A purr broke the silence. Logan got up quickly, shielding his face. He looked at the cat lying on his back, watching them. Alex saw that his ears were red. She used her elbows to lift herself up. Brushing off any dust on her clothes. She cleared her throat. She was debating whether to scold Logan or to forget about it. She would really rather not think about it or she"ll go insane.If he wasn"t going to say anything, neither was she.
Alex focused on the cat. Round unblinking eyes were on them. Its tail wagged in the air.
"I guess she followed me home" she finally spoke.
Logan had a hard time calming his heart. That was so close. He wasn"t sure but that accident left him distorted. Alex was...
Alex was...
...
...
...
... so skinny.
For a moment there, he forgot it was Alex under him. When he realized it, things became more awkward. He wanted to be this person"s best friend. Almost mistaking him as a girl was not a cool thing to do.
Logan wanted to clear his thoughts. If Alex wasn"t going to say anything about it, he wasn"t going to either.
"Are you gonna keep it?" he asked. His voice was scratchy but it was steady. It was a good start.
Alex bit the corner of her lip, "I"m not sure. I"d need to ask my aunt"
"Ask me what?"
Logan and Alex set their sights on the doorway. There stood aunt Lilly with an armful of groceries. She kicked the door behind her. The two teenagers immediately lent a hand, each taking a bag.
Alex headed to the kitchen.
Aunt Lilly gazed at Logan after he took the bag. Her eyes stayed on him for a while. Logan felt sweat drip down the back of his neck.
Why do I feel like I"m under a lie detector?, he thought.
Aunt Lilly tilted her head, still staring at him. Logan gulped.
"I don"t think I"ve met you before." Aunt Lilly spoke, "What"s your name?"
"Oh... uh, I"m Logan. I"m Alex"s partner for the English project."
Lilly blinked in surprise. Alex hadn"t mentioned anything about the project. If a schoolmate was coming over, she was sure Alex would have told her. Ever since she started in Woodlands, Alex never had anyone visit her... and she had group projects before...
... so why was Logan here?
Lilly a.s.sessed the young man in front of her. His arm muscles were toned and he had a good height. She guessed that he might be an athlete. One of his notable facial feature was the starling green eyes with golden specks which complimented his medium tan skin tone. The other was his lips. They were plump which made her envious.
"Can I ask you something?" She leaned in, acting as if someone could overhear them.
Logan cleared his throat, "Of course"
"How"s Alex in school?"
Alex"s aunt had eyes full of worry. Logan wasn"t sure how to answer her. Nothing really bad had ever happened to Alex—except for that skin disease rumor which was squashed. Other than that time, no one really had said one bad thing about him. Others were about his quiet and unapproachable demeanor but they were easily overlooked because he was polite and patient whenever they did talk to him.
With me as the exception, Logan recalled. He still had no idea if he did something wrong.
The lady was still waiting for an answer so Logan gave her the safest one he could think of.
He smiled, showing his dimples, and chuckled, "He"s the smartest guy in it"
"I know that. I meant other than that" Lilly frowned, "Does he... have friends?"
An explosion bursted inside Logan"s mind. His brain cells ran in panic. This was a trick question. He couldn"t possibly say Alex and him were friends. Alex would have his head.
"Oh, uh..." Logan started, "I"d say yes but he seem to not want me as a friend"
There. An honest reply. That wasn"t so bad.
Lilly"s brows shot up, "Alex is your friend?"
"Yes, he is"
Aunt Lilly beamed, "That"s wonderful! Alright. Okay. I"ll have to trouble you then to look after our Alex. Don"t let his cold demeanor get to you."
"It will be my pleasure"
See? His aunt was okay with it. This was how the conversation with Xandra should have gone, Logan remarked. The twins were just being too difficult. He was a nice guy. Who wouldn"t want him as a friend?
"I"m Lilly, by the way. Just call me, Aunt Lilly. I"m Alex"s father"s twin sister"
Logan"s brows shot up, "Twin?"
"Yes!" Lilly laughed, "Never met a twin a before?"
"Quite the opposite exactly" Logan explained, "I"m also a twin but this is the second time I met another one. It must run in your family"