Page 56 of Spilled Coffee

Logan inhaled sharply through flared nostrils as if forcing himself to stay composed despite whatever storm brewed behind those piercing eyes. He stopped and turned to face Ethan directly now, arms crossing over his chest, a defensive posture that spoke louder than words.

Ethan swallowed but refused to back down despite how much smaller he suddenly felt. He squared his shoulders and took a deep breath before glancing quickly at Brick, who shifted uncomfortably, like he wanted to be anywhere else but here.

“It’s about last night…” he started before trailing off as Logan’s expression hardened.

“What about last night?” Logan interrupted tersely, one brow lifting while impatience flashed across his face like lightning ready to tear open a storm cloud. He groaned then glanced at Brick. “Alright, but make it quick.”

“Thanks,” Ethan smiled faintly, relief flickering as they turned back toward the locker room. He pressed a hand to Brick’s chest, halting him. “It’s personal, if you know what I mean.”

Brick’s easy grin faltered, and confusion seeped into his expression. The look he shot Ethan wasn’t subtle. “Fine,” he shrugged, his broad shoulders rolling with careless ease as he raised both hands in mock surrender before shoving them into the pockets of his fatigues. “Anyways…” His grin returned as he continued, pivoting topics without pause, “I need to grab some coffee. I’m tellin’ y’all, I can’t sit through another one of Cussler’s snooze-fests without a jug of caffeine. Guy can drone on aboutrules of engagement like it’s the most riveting thing in the world.”

He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice conspiratorially even though no one else was there. “You missed a wild one last night.” His grin widened into something sly and wicked as he gave Ethan a knowing wink. “Those freakin’ girls, man. Hell, they sure know how to party. That Abbey… Oh boy, what a minx that one turned out to be. She did this thing with her tongue… blew my fuckin’ mind.”

Ethan shifted uncomfortably as Brick rambled on, but Brick didn’t care. “Could’ve used my wingman, for sure.” His laughter bubbled over as he gave a teasing nudge to Ethan’s shoulder.

Ethan and Logan stood impassive, arms crossed and faces carved from stone.

“Guess you had to be there,” Brick coughed and rubbed the back of his neck before he gestured vaguely to the corridor in front of him. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Ethan watched as Brick disappeared before turning toward the locker room.

He paused for a second, fingers hovering over the door as if steeling himself for what was about to unfold.

Logan pushed through ahead of him, his boots thudding against the floor as he crossed to the far side of the room. His posture was rigid, shoulders squared, spine straight, and there was a tension in his movements that betrayed his unease. He again folded his arms across his chest like armor and leaned against the cage furthest away from Ethan.

The distance felt deliberate.

Ethan let the door swing shut, then wedged his toe against the base. His boot locked it in place—a simple guarantee of privacy.

Logan didn’t look at him as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a pack of gum. Popping a piece into his mouth, he beganchewing fast, the snap of the gum breaking like tiny gunshots in the quiet. He then yanked open the locker next to him and rummaged inside for something—anything—to occupy his hands.

A pen rolled out and dropped onto the floor, and he snatched it up only to toss it back with an audible clink. “So what’s this about?” he finally demanded, straightening to fix Ethan with a glare—chewing the gum frantically, as if trying to mask whatever emotions simmered beneath the surface.

Ethan loitered by the door. “I just…” he hesitated. “I just wanted to say thanks.”

“Thanks? Thanks for what?” Logan asked sharply.

“For last night. You were gone before I could say anything this morning… I thought you’d stay what with it…” Ethan’s voice faltered slightly, then he pressed on regardless, “…it being our first time.”

Logan’s frown deepened, a storm gathering behind his eyes as he gave an impatient wave of his hand to cut Ethan off. “Yeah,” he said tersely around another snap of gum. “You said that already in your text.” His tone was blunt, and he leaned back against the locker with an air of indifference that didn’t quite match how tightly wound he seemed beneath all the bravado.

“What?” he continued when Ethan didn’t respond. “Your feelings got crushed cause I didn’t kiss you goodbye? Is that what this is about?” He shrugged, a dismissive gesture that landed harder than anything he said might have, and fixed Ethan with an icy stare. “You need to grow up, and get in the real world,” he added coldly before dropping his eyes to his cage.

Ethan flinched. “And that’s all you’ve got to say?” His voice cracked, his words teetering between anger and disbelief. He moved from the door and stepped closer. “You’re really not going to say anything about last night? No ‘I enjoyed it,’ no ‘itwas great,’ not even a simple ‘thanks for the good time’? Just this—” He gestured sharply towards Logan, his hand slicing through the air, cutting the tension. “—this iceman ‘I don’t care’ bullshit?”

Logan was now shoving gear into a large canvas duffel, and his head snapped up. His jaw tightened, the hard line of his mouth betraying his frustration. His eyes locked onto Ethan’s, and for a moment, the air between them seemed to vibrate with the unspoken tension. “No,” he said sharply, the word a shard of ice. “I told you before… that part of my life doesn’t belong in here. And you need to get that through your thick head.”

He took a step forward, closing the space between them until they were almost chest-to-chest. His voice dropped to become harder. “The Logan you saw last night—the one who let his guard down—that’s not who I am here. Whathedoes, what he feels… it doesn’t belong in this world of mine.”

He inhaled deeply, his broad shoulders rising and falling with the effort. For a moment, it looked like he might soften, but then he exhaled harshly, shaking his head as if dismissing the thought altogether. “See…” His tone shifted to something bitter and self-recriminating. “This is why it was a mistake. Sleeping with you—it crossed a fucking line I should’ve never let get blurred. I knew it was wrong. Fuck, I knew it would screw things up.” He hesitated, his hands curling into fists at his sides. “But I did it anyway.”

Ethan flinched. Logan’s words were like blows, each one more bruising than the last. His chest tightened, and he struggled to keep his voice steady. “So that’s it? You’re just going to write it off like it meant nothing?”

Logan didn’t answer immediately, just zipped his duffel with a finality that made Ethan’s stomach churn.

Ethan couldn’t take any more. He stepped forward in a rush of emotion to close the distance between them. The weight of hisgear shifted on his shoulders, but he barely noticed. All he could see was Logan—the man who had kissed him so tenderly just hours ago now wearing an expression so cold it physically hurt.

“Look at me,” he demanded with equal parts anger and vulnerability.

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