A/N: Okay guys. This is the last ACTUAL chapter, but the prologue will be up sometime soon, I promise. Sorry this is so late, but it's over 10,000 words so be happy. Yup, this is it for Stella and Kendall. But I'll leave my good-bye author's note for the epilogue. Enjoy, and again, sorry for the lateness :/
And of COURSE you MUST keep reading/reviewing Past The Sorrow by waterwicca. Here is a snippet like usual:
"Great party…" Logan appeared beside him and settled next to him on the pavement. His comment was sarcastic, which James easily picked up on.
"Yeah, Happy Birthday," James added with a bitter laugh, not liking that the day turned out terribly for both of them. He absentmindedly rubbed his wrists, hoping that the cuffs hadn't messed with his flawless skin. He wouldn't meet Logan's eyes, but the shorter boy wasn't attempting to force him into anything.
"Technically, my birthday was yesterday," Logan tried to lighten the mood, but his heart wasn't fully into it, and James didn't take the bait. Both of their gazes drifted elsewhere. Logan watched a plane pass above them in the sky, and James picked at the threads of his long sleeves.
"I wish it was still yesterday. I wanna take this whole night back," James professed humorlessly, sighing heavily. He was in a dark mood, and it was rare to see, but Logan felt like he could relate.
"Bullshit. That party was epic. If anything, the cops showing up is only going to get the school to talk about you more," Logan reassured him quickly, believing the words he spoke. It may not have gone as planned, but James' reputation would definitely get a boost by Monday.
James smirked, but the expression wasn't fully there. His eyes followed a thick crack in the asphalt beneath his sneakers. It was a harsh and jagged line dividing the space between his parents' cars almost symmetrically. It slipped between his sprawled legs perfectly down the center. James was caught right in the middle of it. His hazel eyes darted back and forth to either side of the imperfection marring the smooth surface, and he felt the urge to move over and be only on one half of the divider. Sighing heavily and slumping down further against the curb, he cursed his inability to choose which way was the right way.
"Come on, you know you wanna smile," Logan coaxed him, nudging his slackened shoulders with a lopsided smirk, which ended up settling into a pitying smile. "You only feel bad now because of your parents. Things will be better in the morning…"
"They'll be worse. It's my mom's weekend. Everything's terrible over there, especially after they…" James frowned deeply and gestured behind them to the police station, "… after they do that," he finished, referring to their intense arguments.
"I know it's hard. Seeing them fight was… intense," Logan whispered the last word, his chin falling almost all the way to his chest when he closed his eyes. James caught the movement and reacted softly.
"Déjà vu?" he wondered aloud, raising up the issue of Logan's own parents and his abusive father.
"Yeah, a little bit, but pretty much any confrontation makes me think of my father," Logan admitted quietly, finally turning and meeting James' eyes with depression and understanding.
"Wow, I must really look like shit if you're going to talk about your dad," James laughed dryly, knowing that it was a rough and rare topic for Logan to discuss. He shifted his focus upward, silently pleading for his friend to keep going with the conversation. He felt a strong comfort from it, and he thought that, if he dropped the subject now, he'd lose a golden opportunity to get the dark-haired boy to open up.
Logan was always an emotional teenager, but never when it came to this. The memory of his father stayed locked in a prison of frosted glass; it was observable, but protected and kept hidden from too many prying eyes. Only Logan could really see it and share the damaging, severe details when he was ready.
His best friends know the basics, but Logan only let himself cry about it for a year after Patrick left, then it became all about being strong for his mother as well as a grieving Kendall when Mr. Knight was unfairly taken by cancer. Logan knew that he was better off without his father, but he could never say the same for Kendall. That boy had his idol stolen from him. Logan just lost his. It slipped right through his tiny, weak fingers. Both tragedies were unjust and cruel, but, in Logan's young mind, Kendall took precedent, and he kept that pattern throughout the years. Everyone's above him. Everyone's more important than Logan Mitchell. At least, that's how he saw it.
"What do you want to hear?" Logan relented, lowering a few of his walls so that James would feel like he had a partner in his sorrow.
"Anything," James answered quickly, trying not to sound too enthusiastic about it, but he was inwardly thrilled that Logan was going to share something with him. It brightened his dark mood just a single shade when he felt like he wasn't so alone.
You know you wanna read it, don't you? SO DO IT!
And also check out Something To Sleep To by so-complicated! It's just starting off, so there is NO excuse not to read! The fourth chapter will be up soon, and it has EVERYTHING you could possibly want in a fic! Check it out! You will NOT be sorry.
And now, for the final actual chapter of Hooked. I hope you guys aren't disappointed *cries*
Chapter Thirty-Two: Two is Better Than One
"Hey guys," Kendall Knight said to his best friends, addressing the group of tired eyed, sleepy boys that sat in the waiting room. Kendall squeezed Stella's hand tightly as the two casually made their way to the seats right across the small table from Carlos, James and Logan, sitting down quietly and comfortably.
"Hi…Kendall," Logan said awkwardly, not knowing it would be proper or appropriate to address Stella. The couple sighed, as comfortable as ever, but with sad looks in their eyes. Logan didn't know if they were just looks of sadness because of Carlos and his father, or if it was something deeper.
Kendall and Stella sat next to each other as a ticking time bomb, each second passing another closer to when they had to part. Right now, they were together. Right now, they were happy. Right now everything was fine. They didn't know how, but it was. It seemed as everything in their relationship, no matter how severe or insignificant had changed the course of their lives slightly. As they looked at Logan, James and Carlos, both of them knew they had some explaining to do.
"How's your father, Carlos?" Stella asked softly with somber blue eyes, her voice whispering through the winds of the stuff, small waiting room. Carlos sighed and bit his lip, hating to have to tell Stella how nothing had changed since her and Kendall had last been there this morning.
"No change," Carlos got out meekly, his voice cracking with sadness as Kendall massaged Stella's shoulder comfortingly, as if it was her father who was dying.
"How are you?" Kendall asked more directly, his green eyes locked on the Latino's shrugged shoulders, his permanent frown and upset. Carlos looked at Logan and James who still were a bit clueless about this situation, and then at Kendall and Stella, the corners of his mouth arching up into a small grin.
"A lot better now," he said. Kendall and Stella both smiled and looked at James and Logan, whose eyes were locked on the girl they had barely met this morning. Everything was beyond chaotic upon arriving home, and both Logan and James didn't even fully understand the fact that Stella, the girl who Kendall had gone on and on about for months was here, right in front of them, giving their best friend all the love that he raved about for months. It seemed surreal. It was if Stella had jumped out of Kendall's mind and into real color, real matter.
