A/N—Finally back to this story! We left off with Logan about to tell Carlos the truth regarding James and Kendall. This chapter covers all of that. I'm hoping it isn't boring since a lot of it is basically the summary of what you've already read; just think of it like a refresher course! :P I hope everyone's doing well. Thank you for reading!

"I guess I should start with James."

"James," Carlos frowned. "The same James you were on a date with?"

"Yes. Except that wasn't real, it was...okay, let me just tell it. Let me get it all out and then you can react."

"Nuh uh. Not here, where you can hide behind a table."

"What?"

"Living room. Go. And don't even think about cleaning up these dishes first—they can just wait."

Logan swallowed hard. He'd liked having a table to hide behind. But he owed Carlos this. He rose to follow Carlos out into the living room, where they each sat at opposite ends of the sofa and faced each other.

"I'm listening," Carlos prompted.

"Right. Okay. So...James used to be a spy. The actual kind of spy you've heard about, only he never went on the dangerous missions. His job was data collection."

"What the hell does that mean? And just to be clear, this is the James I met at Fuego that night?"

"Yes. James is very good at extracting information from people. He used his looks and charm to gain trust, and a lot of times he used sex as well. He was good at it. One of the top agents in our field."

"Our. So you really do work with him."

"Yes."

"Are you a spy, too?"

"No, I work in a lab. I'm part of the science and technology side of things."

"Of course you are," Logan sighed. "Wait, is Kendall part of this, too? I know the hockey thing is real, I've seen him on the ice."

"Kendall was never part of it. He didn't even know this stuff, we had to hide it from him. I worked with James, and then one night almost six years ago, they met at a hotel in Sandy Hill, Virginia."

"Sandy Hill. Why is that familiar?"

"Because that's where Kendall is right now. But we'll get to that. Kendall and James met and fell in love. James fought it for a year. He knew it was dangerous to get involved with anyone. He couldn't help himself, though. He couldn't stay away."

Carlos made an amused noise. "Well, after dating Kendall, I get it. When Kendall's into you, there's no way to fight that. He's awesome. But what I don't get is how Kendall didn't know it was the same James when you were dating him. I guess because he never saw a picture?"

"Carlos, stop getting ahead of the story. Let me explain it all."

"Then hurry it up! It's not making sense!"

"I told you it wouldn't right away. Will you let me talk?"

Carlos flourished his arm out as if to say, "Go ahead."

"Thank you. After a year, James finally just gave in because he knew he couldn't live without Kendall. He'd tried. That's when I met Kendall. I was trying to prove to James that it was a horrible idea and would end badly. We had dinner at Kendall's place and once I saw them together...Carlos, it was no use trying to break them up. They were like two halves of the same whole. I'm sorry, I know it must hurt to hear this about Kendall and someone else, but they were so in love. So devoted to each other."

"And Kendall didn't know James was a spy?"

"He did at that point. He'd just found out. James actually did try to leave him and couldn't go through with it."

"Man. I can imagine how hard that was for him."

"Especially since Kendall didn't know the reason. James eventually broke down and told him everything, and they agreed to stay together—this time as official boyfriends. That lasted four years."

"But was James like...did he cheat on Kendall all that time? With the job?"

"When he had to, yes. Kendall knew. James told me once that they never talked about it, but Kendall knew."

"And he still stayed with James?" Carlos asked incredulously. "Because Kendall's really jealous, dude. I mean...I guess not so much with me, since I never gave him reason to be, but we've talked about it. He doesn't like to share."

"I guess it was worth it to keep James. He knew that James' heart belonged to him, and that was enough."

"Wow. What happened at the end? Why did they break up?"

This was the hard part. Carlos was going to hate him. "James' identity became compromised. He was always extremely careful with Kendall. They rarely met up in public, not even to eat a meal. Every night they spent together was either at Kendall's apartment or James'. I think he only went to see Katie and Jennifer a few times over the years; usually they'd come to Kendall's."

"So they knew James? They knew about him?"

"They did, but they didn't know about his job. Kendall was the only one who ever did. And someone must have followed James to Kendall's at some point, because things started happening. To Kendall."

Carlos' eyes widened. "No fucking way. They went after Kendall?!"

"A few times. At first it didn't seem suspicious, they were all near-misses. A car accident, a sign falling from above him, things like that. But it kept happening, and we started to think there was more to it. A few weeks later, James got intel that there was a plant on Kendall's hockey team."

"A plant? Like...a spy?"

