The Logan Brothers

Chapter 7 - Expect the Unexpected

Chapter 7 - Expect the Unexpected

I'm not sure what I was expecting, really. Hugs, kisses on the cheek, and then everything would be happy again? Certainly not. I was not so dense as to think one smile would fix all my problems. I did not, however, expect the Logan brothers to be equally cold to me. They never before had teamed up in their whole lives, but it seemed they had made a pact not to look at me.

I was sitting next to Mrs. Logan, which was definitely uncomfortable. She liked using dramatic hand gestures, so several times during our quiet meal my water glass was almost knocked from my hands.

My mom and Mr. Logan had taken the ends of the table, which meant I had a perfect view of Wesley and Grayson across from me. They were eating very slowly, and never looked up for more than five seconds.

"So what about you, dear, any plans for college?" Mrs. Logan asked me, making me look away from Wes who I had been staring at. I had been hoping he would look at me, but I hadn't been so lucky. Suddenly, I realized every adult at the table was looking at me expectantly.

You know whenever people ask you what you do for fun, and all of a sudden you're like, um, I breathe? Yeah, it was one of those moments for me.

"Um, I haven't really thought about it much," I mumbled, knitting my eyebrows together. Why do adults always ask you the hard questions? If she had asked me anything about The Vampire Diaries I would've been able to answer easily.

My mom laughed, "Of course you have, Honey," placing one of her warm hands on my wrist, "She's been going through my medical books since she could read." Hm, I guess that was true, wasn't it? I found all the pictures interesting, and the process of removing or repairing human organs entertained me for quite a while.

"Ah, so you want to be a surgeon?" Mr. Logan asked me, raising an eyebrow.

My mouth was suddenly very dry, "I...I haven't decided, but I may be leaning that way,"

"Of course you're leaning that way!" Mom exclaimed, "You'd make a brilliant surgeon!" Dipping my head, I shoved a bite of food into my mouth. Being the center of attention for me was basically like I had been stabbed with a dull knife. I despised it, it made me get all sweaty.

Breathe, Imogen, you're doing this for Wes.

Mrs. Logan frowned, "I wish my boys would show some initiative. So far it looks like they're going to end up working at McDonald's."

That made Wes' head snap up, "Hey! Mom," He whined, making an impatient sound. My stomach clenched, those were the first words he had said all evening.

"Actually Mrs. Logan, Wes is very smart. He's really good at maths and science, and-" Suddenly, Grayson was looking at me. I barely noticed it, his head was still pointed towards his plate, but his eyes were sharp, baring into my soul. I gulped. "Grayson's pretty smart too. I'm sure they'll both do great things."

I wasn't sure why I had defended both of them. With Wes I felt a little bit like a mama bear protecting her cub, but I had never felt that sort of connection with Grayson before. But the way he had been looking at me, hurt, almost hopeful had made me want to come to his rescue. No one really talked about him much, he was sort of the disappointment of the family. No one deserved to be treated like that.

Even though both boys were looking at me like I had sprouted a new head, Mrs. Logan seemed pleased. "Oh thank you, Sweetie, you're so kind." Again, my cheeks flushed with pink heat, but I smiled at her anyway.

"Anyway," My mom interjected, obviously not enjoying the turn in the conversation, "Imogen, could you help me clear the plates? We have dessert for you all, it'll take just a moment." Before I could respond Wes was on his feet, quickly scooping up my mother's plate.

"Don't worry Miss Hanson, I've got this," He said, giving her a charming smile. It was the smile he gave adults when he wanted to get his way, I knew that smile all too well. "Imogen, care to help me?"

I couldn't help it, my heart jumped when he said my name. He was looking straight at me, actually at me, jerking his head towards the kitchen. "Y-yeah, of course," I stuttered, hoping to work before he could change his mind. I grabbed my plate and Mrs. Logan's and followed Wesley's retreating back to the kitchen.

