Free Vex by Addison Moore

by way of a disjointed cry of laughter. 
    He doesn’t believe me. I can tell by the look in his eye. He’s bewildered by the fact I’d be in a lip lock with, of all people, Marshall.
    Logan picks up my hand. He’s dangerous. Let me take you home .
    No, I try to free my fingers from his grip, but he clasps on a little firmer. I don’t trust you , I say.
    His amber beams tunnel through me with a spear of suspicion. And, for the first time—I’m not sure I trust you .
           

Chapter Thirteen
    Love Like This

    I hitch a ride home with Holden— Holden of all people. Marshall disappeared soon after, to tend to his swollen lip ‘professionally’ as he put it.
    I lock myself in my bedroom and sit on the window bench, watch the lethargic fog float by easy as a dream. I wait for Gage and my heart breaks every minute. I need a muzzle around Marshall, a chastity belt—a shield. I’m a horrible girlfriend. And I can’t let Marshall sway me with his ridiculous glimpses into the future anymore. I mean, think about it, there’s never been anything I’ve been able to stop, nothing at all I can use to my benefit. I bet, all along, he’s been trying to erode my relationship with Gage.
    Gage sends a text letting me know he’ll be here in one hour. He just dropped Chloe off, and there’s a storm on that end of the island.
    I don’t hesitate in texting Logan.
    Can we talk? ~S
    Where?
    Butterfly room ~S
    If I want to keep my relationship with Gage intact, I need to be as honest as I can with Logan—or at least as honest as I want to be.

    ***

    It’s like old times, me waiting for Logan and him crawling down through the hatch coming to see me.
    His hair is slicked back. A trail of woodsy cologne swims over to me long before he does.
    Logan sits Indian style across from me with anguish pulsating out of him like a geyser. We sit there, taking one another in as though we were laying eyes on each other for the very first time.
    He picks up my hands and I let him. He fondles my fingers, molests them with an intensity he wishes he could extend to the rest of my body. A great sadness intervenes and I hold back the urge to cry. I used to know him, thought I did anyway, and now look where we are—lost and broken, belonging to somebody else.
    I don’t belong to anybody, but you . He resonates a thick sense of loss even through his smile.
     I do .
    Who does your heart belong to? Logan is filled with suspicion. Is it Dudley or Gage?
    “Gage.” I rattle his hands off me.
    “Then why were you kissing Dudley?”
    This might be the last moment that I keep my dirty little secret to myself. If I tell Logan, then I’ll have to tell Gage because the last thing I want is for Logan and I to have a shared secret.
    “Emerson knew something about Chloe. If I can find out what it was, I might be able to free myself from her blackmail.” My lips take a surprising U-turn. I’m a little relieved I didn’t tell him the real reason I was falling into Marshall’s mouth.
    “And Dudley can help you with this?” He looks doubtful.
    “Maybe.” Truth is, I hadn’t thought of it until now.
    “So, that’s why you were kissing him?”
    “No, Logan, Marshall was kissing me. I was trying to stop him.”
     “You weren’t struggling, Skyla,” he shakes his head. “There’s something else.”
    “Maybe there is. Maybe I’m sick of being such an open book to you—sick of you holding all the cards, showing me your poker hand whenever you feel like it.”
    “You’re going to hurt Gage. He’s been nothing but honest with you.”
    “I have no intention of hurting Gage ever .” I glare over at him.
    “Did you ever have an intention of hurting me?”
    “Logan!” How could he?
    “I’m sorry,” he looks down, dejected. “I built this lousy boat and pushed it out to sea. I’m the reason you’re with Gage to begin with.”
    “What about destiny?”
    “I guess I dovetailed right into it.” He gives a hard stare at the wall. “Or,