"An agent posed as a new student at the high school and joined the team. There was a plot to kill Kendall as a warning to James. We uncovered it in time, but just barely. James took care of the agent and as far as Kendall knew, he was nothing more than a student who'd been yanked back out of school by his father."

"When you say he 'took care of the agent'..."

"He didn't kill anyone, Carlos. That wasn't his job. But if he'd been alone that night with the agent...well, let's just say it's a good thing he wasn't. We took care of the problem. But it shook James up enough that he knew something had to change. They wouldn't give up, and next time they might be successful. He had to distance himself from Kendall."

"Holy shit, dude. That would suck. He really loved Kendall a lot, didn't he?"

"I don't think 'love' is a strong enough word for what they had. There was just this feeling around them, it was a connection that was so intense. For James, walking away from Kendall was like walking away from his soul. He knew he had to do it, but it killed him in the process."

"Whoa. So he did it? He broke up with Kendall?"

"Um. The thing is...you've met Kendall. You've dated him."

"Yeah?"

"You know how he is. Look at how hard he fought to keep you, and what you two shared was only a fraction of what they did. There was no way in hell he was ever going to let James walk away. He said as much on the last night they were together. James knew it wouldn't be that easy because Kendall wouldn't let him go. So James came up with another plan, and talked me into it. He'd been thinking about it since the near-misses started, but when an agent got that close to Kendall, he made up his mind. He had to save Kendall, and there was only one way to do it."

"What did he do?" Carlos was enthralled.

Logan braced himself. "I was working on a serum that inhibits memory."

"Inhibits?"

"Well...okay, erases. It erases memory. And I'd perfected it to the point where rather than causing general amnesia, it could work on specific memories. Specific people, to be more precise."

Carlos was two steps behind, but he was catching up. "It could make you forget an actual person?"

"Right. Nothing else, just that person. It works with DNA. So...we did what we had to do, Carlos. We kept Kendall safe. We um...we made him forget James."

Logan waited for the explosion, the recriminations, the disgust. None of that came, at least right away. Carlos instead stared back at Logan in silence, digesting it all. Logan let him.

"Did it work?" Carlos finally asked.

"Yes. He had no memory of James."

"How did you do it? Like...the actual serum part."

"James met him at the apartment and slipped it to him in champagne. After...after proposing to him."

"What?!" All that Carlos had heard this morning, and it was this that outraged him. "James asked Kendall to marry him and then made him forget that? Why? What was the point of that?"

"He wanted Kendall to have everything before it ended. Kendall had asked James to marry him earlier in the relationship, and James had said no because of the job. Because he didn't want to put Kendall in danger. It hurt Kendall a lot, but he understood. So James wanted the last thing Kendall experienced with him to be everything he'd ever wanted." Logan choked up while getting the words out; he'd thought he was past the sadness, but remembering that night now brought it all back. "It was so hard, Carlos. We hated doing that to him. James was...I didn't think he was going to make it, he lost his mind that night. Begged me to take it back, said he couldn't live without Kendall. But it was too late, we'd already done it, and we knew it was for the best, but...God, I still hate myself for it."

Having never seen Logan in such an emotional state, Carlos scooted across the couch to hug him. "It's okay, you were just trying to do the right thing."

"But did we? It wasn't right, we didn't give Kendall a choice! We stole the best years of his life from him without even hesitating. Those weren't our memories to take!"

"He wouldn't have agreed to it, Logan. You knew that. I know that. He would've been stubborn and kept dating James and probably would've died for it. I don't know if what you did was right, but I understand why you did it. He's alive right now because of you guys. That's what you have to focus on."

Logan cried it out on Carlos' shoulder, indulging in a rare moment of self-pity. "I've never talked about it before, not like this. It felt right at the time but it also felt like the biggest betrayal, and sometimes I think it was a mistake. Especially with everything that's happened since then. We messed with something that shouldn't have been messed with. He's never been the same since. Neither of them have."

"It's so sad. James really loved him enough to walk away? Even though it probably felt like he was dying inside?"

"Yes," Logan sniffed. He cleared his throat and pushed away from Carlos, who jumped up from the couch and came back with a stack of napkins from the kitchen table. "Thanks. I thought you'd hate me."

"Well, if you ever did that to me, I might. Wait, did you? Is that why you're feeding me all the time? Are you making me forget people over and over?"

"No, Carlos, I swear. I've never tampered with your memory. I could've done that today to make things easier on myself, but I didn't want to do that to you."

"Would you have made me forget Kendall?"

"No. Not Kendall." Logan wiped his eyes. "James."

