Alice: Okay, so the everyday update thing did not work. I got a bad cold, and I couldn't write.

Emily: So sorry! This will be chapter 10. Seven chapters to go! I'm planning on finishing this by next week, so I'm going to try to update as often as I can.

Alice: That's the plan! Well, I hope you all enjoy the next chapter.

Emily: This weekend I'm most likely not going to update due to a weekend party, so some days might have double updates.

Alice: And on with the chapter!

Chapter 10

Of all the things James expected that day, Kendall Knight storming into his office was not one of them. The blonde threw open the doors almost harshly forcing James to jump in surprise and a bit of fear. If Kendall noticed he scared James, he didn't say anything. In fact, he simply started to pace about the room, eyes narrowed at the carpeted ground. James was about to open his mouth and ask why he wasn't at his company but decided against it. Clearly Kendall was so lost in thought that if James spoke, he wouldn't be able to hear. So James just went back to his papers and acted as though Kendall didn't just storm into the room without warning.

It took around five minutes for Kendall to finally speak. "I'm not that good with feelings."

"Feelings?" James asked disbelievingly. Kendall skipped a day of work to talk about his feelings? Or lack of? It baffled James completely. What did Logan do to the once coldhearted man? Whatever it was, James silently reminded himself to thank the boy later. "You mean Logan?"

"Who else would I be talking about?" Kendall snapped. "You'd have to be blind and deaf to not know how I feel about that kid!"

"So what's the problem then?" So Kendall did realize how obvious his feelings were.

"Logan's blind and deaf!" he exclaimed bitterly. "I took him out on a date, and he didn't realize it was a date! Am I that really that bad at expressing how I feel? James? Why the hell are you laughing at me?"

James' laughing increased in volume at the last question. After all they've been through, after every rough patch and downfall, Kendall finally came back to him to talk about how to express his emotional state. "Sorry," James snickered. "It's just; remember when you had that huge crush on Jo when we were in high school? You were showing your love for her but trying to be subtle. She understood your hints and debated asking you out on graduation night but you disappeared. Now you've met someone new and you're practically screaming 'I like you' at them, and they don't have a clue."

"Shut up," a hint of a smile crossed Kendall's face. "It's not the first time someone's misunderstood my intentions."

"I know," James beamed. "So many women thought you were in love with them and you had to set them straight."

"I was actually talking about you and Carlos," Kendall sat down on the chairs across from his desk. "You really think I contacted Diamond Cosmetics because my company needed your support? Or that I kissed Carlos because I was really bored? Or that was I really tolerant of Jo when she was a brat just because she was a good lay? "

James gaped at the man, trying to make sense of what he was saying. Yes, he's heard the insults to all of them and the glares their way. But were they out of hate or screaming for attention? The small acts of kindness Kendall's done for them flooded through his head. All of the contrasting ideas swelled in his head, trying to make sense of it all. Kendall cared all along. It just took Logan for him to try and reach out to them. "You care." He lamely stated.

Kendall snorted. "Took you long enough. When I contacted you, I didn't really think about what I was doing. Just that I needed to do it. I was an asshole, I admit that. I tried thinking that it was all strictly business and maybe that I didn't want your friendship. I do. I always have. Maybe I was trying to relive high school days by intervening with Carlos' love life and hooking up with Jo."

"You broke Jo's heart," James contradicted.

Kendall shrugged. "I taught her a valuable lesson and she got a good paying job and fiancé out of it. I was harsh, but she did come onto me too. I just realized I wasn't into her anymore, and I did express that many times."

"So when you were being nice to Camille…"

"She's a part of your group."

"You are bad at expressing your emotions!" James declared. "No wonder Logan can't figure it out!"

"That's why I'm here," Kendall confessed. "I took him out to dinner last night, and I realized that I'm not expressive enough for him. I know that in relationships people have to talk and express love, and if I can't convey the message that we're on a date, how am I supposed to reassure him that I love him? Especially with the past he has."

"Past?"

"It's between me and him," Kendall's green eyes darkened at the thought. "He told me some secrets about his past and that's when I realized that I need help with this whole relationship thing."

James paused in thought, and Kendall patiently waited for him to speak. "Why not tell him a secret then?" he suggested. "Relationships are built out of trust and love. Well, he clearly trusts you enough to tell you something, so you should return the favor. Let him know that you trust him with that information, and after a couple days just tell him you love him. He can't misinterpret that."

