Chapter 12
The next morning Logan woke up to the most beautiful sight he has even seen. Kendall laid on his back next to Logan, his chest rising and falling as air entered through his nostrils and surged through his strong body. Logan put his feet over the bed and set them down on the bare floor. He was being very careful not to wake Kendall. Logan stood up, the bed squeaked under him, and walked around to pick up the clothes scattered across the floor and got into a new shirt and pair of boxers. The morning was still young so Logan decided to go and make coffee. The closer he got to the kitchen the more the freezing floor stung the soles of his feet. The apartment was quiet and still, keeping the secret of what had gone on only a few hours before hidden inside its hollow walls.
Logan reached up into the high shelf and pulled down a coffee tin along with a mug. After grabbing the coffee tin, he filled the coffee machine with water turned it on blue. The gift Carlos had brought the night before still laid on the table fully wrapped and untouched until Logan picked it up and slid the bow off then gently peeled the paper back, careful not to make a mess. Underneath the green paper was a thin, rectangular, velvet box hiding a secret inside. He opened the box and the hinges sung the reveal of the
treasure inside. Logan was surprised to see a long, slender, silver bracelet with a small spate on it engraved with the date he and Carlos first met at the theatre. Of course it was beautiful but Logan didn't know whether to accept it or give it back to Carlos. The bracelet must have costed him a pretty HUGE penny so Logan felt bad when receiving it. While Logan poured some of the hot coffee into his mug and mixed with some milk and sugar, he heard heavy footsteps coming from behind. After turning, he saw Kendall walking his direction, pulling the right side of his boxer waist band up to cover his southern region.
"Good morning." Logan said after taking a sip of the hot liquid.
"Morning." Kendall replied. He reached Logan and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. "It smells good in here."
"Do you want some coffee?"
"Yeah. What time is it?" Kendall asked while taking a seat around the kitchen table.
"Ten pass eleven." Logan poured another cup of hot water and coffee. He handed the mug over to Kendall after getting it ready.
"Are you serious?" Kendall sighed. "Fuck, I have to go to set today."
"Yeah? Are you almost done or nowhere near?"
"Almost. Today's the last day of filming. After we shoot some of the last scenes we wrap up."
"Are you excited?" Logan stood off in the kitchen, leaning against the counter top.
"Yeah. It's a little bitter sweet. You work with these people for so long and all of a sudden it's over. We became like brothers almost." Kendall said while taking a drink.
"Speaking of that, what's with you and Jett? Did you patch things up?"
"Yeah. It took him a while to accept my apology. We didn't say anything to each other for a good couple of weeks but he finally forgave me." Logan scoffed. "Yeah."
He got out of the kitchen and made his away across the living room and out onto the balcony over looking the Los Angeles over pass. Outside was extremely cold. The morning fog still lingered around the hills making the streets and homes almost invisible to the naked eye. Since the apartment was so close to the street, Logan could hear the cars honking their horns while trying to get where ever their destination was meant to lead them, the heavy traffic holding them idle for a minute and causing the drivers intense frustration. Kendall joined Logan outside.
"Can I ask you something?" Logan said.
"Yeah, sure."
" Are you ever going to tell anyone?"
"Tell anyone what?"
"That you bumped monkeys with a guy?"
"Bumped monkeys?" Kendall laughed. "Um, I don't know. Maybe sometime when this movie thing dies out."
"Why so long?"
"Because I won't be in the public eye so much. I'll do everything I've been wanting to do by then."
"Are you saying you can't do what you want if you do come out?" Logan asked after drinking from his warm mug.
"Well, yeah. I mean, if I did tell everyone tomorrow then I'll have to face the fact that my career can be hurt by it." Kendall looked at Logan to see his reaction and saw him nodding his head attentively.
"How was it for you?"
"When I came out?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I first came out to my mom because she was the most understanding one. She blamed herself for a while. When I was a kid I was constantly around her and her sisters when they talked about their husbands or boyfriends and she thought that that was reason I started to like some of the neighborhood boys. It wasn't because of her all, in fact. I think I always had some subliminal knowledge of who I was. Eventually she came around and we got back to our normal relationship."
"What about your dad?" Kendall asked. He was a little scared of what Logan might say.
