Lucy

"What the hell do you mean you don't know how long it's going to take?!" Frustrated, angry, but also a little satisfied, I see Bitters back away from me, face pale. Nobody should mess with me these days.

"I - I'm really sorry, Miss - Miss Stone, but well, the janitor, you know . . ."

My smack on the counter literally makes him jump. "I don't care! Just make sure you will fix that pipe as soon as possible or I will destroy you."

"Yes, ma'am."

I give him one of my best death glares, then I turn and want to leave, only to find everyone staring at me. "What are you looking at?" I snap at them, and they turn away, letting me go.

It's pleasantly warm outside, not as hot as usual, and the sun is shining down from a cloudless, blue sky. But this circumstance cannot cheer me up. If I had my way, tornadoes would destroy the city while the sky is pitch black and tormented with thunderstorms. I walk over to the parking lot and sit down on a small stone wall, open my notebook, stare at the blank pages. "Shit!" Annoyed, I throw the notebook on the ground, then I close my eyes and massage my temples.

"Lucy?"

I look up and in front of me is . . . Logan. He wears khaki shorts, a plain white t-shirt, and sunglasses. I admit, he doesn't look that bad in this outfit. In his hands he holds two brown paper bags. His forehead is slightly wrinkled. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I'm great!" I reply sharply and sarcastically. He takes a step back. "Alright, fine. Sorry for asking." He walks away and I feel like I'm getting on my own nerves. Okay, yeah, Logan and I aren't the best of friends, we are totally different. That's why I always tease him, and he does the same. In fact, the only thing we really have in common is Camille. She's my best friend and Logan's girlfriend. Still . . . I know he just wanted to help. It wasn't right to turn him down so rudely. He can't help my bad mood, my current situation. I jump up, grab my notebook off the ground, and run after him.

"Logan, wait."

I catch up with him just before he enters the lobby. He stops.

"Logan, I'm sorry I snapped at you. It's just . . . everything is too much for me right now."

"Sounds like you need someone to talk to."

"Well, I . . ."

"Come with me, I know the perfect place." He goes ahead and I follow him without a word. I don't know why I'm doing this. But I have nothing left to lose, and talking to Logan isn't worse than talking to anyone else. At least he is a good listener and always has a good advice.

Without paying much attention to my surroundings, I follow Logan out of the elevator and down the hall. When he stops, I suddenly realize where we are. On the fourth floor, just in front of Camille's apartment. I frown. "Um Logan . . . you know Camille's on set, right?"

"Of course I know that."

I'm about to ask him what we're doing here when he pulls out his wallet, searches for something, then pulls out a Palm Woods key card and uses it to open the door. My mouth drops. "What the . . .?"

He holds the door open for me and looks at me invitingly. "After you."

I don't move. "Camille . . ."

"She won't mind, trust me."

And so I have no choice but to go inside. It's weird being here without Camille. Logan closes the door, walks over to the kitchen corner and starts putting his groceries into Camille's fridge.

"You do realize this isn't your apartment, right?" I point out at him.

"Of course I do," he replies, continues to put stuff in the fridge.

"I thought you were running errands for 2J."

"I never said that."

Is that guy about to drive me into madness?

"Okay, I have to ask. Why do you have a second card for Camille's apartment? And more importantly, does Camille know you have it and that you're using her fridge for storage? Or is this more of a secret intruder thing?"

"Would you like something to drink?" he asks, ignoring my questions. "There's still some coke in the fridge."

"Um, okay."

He prepares two glasses of coke, puts them on a tray and goes into the living room. He puts the tray on the table, then he sits down in an armchair. "Come on, take a seat."

Still a little suspicious, I sat down on the couch across from him. "Well?"

Logan takes a sip from his glass, then sits back and relaxes. "Well, first things first. Yes, Camille knows I have a second key card, she gave it to me herself after all."

"How come?"

He sucks at his lower lip for a moment before answering. "You know, the guys aren't always easy to live with. Don't get me wrong, they're the best friends anyone could ask for, but then again, they're a lot more fun-loving than I am. From time to time, I like to be able to read a book in peace, or to watch one of my documentaries. But that's highly impossible in an apartment with five other people. Camille knows how important these things are to me, so she offered me that I could come over anytime I needed to, no matter whether she is here or not. In return, I'll do some of the things she doesn't like doing. You know, things like cleaning up or running some errands every now and then." Logan takes another sip and looks at me thoughtfully. "Now that I've answered your questions, it's your turn. What's going on with you?"

I still feel a little awkward talking about things like this in front of Logan, but whatever.

"I think I made a mistake coming back to the Palm Woods. I thought I could handle it, but I was wrong."

"You're talking about Kendall and Jo."

"Yeah. Seeing them like this is . . . difficult. But it's not just them. I'm also dealing with a giant writer's block and I'm under a lot of pressure from my producer and the record company. And to make things worse, a pipe in my apartment has burst. The whole place is under water and Bitters isn't a great help." I sigh. "Right now, my life is just one big mess."

