Spindle Wood (COMPLETED)

Chapter 39

"Hey, Lo?" Pat asked, leaning over the branch he was dangling from. His face fell in horror. "I mean-"

Logan burst out laughing. He stumbled back against the tree, barely able to keep himself standing. "Lo?" He repeated in between dying giggles.

"I didn't- I mean- Um, I-" Pat was actually fumbling over his words, it was brilliant. Logan felt himself grin and pushed his glasses up his nose.

"I quite like it." He said, dusting down his waistcoat. "Lo." He repeated. "It's nice."

"I'm sorry!" Pat managed to blurt out. He blinked at Logan and dropped out of the tree. "What?"

Logan let out a breath of laughter. "I like it." He repeated. "It's fine, you can keep calling me 'Lo' if you want."

"Oh." Pat looked stunned, to say the least. "Great!"

"Anyway, what did you want to ask?"

"Hm? Oh!" Pat pushed his glasses up his nose. "Hey Lo, what d'you like? Cause we've done a lot of things like I like but we haven't done anything you like out here."

Logan shrugged. "I don't really like much to do with the outdoors." He admitted. "Being inside and... reading is more my thing. Reading, writing, finding things out, making studies-" He cut himself off with a small laugh. "It all sounds rather dull, if I'm honest."

Pat shrugged. He looked like he didn't want to admit that he thought it was. Pat was a very easy person to read, Logan had found. He had an open, honest face. Logan rather liked it.

"One thing I do like to do, however," he continued, "is skipping stones. You know how?"

Pat shook his head. "Uncle Remus tried to teach me," he said, "but I never picked it up."

"Want to try again?" Logan gestured over his shoulder. "The river's back there, right?"

Pat nodded. "And sure." He said. "Don't see why not."

Logan glanced up at a splash. Pat was looking into the river, slightly despondent.

"You need a better rock." Logan said. Pat glanced up at him, glasses sliding down his nose in a way that Logan found - subconsciously - rather adorable. He shook his curls out of his eyes.

Logan swiped a stone from the small pile they'd collected and handed it to Pat. "Let me see how you hold it." Pat took the stone in his hand, confused.

"No, you need to hold it more like this." Logan picked up another stone and showed Pat. "With your index finger underneath and your thumb on top, see?"

Pat adjusted his hand and nodded. "Then, you need to try and get a spin on it, like this." Logan skipped his stone into the river. It bounced twice before it sank.

Pat nodded slowly and tried throwing it. The stone landed with a splash and sank.

"You're still chucking it like you want it to sink." Logan said. He handed another stone to Pat and gestured like he was going to take hold of Pat's wrist. "Can I...?"

"Yeah, sure." Pat said, pushing his glasses up his nose. Logan took Pat by the wrist gently. It felt like his hand was on fire but in a good way, somehow.

"You sort of want to twist your arm when you throw it." He said, motioning with Pat's hand. "Try letting go of the stone." Pat did and the stone skipped exactly once before sinking. "There! Great start!" Logan let go of Pat's wrist.

Pat giggled and clapped. "I did it!" He picked up another stone excitedly and tried skipping it. It sank and so did his expression.

"Hey, buck up." Logan told him, patting him on the shoulder. "It takes practice, that's all."

"Practice, yeah." Pat muttered under his breath as he picked up another stone. "I was never that good at practice."

"I was never that good at making friends." Logan said. He nudged Pat a little, smiling. "And look at us. Just takes time."

"Time, right." Pat nodded a little. "Time I've got."

I wanna age Pat up but that would mean making it June. I swear it's already been June some time in this book-
Bye,
Blaize