"Yeah," Kendall bounced on the idea. His dark expression from earlier changed into one that reminded James of a hopeful kid. His eyes light up with such childish delight that he ended up smiling back at his friend. That was the way he smiled back in high school, when he was happy. "Thanks James."

"You're welcome." James watched as Kendall stood up and walked towards the door. "Oh, and Kendall? Welcome back."

Another happy grin split on Kendall's face. "Good to be back."

Logan mentally groaned at all of the paperwork he just finished. He planted the stacks on Kendall's empty desk and sighed in relief. Apparently Kendall took a personal day off which baffled the rest of the employees. He never took off, even when he was sick. Sometimes he would appear at work on his days off. Logan, on the other hand, didn't mind. He ended up sleeping in Kendall's bed, again, and the blonde did have the decency to drive him to work. He did look lost in thought on the way there, but Logan didn't speak up. He remained rather silent through the whole thing.

Once he sat down at his desk, he looked for either Camille or Jo out of habit. They were flocked with work today though, so he doubted they would come by and visit. He opened up his email instead to see if there were any updates or emails from Wayne-Wayne. Yes, Kendall may have beaten him up, but it didn't mean he was gone forever. Meeting up with Dak only reinforced that suspicion. There was an unread email, but it wasn't from Wayne-Wayne. He clicked on it and read through the contents:

Dear Logan Mitchell,

My name is Kelly Wainwright , and I want to discuss Kendall Knight with you. I am in no way his enemy. In fact, I was one of the "bodyguards" he hired for you to protect you from that threatening man. Please meet me here:

The address and times were listed. Logan hesitantly bit his lip, wondering how this woman even knew his email address. Curiosity piped up in his stomach at the prospect of meeting her and discussing Kendall Knight. Especially since he's been so confusing lately. First, he blatantly states that Logan was his way of "getting off" at work and that was it. Then he showed up out of nowhere, scared off a bartender he was hitting on, and initiated intercourse that night. But then it just stopped. At first Logan thought it was because Wayne-Wayne beat him, and Kendall didn't want to hurt him by having sex.

The problem was he completely recovered, and Kendall still did nothing. In fact, after the night with Kendall scaring off the bartender, he acted much kinder and humane towards Logan. There was no sex, insults, or petty games to test Logan's intelligence and cunning. He started taking him out to meals, and he allowed Logan to sleep with him. Just sleep. The whole thing bugged him, and he just couldn't grasp why Kendall was being so nice to him. Maybe this Kelly woman would answer some of his questions.

He was so eager to leave work he forgot Kendall was his ride home.

It didn't take too long to find her since she waved at him enthusiastically. Behind her was a plump man sitting at the water fountain of the park staring at him questionably. He assumed Kelly informed this man of what she had to say to Logan. He waved back, though not as happily, and approached her with a calm demeanor. He remembered them from the night Kendall beat up Wayne-Wayne but not much. There was one more man but it seemed like he wasn't there. "Hi Logan," Kelly beamed. "My name is Kelly, and this is Gustavo. He insisted on coming."

"Hi." Gustavo grumbled awkwardly.

"Hi?" Logan shook her hand and nodded in acknowledgment at Gustavo. She scanned his body up and down, the smile never leaving her lips.

"You look better than when I last saw you," she observed. "But last time you were covered in bruises."

"Yeah…" Logan bit his lip, not wanting to sound rude but not wanting to give into small talk either. "You wanted to talk to me about Kendall?" Might as well be honest, he figured.

"I did." The woman grinned. "What did he tell you about us?"

"Not much," Logan confessed. "You were supposed to protect me, and he ended up doing the protecting instead."

"Did he tell you that we thought you knew about us following you?" Kelly asked. "When he came to us, he said you begged him for bodyguards. Imagine our surprise when you start yelling at him for going behind his back! It was quite a shocker really. That's when I figured it out."

"And that's when she told me and I managed to look back and figure it out," Gustavo piped in, not wanting to be the third wheel in the conversation.

"Figure out what?" The boy blinked, clueless as to what they were referring to.

Kelly chuckled. "Oh, you poor sap. Did you know I used to babysit Mr. Knight?"

"What?" Logan exclaimed. The woman looked so young that Logan wouldn't have pegged her for someone who babysat Kendall as a child. He figured she was only a couple years older than him.

She giggled, flattered at his shock. "Funny how he used to call me Miss Wainwright but years later I'm calling him Mr. Knight. I never expected that sweet, innocent boy to become someone like this."

"No one does," Logan sympathized. "He's not that bad. The media makes it look a lot worse than it is. He just gives off a bad first impression. He's really a big softie deep down."

