Unlikely Hearts - Logan Huntzberger

Chapter Twelve

The dining room was filled with the rich aroma of roasted chicken and fresh herbs, mingling with the laughter and chatter of family. Atlas and Alouette sat across from their parents at the large wooden table, the golden glow of candlelight casting soft shadows on the walls. It was one of those rare evenings when everyone was home, and the warmth of their presence felt comforting.

As they enjoyed dinner, Alouette's phone buzzed on the table, revealing a text from Logan. Can't wait to see you at dinner ;). She hadn't thought much of it, but as her parents chatted away, she felt an inexplicable tension building in her chest. She had half-hoped that he wouldn't show up.

"Who's that?" Atlas asked, eyeing her phone.

"Just a reminder from a friend," she replied, trying to dismiss his curiosity.

The front door swung open with a creak, and her heart sank. Logan strode into the dining room, his usual swagger on full display. He wore a casual outfit but still somehow managed to look effortlessly stylish. Behind him was his Honor, his mother Shira, and his father Mitchum, warmly greeting Alouette's father and step mother.

"Looks like we're in for a lively evening," Atlas muttered under his breath, a warning glance shot in Alouette's direction.

"Great," she mumbled back, rolling her eyes. The tension between her and Logan had been simmering since their last encounter, and now, here they were, forced to share a table.

Logan slid into the chair next to Alouette, the proximity igniting a spark of annoyance and a rush of unwanted familiarity. She could feel his presence like a weight pressing down on her, and she refused to let him see how much his nearness affected her.

Dinner commenced, and conversation flowed easily among the adults, but the atmosphere between Logan and Alouette was a charged battlefield. He turned to her with a smirk, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "So, how's life treating you, Priscilla?"

Alouette shot him a glare, her jaw tightening. "How's the boxing training going? I heard they're putting you in the ring with toddlers next."

The banter escalated, each remark sharpened by their underlying frustrations. Logan leaned in closer, his voice low enough to be heard only by her. "How's Alex? Still managing to be the most boring 'boyfriend' on the planet?"

The question hung heavy in the air, and Alouette felt her cheeks flush. She could feel her parents' attention flickering toward them, the disapproving glances growing more frequent.

"Not that it's any of your business," she shot back, kicking him under the table.

He recoiled slightly, the playful glint in his eyes dimming as he registered her annoyance. She wasn't about to let him provoke her in front of her family.

"Oh, come on, Lou. Just trying to lighten the mood," he said, feigning innocence.

"By making me uncomfortable?" She retorted, her voice low but firm. "How thoughtful of you."

Logan opened his mouth, likely to continue their back-and-forth, but Atlas cut him off. "Can we not? I'd rather not have a front-row seat to this exchange." He turned to Honor and her fiancé, Josh, who were engrossed in a conversation about wedding plans.

Alouette tried to shift her focus, engaging in the discussion about Honor's upcoming wedding. But every time she felt she was getting somewhere, she could sense Logan's eyes on her, simmering with a mix of frustration and something she couldn't quite decipher.

"Seriously, how is Alex?" Logan interjected loudly, his voice slicing through the more subdued conversations around the table. "I heard he's not exactly a social butterfly."

Alouette kicked him again, harder this time. The moment of silence that followed felt deafening as the adults surrounding them exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Logan," she hissed, gritting her teeth.

Logan smirked, clearly enjoying himself. "What? Just making conversation. You're going to let your boyfriend know I'm thinking of him."

"Maybe if you cared about my feelings, you'd realize how inappropriate this is," she shot back, voice low but fierce.

Her father, Chuck, hearing the tension in her voice, raised an eyebrow. "What's going on between you two?" he asked, his tone serious.

"Nothing," they both said in unison, their eyes narrowing at each other. Alouette felt her heart race as she fought to maintain her composure. She glanced at Logan, who was leaning back in his chair with an infuriating grin.

Atlas sighed, clearly fed up. "Can we please focus on the dinner? Let's leave the bickering for another time." He shot Logan another warning glance.

"Fine," Logan said, raising his hands in mock surrender. But Alouette could see the glimmer of mischief in his eyes, a challenge that sparked something inside her—a mix of annoyance and excitement.

As the plates were cleared, Alouette was left wondering if she would ever be able to escape the chaos Logan brought into her life—or if she even wanted to. Just as the conversation shifted back to wedding plans, Logan leaned toward her, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Need a bathroom break, Lou?"

The memory of that night flooded her mind—her drunken escapade and their chaotic rendezvous in the bathroom, and later in his bed. She shot him an incredulous look, heat rising to her cheeks. "Shut up, Logan."

The corner of his mouth twitched upward in a grin, and for a fleeting moment, she felt the weight of the world lift just enough to entertain the idea of their playful banter. But just as quickly, the tension returned, a reminder that their dynamic was anything but simple.

"Okay, okay. Just checking," he said, feigning innocence as he leaned back in his chair again.

The dinner wound down with the remnants of awkward silence and glances thrown in Logan's direction, leaving Alouette feeling more trapped than ever. She wished she could figure out how to push him away for good while also acknowledging that the fire between them was harder to extinguish than she'd like to admit.