Author's Note: So here I am again with a little something I came up with after I finished The Edge. I hope you all like this story as much as you did my first. I wanted to try something a little different and I'm sure you'll all pick up on it right away. I, again, will probably not post any Author's Notes until the ending. The reason I don't post for individual chapters is that I don't want to feel like I'm coaching the readers through the narrative. I want everyone to discover things for themselves, on their own! Please feel free to share any thoughts or criticisms that you may have. Additionally, I am opening up the reviews to everyone, not just readers with site credentials. I can't wait to hear what a wider net brings in. Thanks everybody!
The Sound of Thunder
"Hello?"
"Hey! What are you doing? Got any big plans for the weekend?"
"Oh, I don't think so. I'm probably just going to catch up on some reading. I've been neglecting my medical journals lately. I've been so busy at the hospital I haven't even had a chance to breathe! What about you? What is the toast of Broadway doing this weekend?"
"Shut up! It's my first leading role and I am so freaking out! Can someone be freaking out and be on top of the world at the same time? It feels like I'm living with a split personality. How 'bout you helping me with that, Doc?"
"Ok, for the millionth time, Camille. I am in oncology. I am not in psychology. Can you repeat after me? Oncology. One more time, On-col-o-gy!"
"You are such an ass, Logie!"
"If I'm such an ass, then why are you laughing?"
"Honey, I work in the theater. Asses make me laugh all the time!"
"I can only take your word for that."
"So, speaking of Asses, have you heard from the guys? How are they doing?"
"Yeah, I spoke with James a couple of days ago and Carlos and I have been sending messages to each other since he lives so far away. Spain must be beautiful this time of year."
"I guess it is. And what about, ah, you know. Have you heard from him?"
Silence.
"Logan, are you still there?"
"I'm here. And, no. I haven't spoken to him in a several months, maybe even closer to a year, actually."
"I'm sorry to hear that. You know, out of all of us, you two were the ones that were supposed to make it work. I wish I felt as much in love as you two were, back in the day. You guys were the ones that gave me hope that someday I'd find a prince of my own, too."
"Yeah, well…"
"In the years that have passed since we were all at the Palmwoods together, I've never asked you what happened between you and Kendall. What made you two split up? What happened?"
"Wow, Camille. I'm not sure I want to get into it, especially on the phone. That is a conversation for another day."
"Okay. I won't push. I just thought that you'd want to talk especially if you got Kendall's invitation. You did get one, right?"
"Ahhh. Now we get to it! You mean Heff Road's celebration of their new album and world tour? Yeah, I got it a couple of days ago."
"So?"
"So?"
"Can you take some time off? That is, if you want to go. You are going, aren't you?"
Silence.
"Dammit, Logan Mitchell, speak to me!"
"That's Doctor Mitchell-Knight to you!"
"Ooooh, la di da! Doctor Mitchell-Knight! Ok, Doc. What do you think about us going together?"
"I don't know, Camille. I think I'm just going to skip it. There's just too much baggage between the two of us. I don't know how comfortable I would be. It – it still hurts, if I think about him for too long. Luckily, my work keeps me pretty busy. I don't have time to think about anything else. Besides, I don't have time to fly all the way to Hollywood and back. There's too much to do here."
"You know what I hear, Logan? I hear someone grasping at excuses to get out of supporting someone who was important to you – to us. I seem to recall four guys who practically took a blood oath to help and support each other even after Big Time Rush folded. You were all friends, close friends. I wish you hadn't lost that."
"Divorce is not very conducive to oaths and friendships – or vows. It has a way of messing everything up in a most definite and permanent way. It truly sucks!"
"You know, I spoke to Kendall last week. He told me that he's excited about his tour and performing and meeting his fans. But I got the impression that he was even more excited at the prospect of you being at his launch party. He really wants to see you, Logan."
Camille had never lied to Logan, until now. She hadn't spoken to Kendall in weeks. But to her, this was too important for petty male egos. She could feel that Logan and Kendall's divorce 18 months ago was a mistake. Maybe it was the romantic in her but she felt that these two had unfinished business. If she needed to tell a white lie or two for them to see this, then she was willing to risk their anger.
"He said that? I can't picture that. Still…"
"Just tell me that you'll at least think about going. Do this acting trick of mine. Try not to think of him as your ex-husband. Picture in your mind that he is just some handsome stranger that just happened to invite you to a big Hollywood bash. How exciting is that? C'mon, Logie. Don't make me go alone."
"Camille! I'm not an actor. I don't think I have the powers of imagination that you do. That's why you're such a terrific actress – a true icon in the making!"
"Stop trying to change the subject. Tell me you're coming with. I'd consider it a favor if you accompany me."
"I can't tell you that. But – but I'll think about it. Camille, stop cheering! I said I'd think about it, nothing more."
