Gravity Happens (Forcing Gravity) (3 page)

“Lizzie again?” Garrett asked
in disbelief as he plopped down on the armchair in the corner of my room.

I shrugged. “Your point?”

“Is it going anywhere with her?”

“No,” I answered curtly, crossing my
arms in front of my chest. “She’s just a friend.”

“What about Logan?”

“She’s also my friend,” I answered, being a shithead on purpose, because I knew where he was going, and I wasn’t in the mood to talk about it.

I was never in the mood to talk about
it, and Garrett knew that, but he still pushed every now and again.

We
hadn’t really talked about my inappropriate feelings toward Logan since the day after I’d told her how I felt. I hadn’t wanted to talk then, but Garrett had pushed, and I was feeling battered and bruised, so I’d told him what was going on. He knew I’d kissed her, he knew Logan was upset, and he was pissed at me because it was my fault.

Then he realized that I hadn’t been fucking around, and I
truly liked her, so he’d sort of let me off the hook. But only sort of, since he let me know in no uncertain terms that my timing had sucked, and it was a shitty move to kiss her when she had a boyfriend.

We’d both been friends with Logan since we were kids, and she’d always been like a second sister to both of us. We wer
e equally protective of her, and both of us would go to the ends of the earth for her. Hurting her wasn’t an option.

And Garrett, being the more level-headed of the two of us, never really did anything that he didn’t think through fully, and I knew he felt I should have considered the consequences of my actions when I decided to tell Logan I loved her. But I wasn’t thinking about consequences. All I could think about was the fact that the longer she spent with her boyfriend, the further away from me she got, and if I di
dn’t act soon, I might never have a chance.

But I was too late. She’d already fallen for him.

And because of that I’d been sulking around the house for months, and my brother was either sick of it or trying to help. I wasn’t sure which, but either way, he kept bugging me about talking about how I was feeling. But I didn’t want to talk about it. Logan’s rejection didn’t sting any less after two months than it did the day she pushed me away.

At least I hadn’t lost her completely, which I feared was a possibility when I
realized how upset she was, because it wasn’t bad enough that I’d kissed her and told her how I felt, but I’d inadvertently done it in front of her boyfriend. He was friends with my brother, and he’d come over to hang out not knowing his girlfriend was at our place. Then he’d seen us kiss, and all hell had broken loose, so Logan had gone after him. After that I was just the jackass who’d pulled a dick move and almost ruined her relationship.

Jase assumed she’d cheated on him, he wouldn’t liste
n to reason, and the jerk broke up with her. I seriously wanted to punch his face in. Did he not realize what an amazing girl he had? If he didn’t, then he didn’t deserve her.

After that, I really hoped Logan would get over him
, and then I would have a shot with her. Yeah, I was shithead of a friend for thinking that, but I’d honestly hoped that in the two weeks that she wasn’t with Jase that she’d consider what it would be like to be with me. I was her best friend, we had a shit-ton in common, and I made her laugh. I didn’t get what she saw in him. Sure, he was famous, but Logan had never cared about that. She wasn’t a star-fucker like so many girls I knew. She honestly liked the guy, and I just didn’t see the allure.

But
I soon realized I wasn’t going to get what I wanted, so I got my priorities in order and did what I could to make things right.

I saw how miserable she was, and
because of that, I knew I’d never have her. She was his, and that sucked. That was when I’d gone over to Jase’s house, told him the truth and told him I’d kick his ass if he continued to hurt Logan the way he was. She was miserable without him, and it was like a fucking jab in the heart to know that, but she wanted him and not me, and I had to live with that. So he went back to her, they made up, and I tried to put the whole thing behind me.

It didn’t work.

Nice try, asshole.

At least Logan wasn’t hurting anymore. That was a good thing. She was happy and in love, and I loved her, so I was happy for her. I guess.

I honestly didn’t know what to feel anymore.

“I thought you had feeling
s for Logan,” Garrett probed.

“So.”

“So, why are you sleeping with Lizzie several times a week?”

“Because Logan won’t sleep with me,” I rationalized. “And I have a healthy sex drive.”

Garrett rolled his eyes. “Grow up, man.”

I honestly felt like punching him. Ever since he’d gotten a girlfriend, he’d been a bit of an elitist dick. I think he felt like everyone should experience the magic of what he had with Ellie, or some shit like that, I wasn’t exactly sure, but either way I didn’t need him on my case. I didn’t wan
t a girlfriend. I wanted Logan.

Of course Logan didn’t know that. Yes, I’d told her, but then I’d untold her
, blaming it on a moment of insanity, and she’d bought it. I’d actually seen the relief on her face. And that killed me, but I couldn’t go on letting her think I had feelings for her. Once she was back with Jase, I was honestly afraid I’d lose her if she thought I liked her, or if he suspected I might try to steal his girl again. And the only thing worse than not being with Logan was not being her friend. I couldn’t remember a time she hadn’t been in my life, and I couldn’t lose her.

“Fuck you,” I responded to my brother. “Just because you’ve always been Mr. Monogamous doesn’t mean it’s for everyone. Besides, I need a distraction while Logan’s with that douchebag.”

Garrett stretched his legs out in front of him. “Well, then, you’ll probably be distracting yourself for a while. Jase has no plans to end things with Lo, and you know how she feels about him.”

I shrugged, knowing I looked petulant, but I didn’t care. This year was supposed to be awesome. I
’d started college, I was living in a sweet house on the beach, and Logan had moved to L.A.

I was stoked when she’d called to tell me she was going to USC. It was the best news, and I hadn’t even been in love with her then.
I’d just been thrilled that my best friend was going to be living in L.A. year-round. I’d fallen in love with her after she’d moved here. And now, because of that, I was a cranky asshole most of the time. And I hated it.

