Page 1 of Hypothetical Heart
PROLOGUE
Everyone has heard the stories—the ones about me and Logan Callaghan.
Growing up in a small town like Fairwood, having a crush on your best friend, who also happens to be your next-door neighbor, is bound to be the talk of the town.
Everyone has known that we liked each other and that our parents have been conspiring about us ending up together since we were kids.
But, amongst the speculation of everyone around town, including our friends and family, there is one thing no one knows about me and Logan.
Almost three years ago, there was a brief lapse of time when we were almost together.
We were fifteen years old when I tried to go on my first date, only to come home and find Logan standing on my front porch in the rain.
It was that night when he confessed his feelings for me, and I did the same back, that we decided that maybe we couldgive us a shot.
The “us” that everyone had been talking about for years.
Winnie and Logan, the best friends who are bound to fall in love.Winnie and Logan, their parents are going to be so excited.Winnie and Logan, everyone expected it.
Winnie and Logan, the soulmates.
But everything ended before anything could really begin. Because three days later, my mom got hit by a truck driver who fell asleep at the wheel.
I was gutted. Everyone was. I knew there was no coming back from that.
I watched myself through the eyes of others after she died.
Everyone saw me practically decompose, and every day, I looked at myself and didn’t know where I started, and my mom ended.
So, yeah, Logan and I didn’t work out. Maybe it was some type of sign from the universe that we weren’t ready for a relationship.
Or maybe it was a warning. Someone gets hurt, someone dies. It never ends well. This is what happens when you fall in love, just like it happened to my dad.
Because there are two options when it comes to how love ends: heartbreak or death. And I’ve realized I would rather not partake in either.
1
Flashback: 3 years ago
By the time Winnie’s date pulls back into her driveway to drop her off, the rain has completely soaked my clothes, and my body is shivering as I pace her front porch.
I’ve been sick to my stomach since I watched her leave her house, and I was close to going to the restaurant she went to when I got a text from Genevieve that said:
GENEVIEVE
I don’t think the date went well, Winnie’s on her way back.
I’ve been sitting on her porch since.
This is exactly why I didn’t want her going on this date in the first place. I had been so worried something was going to go wrong, but I had to let her leave anyway.
I sat in her bedroom as she got ready, and I didn’t say a word of protest. I helped her pick out a dress and the shoes to match.
All because I love my best friend and want what’s best for her. Even if that means helping her get ready to go on a date with another guy.
“What the hell are you doing?” she shouts as she steps into the rain, running toward where I’m standing on her porch in an attempt to stay dry, but it’s no use.
Her makeup is still intact, however, which means she hasn’t been crying.Thank God. I don’t know how I would have reacted if she had pulled into the driveway in tears.