"No, there's a reason why I waited to tell him. When I finally did come out to him, he tried to ignore the fact that I had just told him the most important thing in my life. After admitting it to himself he told me to go and talk to the preacher at the church I used to go to. Of course, Father Ron told me to pray my hardest and beg for God's forgiveness. I did like I was told and two months later my dad divorced my mom. After that I prayed every single night I prayed to God to be forgiven and to bring my parents together again."
"Did it work?"
"No." Logan replied coldly while looking out into the skyline below.
"I did everything the reverend told me but no amount of prayer could make things
better.
That's when I stopped going to church all together, thought it was a waste of time to pray for things that would never come true. I started to even question the existence of God"
Logan looked at Kendall and Kendall could see that remembering those things still caused a hint of pain. To try and make Logan feel better, Kendall gave him a hug and they
held on to each other for a moment, looking out into the day.
"You should probably go change. It's pretty cold out here."
"Yeah."
They let go of each other and walked inside the apartment.
Kendall came back fully dressed, a big change from how he looked earlier on.
"Ready?" Logan asked when he saw Kendall.
"Yep." The two walked to the door and Kendall stepped out.
"Katie and me are going to dinner at Mr. Greens. You should come."
"No, I don't think so." Logan said.
"Why not? It'll be great. Think of it as a after-birthday dinner."
"Alright." Logan gave in. How could he say no to Kendall? Especially when he was smiling and looking at him with those big green eyes.
"Okay, I'll see you later then. I'll come by at around seven to pick you up."
"Great. See you then."
Kendall nodded and turned to leave. He walked down to the elevator and rode down to his car. Logan walked back into his apartment and shut the door behind him.
Since the time Carlos and Logan last talked, Carlos had managed to get Logan a position at the theatre where he worked. Logan scrambled around the house, trying to clean up and get things neatly put away before he had to leave to pick up his work uniform. After getting his place down to the way it looked before the small get together the night before, Logan gave Sargent a fresh bowl of food to keep him down while he was gone. He didn't want to come home and find the couch chewed to bits, it has happened before. Logan got into his car and warmed it up. It was a beautiful day outside but there was no way he was going to walk all the way. The closer Logan got to the theatre the more he felt nervous. The butterflies in his stomach quickly turned to birds and then to eagles even though he didn't know exactly why he was feeling that way. Maybe because it had been a long time since he's actually started a new job. After a long ride, Logan finally arrived at the theater and walked inside. He stood near the entrance, looking around, still not sure where to go until seeing a familiar face walking out from behind an open door. It was Carlos.
"Carlos!" Logan called. Carlos stopped and looked around, trying to find out who was calling him. He noticed Logan and smiled then jogged in his direction.
"Hey. How are you?" Carlos asked.
"Good, you?"
"Great. You're here to pick up your uniform, right?"
"Yeah."
"Alright, come on."
The two walked to the door Carlos had came out earlier to see the manager, Mr. Anderson. Logan walked in first and saw the middle aged man sitting behind a big table, talking rapidly over the phone. When Mr. Anderson noticed him standing there, he put his index finger up as if telling him to hold on.
"Right... right, look I have to go. Bye." Mr. Anderson hung up and looked up.
"Hi, you're Logan, right?"
"Yes sir." Logan replied.
"Carlos tells me you're a good kid. If he thinks so then I trust him. I'm going on a long shot by hiring you so don't make me regret it, alright?"
Even though Mr. Anderson spoke sternly, there was something about him that made him come off as friendly.
"I understand. I'll do my best to make you happy, sir."
"Good, good. Now, have you ever worked anywhere similar to here?"
"No. My last job was at a restaurant."
"That's good enough." Mr. Anderson turned and started to type on his computer then the printer started to print. He handed Logan the paper fresh from the printer and gave him a key to the locker room.
"There's your schedule and key. Can you start today?"
"Oh yes sir. Absolutely."
"Good. We'll see how you do."
"Thank you, Mr. Anderson."
"Don't mention it."
Logan and Carlos walked out of the office and Carlos showed him around. They went into the lockers and Logan got into his uniform while Carlos waited. After he was fully dressed, Logan and Carlos walked back outside and Carlos let him know how things were done. Logan picked up pretty quickly but Carlos still had to stay near while he handled customers. All-in-all, Logan's first day was going smoothly. Not a lot of people showed up, there was a steady floor of clientele. Logan's shift was over pretty soon, soon enough for him to have time to go home and shower in time to be ready for Kendall's arrival.
