one summer at the lake house | #Wattys2016 #tbpa2016

III. him

h i s we d n e s d a y;

   "I'm really sorry Logan," I told her not sure how to respond to the load of information she had just dumped on me. I assumed it had to do with the fact that I was a stranger, some people thought it was easier to get things off their chest to someone they didn't know. I didn't agree with that, I would much rather talk to my parents about anything that was bothering me. But then again I was their only child to worry about. It was probably hard to talk to her father about these pent up emotions. He had a toddler on his hands, a son who was in and out of the house, a daughter away at university.

   And he had lost his wife. His everything.

   "I know I shouldn't have told you. It's just....Since she died I haven't talked to anyone but my counselor and she barely cared. I was just another case, another sad kid, another future train wreck," Logan said her knees hugged under her chin as she looked out over the lake.

   I reached over placing my hand on her shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. "You're not a train wreck. You're a girl who lost her mother," I told her, my brows pulled together.

   She turned to me, her eyes glistening in the rising sun. We had been talking for hours and the sun was beginning to rise over the trees now. Birds chirped overhead and around us. Though the situation that brought us here wasn't a good one it was calming out, serene. "Thanks Edison. I knew you'd understand," she told me as she scooted closer to me and leaned her head on my shoulder.

   A light blush crept over my face and I was thankful it was still too dark for her to make out my features. As she cozied up beside me the scent of her hair filled my nostrils. It was a flowery fragrance, probably a basic shampoo and conditioner set but it was intoxicating to me.

   We sat enjoying the company of one another, watching the sunrise. It was more than I could've ever wished for. Sure she was desperate for someone's company but I couldn't help but be happy she chose mine. Though we had only spoken for the first time yesterday this felt so right, so perfect.

   "Hey Edison?" Logan's quiet question breaking me from my mesmerizing daydream.

   "Yea Logan?"

   "Is your dad dying?"

   Her question startled me and my breath hitched in my throat. I had never talked about Dad's condition to anyone except Mom. It just wasn't a topic I dwelled on because I didn't want to think about it. I sighed deeply before reaching up to tangle my fingers in my hair.

   She leaned away from me to give me a sad look. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean t-"

   "It's okay I was just thinking of how to answer," I interrupted as I side glanced at her. "I know his disease is incurable and I know eventually he might die but he's being treated by the best doctors and given the best medicine," I said as my thoughts floated through my mind of how to word everything. I sighed again, my lips falling into a frown. "I just get worried. I'm worried that he's hurting and that we're forcing him to live. That we're too selfish to let him go because we wouldn't know how to handle life without him."

   Logan reached over and pulled me into a hug. My eyes grew wide as my hands hovered just inches from her sides. I was unsure if I should hug her back, if I should even touch her. Her arms were wrapped around my neck and she pulled me tighter to her as if she were letting me know it was okay.