"So uh…I know you guys sorta met her this morning, but this is Stella," Kendall said to Logan and James awkwardly, battling the silence with his meek introduction of the blonde next to him. James and Logan looked at her with a smile, watching as her pursed lips pulled up into a smile.
Logan looked at the blonde like she was some sort of science experiment. All the hurt, and all the sleepless nights and stupid things she had made Kendall go through, and here she was, acting as if none of it had ever happened. Not logical at all, definitely not. How could Kendall even stand there and put his arm around her after everything that had happened between them? The fighting, the lying, the violence, it was if everything that could possibly be wrong in a relationship was wrong for them, but Kelley's voice rang in Logan's head. He didn't know what they felt, he couldn't know what they felt. It was impossible. Logan was just merely an innocent bystander to Kendall and Stella's love, and that's all he ever would be.
"I'm—"
"Logan, right?" she asked him with not a weak, tiny voice, but with an energetic, excited voice. Well, as excited as she could be at the moment. She looked from James to Carlos to Logan with narrowed eyes, biting her lower lip as she nodded. She felt confident with her choice and looked back at Kendall with a small smile. "Right?" she said, her eyes locking with Logan's.
"Right," Logan said with a weak, frail voice and a smile. Stella looked at James a bit confused, as if she was trying to grasp his name from the top of brain. She knew it began with a J, but feared saying the wrong name, not wanting Kendall's friends to think she was an idiot. After staring at the boy for a few seconds, it popped into her head as easily as anything would.
"James! You're James," she told him in a low exclamation, squeezing Kendall's hand tightly. Kendall was in awe about how excited Stella was about getting the names right. The only two people more surprised were James and Logan, who based on the quiet blonde girl who hadn't said a word this morning had no idea that Stella even really had a voice.
"Yes," James said with an awkward face, unsure about how to handle the girl's guessing game. Was she acting like she knew exactly what all James and Logan were about? Was she guessing completely? Was she trying to impress Kendall? James had no idea what was going on at the moment, and looked at Logan for some kind of sign to see his thoughts. The furrowed and raised brown combination on his forehead said the exact thing as James. They had no idea what to expect from this girl any longer.
It was then as if the boys expected Stella to take out a microphone, and start introducing her guests like she was some sort of Oprah Winfrey. They expected her to be a bit quiet, and awkward around them. She had put the four friends through hell and back, and now she was just acting as if she had known them forever?
"Kendall's told me a lot about you guys," Stella said with a smile, tenderly rubbing her fingers through Kendall's hand as if she owned him. Logan looked down at their intertwined hands and bit his lip, trying to hold back all the feelings he was having in that moment. It was like…Stella owned him. What could Kendall have possibly told Stella in the past six months that gave her right to address them like that? Him like that? While Logan had no honor to combat what they felt, even seeing it in their touches and comforting glances, he had all the right to wonder why Stella acted like she knew all of the boys so well, and why she felt the need to be so genuinely outgoing about all of this.
"Yeah, he's told us a lot about you too," Logan said bitterly, his bad attitude hanging on every syllable of every word that came from his mouth. Stella's face immediately changed to one of concern and upset, looking at how Logan seethed at her. James, even though he sort of agreed with Logan, was surprised by the smart boy's words and Carlos, who had taken a liking to Stella seemed a bit offended by the venom laced words. Stella immediately retreated back in her seat awkwardly, her blue eyes filled with fear and shame, like she had done something wrong. Stella hadn't had this much contact with people in so long, so while being quiet was not always her forte, she was only more outgoing and more friendly to anyone she came in contact with, especially someone who was so important to Kendall.
"I-I don't understand," Stella said to him, looking back at Kendall whose green eyes looked at Logan's with less anger, but more shame. How could Logan not be nice to the one girl who Kendall loved? He had told him all the wonderful things about her, how she had made his life so much better in every way possible. Kendall was aware that he had gone through stuff because of Stella, and that things weren't always perfect, but all that mattered to him was the end result. He had come to terms with the fact that he loved Stella, but he would have to let her go. Logan should've been a lot more polite to her, just as Carlos had been in the store.
"Logan," Kendall said softly, more upset than anything. Logan looked at how instantly Stella got more reserved and sad with her facial expressions, nearing Kendall more and more, feeling like she didn't belong. Logan's face said a thousand and one things to her about how she shouldn't be here. Instantly, all the things Stella had done came rushing back to her, and it was if her breath began to catch in her throat. Stella looked back at Kendall with a sigh, closing her blue eyes tightly and nodding softly to herself. She definitely understood what was happening now.
Stella had always been outgoing, very enthralled and intrigued by people. It was one of the reasons that she had reached out to Kendall that night on the Tregger's deck, wanting to know why he was crying. She was fascinated by other people's feelings, what they felt, how they felt, how they showed it. She wanted to know everything about what James and Logan were feeling, and she knew that negative feelings floated from them towards her. It was only natural. She had put Kendall through so much; she had divided the inseparable group of four through violence, and anger. It was as if her presence in Kendall's life inadvertently screwed up the other's lives in every way possible, therefore making them all suffer. As her thoughts consumed her mind more and more, Stella began to frown, looking at how her and Logan's understand of each other's facial expressions grew more and more specific, each of their minds beaconing what the other one felt.
"It's only fair, Kendall. I hurt you, many times. Your friends should be sticking up for you," she said softly to the blonde, gently pushing his bangs from his face with a reassuring smile. Kendall sighed and kissed her forehead gently, not saying anything but looking towards Logan with a sympathetic sigh. It was true. She had hurt him, she had kept him waiting for a letter that would never come, she'd cheated on him, and she'd made him spend nights crying over the fact that she wasn't there, and made his heart bleed from the inside out with pain and regret. "I'm sorry," she told James and Logan with soft, pink pursed lips in a frown.
Logan and James looked at each other, unsure of really what to say. Here Stella was apologizing, which she should've been, but they couldn't help but feel bad for the girl. They knew she really didn't know better as to have real understandings about social situations, or any past relationships to compare this one too. She had no idea that when you fuck over a guys best friend, they probably aren't going to like you, unless your incredibly sexy with a supermodel body, and then maybe James would wanna take you for himself. There something about Stella, something about the way her long fingers rested on Kendall's leg relaxed, or the way that she snuggled into him feeling protected that made Logan and James' hearts ache for the runaway who had capture their best friend's heart. Stella had never been loved, she had been beaten in the orphanages that she had been in, she had never had a real Christmas and she had been living on her own for several years.
