Page 56 of Ripple Effect

“Gladly,” he mutters, heading for his car.

But before he can disappear entirely, I call out after him. “Oh, and Logan?” He turns, and I offer my parting shot. “Your team has really gone to the fucking gutters since Hayes graduated.”

Logan swears at me, slamming his car door with enough force to echo through the quiet morning. And then, he peels out of the parking lot. His departure leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but I shake it off, turning my attention back to the light in Daisy’s window.

That glinting promise of peace.

22

DAISY

A soft,rhythmic knock echoes through the apartment, jolting Gracie and me from our spot on the couch.

“It’s just me,” Elio calls, and a knot of tension finally uncoils from my chest.

Dragging in a shaky breath, I cross the room and pull open the door. Elio’s dark eyes are filled with a quiet concern. His jaw is set, but his lips curve into a gentle smile.

“Hey,” he says softly, slowly stepping across the threshold. He’s cautious, wary of the fragile air surrounding me.

“Hey, stranger,” I murmur, the words a hushed sigh of gratitude.

I lead him inside, and his eyes meet mine for a moment before skittering away, scanning the apartment. He gives a quick nod to Gracie, who’s still sitting where I left her on the couch, and then makes a gesture down the hall.

“You want to go to my room?”

“Yeah,” he says, voice still soft. “I think we should probably talk for a minute.”

“Shouldn’t we go back to your place first?” I ask, worrying over my bottom lip. “I feel like you should be in bed right now resting, away from all the chaos.”

He gives me a long, disapproving look. “Daze, come on.”

“Fine, we’ll stay here. But just for a bit.”

I blow out a breath and then guide him down the hallway to my room. We sink onto the edge of my mattress together, the worn comforter bunching beneath us, the side of his thigh pressing into mine. I turn my head to meet his concerned gaze.

“So, talk to me,” he says, smoothing his hands over his thighs. “Tell me what happened.”

“Well, Logan was just standing out there when I first showed up. Pacing around the door like some sort of stalker,” I tell him, my voice still shaky, fingers tapping against my knee. “It was weird—he tried to hug me as soon as I walked up, and when I didn’t reciprocate, he instantly turned nasty. I’ve never seen him act that way before.”

The words tumble out, a torrent of emotions. Elio snorts out a breath, but he remains quiet for the most part, letting me tell my side of the story.

“He asked me what happened to the ‘sweet Daisy’ he used to know. And I—I told him that girl was cheated on by someone she trusted.” I let my shoulders slump. “He finally told me he was sorry for what he did. But it was so strange. It all felt like it came out of nowhere because it’s not like he bothered to apologize when it first happened.”

Elio keeps his eyes on me, but my gaze stays locked on my hands, fingers twiddling in my lap. He slides one palm over the back of mine, a silent show of support, a lifeline I’m eager to cling to.

“He’d been asking around about you,” I continue. “He found out about Everett, about AfterDark. He said he wanted to warn me. That he heard you on the phone the other night and thought ... Well, he obviously thought we were having sex.”

Elio stiffens beside me, but he says nothing as his grip on my hand tightens.

“Logan accused me of hiring you,” I say, embarrassment creeping into my voice. “He said he’s heard of this kind of thing before. I guess he thought ... I wanted some sort of a ‘spice coach’ to ... learn how topleasesomeone. He thinks I’m doing all this just to get him back.”

“Jesus, Daisy.”

“He said that he loved me,” I say, the words catching in my throat. “He said he realized that sex isn’tthatimportant to him anymore, and he just ... He couldn’t believe I would ‘stoop so low.’”

A harsh stinging sensation pricks at the back of my nose, but I force the tears back. I refuse to cry over Logan. Not now, not ever again.

“When I told him to leave, he wouldn’t,” I finish, my voice shaking with pent-up emotion. “Gracie tried to reason with him. We called Max, but he didn’t answer. With everything you have going on, I just didn’t want to drag you back into this.”

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