Now as mentioned before, confrontation was not my forte. I preferred to leave things as they were and let it smooth itself out. Some things, however, need a little extra push. Wes silently set the plates in the sink, and turned around, arms crossed, giving me an expectant look.

"What?" I asked, eyes growing wide. Looking back I realized how stupid I sounded, but I quite literally was speechless.

"You think I couldn't feel you staring at me in there?" Wesley asked, c*****g an eyebrow, "I figured you wanted to talk to me since you went to all the trouble of having us over for dinner, but now you're asking me what? Imogen, you're the one who's been avoiding me for two weeks."

"I know, but I just- Wait, what?" I was about to go on a long rambling rampage when I Wes' words processed in my mind. "I've been avoiding you?" This was so not going the way I had been expecting it to. Wes was supposed to be freaking out about my momentary crush thing on him, not accusing me of avoiding him.

He frowned, "Yeah. You haven't texted or called me. Grayson said that. " Here it comes, he was about to say it. I braced myself, sucking in a breath. "he said that you came over a couple of weeks ago all pissed off because of that awkward hug I gave you. I just figured you needed some space, but after a week I figured you must really be f*****g mad at me."

If the situation hadn't been so serious, I would've found Wesley's uncomfortable appearance humorous. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, looking like he was either about to throw up or pass out. It was kinda cute.

"Grayson said that?" I breathed, feeling like someone had just punched me in the gut. He hadn't told. Grayson hadn't told.

"Yeah, and I thought-Hey, are you okay?" Suddenly Wes was right in front of me, putting both his hands around my small ones that were gripping the dirty plates. "You're shaking, what's wrong?"

"Wa-" I felt like I was suddenly living in a jar of molasses. Slowly, I looked down at my shaking hands, gasping slightly in surprise. There was something wrong, I was starting to feel dizzy. My lungs felt restricted.

"Hey, here, give me the plates," Wes whispered, slowly removing the dishes from my grip. He set them on the counter and grabbed my waist. I was starting to sway on my feet a little bit, losing my balance. "Seriously Imogen, you're scaring me."

"That hug, you thought I was mad at you because of that?" I asked, looking him straight in the eye. Maybe it was because I felt like I was seconds away from passing out that I had a sudden burst of confidence, but I was ready and willing to face this situation head-on. "Be honest with me Wes, I don't want to be in a fight with you anymore."

His face was meters from mine, so when he let out a sigh his hot breath fanned out over my face, "Yeah, I did. Look, I didn't mean to make things awkward. It's just that...Shit."

The sudden curse word seemed to startle me back to reality. My brain cleared, and I realized that our bodies were pressed together. He was close, too close, but there was no turning back now. I had already started this, I had missed my chance to abort. "Wes-"

"No, just f*****g no," He growled, "I'm going to tell you the truth because at this point it looks like our friendship is going to be over anyway." I was scared, I'm not going to lie. I forgot that our families were in the other room, I was consumed with the painful knotting in my stomach. "I like you, okay?! I f*****g like you and when I'm near you like this it drives me insane."

And there it was.

I sucked in an audible breath, eyes widening to the size of golf balls. He seemed to take that as a bad sign because he quickly let go of my waist and took two steps back. Heart beating through my ears, I gripped the edge of the island for support. I was the one who was supposed to say that, not him. He wasn't supposed to like me.

How the hell had this happened?

"Wesley-"

"Don't worry about it, okay?" He coughed, "I can't do anything about it anyway since Grayson's had a crush on you forever. That's why he tortures you, can't you see it?"

Silence.

Total and complete silence.

I felt like I had been run over by a bus.

Scratch that, I felt like I had been run over by a bus, thrown off a cliff, and eaten by coyotes.

There was no way in hell Grayson - of all people - had a crush on me. We could move to Mars and Grayson Logan would still not have a crush on me. There was no alternate universe that would make it ever possible for Grayson to have a crush on me. He hated my guts, resented my very existence. He hated every breath I took.