"Why would I need to forget James? You said he stayed on the east coast, right? When you guys went to do that project?"

Logan shook his head. "There's so much more to the story. What time is dinner at Gran's? And...am I still invited?"

"I guess we'll see how I feel when you're done. She eats early, but we got time. Tell me the rest."

Hope sparked in Logan. Maybe he wouldn't lose Carlos forever. He settled back against the cushions, glad that Carlos didn't return to his end of the couch. "So it was a success, and Kendall didn't remember James. But he was lonely. I tried to talk him into getting out there and dating."

"What about James? Did he date?"

"No, he was devastated over the loss of Kendall. He never wanted to date anyone else. He had to live with the memories."

"I bet that's harder. Now I feel bad for the guy."

"Yeah, it's not been easy on him. But what happened a month later is that they ran into each other. James was worried about Kendall and needed to see for himself that he was okay, so he spied on him. Got caught."

"And Kendall remembered then?"

"No, but he was very attracted to James. Said he'd never forget that face. I tried to convince him that James was unavailable, and that worked until they met up again and James kissed him."

"Oh my god, why would he do that?!"

"He couldn't help himself. He told Kendall they couldn't see each other, but he kissed him, and Kendall wouldn't let go. He begged me to give him James' number, because I'd introduced James as a co-worker the week before. I refused, and Kendall hated me. There was nothing else to do except—"

"You did it again. The memory wipe."

"We did. And then things were good until the following week, when Kendall went on a date with a guy named Taylor at Fuego."

"Oh, Tommy said something about that! He served them! Kendall told me he wasn't really into Taylor."

"No, he wasn't, and it still would've been okay except that James was there that night on a job. Kendall saw him and it happened again—he fell for him."

"Love at first sight. That's a real thing, you know."

"Well, I never believed it was before."

"Is that how it happened the first night they met? Was it fast like that?"

"From what I understand, yes. They slept together less than an hour after meeting."

"Damn. I never knew Kendall had that in him."

"I don't think he does, unless it's James."

"But he made me wait thirty days," Carlos pointed out. "Thanks, Kendall."

"Don't take it so hard, he's just careful."

"Unless it's James."

"Unless it's James," Logan echoed. "Anyway, he tried to pick up on James that night, and James was successful in chasing him off. Sort of. Kendall was positive James was his soulmate and went back to Fuego the next night hoping to run into him."

"Oh my god. So with Kendall it's like...an obsession?"

"That's a good word for it. He can't seem to help himself. I went out to the restaurant and did it again. Made him forget."

"Dude. How many times did you do that?"

"More than I'm comfortable admitting. Because...see, no matter how many times we made Kendall forget, and how hard James tried to avoid him, they kept running into each other. Over and over and over. It was impossible, yet it still kept happening."

"That's because it's right, Logan. Some things in life are just meant to be. We can try and try to keep them from happening, but no matter how many times we try, the universe is going to make it happen. Kendall and James must be one of those things."

"I'm not arguing that. Six months ago I would have. Now? I give up. Fate has slapped me in the face too many times."

"Fate's good like that," Carlos grinned. "So you just kept making Kendall forget?"

"Yes. That night at Fuego, that was the first time we saw you. You were at the bar and on a date, I guess."

"With Dan! I remember that! I tried to talk to Kendall in the freaking bathroom!"

"You did," Logan laughed. "And once I'd made Kendall forget James, he noticed you and said you were cute. If you hadn't been there with Dan that night, he would've made a move."

"Aww man! I could've have had...how much longer with him?"

"Six months. It was six months before I had to take drastic measures and find you because you were the only person Kendall had ever expressed interest in other than James. You were my last hope, Carlos."

Carlos offered up a sad smile. "I tried, Logan. I really tried to make him happy."

"I know. And you did an incredible job of that. After that night at Fuego, they kept running into each other and Kendall always reacted the same way—determined to find James because he was positive James was his soulmate. I finally realized that I couldn't keep it from happening—they were always going to find each other. So I had to change the outcome of what happened when they did. And that's where you came in."

Carlos' eyes widened. "Me? What did I do?"

"I knew Kendall would never cheat on a boyfriend. James agreed with me on that. As hard as it was for him to imagine Kendall with another man, he knew that if Kendall was in a committed relationship, he wouldn't go after someone else. The answer was to make sure Kendall was in love with someone else when he ran into James. That was the only way to make him stay away."

Carlos thought that through. "So you guys used me. You wanted us to date to keep Kendall occupied."