After the two got into their street clothes, they walked out to their cars and made small talk.
"So, did you like the bracelet?" Carlos asked.
"Yeah. I sort of feel bad about taking it though."
"Why?"
"Because it looks really expensive. I don't want anyone spending a lot of money on me." Logan said.
"No its okay. I want you to have it. Plus, it didn't cost that much. I did have to take out a second payment on it, though. I also had to skip the weeks rent." Logan looked at Carlos with a questioning look on his face.
"I'm kidding." Carlos smiled. Logan scoffed and they arrived at their cars.
"Okay, well thanks again for getting me the job. I owe you."
"My pleasure." Carlos smiled and hugged Logan. Logan was surprised to feel Carlos's lips press against his own. Carlos pushed himself onto Logan and decided to give him a kiss but Logan pulled away.
"Sorry." He apologized.
"It's okay."
Carlos went in for another kiss but was stopped by Logan' hand.
"What's the matter?" He asked.
"That's not the best thing to do."
"Why?" Logan stayed quiet. "I thought that..."
"Sorry."
"Alright."
"Friends?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, of course... friends."
"Good."
Carlos turned around and walked to his car as if nothing had happened. Logan got into his car and went on his way.
Fifteen minutes until seven and Logan was just getting out of the shower. By the time he finished getting ready, Kendall was already knocking on the door. Logan rushed over and answered.
"Hey." Kendall said happily. He was wearing dark blue jeans with black dress shoes along with a white, button down t-shirt covered by a black blazer. He was very dressed up and looked incredible. "Are you ready?" Kendall asked.
"Yeah, I just need to get a jacket." After Logan got everything he needed, the two went down to the lobby and over to Kendalls car. "Is your sister at the restaurant already?"
"Yeah, Katie is waiting right now so hopefully there's no traffic."
Unfortunately for everyone, there was a bit of traffic that was backed up and moving slowly. "Shit." Kendall whispered.
"Backed up for fucking hours."
"It's not that bad." Logan stated, trying to make the best of it.
"Hi!" She greeted them warmly.
"Hey." Kendall went and hugged her then sat down.
"Hello, how are you?" Katie turned to Logan.
"Good, good. You?"
"I'm good, thanks." The three took their seats.
"Traffic was horrible." Kendall said.
"I'm seriously going to start walking everywhere from now on."
"Don't be so dramatic." Katie teased Kendall.
"Oh, you guys have the same dog tags." She looked down at Logan's chest, the silver chain hanging from his neck shown brightly due to the gentle flame of the candle placed in the center of the table.
"Yeah. I got it when we were on set in Imperial." Logan said.
"Oh that's right, you were out there to, right? So, how did you like being out in the desert for a few days?"
"It was hell but I liked it." Logan replied to Katie's question.
"Yeah, did you get a feel about what it's like to make a living doing that?"
"Oh yeah. It looks like hard work, it really does. Having to memorize all those lines and acting a certain way because of the character, it would be too much for me to handle."
Kendall watched Logan he and his sister talked. He noticed how he was so relaxed when talking to her. Most people would probably be stumbling over themselves or be extremely shy to be talking to another famous actress like Katie but not Logan. Maybe because he was comfortable with Kendall and so talking to Katie was like talking to another one of his friends.
"I hear your birthday passed." Katie said.
"Yeah, yesterday."
"How old are you now?"
"Now I am twenty years old."
"The big 2-0." Kendall said.
"How does it feel?"
"Like every other year, nothing much different besides the fact that one more year and I can't start drinking."
"Don't try to grow up too fast, enjoy your life and live for the moment."
"Wow." Kendall said. "You sound like mom and you're just a year older"
"Someone has to be the adult." Kendall and Logan laughed.
"We should order already." They picked up three of the four menus set on the table and had a quick look through. Since Logan had never been there he wasn't sure what to order.
"Is there anything special I should try?" Logan asked.
"I always get the rice and shrimp with vegetables." Kendall replied.
"Try the fish fillet." Katie exclaimed. "It's really good."
"Yeah? Alright."
The waitress came over and took his order pad out from her apron and introduced herself. "Hello, my names LuAnn. I'm going to be your waiter this evening, can I start you off with something to drink?" She asked. LuAnn was very bubbly and upbeat. She wore a big smile like a badge of honor. Her hair was pushed back into a bun and the small amount of make-up made her look older than she really was.