Noises from the door make us both turn around. Camille walks in. She beams when she sees Logan, but then she frowns slightly when she sees me. She tosses her bag carelessly into a corner - I can see how one of Logan's eyebrows start twitching, which makes me smirk - then she goes over and kisses him, sitting down on his lap.

"Um, Logan brought me here," I say, realizing it sounds more like a defense than an explanation.

"I found her in the parking lot," Logan says, stroking Camille's back. "She looked upset, so I offered to come over here so we could talk. I told her you wouldn't mind."

"Of course not," she says happily, smiling at me. She doesn't ask what's going on. She already knows.

"I don't know, guys. Somehow I have the feeling that I have to get away from here. Just be somewhere else for a few days, to clear my head and find some peace and clarity."

Logan and Camille look at each other. It's like they're talking to each other without words, but still understanding each other. It's a little spooky to be honest. Camille looks back at me. "You know, we might be able to help you with that."

"Help me? How?"

They look at each other again, then Camille continues, "Logan and I were planning to go away for a few days starting tomorrow. Nothing big, my uncle owns a lake house not too far from here, that's where we wanted to go. Why don't you just come with us?"

"Are you . . . are you sure?" My question goes to both of them, but actually I'm just looking at Logan. Because he's the one who's probably going to like that idea the least. And he seems to realize that, because he's the one who answers. "Yes, Lucy, we are sure. Come with us, it will definitely help you to calm down."

The offer is tempting, but . . . "No, guys. I can't do that. Surely you intended to do this trip just for yourself. So why would you . . .?"

"We're friends. And when friends need help, we don't let them down," Camille explains.

"Exactly," Logan agrees.

We sit and talk until the early evening. Logan looks at his phone and grimaces. "I have to go."

Camille, who now doesn't just sit on his lap but rather lies on it, looks at him with disappointment. "Why?"

"I promised the guys to go over some new songs with them. So, you know, duty calls."

Camille makes no move to get off his lap. "I was hoping you could stay a little longer."

Logan chuckles. "Hey, you can have me all to yourself for the next few days. At least give the boys that one night."

When she still doesn't move, Logan puts a hand on her side and quickly tickles her. As expected, she jumps up and glares at him.

"Hey, I saw that!" I say to Logan. "Treat your better half better than that."

"Yes, ma'am," Logan replies in a formal way, gets up from the chair, and salutes in front of me. I shake my head. What a weirdo.

Camille takes him to the door where they look at each other affectionately.

"Will you text me later to say goodnight?"

"Of course," Logan says, putting his arms around Camille. "Now, how about a good night kiss for me?" he asks mischievously.

"Fine," Camille says, and they kiss . . . for a long time . . . a very long time . . . way too long.

"Um, guys . . ."

Nothing happens, except that they are moving closer to each other, whereupon their "goodnight kiss" becomes even more intense. I'm starting to feel uncomfortable.

"Guys."

Nothing.

"Guys! I'm still here!"

Embarrassed, they pull away from each other. "Sorry," they say at the same time. I wave off.

"Good night," Logan says, and quickly kisses Camille on the cheek, then he walks away.

Oh man, what have I gotten myself into?

Lomille

"You know, it's a pretty big step for your relationship if you let Logan have free access to your apartment at any time," Lucy says thoughtfully. Camille turns on her side to face her. "You think?"

"Don't you mind that he's all alone in here? He says he comes here to relax. Who knows what he really means by that."

Camille laughs. "What, are you afraid he'll make himself . . . happy while he's here? Well, even if he did, and he doesn't because he's Logan, it's still his own business, not mine. And there's nothing in this apartment he hasn't seen already. And besides, I trust him."

"Hmmm . . . you really love him, don't you?"

"Yes, I do."

"But why? He's so annoying."

Camille laughs at Lucy's comment, at the same time a text from Logan arrives on her phone.

Is she sleeping already?

"Is that Logan?" Lucy asks, even though it's not really necessary. Camille's smile is answer enough for her.

"Yes," Camille replies, typing an answer.

Not yet. Just wait a little longer.

As usual, she finds him in the stairwell between the fourth and fifth floor.

"Finally," he murmurs as she wraps her arms around him and snuggles up against him. "I was afraid I'd have to spend the whole night on the stairs."

"Stop pouting," she replies and kisses his cheek tenderly, letting her hands play with the delicate skin on the back of his neck. "Are you really okay with her coming with us on the trip?"

Logan sighs softly. "Well, I can't deny that I've been looking forward to spending a few days alone with you. But it's the right decision. You've seen her. She needs a break from the Palm Woods. So she will come with us."

"You're so considerate," she whispers in his ear. "And don't worry, we'll still have plenty of time to ourselves."

"I hope so. I'll go to the supermarket again in the morning to buy some more provisions. When I'm back, we can start."

"Yes, but until then we should take care of something else," she whispers seductively. Logan smirks as he pulls her onto his lap. "Too bad, I was hoping we could do it in your bed tonight."

"Sorry, honey. This cozy stairwell is everything I can give you."

"I'll take it," Logan says, grinning, and puts his hands on her hips, but they won't stay there for long.