"It's alright," James said softly, speaking his first words since the girl had arrived. Stella and Kendall looked at the boy with surprise, as Logan turned to his head to him in awe. Since when did James forgive so easily? "I don't understand you two, whatsoever," he told them, flailing his finger at both of them with a sigh, Kendall and Stella just smiling, "but I'm done with trying to prove your love non-existent," he said quite confidently with a smile. "I don't care what you do, or how you feel, I just know that you're in love, and you know what, go be happy," James told them, as if he were a middle aged man giving advice to love struck teenagers. Kendall looked at James with a confused, absurd face, noticing the boy's nonchalant attitude, his phone beneath his fingers anxiously. Kendall raised an eyebrow at the boy and then looked back up at him with a chuckle.
"Alright anti-love I sleep with girls and don't have real relationships," Kendall mocked him, holding onto Stella tightly. Carlos, who still remained pretty quiet smiled a bit, his voice somber and sad from crying and remaining silent.
"Not anymore, Kendall. James has a girlfriend," he told him. Kendall's eyes went wide and he shot a look at James with a smile, his dimples deep and eyes shining.
"What? You have a girlfriend?" Kendall exclaimed softly as if it was the single most absurd thing in the entire world. James nodded quite happily and confidently, liking the new found attention towards him, even if it was for having a girlfriend.
"Yes I do. Well, technically not at the moment, but once we get back to LA, I am going to ask Lianna, and she's going to say yes," James said sitting back a bit on the plush chair, crossing his legs and tapping the pads of his fingers on his phone. Kendall scoffed in amazement, sitting back pulling Stella closer to him with a sigh and smile.
"Wow. I never thought I would see the day," Kendall said with a smile. James shrugged and looked at him with a sly grin.
"See it, K-Dawg," James told him powerfully.
Kendall's eyes then went back to Logan, who still seemed a bit unsure of Stella. But Logan being the logical person he was, decided that even though Stella had put Kendall through hell and back, he loved her, and she loved him. He also knew that Kendall wasn't going to listen to him even if he had a bullhorn and screamed his name into his ear standing five inches away from him. There was no point in hating Stella, because it wasn't going to change anything and because he really had no reason to hate her. If Kendall could still love her after everything she had done, Logan could learn to like her, just like Carlos had, and like James was on his way.
Logan could learn to forgive her.
Just like he could learn to forgive his father.
He hadn't seen his dad since arriving home, but he knew his mother had told John that he was flying in. Logan knew that John wanted to talk to him, seeing as their last spurt on the phone had gone more than wrong. Logan was going to have to face his father sometime, and the fact that Carlos' dad was hanging onto his life by a thread, made him realize it all the more. Carlos had kept telling the brunette over and over that he was so glad that he was able to start to make amends with his dad before he was hurt. Logan knew that it was the only thing that kept Carlos somewhat sane, and somewhat unregretful about this whole debacle with his father, seeing as their amends had been slightly warped with the introduction of his father's girlfriend.
It was his father's fault he left them, it was his father's fault that he made Logan feel worthless, and it was his father's fault that his mother was so unhappy.
Except Logan couldn't really blame him for what happened between them since the separation.
It was Logan's doing how he refused to talk to his father. It was understandable why, but being so angry as to recite that his father didn't love him was far beyond Logan's spectrum of rational thinking and problem solving. Not talking to his father wasn't going to make him any less mad, or any happier. It was just going to make him miss everything they had more and more, and while he tried to push it out of his brain more and more, the love he had for his father just grew more and more with each passing day.
Logan was going to have to forgive, and wrap his head around his feelings as well as understanding his father, and Kendall and Stella were no different.
"It's very nice to meet you, Stella," Logan said after taking a deep breath, James and Carlos looking at the boy like he was a completely different person.
"Nice to meet you too, Logan," Stella said with a small smile, Kendall nodding his head at his best friend. Logan eased back into his chair and James decided that now, seeing as the tension had decreased in the stuffy waiting room, was his time to talk.
"So are you guys like together, or what?" James asked with a small smile, Carlos' eyes directing towards the couple. Stella and Kendall looked at each other the same way they looked at each other when they had reunited yesterday. That look of pure love and want, like nothing in the world could ever as be as amazing as each other's eyes. Logan, James and Carlos all saw it, as the corners of their mouths fell, but their eyes smiled. Stella ducked her head a bit and grabbed onto Kendall tightly as if he was falling from her in that moment.
"We're gonna go our separate ways tomorrow," Kendall told James, with a bit of heaviness in his throat. He squeezed Stella's hand tightly and gave a small chuckle as James raised an eyebrow and Logan moved forward with a perched lip.
"Come again?" he asked, as if the words hadn't just come out of Kendall's mouth. Kendall sighed deeply at his friends.
"Stella's going back up to Thief River Falls tomorrow," Kendall told them somberly, the blonde next to him smiling sadly.
"But why?" Carlos asked her confused, interjecting with a bit of anxiousness in his voice. "Why don't you just stay with Kendall and us? You can live with us in 2J," Carlos whined out to her, acting as if he were a little kid not wanting a rarely seen relative to walk out of the house late Christmas Eve.
"I can't live with you guys, and it's so much more than that," Stella told the group sadly. "I love Kendall, but we're not right for each other," she said swallowing hard, trying her best to keep the tears in her eyes. She hated admitting the fact that she and the love of her life weren't right for each other, but it was true. Stella wasn't about to go mess up and her Kendall's lives for something as strong as love, when it would hurt them so greatly in the end. They would end up like Logan's parents, or Carlos's parents, where love fades out and things go awry. A relationship is more than love, and both Kendall and Stella had begun to see that. "It wouldn't work, and we know that," she told them, looking up at the green eyes with a smile. Kendall smiled back at her and chuckled, giving her a kiss on the forehead as she sighed deeply, inhaling his wonderful scent for what could've been taken as the last time she would ever be near him.
"Why do you think that?" Logan asked inquisitively, wanting to know where things had gone somewhat wrong between them. He was surprised that Kendall hadn't announced he and Stella were eloping somewhere.