And so I stood there, stalk still, staring at Wesley as he had just told me I had been chosen as the virgin for the next coming of Christ. It was like I had sprouted roots and was stuck to the ground, and my mouth had been sewn shut.

He nodded, looking thoroughly shaken, "Alright then, good talk." And without so much as a second glance, he left the kitchen, jumping ship as quickly as possible. As soon as he was gone I was able to breathe again, but I also felt like my feet had been kicked out from under me. I let my whole weight slump onto the island, pressing my forehead against the cold marble.

This wasn't supposed to happen. Girls like me weren't even supposed to think about guys until one day they woke up and met the guy they would spend the rest of their life with. I wasn't supposed to be hyperventilating, trying to get my brain to stop spinning in circles. Grayson and Wesley didn't like me, I just couldn't accept it.

Mechanically, I grabbed the pink box of cupcakes from the counter, took a deep breath, and forced myself back into the dining room. The adults didn't even seem to notice my prolonged absence. They were chatting anyway, oblivious to my flushed and anxious expression. I could feel Grayson's questioning gaze on me, making me squirm.

"Ah, here she is," My mother beamed at me, waving me over. I felt like I was going to throw up. "What kind of cupcakes did you get?" Gingerly, I set the box on the table and opened the lid.

"I'm not really sure," I admitted, squinting. You couldn't tell what flavor they were just by looking at them no matter how hard you tried. They all looked the same to me. "I just told her to give me a bunch of flavors."

"Oh dear," Mrs. Logan made a squeaking noise, placing a hand on her chest, "I'm allergic to sugar, I won't be having any cupcakes."

"Mom, you're not allergic to sugar," Grayson grumbled, speaking for the first time. I was slightly startled to hear his voice, so I looked up at him. He was already watching me carefully, scrutinizing. "I'll take one, I don't care what flavor."

"Okay," I mumbled, hastily holding a cupcake out towards him. As he grabbed it his fingers brushed mine, making my cheeks flush even deeper. God, this is why I should not have been dealing with boys. I didn't know how to act around them, and made myself look like an i***t!

After I sat down, everyone helped themselves. With the exception of Mrs. Logan, of course. My cupcake ended up tasting like pineapple and vanilla, not that I could enjoy it very much. My stomach was twisting and turning so much I thought it would tear a hole through my skin. I knew I had to talk to Grayson, and with every bite, I took that moment was closer.

Eventually, even though I wasn't ready for it to happen, dinner was over. We were standing up and walking towards the door, we were saying our goodbyes and the Logan's were already almost gone. Just as the door was about to close, I popped out and exclaimed, "Grayson, wait!"

Probably my worst move ever. Everyone stopped and stared at me, Wesley with a horrified expression. He knew what I was about to do, and he probably suspected it would end badly. Hell, I half expected to end up dead after I accused Grayson of having a crush on me for years. But I was desperate to fix my friendship with Wes, and that meant I had to get to the bottom of Grayson's behavior.

"I-I want to talk to you," I barely managed to whisper, clasping both my hands behind my back. Dear Lord, I really had gone mental.

After almost a full minute of hesitation, when I was almost sure he was going to say no, he shrugged, "Alright. You guys go ahead home, I'll be there in a minute." I swear I saw Wes' jaw drop, although when I looked closer he had turned and was already stalking off towards his house.

"Oh, okay sweetie," Mrs. Logan said hesitantly, looking between me and her son, "Just don't stay too long."

I heard Mr. Logan sigh, "Naomi, he's a big boy. He can get home by himself." He said, grabbing his wife's arm and dragging her along. That was a huge relief for me, I thought for sure she was going to stay and listen in. That would've been mortifying.

I glanced at my mom, who was still hovering with the door open. Maybe she was too surprised to move. "Mom, you can go upstairs now...You have work tomorrow morning."

