that spreads across Logan's face is pure sunshine, and I feel like a proud parent watching their kid score the winning goal.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, breaking the moment.

TOBIAS

Your mom's here. Did you know she was coming?

AMELIA

WHAT?!

TOBIAS

Okay, you didn't know. She rocked up, knocked on the door, handed me a bag, and said she was visiting for a few days.

AMELIA

Why?

TOBIAS

No idea, Firefly. How are you gonna keep your hands to yourself?

I let out a groan that sounds like a dying animal.With a fuck ton of willpower, I think, before typing.

AMELIA

Maybe I should ask you the same, seeing as I can't walk around our apartment without you touching or kissing me.

"Amelia, are you okay? You look like you're about to throw up."Logan's voice snaps me out of my spiral.

"No, not really." I exhale, pinching the bridge of my nose. "My mom's here."

His brows shoot up. "Where?"

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