riptide- outer banks

eighty-eight | i know you

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15 Months Ago

It'd been two days. Two days since something had gone terribly wrong. Kori didn't know what that thing was, just that it was tearing Logan apart. He hadn't been around the past forty-eight hours and honestly? She felt like it was because of her. She felt like he was purposely avoiding her. But she had no idea what she could've done. She hadn't done anything. Or maybe she had and she just didn't realize it.

But it had been two days and she was done pretending like things were fine when they obviously weren't. When Logan obviously wasn't. She just wanted to be there for him. If he was struggling, she didn't want to be shut out or kept in the dark. She wanted to be on the front lines, fighting with him and for him. They were in this together and that was something that would never change.

Kori glanced down at her phone, light eyes checking the time. He hadn't been home in hours, but it was only a matter of time. He'd come back. He always came back. Her gaze wandered past the numbers at the top of the screen, focusing in on the background of her and Logan instead.

She had to smile as she gazed down at the picture of them. They'd taken it at sunset on the marsh when they'd first come back. Her fingers delicately gripped Logan's cheeks as he made a kissy face at the camera. Kori's face was completely overtaken by the grin Logan had put there, her cheek resting against his. It had been a perfect day.

Kori exhaled, letting her phone come back down on her knee. "What is going on?" She murmured just as the sound of an engine hit her eardrums.

Her head immediately lifted. It had to be him. It had to be. She stood up, shortly reaching her window. As she parted the blinds, she could see Logan making his way around back. So that's exactly where she went. They needed to talk. Tonight.

It didn't take long before she was making her way toward him. He stood near the end of the boardwalk, elbows once again resting on the wood as he stared out at the dark water. She could feel her own nerves rising in her chest as she reached him. As she pressed her back into the wood, arms folding across her chest.

"You like the Camaro?" She asked, finally glancing up to look at him.

"Yeah, I mean..." He trailed off as he leaned forward slightly. "As long as the tires remain intact." That's when he finally locked onto her impetuous green gaze. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Kori tilted her head at him. "Well, I might know the guy who did it."

"Mmm." Logan hummed as he stood up to his full height, either side of his mouth quirking up at her little comment. "You might know him, huh?"

"Maybe. But I guess that'll just be my little secret."

Logan chuckled as a small breeze billowed through the air. There was a break in the conversation, which Kori appreciated. It gave her a moment– one that she needed. She subsequently tucked a stray curl behind her ear as she let out the breath she'd been holding in.

"Hey, can we talk?"

There it was. That ever so slight falter to his composure. "Isn't that what we're doing?"

Kori's gaze softened. "Loge, please."

He simply nodded his head. "Okay."

"What's going on?" She asked, focus shifting from either of his dark eyes.

"Nothing. I'm good." Logan nodded again, daring to meet her gaze. "Really."

"Logan," She murmured, bringing her hand up to touch his cheek. "Please talk to me. I know you. And you're not good right now. Just let me in."