"Basically, yes. I'm sorry for that. I wouldn't have if I didn't know you were attracted to Kendall. It's not like I forced you to date him."

"No, I was all for it. I just didn't know why. You said he was lonely."

"He was. I never lied about that, Carlos. All I did was bring you two together. You both wanted to take it to the next level. That was mutual attraction."

"I guess. Why did James come out to the restaurant if he knew I was dating Kendall? Is that why you guys were fighting? Because he was there to try to break us up?"

"No, we fought because he wasn't supposed to be anywhere that Kendall might show up. I was furious at him for being there. But he wanted to meet you. He needed to make sure you were worthy of Kendall."

Carlos smiled. "I would've done the same thing."

"He knew he couldn't have him, but he wanted the person who did to treat Kendall right."

"Did I pass the test?"

"You did. He liked you a lot and said that if...what was it? 'If he wasn't dating the love of my life, we'd probably be great friends.' Something like that. He approved, Carlos."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"That actually makes me feel good. Because if he cares that much for Kendall and he trusted me to take care of him..."

"It's huge for James. It wasn't youthat caused the problems. You know that, right?"

"I do, but what I don't get is why. If Kendall forgot about James and was happy with me, what changed?

Logan sighed. "He ran into James. Yet again. And even though that was the plan and we'd actually set it all up, it didn't go the way we wanted it to."

Carlos gasped. "The movies! Holy shit. Logan, were you even dating James at all?!"

"No. I made that up just so we could have an excuse for Kendall to meet James. It was a test. I knew Kendall was very much in love with you, and the whole thing was a test to make sure he was over James. Then we didn't have to worry about them running into each other. If Kendall loved you and met James as my romantic interest, he would definitely not go after James."

"But they never even saw each other, right? James chickened out. He took off."

"Because he saw you two together and couldn't handle it. He said watching Kendall with someone else was too hard. So he went into the bathroom to calm down, and guess who also went to the bathroom right before the movie?"

"Kendall. Oh my god. They talked that day?!"

"Yes. James left extremely upset because he knew it was officially over with Kendall. He said Kendall talked about you and how happy you made him. And that killed him. So he ran off and disappeared for a few days."

A light bulb went on in Carlos' brain. "That's what changed! He met James again. And after that...what, he couldn't forget him? He wanted to find him?"

"He had no way of finding James, but the rest is right. I didn't know until Saturday night that he's been having dreams about James all this time, and that he couldn't stop thinking about him. I didn't even know you two were still having problems. It was nothing you did. You were perfect. Kendall just...something in him can't resist James."

"This is so sad." Carlos shook his head. "Logan, this is so sad. I feel bad for James! All that time I was talking shit on him and I didn't even know what he was going through. No wonder he moved away. He couldn't stand to witness Kendall with someone else!"

"That's basically it, yeah. But there's more. When we first gave Kendall the serum, we also gave it to Jennifer and Katie. Or so I thought. They had to forget James too, or it would never work. James flew to Paris to give it to Katie, but apparently he never did. I didn't know that until after you and Kendall started dating. So when James was so upset at the movies that day, he called Katie and they disappeared for a few days. Remember when she went on that road trip with her friends?"

"Uh...I think so?"

"She was actually with James that whole time."

"And he wasn't talking to you, right? I remember him disappearing after the movie date."

"Right. I didn't know where he was and I was terrified. But when he did show up, he'd made a decision that I couldn't talk him out of. He wanted to forget."

Carlos' jaw dropped. "No. No way."

"Yes. I tried so hard to change his mind, but he knew that Kendall was in love with you. He was sure you two would end up getting married. And he just couldn't stand it. He'd never had a moment's peace since Kendall forgot him. He was like a shadow of himself. He just wanted to be happy again. I couldn't say no, Carlos. He begged me. And the worst part was he didn't just want to forget Kendall, because he knew that if he saw Kendall again he'd just fall in love the way Kendall always did. He wanted to forget everything. couldn't handle the pain 's why I went away for six weeks. Katie was with us. We set up his new life in Sandy Hill and at the end of the month, I gave him the serum. James Diamond ceased to exist. I lost him forever."

Carlos leaned against the cushions as if deflating. Logan could only imagine how overwhelming all of this was to take in. Carlos looked like he was in shock. "So...James just...he's gone? I don't understand."

"We set it up so that he'd wake up with no memory. I had to be there to guide him through it all. His new name, his made-up life, the history he couldn't remember because it was fake. He's currently living in Sandy Hill under a different name and working at the hotel he met Kendall at originally. He remembers nothing before June."