"I know." Kelly whispered, her eyes far off. Almost like she was trapped in a memory. "His father left him as a child, so he grew up helping his little sister and his mother. His mother had to work so she hired me to help babysit the both of them. I was a computer major, but I helped watch kids from time to time because I have a soft spot for them. The Knight siblings were a bit strange. Most siblings I babysat fought over the silliest things. Sibling rivalry, you know? Well not these two. They were attached at the hip. Katie followed him around and treated him like a hero, and he took care of her, protected her."

"What happened?" Logan tried picturing a tiny Kendall with an even tinier female Kendall. It didn't work out too well. His parents never contacted him too often because they were uncomfortable with his "choice in sleeping with men", so he understood the abandonment issue. What progressed though? What made him evolve from a caring kid to a frightening adult? Millions of possibilities ran through his mind, and for once Logan actually debated looking into the "mystery that was Kendall Knight".

"No one knows. He was graduating from high school, but he missed the actual graduation to get a head start on going to his college. After that, I have no idea what happened. Neither does his mother and sister. They stopped hearing from him, and the next time they saw him was on an article cover that read 'Who is Kendall Knight? Story of the man who went from nothing to everything in the span of a week'." Kelly explained.

"Why are you telling me this?" Logan wondered. "What am I supposed to do about it?"

"Nothing," Kelly shrugged. "I just wanted to see how much you knew or how much Kendall told you. Logan, he's not at all soft. He's a mean, crude man that will take advantage of everyone and everything he comes across. Until he met you."

Logan's eyebrows furrowed. "I don't-"

"Something about you," she interrupted, almost whispering to herself. "Something about you changed him. He grew up too fast, but you're bringing him back somehow."

Gustavo nodded, eyes darting between Logan and Kelly. Their conversation was interrupted when Logan's name was called out by none other than Kendall Knight. Speak of the devil, Logan thought in amusement. "I was looking for you everywhere!" Kendall mockingly glared at him. "You're lucky Camille told me she saw you heading in this direction or… Kelly. Gustavo." The blonde's eyes narrowed at the sight of his old babysitter and Gustavo. He frowned. "What are you guys doing here?"

"I saw Logan and decided to talk to him," Kelly batted her eyes innocently. "I didn't realize I couldn't talk to him, Mr. Knight."

She was teasing him, and they all knew it. Gustavo stared in bewilderment as Kendall just sighed and shook it off. Two months ago, he would have torn Kelly a new one for using that kind of tone with him. Now? He just didn't care. Was it really all the influence of that one boy? His gaze focused on the smaller man, who Kendall was standing a little too close to. He inwardly prayed that Kendall wouldn't mess this one up and break the kid's heart. Because it seemed like he was Kendall's lifeline. "We should head home," Kendall looked at Logan.

"Sure." Logan shrugged. "It was nice meeting you Kelly. Gustavo."

"Nice meeting you too," he grasped Logan's hand in a firm handshake.

Kelly grinned. "Thank you Logan."

"For what?" Kendall and Logan asked at the same time in two completely different tones.

"Thawing out something people thought wasn't even there to begin with," Kelly beamed, throwing her arms around Logan's body and whispering, "I really wish the both of you luck."

Logan didn't have time to ask what she meant. She quickly threw her body off of him and grabbed Gustavo, saying one last goodbye before rushing off. Kendall snickered. "What'd she tell you?"

"That you were a good kid," he smirked at Kendall. "Hard to believe looking at you now."

"Shut up," Kendall playfully shoved Logan. "Let's head back. I'm hungry."

"Fine." Both men began walking towards Kendall's car. An overwhelming sense of something overtook Logan in a split second though. He frowned, glancing at Kendall from the corner of his eye. "I think you're still a good person," Logan blurted out unintentionally. He blushed a second later. He expected ridicule, sarcastic laughter, or a "what the heck was that" look from Kendall.

But the CEO just grinned happily instead. "It's been a long time since someone's said that to me."

He once said that earlier, Logan recalled. When some stranger called them faggots, and they got their revenge on him. Kendall started laughing and said something along the same lines. The giant mansion with no family photos or sense of him flooded his mind, and his body acted on its own. He grabbed Kendall's hand and squeezed it gently as a sign of comfort and companionship. Neither man expected it but they didn't pull back or talk about it either.

They just continued walking hand in hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Alice: It's almost midnight! I'm going to bed!

Emily: I just got back from work, so it's pretty tiring right now.

Alice: Thanks for reading! I love you guys!