I Hate Football Players 3 | 18+

Chapter 56: Ellie

Not that I'd expected anything else, but Logan did just fine on the hot air balloon ride. I hadn't ever gone and was a little nervous myself, that tiny basket and a plume of heat right above our heads, but the scenery was magnificent.

Gone were the city streets and buildings, activity from the harbors, and the sounds of Seattle. The sky opened up, the air was fresh and clear, and the dark evergreens that carpeted the landscape around the rugged dark brown rock on Mt. Rainier, contrasted by the white-capped snow peaks were stunning.

Even with Axel's grizzly-man appearance, the close proximity of Logan behind me and his arms around me while his white-knuckled hands gripped the edge of the basket made the ride back romantic. I happily leaned against his chest and silently watched the quiet, natural landscape that passed around and underneath us.

Once our feet were steadily back on the ground, we thanked Axel then proceeded to the part of our date that I was nervous about. We chatted casually about what we'd seen, the eagles in particular, while I scrolled through the pictures I'd taken on my phone. I directed Logan back to Seattle, right through downtown, then out the other side and uphill to Kerry Park.

"For the record," I admitted as we climbed out of Logan's truck. "I've never been here either."

We walked into the park entrance, past a children's playground along a paved sidewalk path that curved with a black railing for the elevation. In a sweet gesture, Logan took my hand in his and a comfortable silence surrounded us. A few couples and families walked in front and behind us but largely we were alone, definitely no one from campus was here.

"Wow..." At point point, Logan paused at the edge of the railing, gray metal aged from the constant wet weather here. Silently, I stood next to him and took in the reason I wanted to come here.

Kerry Park came up as one of the first search results when I'd looked for romantic Seattle date ideas, along with the hot air balloon ride. Now that I stood here, my hand in Logan's at sunset, I saw exactly why.

Perched up on a hill, we saw all of downtown Seattle and the harbor painted in dramatic colors like a professional photograph. The golden sunset highlighted the water side of the buildings, but cast black shadows over the other sides and made them stand out behind the white towered Space Needle. Grayish purple clouds streaked through the blue sky, etched with orange and red striations, interrupted only by the Seattle skyline and the white peak of Mt. Rainier in the background. The darker buildings glittered from interior lights switched on in them.

I stepped back from the railing, dropped Logan's hand, and took a seat on a worn wooden bench with black iron armrests. Logan stood for a few minutes, where the evening breeze lifted up a few of his short, blonde hairs on the top of his head. Since his back faced me, I shamelessly ran my eyes over his broad, muscular form.

With a quick turn of his head, I caught the sparkle in his eye when he looked back at me. "Are you checking me out, or the view?"

"Yes," I replied as he sat next to me. Even though the bench had space for three seats, I appreciated how he sat so close to me, his leg almost brushed against me. My heart thumped happily when his closest arm lifted and rested behind my shoulders. All of my thoughts were focused on him, this amazingly private surrounding, and how peacefully relaxed Logan now looked.

After a few moments, I nodded at the bag I'd stowed inside Logan's truck during the balloon ride and he'd carried through the park. "Hungry?"

"You thought of everything." He obliged me and handed the backpack over to me.

"I tried," I mumbled, unzipped the bag, and pulled out some dinner containers. "Didn't think to bring a blanket, sorry."

"Still making it hard to top this date," he admitted, shifted away, and I set the food out between us.