Page 131 of Hypothetical Heart
Standing in front of me on the roof of the restaurant are Jameson, Genevieve, Eloise, and Briar, all of them sitting at the banister that overlooks the city.
“You didn’t!” I squeal in excitement, already runningtoward my friends to wrap them all in a hug. “What are you guys doing here?”
We haven’t been together since Christmas break. In fact, it’s the longest stretch we’ve ever gone without seeing each other. In the month and a half we’ve been back in school, all of our schedules have been packed, and none of us have had time for anything other than short catch-up phone calls.
I had offhandedly mentioned to Logan last week how this would be the first Valentine’s Day where we weren’t all together, which made me sad. When we were little, we used to get one another valentines and chocolates every year. Eloise’s mom would make us heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast and pink milkshakes after dinner. To us, Valentine’s Day has never solely been about romantic soulmates, but platonic ones too.
Today is meant to be spent with everyone we love, and Logan making that happen only makes me love him more.
“Where’s Luke?” I ask, looking around. I’m assuming everyone else came here after their own Valentine’s Day dinners, but I’m more worried Luke doesn’t think we would want him here just because the rest of us are in relationships.
“He’s…” Logan trails off, trying to come up with an answer.
“Busy,” Genevieve finishes with a hint of annoyance.
Now Eloise looks confused. “Is he with Valerie?”
The Luke and Valerie situation seems to be a sticky one for Genevieve, maybe in the same way Jameson and Genevieve were for Logan.
It’s hard when two of your friends become romantically attached because you don’t want anything bad to happen to either of them, and you also don’t want to be forced to blame either of them if something goes wrong.But I’m not sure why we’re even worrying about it, because there’s no confirmation anything is even going on between them–unless Genevieve and Logan know something I don’t.
“I have a good feeling,” Genevieve sighs. “Because it wouldn’t bemyfriend group if all of my friends didn’t start dating one another.” She glares at all of us.
“Hey, you started it,” Logan says, pointing between her and Jameson.
Genevieve rolls her eyes but smiles, clearly unable to argue. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. At leastwehad the decency to deny it for months."
Jameson chuckles, draping his arm around her shoulders. “We weren’t the only ones, love.”
Before Genevieve can retort, Eloise cuts in, laughing. "Oh please, you two were the shock of the century.” She raises her glass, nodding toward Logan and me. "But these two? Everyone saw it coming a mile away. It just took thema centuryto finally figure it out.”
Logan chuckles beside me, pulling me closer. "Hey, we were just taking our time."
"Taking your time?" Genevieve teases, arching an eyebrow. "More like making everyone else suffer through your unresolved tension foryears."
I feel my cheeks heat up, but the warmth in Logan's eyes when he looks down at me wipes away any embarrassment. "Well, we’re here now," I say, squeezing his hand.
"And that’s all that matters," Briar adds with a grin.
We all take a moment to soak it in—being together, the laughter, the love that’s always been there, even as our relationships shifted over the years. Despite everything, we’ve always found our way back to each other, and Logan… Logan’s been at the heart of that for me.
As the night goes on, we swap stories, reminisce about the Valentine’s Days we spent as kids, and make new memories under the stars. The city lights twinkle below us, but all I can focus on is the way Logan’s fingers brush against mine,how he leans in close to whisper something silly in my ear just to make me laugh, and the way our friends have always been our constant, our chosen family.
He steps up beside me, slipping his arm around my waist and pulling me close. “I thought you’d like the view.”
“I love it,” I whisper, leaning my head against his shoulder. The city lights reflect in the windows of nearby buildings, and the air is cool but comfortable. It’s perfect like everything else has been tonight.
We stand there in silence for a moment, just taking it all in, and I feel an overwhelming sense of contentment wash over me. Being with Logan, in this moment, feels like the culmination of everything we’ve ever been and everything we’re becoming.
By the time we’re all wrapping up and saying our goodbyes, Logan pulls me aside, his expression softer than it’s been all night. "I wanted today to remind you how much you’re loved—not just by me, but by all of us."
I lean into him, my heart swelling with affection. "You didn’t have to go through all of this to remind me, Logan. I already know."
He smiles, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. "I know you do, but… I wanted to anyway."
He presses a kiss to my forehead, just the two of us, wrapped in the warmth of each other and the quiet peace that comes with knowing we’re exactly where we’re meant to be.
EPILOGUE