By the on her face, I could tell she didn't like the idea, "Well alright, just holler if you need anything." After giving Grayson a warning glance, she shut the door and we were alone. Mr. and Mrs. Logan were just stepping out of sight, which meant they were officially out of earshot. My heart was pounding through my ears and my palms were sweaty. Oh god, this must be what a heart attack feels like.

"So," Grayson shoved his hands in his pockets, scuffing his foot on the sidewalk. "You wanted to speak with me?"

"You didn't tell Wesley," I deadpanned, not sure where the words came from. Judging from the icy fright slowly freezing my internal organs, I should not have been able to speak at all.

He furrowed his eyebrows, "I don't tell Wesley a lot of things, which one are we talking about?" He questioned, taking a step towards me. As he did so he stepped into the ring of the porch light, letting me see him clearly in the dark. He was nervous, maybe even as nervous as I was.

"About that phone message, when I said..." I couldn't say it, the whole thing seemed ridiculous now. Why did we humans have to make simple things so difficult? "Well yeah, you heard it and you didn't tell him. Why?"

I wasn't expecting him to come straight out and say it was because he liked me. No, that wasn't Grayson Logan's style. But deep down inside I knew that if he had told Wes, that maybe I would have a boyfriend at that moment. Both me and Wesley had felt the same way, even if only for a moment, so what would've stopped us from being together?

Apparently Grayson's lack of a big mouth.

He just played it off cool, "I figured you'd be pissed at me, so I stayed quiet."

"Yeah, well we've been avoiding each other for the past two weeks thanks to you," I snapped, not sure why I was angry with him all of a sudden. He seemed surprised too, his eyes widened slightly.

"Whoa there, I-"

I could feel the words tumbling up my throat before they came out of my mouth, and I tried to shove them down. It was my luck, however, that I just couldn't control myself before the damage had been done. "Do you like me? Is that why you didn't tell Wes?"

Silence. His whole body stiffened, and I swear if he hadn't been so shocked he would've punched me right in the face. There was something, though, a little flicker of emotion in his eyes that made me push on.

"That's what Wes told me when I talked to him earlier. It doesn't make any sense to me because you hate my guts. You've tortured me for as long as I can remember and that's just how it's supposed to be. I'm supposed to hate you and you're supposed to hate me and the world is at peace that way." Oh god, I was rambling, and I could tell it wasn't about to stop any time soon.

"But the thing is I don't hate you. I thought I did but tonight when you looked at me like if I didn't defend you too you would be hurt I just had to say something nice about you - even though I really couldn't think of much - because I care about you god damn it. You've been in my life for so long that I just can't help caring about you, you know?"

If he was annoyed or amused by my babbling, Grayson didn't show it. He was still standing very still, unmoving, looking like he had just crapped himself. Surely that should've made me stop, right? But I just couldn't. A switch had been flipped, and there was no going back.

"So do you like me, Grayson? I need to fix this thing with Wes and I don't think I can unless I know the truth. He says he likes me too but the thing is he won't do anything about it because he's your brother and he loves you and all that brotherly s**t. But I guess that's good because I don't want him to make a move on me or anything. I wouldn't know what to do. I've never even been kissed for f**k sak-"

It happened so fast I couldn't stop it. In one giant step - thanks to his tall monster legs - Grayson was on me, grabbing the sides of my face with both hands and forcing his lips against mine. It shut me up, that's for sure. I froze, eyes still open, stunned.

Grayson's lips were rough and chapped, his calloused hands slightly scratchy on my face. He opened and closed my mouth with his own, essentially forcing me to kiss him back. So close up I could see he had unbelievably long eyelashes, ones I would've envied if my brain had been able to function.

A few seconds later he moved back slightly, still so close that our breaths were mingling. I was panting heart racing. He smirked, "There, now you've been kissed." And with that he turned, walking off towards his house with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He didn't even bother to say goodnight.