"I thought you guys were 'meant for each other'," James said with air quotes and a smile on his face, obviously mocking Kendall's earlier comments about him and Stella. Carlos smirked a bit, his face then returning to its straight, expressionless appearance as he waited for Kendall's answer.
Kendall took a deep breath, knowing this was going to be hard to explain. The idea that sis father had sent Stella to him, he believed. The fact that Stella and him were made for each other was something Kendall wasn't all on board with. There had to be a reason she was up there on the deck that night, there had to be a reason they were so drawn towards each other, there had to be a reason they had kissed so easily within minutes of meeting one another. It wasn't luck, it wasn't chance. It was fate.
Kendall's father had sent Stella so his son would hold on to true love.
Kristopher Knight was more than aware of the Garcia's angry relationship, the Diamond's lovey-dovey relationship, and the Mitchell's lackluster relationship. Kristopher Knight had heard Carlos talk about his parents and their fighting, he had heard stories from Kendall about how James conquered the entire school population of girls, believing girls ruined dreams of being famous, and he had also heard Logan complain every first day of school of how annoying it was that every old teacher he had asked if he was Kelly and Johnny's son. He had seen Kendall doubt love at times, but had always tried his best to show his son a loving relationship. Kristopher Knight loved his wife, and his son and daughter more than life itself.
When he was taken, he decided to make sure his values were instilled in his children.
He saw how Kendall was hurting, how torn he was at the seams. How he was becoming bitter to everyone around him, Katie, Kim, Carlos, Logan, James. Kris then decided to send his son a present from above, to give him his own gift of love, so he could understand it. Here Kendall was, a sixteen year old boy without a father, without someone to love, without loving parents to look up to. Here he was, with an incredible singing voice, something he couldn't hide any longer.
Kris wanted to give Kendall everything he could to make his son grow up on his own terms, successfully and intelligently.
"We were meant to love…" Kendall told them. "It just wasn't meant to last." James, Carlos and Logan looked at the pained couple as Kendall took a deep sigh and beamed down at Stella, the two locking eyes. He turned to his friends again and licked his lips awkwardly. "She's leaving tomorrow, and we'll both go on with our own lives," Kendall said matter-of-factly. Carlos, James and Logan looked very confused, and James put up a hand awkwardly, not even knowing where to being.
"So you're telling me, you guys are so incredibly in love with each other, and you think you were meant to love, but you are just gonna give up, and not be with each other?" he asked confused, as if the thought that all of this work Kendall had put into finding Stella and being with her was all gone.
"I guess that sounds right," Kendall told him looking at Stella. James shook his head a bit and bit his lower lip, raising an eyebrow. He didn't understand how Kendall was so headstrong about Stella, and loving her, and had dreams about marrying her and now he was just going to throw it all away. James was learning that love was work, love was sacrifices, love was something beautiful that he could have someday. And here sat Kendall and Stella, together as they could've been at the moment, planning to give up tomorrow and leave it all behind.
"Okay, I don't get it. At all," he told them, settling back in his chair as Logan chimed in, rolling his eyes.
"We're not supposed to, James," Logan said, turning to Kendall and Stella with a small, knowing smile. "That's the point."
"Exactly," Kendall told Logan softly, smiling at his best friend, and looking at the love of his life.
Logan nervously sat on the edge of his living room couch, twiddling his thumbs. Sweat had begun to form at the back of his neck right under his freshly shaven hair line. Kelley leaned on the wall next to him, watching as her son nervously contemplated his decision to call her ex-husband.
Logan had gotten back from the hospital an hour ago, after Carlos sent all the guys home, seeing as his father's condition didn't worsen or get better, and he saw that they all needed sleep. James was beginning to mumble 'Big Time Rush' in his sleep, a trickle of saliva falling down his chin. Carlos also knew that this was Stella and Kendall's last day together, and them sitting there in the hospital wasn't the way they wanted to spend it. Of course Kendall had contested they stay for him, but with Marta coming out and joining Carlos, as well as Gabriela, the boy felt it was time for his friends to go home. They had been there for more than several hours, and seeing as they didn't have much time to be in Minnesota, Carlos knew they wanted to spend some time with their families.
James had gone home to spend some time with his dad, seeing as only his mother had been home when his plane landed. Kendall and Stella had gone to the Knight house, and truthfully no one had any idea what was going on there between Kendall, Stella, Katie and Kim. Carlos remained at the hospital with his mother and his father's girlfriend, who he had actually taken a liking to. Gabriela was very sweet, and tried her best to keep her comforting level of Carlos down to an appropriate range, not wanting to get too involved. Gabriela herself was a mess of tears, almost as much as he and his mother, and Marta didn't seem to have too much of a problem with the woman, seeing as she and Peter had been divorced for almost decade now.
Logan had called John himself just an hour ago, telling him that he wanted to talk to him. John was nothing less than surprised from hearing his son's voice on the other line. He knew Logan was getting into Minnesota today, and he was hoping to at least hear from him, but when Logan told his father to come over to the house to talk, John was bewildered. The last time they had talked, Logan had to have his iPhone replaced by Gustavo, seeing as that the crack in the screen had messed up with the entire calibration of the technology.
"You nervous?" Kelley asked her son, who hadn't really said a word since calling John twenty minutes ago. He had done it almost the second he walked into the house, on some type of power spree he had, where everything was done without question.
Logan sighed deeply. Nervous was an understatement. He was going to have to make peace with his father, and somehow push every single negative thought of him out of his head for a few days. He had to understand without letting his emotions get to the best of him. He was allowed to be angry with John, but he could no longer keep convincing himself that his father didn't love him.
Logan knew that wasn't true.
"I guess," Logan said dryly, biting his lower lip with a sigh. Kelley smiled and rested a hang on her son's back, which rose and fell heavily due to his tired, nervous breaths. "More anxious, you know?" he told her.
"You'll be fine, baby. And I'll be right upstairs, alright?" she told him. Logan looked up at her and smiled, seeing her beautiful grin spread across her face brightly, happy to see her son and his father somewhat reconciling. Kelley Mitchell was just happier about everything lately.
A slam of a car door, louder than usual, interrupted both Kelley and Logan's thoughts, as they blinked and looked at each other with a sigh, knowing exactly who it was. Logan arched his head to look out the window, and against the lights that lined the path up to the Mitchell's house, he saw his father walk up to the front door. Logan looked at his mom and nodded, motioning her upstairs with his eyes as she nodded. Before leaving, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Remember what I said," she told him in a whisper, Logan nodding before she scurried upstairs, wanting to give the two men privacy.
