The Golden Hour

Chapter 18

Maggie turned off the stove and fetched a bowl from the cupboard. She chewed her lip as she scooped the porridge into the bowl. Logan had been sleeping since he ceremoniously chased her out of his house. She had thought about leaving, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't leave him alone. She was too worried. So she stayed by his side the whole night.

She walked towards the bedroom, the smell of melted butter and sugar following her. She had decided that she was helping him no matter what he said. If he wanted to shout at her, that was fine. If he gave her the silent treatment, she would endure it. But she was not leaving him. Not again. There was no use denying it anymore. She knew it the moment she laid eyes on him after two weeks. She was hopelessly in love with him. She couldn't bear not having him in her life. She would just have to endure it and hide it as best she could.

She entered the bedroom just as he was waking up. She swallowed, trying to push down her nerves. "Morning." she said as she sat down.

Wordlessly he sat up and just nodded, rubbing his bed head, still half asleep.

She bit down the smile that was creeping onto her face. He was just too cute. She handed him the bowl. "Here. You should eat something."

He stared at her and for a moment she wondered if he was going to tell her to hit the road again, but he just took the bowl. "Thanks."

He slowly started eating. The room was filled with an awkward, tense air. She swallowed. It took everything in her not to dash out the door. At least he was eating the porridge. As he ate, she opened the curtains, letting in some sunlight, hoping it would not only brighten the room, but also the atmosphere. "You should take a shower. You'll feel better when you're a bit cleaned up." she said as she pulled on the curtains.

She noticed that the clinking of the spoon against the bowl had stopped and turned around. He was looking down at his clothes, a puzzled look on his face.

He looked at her quizzically. "These aren't the clothes I put on yesterday morning?"

She nodded and then proceeded to tell him about his fever and how she put him in the shower to cool him down. "I couldn't put you back in bed with wet clothes, so I changed them."

He looked at her with wide eyes and she could almost swear that she saw a slight blush creep into his neck.

She held back a laugh and instead forced a small smile. "Don't worry, I didn't do anything weird. I'm not a pervert."

He shot her a pointed look. "That's exactly what a pervert would say."

She shook her head and held her hand over her heart. "Honest. I did it quickly and I tried to look as little as possible."

He shot her a sudden grin, and she nearly melted. "Well, that's awfully boring."

At this, she gave a small laugh. "Sorry, next time I'll feel you up a bit more."

Logan chuckled. Then there was a short silence. The awkwardness was swallowing the short reprieve again. She hated that they couldn't relax around each other, but she also knew it was her fault.

He ate a few more bites of porridge then sat the bowl on the bedside table. He looked at her and sighed. "What are we doing, Maggie?"

She shook her head. "I don't know." She looked at the ground and when she looked up again, her eyes were full of tears. She was tired. Tired of trying to deny her feelings. Tired of worrying about his reaction. Tired of avoiding him. She just wanted to be with him. She swallowed hard. "I just know that I missed you."

Logan studied her face. "Then why did you stay away?" he asked quietly.

A simple question. Maggie ran her hand through her hair. "Because I'm an idiot." Then the first tear rolled down her cheek. She looked down and quickly wiped it away.

He was silent for a moment. Then he spoke, his voice deep and low. "Don't just stand there and cry."

She looked up, ready to face his anger. Ready to be chased away. Instead, he held out his hand towards her. Without another thought, she crossed the room and took it. He gently pulled her towards him and then enveloped her in a hug. Then he swung her over his body so that she was lying next to him.

Without losing a second, Maggie snaked her arms around his body and buried her head in his chest. For a while, they stayed that way. She breathed him in, snuggling closer. He placed small kisses on her temple and her heart wanted to jump out of her chest. It was like she could finally breathe again.

"Maggie." he whispered in her ear before kissing her temple again.

Goosebumps erupted all over her skin and it felt like her skin was on fire. For the first time in two weeks she felt like herself. She wished they could stay this way forever, never letting go.

Logan gently caressed her hair. "Please tell me why you were avoiding me?" His voice was soft and low.

She opened her eyes and looked up into his. They were pleading with her, desperate to know the answer to his question. She felt herself falling deeper under his spell. She swallowed hard and trained her eyes on his chest. "Because I'm in love with you." she whispered.

Her stomach dropped. There. She said it. There was no taking it back now. It felt like her whole body had gone numb. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop. She gathered her remaining courage and then looked up. His brows were knotted together.

"Is that ok?" she asked quietly. "I don't want to ruin our friendship because of my feelings. I don't want you to feel awkward around me. I can't lose you completely."

Suddenly he laughed, his grey eyes clearing up. He looked down at her. "That's why you avoided me?" Then his expression was suddenly serious. He cupped her face. "Of course it's ok, Mags." He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. For a moment shock had taken over her body and she could only lie there. Then he pulled away. "Mags, I'm so in love with you it's not even funny."

Maggie looked at him with wide eyes. Her heart was beating so fast that she was sure it would explode any second. Did she hear him correctly?

"You are?" she asked, shocked.

Logan nodded, his eyes quietly studying her. "Yeah. I don't know how. I don't know when. I thought I hated you. And then one day, I realized I didn't. Instead, I wanted to protect you, care for you. I wanted you to be happy. You're all I think about. All I dream about. Being with you is always the best part of my day. And these last two weeks without you have been my own personal hell."

Maggie thought she was going to pass out. She never knew a person could feel this happy. Then she felt her heart twinge. She was such an idiot. She hadn't even realized how much she was hurting him. She hadn't even considered that he may feel the same way. "I'm sorry, Logan. I'm really sorry."

He shook his head and then placed another kiss on her temple. "Forget about it. Just promise me that you'll never leave me again?"

She nodded. "Never in my life."

He smiled. "Good. Don't forget it. I'm never letting go of you again, my Daisy."

With that, he leaned down and kissed her again.