The Golden Hour

Chapter 15

A far-off sound woke Maggie. She groaned. Her head felt like it was about to split in two. For a moment she just laid still, cursing the sunlight streaming in through the window. Suddenly the pillow her head was on, moved. She frowned. How could the pillow move? And why was it so hard? She carefully opened her eyes and looked up. Realization crossed her face. She had fallen asleep in Logan's arms, and that was where she still was.

Then she saw him slowly open his eyes. He looked down at her, his long lashes caressing his cheeks. "Morning." his voice was groggy and low.

"Hi." she got out, almost breathlessly. She tried to give him a small smile, but a sharp pain in her head stopped her. She flinched instead.

Suddenly Logan seemed more awake than he was a moment ago. "Mags, you ok?"

She lay still for a moment, her eyes closed until the sharp pain subsided. Did she hear knocking somewhere? She listened, but everything was silent. Then she nodded. "Yeah, just a headache."

He sat up and reached over to the bedside table, before passing her some tablets and water. "Here." He watched as she swallowed the pills and then took the water and placed it back on the bedside table, before pulling her back into his arms. He chuckled, his chest rumbling beneath her face, and pulled her closer. "That's what you get for getting drunk." he said, keeping his voice low.

She pouted. "It's technically your fault."

He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "How's that?"

She snuggled closer to him, enjoying his warmth. "You said I couldn't leave my drinks alone."

She could feel his chest shaking again. "I didn't say you had to finish your drink each time you wanted to dance or go to the bathroom. You could've just left them and gotten new ones."

She sighed. "That's so wasteful."

He smiled and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. "Fine. I'll take responsibility for this one, ok?"

She was about to answer when she heard someone pounding on the front door. "Logan! Are you in there? Logan! Open up!"

Maggie frowned recognizing the voice. "Is that Ben?"

Logan groaned. "Jeez, that guy." He gently shifted her off him and got up. He turned around and looked at her wistfully. Then he was serious. "Uhm, Maggie. Maybe we shouldn't tell Ben about us sharing a bed. I don't feel like getting my face pounded in."

Maggie nodded, already missing his warmth. "Sure."

Logan turned around and went to the front door. He opened it up, just as Ben was about to knock again. "Dude, what the hell? It's way too early for you to be pounding on my door."

Ben looked at him, his face worried. "Where is she? Is she here?"

Just then Maggie came half stumbling out of the guest room. She rubbed her eyes. "Ben?"

Ben's frown disappeared and he pushed past Logan before hugging her tightly. "Thank goodness. I was worried sick."

He let go of her and then looked at them with lowered eyebrows. "Why haven't you been answering your phones? I've been trying to reach both of you for over an hour." He looked at Maggie. "Lisa found your apartment keys in her bag. I was so worried you. Where you slept... Do you want to give me a heart attack?"

Logan stepped in. "Ben, it's fine. She slept here." He rolled his eyes. "Did you really think that I'd leave her on her own?"

Ben looked at him, a guilty look on his face. "No... Yes. Maybe. Look, I don't know. You two hated each other." He looked them over. "Though you seem to be getting along better these days."

Maggie stepped forward and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry for making you worry, Ben."

He sighed, the dark look disappearing from his eyes. "It's fine. As long as you're ok." He stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. "Here. Keep them safe this time, ok?" He looked at the watch on his wrist. "Shit. I've got to get back to Lisa. It's been a rough night." He turned to leave, then stopped. He looked at Maggie, then at Logan. "You'll take care of her?"

Logan nodded. "I promise."

Ben just nodded and then he was off.

Logan turned towards Maggie, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement. "Did you hear that?" Maggie asked. "He was worried about me."

Logan frowned. "Of course he was worried. He's your brother after all."

She shook her head. "No. He always worried about me out of obligation. Because our parents expected him to. This is different. This is him worrying because he wants to."

Logan examined her. She had a big smile on her face, her eyes were shining. He smiled sadly. When would she realize? Even if she drove Ben up the walls sometimes, he still loved her. He pushed away the worrisome thoughts and walked to the kitchen. "How about breakfast?"

She nodded and started to follow him. "Yeah, I could make us..." She stopped, grabbing the counter, the world spinning around her.

He rushed over to her side and gently led her to the couch. "Oh, no. You're not doing anything." He pushed her down so that she was laying down. "I'll make breakfast, you just take it easy."

She gave him a small smile and grabbed his hand, her eyes starting to droop from the pills. "Thank you, Logan."

He brought her hand closer to his mouth and placed a small kiss on her knuckles. "Just sleep, my Daisy."