Logan

159. No More Mistakes

*Aeron's POV*

"Just let me know her movements through the night," Bohannon said.

"Will do, sir," I said.

"What's her status?"

I sighed, "Obviously in distress, she was pretty tight-lipped at the hospital, but that's her usual behavior in these kind of situations. She's well, she's figuring her own things out."

"I see." I drove down the street where I last saw her. She was nowhere to be seen but I saw Desmond walk out of the shadows.

"I gotta go, I'll check in later," I said, hanging up and slowing to a halt. "Desmond, hey," I called out, his hands in his pockets. His eyes looked puffy, but I said nothing as he looked up in confusion and then walked to the truck.

"Aeron, what are you doing here?" he asked.

I shook my head, "Just driving, are you holding up okay? I know it's not easy to see your superior in a vulnerable way."

Desmond nodded, pulling his coat closer, "yeah. I'm fine."

"Get in," I said. He looked at me with hesitation, then shrugged and rounded the corner of the truck. When he climbed in, he looked at me and we were quiet for a moment.

"What's your angle here, I mean, obviously this isn't just you driving around. This is about Natalie."

"Why would you say that?" I asked.

Desmond just laughed, "I'm not stupid, don't give me that Aeron. We both know you're not just here as a concerned 'friend' that's ridiculous. You love her just as much as I do," he stared at me with such a serious look.

I sighed, "Oh nothing gets by you does it?"

"Dude, I see it in the way you look at her, the way you talk to her, sometimes you two even look like husband and wife. I saw it the first night I went to check on her, you were right there. Did you know I just confessed my love for her? She wouldn't let me, could barely look at me and told me that she wouldn't be able to be anything for anyone. What the hell does that even mean? I don't know, she said she's afraid to disappoint me?"

He sat back in the seat, confused, hurt, disappointed, I heard it in his voice and the way it squeaked. Oh sweet Natalie, sweet sweet girl. It's the way I knew her feelings for him were real, that wave of emotion, the way she pushed them away. I remember when she pushed me away.

Give them the option of leaving so she doesn't get hurt.

I knew, because I was the idiot who left.

But I couldn't give him all the answers, because I didn't have many.

"What do you think that means, I mean step back and think about it." I asked, watching the house as I saw a small glow emanate from the window above the porch.

"I mean, we've only been friends and not-friends for a few months, since her accident. Maybe-maybe things are moving too fast, or she's on the cusp of figuring things out post-Logan, and maybe thinking about what we are is too much."

"So then what do you do?" I asked.

"I don't know, I mean we just-we were kind of intimate in the truck, and I thought," He stuttered, "well, I'm-" he looked at me, "Look, I'm not experienced." He looked up at me and I didn't know what to say. "I haven't ever, done THAT. She said she didn't want my first time to be in a truck."

OH.

"You know she wasn't rejecting you, she probably wanted a better experience for you." I said, "I mean, the first time I did it was not ideal, I was still in high school and it wasn't a good time. From what she's told me, her first time was not ideal either. I mean, we've-" I stammered, "just that, she... it means a lot to her. She needs emotional connection before anything really happens and I know, from what she's said, I mean... you must be because," I laughed, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but whatever you're doing or you've done, she enjoyed it."

"It still hurt, what she said," Desmond said. We were both quiet.

"I know, listen Desmond. You seem like a good guy and you didn't exactly come in at a great time, but she cares about you. I mean, enough to tell you what she's feeling. I know what it feels like when she's just quiet, and she's not saying anything. It's the silence that gets you. I'm just here on an official capacity."

Desmond looked at me, curiously, then his eyes widened, "Wait, official? Like the FBI? Is it criminal? Do you think this was a targeted attack? Do I need to be concerned? My grandma is out of town right now, should I call her?"

I shook my head, "I can't tell you anything, but just know, it's in hand. And, if she tells you about running away or anything that sounds like it, let me know."

"You make it sound like something's happening." he scoffed, "and you're not sharing anything useful."

"Desmond, another piece of advice. If you have any secrets in the closet, you better tell her. Her trust is a thin line, and if you break it, it's incredibly difficult to get back." Just then my phone buzzed, a text from Everett. "Now listen, Everett is going to take you back to the hospital," Everett's truck pulled up beside me, and Desmond seemed even more annoyed. "And Desmond?"

He looked at me as he stepped out of the truck, his hand still on the door. "You didn't see me, or him. You saw nothing, alright? I'm serious."

Desmond rolled his eyes at me and slammed the door, walking around to Everett's passenger door and getting in. The truck took off, leaving me back in the dark.

I needed this to go well, no more mistakes.