Rain streaked the windows of Logan's condo, the dull patter on glass echoing the heavy rhythm in his chest. He paced slowly, running a hand through his damp hair as if trying to make sense of the swirl of emotions threatening to tear him apart. Hours had passed since Jade stormed out after the disastrous dinner with his parents, and he hadn't heard a single word from her since.
The wine bottle sat half-drunk on the table, untouched since she left. Her laughter still haunted the air, clashing with the silence that followed. It wasn't just the tension at dinner—Logan had felt the shift long before that. Her smiles were dimmer, her touch more hesitant, and now, he feared he was losing her.
He reached for his phone again. No texts. No missed calls.
Nothing.
⸻
Across the city, Jade sat curled on her couch, staring at the blinking cursor on an email draft she'd never finish. The rain outside matched the storm inside her. Her confrontation with Logan's mother played in her mind on a cruel loop—those sharp, cold words questioning her worth, her background, her very presence in Logan's life.
"You're sweet, but not what I envisioned for him."
She heard it over and over again.
Was it true? Was she not enough?
Jade wiped her cheek quickly. She wasn't the crying type. But Logan hadn't defended her—not really. He had just stood there, torn between his mother and the woman he claimed to love.
Her phone buzzed.
Logan: Can I come over?
She stared at the message for a full minute before typing.
Jade: Not tonight.
A moment later, she turned off her phone.
The next day, Logan stood outside Jade's apartment complex, debating whether to buzz her door or just leave the bouquet in his hands on the doormat like some pitiful offering. He felt helpless. And Logan Hayes never felt helpless.
The door opened before he could decide.
Jade, in a simple hoodie and jeans, stood in the hallway, hair tied back and expression unreadable.
"You look tired," she said flatly.
"So do you."
An awkward pause.
"I wanted to talk," Logan said, holding up the flowers. "And I'm sorry."
"For what?" Her voice was calm. Too calm.
"For freezing when I should've defended you. For not setting boundaries with my mom. For letting her make you feel… less."
She took the bouquet slowly, holding it as if unsure it belonged to her.
"You should've told her to back off," she said, voice low. "You should've stood up for me."
"I know. I messed up." He took a breath. "But don't shut me out. Please."
Jade looked down at the flowers. White lilies her favorite. He remembered. That made it harder.
"I'm not shutting you out," she murmured. "But I'm not sure we're on the same page anymore."
The sentence pierced him deeper than any insult his mother had ever hurled.
"What does that mean?"
"It means…" She hesitated. "I need space to think. I need to figure out who I am in this… and who I am outside of you."
Logan stepped back, nodding though it felt like a blade twisting in his ribs.
"Okay," he said. "I'll give you space. But Jade… don't take too long. I can't imagine doing this without you."
Days passed.
Jade poured herself into work, friends, and long runs in the park that left her lungs burning and her thoughts numbed. Logan, meanwhile, walked through life like a shadow of himself. The barista at his usual café commented on how quiet he'd become. His sister called to ask if he was sick.
The only thing keeping him sane was the journal. The one where he wrote down everything he couldn't say out loud.
"Today I thought I saw her at the bookstore. It wasn't her, but my heart still skipped. I wonder if she misses me. Or if this silence is her answer."
"It's hard to love someone who's unsure if they can love you back the same way."
"But I'd wait. I'd wait forever if I had to."
He kept writing.
One evening, Jade met Rachel for coffee. The sun was setting outside, casting the sky in burnt orange and purple streaks.
"He's been miserable," Rachel said bluntly. "He's not himself without you."
"I'm not looking to break him, Rachel," Jade replied, stirring her drink. "I just need time."
"Time won't change the fact that you love him."
Jade looked away, the words stinging with truth. Love wasn't the issue. Fear was.
Fear of not belonging in his world. Fear of losing herself in his spotlight. Fear that love wouldn't be enough.
"I just don't know if I fit in," she whispered.
Rachel reached across the table and grabbed her hand.
"You don't need to 'fit in.' You just need to stand tall."
That night, Logan opened his door to find a small box sitting on his doorstep. No name. No card. Just his name written in neat handwriting.
Inside: his journal.
And a note.
"You don't have to wait forever. Just a little longer. —J"
He exhaled deeply, clutching the note like a lifeline.
Three days later, Jade showed up at his office.
He stood from his desk, stunned. Her presence was a beam of sunlight cutting through clouds.
"Jade—"
"I'm not here to fix everything in one talk," she said. "But I've done some thinking. And I realized something."
He held his breath.
"I'm scared, Logan. Not of you. But of losing myself again. Of becoming someone I don't recognize just to keep up with you."
"You never have to do that," he said immediately. "I don't want anyone but you. The real you."
She smiled sadly. "You say that now. But your world—your family—your spotlight… it swallows people whole."
"Then let's create our own world. One where no one's swallowed, where we both shine."
Jade's eyes shimmered, but she nodded.
"Okay. Let's try."
He stepped around the desk and wrapped her in his arms, relief flooding through him.
She didn't pull away.
⸻
Later that night, as they lay side by side in his condo, the rain began again.
But this time, it sounded softer.
Like renewal.
Logan turned to her. "So… what now?"
Jade rested her head on his chest.
"Now we take it slow. We rebuild. And we be honest even when it's hard."
He kissed her forehead. "Deal."
Outside, the city lights shimmered like stars reflected in puddles.
Inside, for the first time in a long while, everything felt still.
But stillness never lasted long.
Not for them.
Because the next morning, as Jade reached for her phone, a new message popped up from an unknown number.
And the contents of that message would change everything.
TO BE CONTINUED…