There was an abrupt knock on the door and Logan stood up with shaky legs, running a hand through his hair. He made his way over to the door and stood at it nervously, trying to get every bad thought of his head. All he had to do was make things right with his father. It would definitely take time for their relationship to heal. John wasn't going to walk out of here World's Best Daddy, and there certainly wouldn't be a "I'll call you as soon as I get back to LA, Dad," from Logan, but they could begin their path of amends tonight. That's all Logan wanted, and it's all John wanted.
Logan opened the door and saw his father standing there, looking miserable as ever. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks, his eyes red and pained. Thick bags of skin hung under them, aging him about ten years, as he sighed, looking at his young, beautiful son with upset and shame.
"Hi, Logan," John said awkwardly.
"Hi…," Logan said unsure of what to call his father. Dad? Father? John? Logan kept it as a simple open ended hello, as John stood there in the night, shifting on his feet side to side.
"Can I…come in?" he asked. Logan nodded and stepped aside, opening the door for his father as he walked into the house. Logan saw how his shoulders were slumped, and his footsteps broad, just like they were every time he walked into the house from work. Logan was instantly brought back to countless times when he was little, running down the stairs to the front door and attaching to his father's leg, so happy for him to be home safe. He instantly shook the memory from his head and bit his lower lip, closing the door behind the chilly night, and turning to the man who stood in the living room like a stranger.
"Where's your mother?" John asked shyly, wondering if Kelley would be present for their talk.
"Upstairs," Logan responded curtly, swallowing hard and taking a few minutes to look at his father. John had never seemed as uncomfortable in his own skin as he was now. He kept his limbs to himself as if he was in the narrowest of glass boxes, and his face was stoic and expressionless. Logan touched his face nervously and cleared his throat.
"You…you can sit," Logan said, motioning to the couch. John nodded and took a seat on the white couch, sitting there tightly, and one seat over from his usual spot where he would sit with Kelley, talking about their days at work and at home.
"Thanks," John said with a sigh. Logan sat next to his father and looked down at the glass table in front of him, wondering if this was even a good idea. What was he going to say to his father? How were things ever going to get back to normal with them? A million questions whizzed in Logan's brain before he closed his eyes, and tried his best not to let his emotions get the best of him.
"I'm sorry about what happened the last time we spoke to each other," Logan said outright, staring into his father's eyes. John looked very taken aback by the declaration of his son and let out a small chuckle of disbelief.
"Son, I don't—" he began to say but Logan cut him off, knowing that he just needed to get everything out in one sitting.
"Let me talk," he told his father sternly, John nodding, knowing that Logan earned the right to lead the conversation. He took a deep sigh and continued, trying to be his calmest and strongest.
"I'm sorry. I overreacted, but I was still angry," he told John. John nodded and kept his mouth shut. "I still am angry. I'm very angry, and I have every right to be. You left me and mom for another family," Logan said, his voice beginning to catch in his throat a bit. He felt like exploding into tears, but he didn't want to seem weakened in front of John like he had so many times before. "It hurts, it does. It hurts a lot that you chose them, but I can't do anything about it. You made your choice, and even if you think it was a mistake, it doesn't matter," Logan told him angrily and sadly, watching as John's entire face fell with each word he said. "It's done," he told his father, trying his hardest to hold back the tears in his eyes. All was silent as Logan took a deep shaky breath, looking up at his father sadly. "I don't even care why. I don't care of any excuses or reasons," he told him. John spoke up, not being able to take it anymore.
"Can I talk?" he asked his son. Logan nodded, knowing that if he said anymore right now, it would just be replay of their phone conversation. "What I did was wrong. I'll be the first one to admit it, Logan. I shouldn't have had a relationship with a woman and a relationship with her children while I had a wife and son back here. It was wrong of me. I was selfish. You're right, there are no excuses for it," John told his son with a strong, heavy voice, his own emotions beginning to creep up. "I can't change my mistakes, son. I can't change the things I did wrong. Your mother and I should've sat you down, and explained to you that things weren't working out between us," John told him. "I was unhappy with your mother, she was unhappy with me," he sighed, "but you're right. It was no excuse for me to have a relationship with another woman while I was still here," John admitted, his voice shaky. He looked at his son's brown eyes and how they looked disappointed and saddened by the entire situation. "And I'm sorry that I hurt you so much," he swallowed, "but I really hope that you know that I love you, Logan. You're my son, and not anyone or anything will ever change that," John finished up, watching a small tear fall down his son's face.
Logan wiped it away ashamed that his father's words had made him cry. He was supposed to be strong, for both himself and his mother. He didn't want John to weasel his way back into their lives so easily, as divorce proceedings went forward and Logan went back to Los Angeles.
"And I know earlier on, that your mom had mentioned to me that you wanted her to have full custody of you. And if that's still your choice, I respect it. You're sixteen, you are old enough to make your own decisions," John told him lowly. "And I'm not trying to pity you into anything, alright? You're a smart boy, and whatever works for you, works for me," he added on, making sure his son knew his good intentions. Logan nodded at his father and looked down at his fingers with a sigh. His father was trying to make this as easy as he possibly could on him. Now it was his turn to apologize.
"I'm sorry I kept starting up things with you," Logan told him ashamed. He closed his eyes and tried his hardest to remember the horrible situation he had been in when John had started to talk about visiting, but then Logan remembered John's sincere face and words just seconds earlier. "I know you still love me, I knew you still loved me then too, I just thought it'd be easier if I detached myself from you. It was easier to get angry with you, and easier not to miss you, but I was wrong," Logan whispered out softly, looking up at his father with sad, hooded eyes. "But then I look at Carlos and his father, and Kendall and his father. Kendall's father was taken away from him, and Carlos' dad, who knows if he'll make it," Logan whispered to himself, looking down. "Who knows if you'll even be here tomorrow?" he told his father, arching his head back up, his stare locked on his father's sullen face. "There is no point in fighting anymore, no point in hating you," Logan told him shaking his head in disbelief, "and I'm sorry I'm only seeing that now."
"It's alright. I deserved it after what I did, truly. I'm lucky you're speaking to me right now," John told his son with a slight chuckle. "I'm lucky that you even want to look at me after the hurt I've caused you and your mother the past few months," he told him from the bottom of his heart.
"So I guess we're kinda even?" Logan joked out, trying his best to cut the dramatic tensions. John looked at Logan sincerely.