"Oh my god. Is he happy?"

"He is, actually. I went back there last week to see him. He knows me as his best friend who just happened to be visiting when he randomly lost his memory."

"So that's why you've been going there on vacation? You said it was for work!"

"It...sort of was. I was put in charge of monitoring him for the next year. I told my bosses that it didn't work, that there were too many side effects to try it on someone else. Which is a lie, but...I can't live with myself knowing I created something that causes so much chaos in someone's life. James is happy in his new life, with no memory of his past with Kendall. Sadly, he doesn't remember anything else, either. Including me."

"But...he knows you now? You guys are friends?"

"Yeah, we're friends. He wants me to move there," Logan chuckled.

"Uh, no. You're not going anywhere. Tell him to back off on that, because Kendall and I need you here. We...we..." It clicked into place with a silent bang. "Kendall. Kendall's there! Right now! Is he staying at that hotel? Are they gonna find each other again? Logan, if they do, this could be their chance! They could start over! They could finally be together and be happy! Right?!"

Logan smiled. "It already happened. Last night. When Kendall told me where he wanted to go, I knew fate had taken over again. I didn't even try to stop him. He said that's the last place he remembers being truly happy. James wanted to live there for that reason, because it's where they met. He said that even if he couldn't remember Kendall, he wanted to be in the place that brought them together. And apparently it's done that again. I'm sorry if this is hard for you to hear, but they spent last night together. Kendall's staying at James' apartment for the rest of the week."

He let Carlos lose himself in thought after dropping that bombshell. Carlos needed time to work through it. Conflicting emotions crossed his face.

"I can't decide whether to be happy or sad," he admitted. "I mean, it hurts that Kendall forgot about me that fast. We literally just broke up."

"I know." Logan searched for Carlos' hand and clasped it. "I'm sorry."

"But at the same time, he wasn't ever really mine, was he? He's always belonged to James."

"The time he spent with you before seeing James again, he was yours then. He was committed to you."

"Yeah, but...even at the start, I thought maybe he wasn't happy. But only when we had sex. Things were so great until we had sex, and that first night was amazing. We did it twice, you know."

Logan shied away from that vision. "I heard."

"And he liked it, I know he did. But it wasn't like...not the kind of crazy sex you fantasize about. And you know what the worst part of that is? He was still the best sex I've ever had. Even when he's mentally miles away, he's awesome in bed. And he was always so good at the other stuff, the affection. If I ever had doubts, they'd be gone when he cuddled with me. When he smiled at me. I kept telling myself it was all in my head. It wasn't, though."

"No."

Carlos sighed before lifting his feet up onto the sofa and curling into Logan. "Have you talked to James? Is he feeling the same thing Kendall is?"

"I haven't heard from him today, but last night he texted me about Kendall. He definitely felt it."

"I guess so if he moved Kendall into his apartment. So then...is he moving back here? You know that if Kendall hasn't already asked him to, he will."

Logan shook his head sadly. "James just got a promotion. He's going to be running that hotel restaurant in six months. Kendall has an interview with a high school today. If he gets the job..."

"Oh." That one word held all the dread currently bottled up in Logan's heart. "Kendall's leaving us."

"Yeah, I think so." Tears stung Logan's eyes. He hugged Carlos tighter against him.

"Well, this freaking sucks. I already lost him as a boyfriend, now I'm losing him for good?"

Logan shrugged. "It's all very sudden, isn't it?"

"Yeah, like...I mean...two days ago he was still my boyfriend. We were still trying to make things work. Now he's moving across the country and...I thought we'd at least stay friends, you know?"

"You will, Carlos. He's made it clear to me numerous times that he doesn't want to lose you. And he'll have to come visit his mom and Katie sometimes, right?"

"I don't know." Carlos deflated again. "So...what. We see him on holidays?"

"You mentioned wanting to take a trip with me. We can go visit them, too."

"I guess. But you work all the time, and...hold on." Carlos bolted upright. "Your secret best friend. It was James!"

"It was James," Logan confirmed. "Only he goes by the name Don now. Donald Knight."

"Knight? As in Kendall's last name?"

"Yes. James chose that before the amnesia. He surrounded himself with Kendall as much as he could."

"Ugh, now I feel guilty for being mad at him for stealing Kendall from us. It's not fair. I can't even properly hate the guy."

"Don't hate him, Carlos. He's been through a lot. And I'm really happy that he and Kendall are finally able to reconnect and have the normal life they've always deserved."