"Ok, fine. But it's over a month away and that's plenty of time for you to juggle your schedule. I've already cleared that weekend myself. I hope you make the right decision. It would be fun to have the gang together again."
"Alrighty, then. I have to go and hit these evaluations and efficiency reports from my department. It's gonna be a long one tonight."
"Sure, I get it. Can we do lunch at some point? I'd like to see you face to face for a change!"
"I'll call you. Next week, probably. Until then, Lovely One, I bid you farewell!"
Camille was a treasure in his life. Of all the Hollywood gang, she was the one who had kept in touch with everyone. She was the CNN of their group. They'd always called each other four or five times a week especially after she made her move to New York and began her stage career. He was glad he had someone from the old days living in the same city.
Logan sat in his home office staring at the stack of paperwork in front of him on his desk. He let out a tired sigh and opened the first folder. He began reading but his mind kept straying from his notes. Thoughts of Kendall were in his head. He knew that after Camille's phone call that that would happen. That wasn't entirely true, though. Kendall had been on his mind for at least a couple of days. That's when the invitation had come in the mail.
Logan opened a small drawer in his desk and pulled out the envelope with Heff Road's emblematic design. He opened the formal invitation and looked at the new album cover. There he was. Kendall's face jumped out at him. He was thinner than he remembered, but still the quintessential rocker he'd transformed himself into after Big Time Rush ended.
In the blink of an eye, Logan was lost in the past. He remembered the days when they were just friends and playing hockey together. In school, they'd always had each other's backs, no matter what. They, along with James and Carlos, had been a formidable force on the ice and in the school.
That all gave way to their sudden departure to L.A. Being discovered added an edge and excitement to their friendship. Big Time Rush was where they would grow up and find that their friendship was deeper than either one of them thought. Hollywood was where they'd opened their eyes and saw the light. And the brightest and purest light they saw was in each other. Those had been the happiest times of his life. Young love, with its white-hot intensity, had been the rule of the day. It was supposed to last forever.
He remembered an impossibly handsome Kendall in his off-white tux, holding his hand as they walked their way down the aisle. All their friends and family had been there. James and Carlos had been their Best Men. The ceremony, filled with overwhelming happiness and a few tears, was the best day of his life. The reception that followed was a whirlwind of activity that passed in a blur. But he did remember his first dance with Kendall as his husband.
Logan sighed out loud as he recalled his honeymoon with his new husband. Even Hawaii's beautiful landscape could not compete with Kendall's touch. They'd stayed in their spacious Honeymoon Suite almost the entire week. Both of them were insatiable. They were so in love nothing else seemed to matter.
Everything was going well until the last year Big Time Rush was together. They'd all decided that after 5 albums and 4 years together, it was time to move on. That was when the problems started to take their toll on the marriage.
At first it was silly things like spending too much money on clothes or leaving the cap off the toothpaste. That had escalated into "My money" and "Your money" and how they never seemed to have enough. The shouting matches began around that time. He hated those. He'd tried to remain calm and cool but Kendall knew exactly which buttons to push until it was impossible not to match his decibel level. He'd shed many tears because of those fights.
The final straw was when Kendall told him that they were going to stay in L.A. so he could get Heff Road signed to a contract. He'd known that Logan was itching to start his medical education on the East Coast. Luckily, Logan had self taught and read his medical books and journals religiously even when they were in BTR. At his placement exam, he'd had no problem skipping entry-level courses.
Kendall had signed his band with a record label and began to make plans for an album and a tour, all without consulting him. Not to be outdone, Logan enrolled at Columbia University with a major in biology. When they told each other their news, both were dumbfounded, hurt, and angry – very angry. Neither of them would budge.
Logan left Hollywood and all his friends for New York City. The change would do him good and would give him a new perspective on his life and his purpose. He was feeling optimistic about the new chapter in his life. He was even having regular and civil conversations with Kendall again.
Several years passed. Logan was in a good mood one sunny afternoon until he got an unexpected phone call. Kendall was flying out to see him and it sounded extremely urgent. As if the universe were trying to warn him, the weather turned dark and wet, the thunder echoing in the distance.
The look on Kendall's face told him everything he'd wanted to know. There was a finality to his demeanor. He'd explained that a long distance relationship would never work and that they'd both be too busy to see each other. He'd said he wanted to remake his image with his new band and a gay marriage was not in the picture for his new rocker persona. He'd wanted to put the legality of their marriage to rest. In his hand he'd carried an oversized envelope. He pulled out the papers he had inside and handed them to Logan. It was their divorce decree. The memory of him signing their marriage into non-existence was forever seared into his mind. It had been the most painful thing he'd ever done, then or since.
Logan snapped out of his reverie and found that he was holding his divorce documents in his hand. He stared at them for a moment longer then put them back in his desk drawer and locked it. He picked up the neglected work folder and began to read. He had a lot of work to do.