I’d never been in love before. I’d never even had a girlfriend. I’d enjoyed life and sampled different women who crossed my path. It was easy and fun. What I was dealing with now was just depressing.

“How about I set you up with someone?” Garrett suggested.

I shrugged. “Who?”

“How about Ellie’s friend, Kara.”

“She hot?”

Garrett gave me an exasperated look. “It’s Kara Carmichael. What do you think?”

My eyes lit up involuntarily. Kara Carmichael had acted with Ellie on a Disney show for a few years. She was smokin’ hot
.

“Yeah, sure.
Whatever. I’ll go out with her,” I said, trying to mask my excitement.

Garrett smiled.
“I figured you’d say that. So, hey, I’m going to go out for a little bit,” he said, gesturing toward the ocean. “The waves are looking good. You want to come with?”

“Sure,” I said,
fighting the smile that wanted to appear on my face.

Garrett was a sneaky motherfucker
. He knew my weaknesses, and aside from hot women, surfing was second on the list. He knew I couldn’t turn down great swells.

Chapter Three

Logan

“Are you cooking?” Jase asked, coming up behind me, his arms encircling my waist.

It was the first time he’d touched me since we’d come inside, almost as if he was afraid to put his hands on me with my dad watching, but my dad was no longer in the room. He’d gone into his bedroom to talk to his girlfriend, Sasha, who was New York visiting her parents for the holidays, so Jase was capitalizing on the time we had alone.

His lips landed on my bare shoulder, and I dropped the spoon
I was holding and fell back against his chest. I tilted my head back, so I could look at him, and he captured my lips with his, excitement rippling through my neglected body.

I really wished we were back in L.A. in his kitchen that was so close to his bedroom. I desperately wanted to be alone with him after being separated for two weeks. I had no idea how I was going t
o survive the spring. He was scheduled to be on location in New Orleans for six weeks. He was leaving right after the SAG Awards at the end of January, so we’d have roughly a month together before we’d be separated again.

But, I’d chosen to date an actor
, whose career was on fire, so it was the price I paid.

I turned in Jase’s arms and slid my hands behind his head, securing him in place as he kissed me deeply, pulling my body flush against his. A deep rumbling emanated from his chest which caused me to think all sorts of inappropriate thoughts.

“Ahem.”

Shit.

My dad clearing his throat pulled us apart like we’d been shocked, and I wondered how long he’d been standing there watching us. I saw Jase’s face color as he made eye contact with my dad.

“How’s Sasha?
” I asked, attempting to break the tension in the room.

“She’s good,” my dad responded
curtly.

I rolled my eyes. “Dad, he’s my boyfriend. We kiss. Get over it.”

“Logan!” Jase hissed under his breath, but I ignored him.

My dad sighed. “I know you do, baby,” he said resignedly. “I just don’t want to see it.”

“I’m sorry,” Jase quickly apologized. “It was my fault. I won’t touch her again, sir.”

I rolled my eyes again. This was going to get old, and to make matters worse, my dad looked amused by Jase’s vow. I think he liked it. So just to get them both riled up, I wrapped my arms around Jase’s waist.

“Daddy, this is my
boyfriend,
Jase, and we’re both adults. Okay? Just like you and Sasha, and just like you guys, we might hold hands or hug or even kiss, but if you want us to keep our hands to ourselves, then maybe you want to consider censoring yourself the same way.”

My dad looked a little stunned that I’d called him out, but he and Sasha were very touchy. She was always holding onto him and tickling him and kissing his cheek
. They cuddled on the couch when we were watching TV, and she’d be wrapped around him. Every few minutes he’d kiss her temple or she’d lean up and kiss him. He had no room to talk. But I wasn’t exactly sure if calling him out in front of Jase had been the right idea.

Thankfully the stunned look on his face slowly turned to amusement
, so I knew I didn’t have anything to worry about. He might say something to me later, but he wasn’t going to go off on me in front of Jase, so that was good. Jase looked awkwardly uncomfortable, though, so I handed him a knife and an onion.

“Can you chop this for me, babe
?”

“Sure,” he grunted, so I elbowed him in the ribs.

“It’s fine,” I whispered to him. “Let it go.”

I
looked up at my dad, and he winked at me. Then he mouthed, “Well played,” and I smiled.

My dad could be cool.

“Can I do anything to help, Lo?” he asked me then.

“No, we’re good,” I said, as I returned to the recipe I was reading, making sure I had all the ingredients I needed. Then I turned back to
him. “Actually, can you find a good bottle of red wine that you guys can drink with dinner?”

Jase was twenty-one, so he got to drink. If I was lucky my dad might let me have a glass. He was cool with it sometimes, as long as he could control the environment I was in and I wasn’t driving anywhere.

“You got it, kiddo,” he said, as he disappeared into the pantry.

I looked over at Jase who was methodically chopping the onion I’d given him and smiled. He was good in the kitchen, so maybe I’d keep him close by. That way my dad couldn’t grill him too much,
since I knew he wanted to, and I’d have a helper so I didn’t make a mistake.

“Here, you can mince these when you’re done,” I said, setting two cloves of garlic
on his cutting board.

“What are we making?” he whispered.

“Why are you whispering?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said, then he grinned. “I’m nervous around your dad. Your mom didn’t scare me, but he’s intimidating as hell.”

I smiled. “He’s really not. He’s just protective of his only daughter, and you’re a potential threat,” I whispered back to him.

“I’m not that threatening,” he responded in an equally hushed tone.

I shrugged. “You’re the first boy I’ve ever brought home. I’m sure he’s having delusions of me running off with you and never coming back. Trust me, he’s more scared of you than you are of him.”