"Hi." Kendall started.
"Can I just have a glass of water, please?"
"Sure." The young woman said as she wrote down his order.
"I'll have a soda." Katie said next. The waitress looked at Logan, ready to take his order down.
"Same, water."
"Okay, i'll return in a moment to get your dinner orders." LuAnn placed the small order pad into her apron and walked away.
"I have to use the restroom. I'll be back." Katie excused herself and left the table.
"This is a nice place." Logan said while looking around the establishment, stunned by the gorgeous paintings hung on the walls inside the dimly lit restaurant. He looked to his right where a big window covering almost the entire wall showed people outside walking by and even some photographers standing around, snapping pictures of the people inside.
"Yeah, I haven't been here in a long time. They've remodeled a lot."
"What are you going to do now that you don't have to be on set?"
"Relax, get a good nights sleep, hang out. There's a few people I haven't seen in a while so..."
"Yeah."
Just then, LuAnn the waitress returned holding a tray with two glasses of water and one soda. She set the drinks on the table and took her order pad out again. "Are you ready?" She asked.
"Yeah, but my sister will be back in a little bit."
"Okay." The waitress responded.
"Here she comes." Kendall nodded at Katie coming down the maze of tables and chairs.
"Do we have to order now?" She asked while sitting down in her chair.
"Can I have the brown rice with a little lemon and no beef, please?"
"Sure thing." LuAnn wrote at a rapid pace.
"I'll have the seafood platter." Logan told her next.
"And I want the white rice with shrimp." Kendall finished saying. The waitress left and returned several minutes later with their plates. The three ate happily and had small conversation to keep things from getting too dull. Kendall offered to pay for Logan but he wasn't about to let him pay again. Logan was more than willing to pay his due. They stepped out into the night that slowly crawled over them like a wave crashing over the reefs below. Paparazzi had a field day when they noticed Kendall and Katie. Kendall told Logan earlier about what to expect. He said to act like there weren't there and continue on his way so that's exactly what he did. That's when Logan got his first taste of what it was like to be them, the elite, even if it was only for a split second.
"If you lay with dogs, you're bound to get flees" even if those flees came in the form of pictures and rumor articles in the local gossip magazines. Kendall and Logan rode home with a little bit of ease since the traffic wasn't as heavy as it was before. They pulled up to the parking lot of the apartment complex and got out then walked to the entrance.
"Did you like the dinner?" Kendall asked.
"Yeah, thanks for inviting me."
"You're welcome." Kendall looked at Logan with love in his eyes. The corner of his mouth raised to a sweet smile that made Logan feel warm inside. It was pretty dark out except for the small spots of light on the ground formed by the dim and flickering streetlights. The atmosphere was quiet, the sound of the small pebbles and leaves being stepped on under their feet could be heard from a mile away. Everything suddenly became brighter when Kendall and Logan reached the entrance of the building. Logan turned to Kendall and thanked him again for the wonderful night. After a quick hug, Logan and Kendall split ways and Logan went up to his apartment. He slid the key inside the hole on the doorknob and turned it slowly then stepped inside the room. Sargent came and ran up to him, jumping on his legs and breathing heavily with his tongue flapping in the air.
"Hey boy." Logan said as he ran his fingers along the top of Sargent's head. He looked around to see if Sargent had made any sort of mess but he hadn't. The apartment was the way he had left it before leaving. It was once again quiet inside. The sound of Sargent's paws gently hammering against the floor echoed around the hall, bouncing off the walls and into Logan's ears. Logan went and checked the phone in the kitchen, he had two missed calls. One of the numbers belonged the Ashley but he didn't recognize the other one. He didn't think much of it so instead, Logan called Ashley to see what she had called for.
"Hello?" Ashley said softly.
"Hey, did you call earlier?"
"Oh yeah."
"What for?" Logan asked.
"I was just wondering if you wanted to do something tonight."
"Oh, sorry. I was having dinner with a friend."
"Alright, maybe next week then." Ashley exclaimed.
"Yeah."
"Well I'm going to let you go. Have a good night."
"You too, bye." Logan hung up and went into his room to retire for the night.
Pretty chill chapter, hope y'all liked it! Comments and reviews are always welcomed and appreciated. ^_^