"We'll never be even, Son. The hurt I caused you could never be compared to anything you could possibly do to me," he explained to him. "Remember that, alright? As much as I want to be in your life again, hopefully like I was before, if you aren't happy with me in it, I'll respect that," he said stately, trying his hardest to mask the emotions on his face. He didn't want to pity his son with tears, especially since he knew Logan would pick up on it. I just want you to be happy, Logan. That's something that me and your mother agree on no matter what," he finished with a small smile.
There was an awkward silence, and Kelley could be heard shuffling upstairs, running water to clean the upstairs bathroom. Both Logan and John chuckled, knowing that Kelley was a neat freak, and that she cleaned every chance she could possibly get. It was one of the things John had loved about her. It was a simple chuckle, a simple moment, but it meant both the world to Logan and John. It was the first small step to them working as a team again. A few moments of silence later, John spoke again.
"Is that all you wanted to say to me?" John asked his son awkwardly. Logan locked eyes with his father, seeing the absolute regret and tension between them. He wanted nothing more than to be able to hug his dad, and tell him how much he missed him. He wanted to tell him the story of Kendall and Stella. He wanted him to promise he'd always be around for Logan, even when he didn't want John there. But he couldn't. He wasn't ready for that type of interaction. Logan knew this was going a long journey to making things right with his father, and rebuilding the wall of a relationship that had crumbled several weeks ago. But it would happen eventually, and it would happen on Logan's terms.
"No," Logan said stoically. John took a deep breath, mentally bracing himself for what was about to come out of his son's mouth. He wondered if it was going to be a tangent about how Kelley was so much happier without him, or maybe it would be about talking to him next and how it would take time. Nothing Logan could say him to would be a surprise.
"I love you, dad. I always will."
Or at least that's what John thought.
They had said good-bye before.
Twice in fact.
The first time Kendall had left Thief River Falls, as well as the second time. Although the second time wasn't as much of a good-bye as it was a fight, left off with a searing slap in the face to Stella, that still haunted Kendall at times.
And now, here stood Kendall, Stella, Logan, James and Carlos at the bus stop of the Minnesota Bus Authority. It was cold for spring in Minnesota, and the bitter chill in the air reminded both Kendall and Stella of the days they had shared together in December. It was like the air had been mocking them since waking up early this morning, and driving Stella over to the bus depot.
Kim and Katie had gotten the full story from Stella last night, as they sat down to a home cooked meal of chicken noodle soup. Both female Knights were taken by surprise, as Stella told them the entire story of her and Kendall, of course leaving out the parts where they had gotten intimate, for both Katie and Kim's sake. She told them all about the General Store, all about the orphanage she had been abused in, all about Gina and John. She told them about her excursions in Cumberland, how she had "gotten into trouble" with Cooper, and how she had been drawn to the pond Kendall and Brian Tregger had been at the cold, snowy night. Stella felt it was best to be honest, seeing as that Kim couldn't hate her anymore than she probably had, seeing as Kendall had gone through so much with her, especially since she had taken her only son's virginity, putting the cherry on top of it all.
Kim had listened to the story, as well as Katie, who was so intrigued by all the stuff Stella and her brother had gone through that she had no idea about. The young girl was actually quite insulted about being left in the dark so long, quite embarrassed that she had been calling Stella Kasey this entire time. Stella however quickly boosted Katie back up, telling her the story of how she named herself after the stars, and that she didn't know her true name.
Kim looked at Stella with confused care. Here this girl was, making a mess out of her young son, who had more than enough to worry about the past year. Kendall had been through hell and back, and it was all thanks to this blonde that Kendall claimed Kris had sent him. She had seen him cry, seen him fight, seen him go against his friends and family and seen him at his lowest. However, Kim couldn't deny the feelings she saw between the couple. On Christmas Eve, the looks they sent each other, the gentle comforting touches and the soft words spoken after only just hours together seemed like they had spent a lifetime together. It reminded Kim of her and Kris. It was a secret, strong willed bond that no one else in the world could possibly understand, no matter how hard they tried. It was something Kim was more than glad her son had experienced in his lifetime, knowing that not everyone found it, and that single fact ruled over everything Kendall had been through.
It was all a part of growing up. Knowing who your true friends are, losing love, making love, coming to terms with something beyond your control. Kim had just wished it all didn't come at one time for her son. But Kendall could handle it. Kendall did handle it, just like Kim knew he could.
It was a long, awkward conversation but it ended with Kim taking a deep breath, and agreeing that Stella should go back to Thief River Falls, but not without money or somewhere to stay. Kim had graciously offered her five hundred dollars out of some money the band had made recently that was given as Kendall's share, and had suggested she could make some calls to local shelters that would help her, seeing that she was only sixteen. However now knowing her past, Kim wasn't surprised when she refused the help as well as the money. Stella had told the woman she'd be fine on her own, without any help from anyone. After a short argument with Kendall about this, Stella eventually took two-hundred and fifty dollars from Kim, knowing it would put Kim and Kendall a little more at peace. Kim had even offered Stella to stay with them a bit longer, but both Kendall and her had made the decision to part ways days ago, and had been mentally preparing since then. It would be too easy that way, and harder to let go in the end, and neither of them wanted that.
So here they stood, early in the morning with Stella, waiting for her bus to come to drive her off the Thief River Falls. The five of them stood their talking quite animatedly for the past twenty minutes. It seemed that once Logan and James forgave Stella like Carlos and Kendall did, they really enjoyed talking to her. Kendall looked on at his almost girlfriend talking to his best friend's and smiled widely, wishing that she'd be there to stay. It was something Kendall had always dreamed of, seeing Stella and them interact.
She was talking to the boys about something that had happened with Kendall in Thief River Falls the first week they were there, how when she as posing as Kacey, and she kissed Kendall in front of Bryan, Stephen, Alex and Jake. Kendall couldn't hear the story all the well, his attention more on how the three boys reacted to her.
Stella's hands animatedly motioned to Kendall every so often, a smile on her face, her hair beautifully swept up, her face healthy, and her fingernails cut and cleaned thanks to his mother. She giggled every so often explaining to the boys the situation, and Kendall looked at their reactions.
