Page 65 of Love in Pieces

?CHAPTER 25

Abby

Ididn’t realize Ihad fallen asleep on Dallas’s lap, his hand gingerly draped across my chest. I open my eyes, squinting in the light to see him scrolling through his phone. He smiles and puts his phone down.

“Good morning,” he says, stretching his arms above his head. “How’d you sleep? I was worried you wouldn’t be able to sleep after last night, so when you did, I was too paranoid to wake you.”

“Good actually. Did you sleep like this all night, too?” He didn’t look like he could have been comfortable, not in our current position.

“Yeah. This couch is stupidly comfortable. Not too bad for a hand-me-down. Coffee?” he asks, when I finally sit up. He makes his way to the kitchen as Logan appears from his bedroom.

Logan looks awkwardly between us before taking a seat on a barstool. “Eventful night?”

“You could say that,” Dallas replies, no amusement dawning on his features. “The game was good. The twins won. And nothing beats night riding.”

“Cool.” Yeah, Logan has no idea what to say. Surely, he heard everything last night. “You work today?”

“Yeah, but I’ll be done by practice.” Dallas leans against the counter, also seeming to be at a loss for words.

No one says anything for a long while, an awkward silence falling between us. Only the muted sounds of neighbors and the humming of the fridge keep us company. But as I’m about to get ready for the day, still unsure of what I’ll do with myself after everything last night, Logan cuts through the silence.

“Okay, I have to ask, is everything okay? I promise I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop last night, but it’s a little hard not to when you’re the only sound in the apartment at two in the morning.”

I hadn’t noticed how long we spent riding around or sitting by the pond. I felt like it was cut short. It was, but who knows? Maybe we would have spent all night out. But of course, Sam would be the one to send us racing home.

I move to the kitchen, take my coffee from Dallas, and inhale deeply, trying to gather my thoughts. But I truly don’t know what to say. “I’m ... not in the mood to have this conversation for a second time. Can we talk later, Logan?” I try to sound casual though I’m sure it comes out a little uneasy.

He looks between me and Dallas a moment before replying. “I guess.” Those two words come out a bit miffed.

I can’t talk about this again right now. As frustrated as he might be, he doesn’t have a choice. I still don’t know ifI’mokay. I don’t know where to go from here. I don’t know where Dallas and I stand right now. Surely, we’re still good, but after the hysterics of last night, I’m not certain. I said some rather harsh things. I blew up over a single question. But in the moment, and even now, it doesn’t feel like a meager question. I know he was trying to be supportive and get to the bottom of our options, but it felt like fighting words in my head, almost accusatory like Sam.

My gut tightens at the thought. They are nothing alike. Never will be. I push the thought down. Deep. Until I’m sure it’s nearly gone. It has to be. I cannot keep thinking like that if I’m going to make it out of this chaos alive.

***

The bleachers are hottoday, making me thankful I brought a blanket to sit on. These jean shorts are not doing me any favors protecting me from the hot metal. Muffled voices from the field reach the bleachers between the sounds of baseballs clashing with leather gloves.

“Okay, everyone. Two laps before we start!” the coach yells from home plate.

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