Temperature's Rising. [WATTYS 2023]

Temperatures Rising: Chapter 39 (part one.)

Chapter 39 | part one
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Heaven.

        Logan scooped me up effortlessly in his strong arms, the sun glinting off of us as we walked along the sand. We passed by an older couple sitting at the shoreline, who gave us a warm smile and a wave. Logan gently set me down on a blanket he had spread out for us. His thoughtful gesture included a picnic basket with chocolates, roses, and other little trinkets. I looked at him in awe and asked what all of this was for. He sat down beside me, kicking off his Nike slides, and smiled. "I wanted to do something special for you before work today. Plus, I wanted to talk about meeting my family."

"Your family?" I asked, taken aback by the unexpected response. His usually stoic face was strangely animated as he grabbed two champagne flutes and filled them with a bubbly mixture of orange juice and sparkling wine. He produced a container of glistening strawberries dipped in white chocolate, which he placed alongside the drinks. I stared at him, amazed by this sudden gesture, unable to believe that he had any family left, much less one whom he still spoke to.

The layout was filled with freshly baked croissants, a bowl of assorted grapes, and other delicacies. I smiled, admiring the presentation he'd made for us. I leaned in to kiss his lips before grabbing a piece of croissant and popping it into my mouth. "Yeah, my family," He answers, between chews. I grabbed a purple grape and rolled it around on my tongue.

"Babe," I said, pausing mid-chew. "I thought you said you don't deal with your family? I mean, no problem if I meet them but, You told me that you cut them off?" He nodded his head slowly. "Yeah, that's true. But about a year ago, my mom came back into the picture and we started talking again - although not in the best terms. She's changed though; better now."

    "I'm all for mending relationships. And if you want me to meet your family, we can do that too."

He intertwined his fingers with mine and traced a heart shape on my knuckles with his thumb. His deep brown eyes were fixed on me, searching for an explanation.