Carlos leaned against a center pole in the depot, his head leaning back on the pole as he laughed hysterically about Stella's story. It was good to see Carlos laugh. His father's condition was slowly getting better, Peter being a fighter, and he was now officially out of the red zone. Carlos had found out last night, and his father was taken off the breathing machine he had put on for his final days. The Latino had hugged his father's weak and limp body tightly as he took a few breaths, and cried hysterically in his arms. It had happened shortly after the boys left the hospital last night, but Carlos made sure to shoot a text to all of them. It definitely gave Logan, James and Kendall a breather, knowing that everything was going to be alright, that it was just going to take some time. The boys were planning on shooting over to the hospital as soon as Stella got on the bus. Carlos grabbed at his stomach in glee as Stella described the faces of Jake, Bryan, Stephen and Alex when she had kissed Kendall in the general store.
Kendall's attention then turned to James who sat next to Carlos on the floor, with his cell phone in his hand, beaming up at the blonde with wide eyes. He couldn't believe what he was hearing about Kendall and Stella, and found it increasingly interesting that they had almost "snuck around" in a sense. He agreed with the shock of the other boys back in Thief River Falls, although his attention was sort of elsewhere. His cell phone vibrated under his touch, and Kendall smiled as James opened a text message. The boy's face instantly curled into a gleeful grin upon seeing the message, Kendall just knowing it was from Lianna. James had become absolutely smitten with her the past few days, and he was more than happy that James was on his way to having a fully functional relationship.
And then there was Logan. He stood there with his arms crossed against his chest quite relaxed, and his foot extended out beneath him so he was standing cock-eyed. He had a genuine smile on his face, his small almond eyes curled up at the corners, his tongue licking his teeth with amusement as it had anytime Camille rehearsed her lines with him, showing his true interest in the story. Kendall noticed how Logan's shoulders were relaxed, his body showing no signs of tension at all. Logan had sent a quick text to the guys after his talk with his father about it, but hadn't gone into details about it. He'd figured he'd tell them later, seeing as Stella leaving was very important to Kendall, and all of them at the moment. It was if Logan's entire, bitter demeanor changed as he laughed with Stella like she was an old friend from a past life, and it made Kendall incredibly happy to see it.
This is what he had been waiting for.
Kendall stood with his arms across his chest, his big, thick brows furrowed as he leaned on the wall next to Stella who was still talking like she wasn't leaving him. Kendall glanced down at her golden blonde hair, and how beautiful it looked off of her face. He instantly thought back to Christmas time, the only time he had really seen her dressed up, and how absolutely wonderful she looked in that sweater and jeans, smiling back at him like he was the best thing in the world. That was only a few days after meeting her. Kendall didn't know how he could ever leave Stella after a week, wondering how it was going to be leaving her after six long months.
He thought back to Stella's good-bye at the house this morning, how Katie had hugged her tightly and told her she was going to miss her, even though they didn't talk that much. The fact that Katie had an older woman, besides her mother, to look up to and talk to made the girl happy, and now with Stella leaving, she felt a bit sad about it. It also didn't help that this week had been an emotional rollercoaster for all of the Knights due to Peter's condition as well. Kim had given Stella a hug, and whispered a soft "thank you" in her hair, for what Kendall had no idea about. Stella knew though, and so did Kim, which was all that mattered to the two girls.
Kendall nervously arched his head to see the big clock in the middle of the station, cringing when it said 9:56. Stella's bus ticket was for 10. He let out a deep breath as the blonde just kept entertaining his friends, knowing that after this conversation, he was going to have to say good-bye. The buses usually came on time, and only gave two minutes or so to be loaded. Kendall could easily distract Stella in a kiss or a long-felt apology and make her wait for the 10:30 bus, but that wouldn't be helping anyone.
Knowing that the bus would be here soon, Kendall gently extended his hand to her shoulder, and squeezed it gently, feeling the warmth radiate from her body. Stella stopped laughing and turned around to see her boyfriend's broken face, his green translucent eyes, and sad frown. Her canvas bag lay at her feet, with Kendall's blue cardigan still at the bottom of it, freshly washed and sprayed with some his cologne. Carlos, James and Logan all stood up straight and walked a few steps over to the couple as they stared in each other's eyes.
"We're gonna uh…go back to the car, alright?" James said awkwardly, wanting to give the two lovers sometime alone. Kendall gave them a chuckle and sighed shaking his head no.
"No, you guys can stay. This won't be long," he told them, Stella nodding in agreeance. Neither love wanted to make this some teary eyed good-bye that was going to end like it did in the movies. They wanted it simple. While they knew it was going to be devastating to them, they had both accepted the fact that it had to happen, and in time, everything would return back to the way it was before.
James, Logan, and Carlos all stood a bit off the side, talking in low whispers, watching as the good-byes began, and the clock struck 9:57.
"Do we have anything left to say to each other before you go?" he asked her, slipping his hands around her waist and holding her close. Stella's hands rested on Kendall's arms, feeling the physical closeness of his body with a smile. It was going to be the last time ever that she wrapped her hands up in Kendall Knight, the last time she was ever going to see him in front of her with those eyes, the last time she was going to get to kiss his lips.
And then suddenly, it all came crashing down her.
This was the reason why she didn't want to love in the first place.
Tears began to sprout from her eyes as she was silent, gripping Kendall's arms tightly as she began to breathe heavily. They were leaving each other, just like they had all the other times, except this was permanent. There would be no more Kendall Knight, no more comforting hugs and kisses, no more nights of passion, and it scared Stella. She had been so accustomed to it, and love, that losing it was no more devastating than ever.
"This was the reason I didn't want to get involved," Stella whispered out with a small chuckle, a small tear falling from her left eye, down her rouged cheek. Her lips thinned and Kendall gently wiped the tear away with a smile on his face, taking a deep breath. "It's so hard to say good-bye," she said. "Especially to the only person who has ever loved me."
Kendall squeezed her waist gently, feeling tears prick his own eyes as people began to move more towards the track of the bus. He looked up at the crowds beginning to go over there, and his heart beat fast. He didn't want to have to say good-bye, but he knew it was no use.
"I do love you Stella, and I wish we were going to work out, but we're not. I love you enough to let you go," he told her with a small smile. "And as messed up as that sounds, I'm doing this cause I love you so much," he whispered out with a weak raspy voice, tears flooding his eyes. Stella let out a small chuckle as more tears snuck out from her eyes, her hand tightly squeezing Kendall's arm.
"I know," she told him softly. "It's the best thing for both of us."
"Exactly," Kendall said nodding, trying his best to smile the tears harboring in his eyes away. She sighed deeply, as Kendall reached down and picked up her canvas bag, slowly fastening it around her neck, touching the soft skin of her neck delicately, his hands slowly moving down the sleeves of the same blue sweater she wore when they met.