"Yeah." Carlos let out a long sigh and cuddled into Logan again. "You're not gonna move, right? I won't lose you, too?"

"Well..."

"Don't even joke about that, Logan. You're not going anywhere."

"I was considering it. I decided last week that I was going to move to Sandy Hill and live with Don."

"Why? You'd just leave Kendall like that?"

"Kendall had you."

"So you'd just leave me like that?"

"You had Kendall. What did I have out here, Carlos? Don was like me, lost and lonely. It made sense at the time."

Carlos tilted his head back so that he could look up at Logan. "You just admitted you're lonely. In all the time we've known each other, you never said it before. You'd just lie when I asked."

"I didn't used to be lonely."

"When did it change?"

When I fell in love with you. "Who really knows? It doesn't matter. Don isn't lonely anymore, and he and Kendall will take care of each other."

"Okay but now I'm alone, so you can't move away and leave me. That's not happening."

"You've got Tommy. And your family. I've got nobody, Carlos."

"Fuck that, you've got me. I'm right here. And I'm lonely, too. We can keep each other company until the right guys come along. Right?"

"Sure." And then when you find a new boyfriend, I'll just drown in a pool of my own tears. Logan stood up, needing to be away from Carlos. "I'm going to shower. Do you need to head home before we go to Gran's house?"

"Not if you let me borrow a shirt."

"No problem."

Logan was almost out of the living room when Carlos stopped him. "Hey."

He didn't turn back. "What?"

"Are you forgetting that I can read you like a book? You're upset. And who wouldn't be after everything you've been through? But it's gonna be okay now, Logan. They're together and they'll be happy. It's all fixed."

Great for them, but I still won't ever have you. "I know."

"And one day you'll find him. Your James. You've got a lot going for you, dude. Any guy who doesn't see that is stupid."

Oh, the irony of that statement coming out of Carlos' mouth. "Thanks," Logan said woodenly. "Same goes for you."

"In the meantime, we have each other, right? You're not alone. I'm right here. And I'm not going anywhere, either. We'll be fine."

Logan glanced back over his shoulder with a smile that was almost sincere. "You're right. See you in a bit."

"Can I hug you?"

"Not right now, Carlos. I just need to be alone."

"Okay. I'll let you off the hook this time, but you're getting a big one later. Because I need one, too."

Logan didn't answer. He grabbed a fresh change of clothes and headed into his bathroom. He turned on the shower and dragged his pajama t-shirt over his head, mind numb. He'd stripped all the way down to boxers before he caved, then jogged out to the living room to find it empty. The clink of dishes from his kitchen drew his attention—Carlos was cleaning up.

He twisted Carlos away from the sink and wrapped him up tight, Carlos clinging to him desperately as all the hurt he'd been keeping inside spilled over. Tears rained onto Logan's bare chest while Carlos gave in to heaving sobs. Logan reached out long enough to shut off the faucet, then rocked Carlos in his arms. "He's an idiot to give you up. I know why he did, and I understand that he loved James first, but you deserve someone who sees how special you are."

"There was this part of me that thought...that maybe hoped he'd go away for a week and realize he loved me, that it was a mistake to break up with me. I was so stupid!"

"No, Carlos, you're not stupid. You're so full of light and hope, and I don't want you to lose that. Don't let anyone take it away from you. Your destiny is out there and you'll find it. Someone is going to love you the way you deserve. I promise. I'm sorry that it wasn't Kendall."

"I really wanted it to be him."

"I know." Logan kissed Carlos' forehead and brushed soothing fingers through his hair. "I wanted that for you."

"Do you swear, Logan? You're not just saying all this to make me feel better? You really believe someone could love me like that?"

"I do, Carlos. Trust me on that." He tipped Carlos' chin up and kissed the tip of his nose. He wanted to confess his feelings, but now wasn't the time. He reined them in. "You have a beautiful soul. Kendall saw that in you, he really did. If it wasn't for James, you two would've worked out."

"I can't compete with that." Carlos sniffed in a breath. "Plus the guy is so hot! Nobody would choose me over him."

"Somebody would. You've got a lot going for you, too. And someone will see that." Logan hugged Carlos against him again.

"Thanks, bro. I really needed to hear all that."

"I meant it. Bro." The last word was shaky on Logan's lips. He was close to tears himself. "You don't have to clean up. I can do that after my shower."

"I want to. You're always so good to me, I just want to do something nice for you."

Logan bit down on all the things that wanted to break free from his heart. "Thanks."

Without another word, he let go of Carlos and marched out of the kitchen. It was the only way to keep it all inside.