"You're the love of my life, Stella. And I'll never forget you, I promise," Kendall told her. "You were the best and worst thing to ever happen to me." Stella let out a soft laugh, leaning more into him as he took his thumb and wiped her few tears away.
"I'm flattered, really," she told him, leaning against his chest. Kendall leaned his chin on the top of her head, rubbing her back up and down with a sigh, his arms enveloping the blonde one last time before she had to go. There was a moment of silence, where Kendall could swear everything stopped, the world allowing the two lovers to have their final good-bye. They parted as the clock struck 9:58 and the horns of the bus were heard coming into the station, just a minute away from leaving each other.
"Do you have everything? The money my mother gave you? All your stuff?" Kendall asked her with a soft, voice, clearing his throat of the tears. Stella nodded, fastening her canvas bag on her shoulder as she looked up at him with a smile, her eyes red from soft tears.
"Oh! I almost forgot," Kendall said nervously, reaching into his pocket for a crumpled up piece of paper. He softly undid it with shaking hands, and looked at it before looking at Stella. He extended it out to her with a smile and sighed deeply. "Your Christmas present," he told her. Stella looked at him in awe, and gently took the paper from his hands, looking at the smudged chords and the nameless song he had wrote for her so many months ago. "I want you to have it."
Stella nodded no, and took a deep sigh. She wanted Kendall to have this, and to make it the song that Carlos had told her about in the grocery store. He deserved this more than she did. "No. I have the letter you wrote me, Kendall. And I know the song by heart already, why don't you keep this," she told him, "please." Kendall looked down at the wrinkled, crumpled, smudged song which was in the worst condition imaginable.
"A-are you sure?" he asked her. Stella nodded and touched his hand softly.
"I want you to have something to remember me by," she told him. Kendall looked at her a bit confused and swallowed hard, trying to keep back tears.
"But, these are my words, not yours," he whispered out softly. Stella took the paper back from him and turned to Logan, with a few salty tears falling down her face.
"Logan, do you have a pen?" she asked him rushedly. The smart boy nodded and immediately dug into his pocket for the pen he always kept there, along with his mini calculator keychain. He handed it to Stella and then stepped back besides James and Carlos. Stella, with shaking hands, leaned the paper up against the wall and quickly wrote something on the top of it, not pausing her hand to even figure out what to write. She then folded it in half as the clock struck 9:59, and the 406 bus pulled into the depot, and opened its doors.
Stella handed the paper back to Kendall and smiled. "You can't look at it until I'm on the bus," she told him, handing the pen back to Logan. Kendall nodded and looked up at the people getting on the bus and then back at Stella. He felt like bursting into tears at that moment, but he knew he had to be strong. He moved closer to the blonde, and gently swept his arms around her waist, her hands at his arms like they had initially been.
"I guess this is good-bye," Kendall told her, watching as she blinked her eyes, and tears began to pour out. Kendall sniffled a bit, biting his lower lip and looking up past her at the bus, a long line of people loading into it, trying his best not to cry. He then looked back down at Stella as she smiled through the tears.
"I love you, Kendall," Stella told him in a raspy voice. "And thank you for loving me back." Kendall then did the one thing he thought he'd never ever really have to do. He kissed Stella good-bye…for good.
His lips moved against hers effortlessly, her grip on his arms tight his grip on her waist soft, as their lips moved in sync for the last time. Kendall kept the kiss soft and sweet, not wanting to ruin the moment by being to aggressive as they parted softly, and leaned their foreheads against each other, breathing heavily.
"I h-have to go now," Stella told him in a crying whisper. Kendall nodded, and it seemed to go in slow motion as he let go of Stella's waist and she smiled one last smile back at him. She waved a good-bye to Logan, Carlos and James with a smile, and then took one last look back at Kendall. She brought up her hand to wave him good-bye and he did the same as she turned around with her head hung and made her way onto the bus. Kendall could see her blonde hair sit down, as the door's closed, and the bus slowly pulled away from them.
Kendall stood there in the busy bus depot, clutching his song in his hands tightly, his eyes still locked on the path that the bus had followed. He stuck it deep into his pocket, not wanting to read it right now as Logan, James and Carlos all walked towards Kendall with a sigh, James putting his arm on the boy's shoulder.
"You okay, man?" James asked him, Kendall looking at his friends, who definitely seem touched by the good-bye. He sighed deeply and shrugged, thinning his lips out as he swallowed his last sob.
"Let's just go," he said with a small, painful smile, as the four boys, with their arms around each other made their way out of the bus depot, to the hospital.
Sixteen year old Kendall Knight sat on his bed, his hair mussed, his lips dry and his heart broken. It was nearly 10 PM at night, and Stella had been gone for twelve hours. He sat back on his pillows, the window near him giving him a bit of light as he reached into his pants pocket. He had tried all day to read what Stella had wrote for him before she left, but he couldn't do it, especially not in front of his friends, or in front of his family. He didn't know how he would react to all of it. Would he cry? Would he laugh? Would he be angry? Would he be miserable?
He hadn't really gotten a free moment all day, since everyone in his life was doing their best not to leave him alone and cheer him up. Kendall held the crumpled up song in his hands, and gently began to undo the folds, as if the paper were made of glass. He took a deep breath and smoothed out the paper, looking at the bubbly handwriting on top, which was definitely Stella's. He had never seen her penmanship before, but as he looked at it, it described her perfectly. Loose loops for o's and a's with straight hard lines for l's and t's. Kendall began to read the short three lines of text, holding onto the paper with all his might.
Kendall,
I know that you think this was just a Christmas present, but I'd love to hear this on the radio sometime. Ask the guys what they think about it, you might be surprised. And you're right, Two is Better Than One.
All my love,
Stella.
Kendall smiled at the message and gripped the paper tighter, as he looked down a few lines and saw the big, bold print that Stella had christened the song with, naming it to her own liking.
Two Is Better Than One
Written and Performed by Kendall Knight
Kendall smiled widely and eased his head back with a laugh, loving how that even though she wasn't here right now, she could still make Kendall happier than beyond his wildest dreams. He sat up on his bed and looked out the window, seeing the dark black sky illuminated by a trail of stars, heading up north behind the green mountains of Minnesota.
"Two is better than one," Kendall muttered to himself with a smile, closing his eyes with a sigh, and letting his heart be at peace. "Damn right it is."