Lucy (17)

At eight o'clock, my cell phone rings. I don't know the number, but it can only be one person. "Michael?"

"The one and only."

"Where are you calling from?"

"I borrowed a cell phone from an old friend."

"Why did you do that? Why didn't you tell them the truth?"

"Are you kidding me? You've seen what happens when we break sacred family traditions. It's bad enough that I'm a disappointment to the family. I don't want the same thing to happen to you."

"But-"

"Luce, you're seventeen. Right now, you need our parents, whether you like it or not. And that's certainly easier if they don't know about your secret."

"So I'm just gonna wait until I'm old enough to take care of myself? And when do you think will that be? With eighteen, twenty-one? I don't want to pretend anymore. I wanna be myself."

"I understand that, believe me, I really do. But right now, it's just not the right time. I'd rather let them hate me than make them loathe you. So please, do me a favor and listen to your big brother."

I sigh heavily. "All right. So, what are you going to do now?"

"Well, I know one thing for sure, I'm sick of the South. Maybe I'll go to New York. I could be free there."

"When will I see you again?"

His silence definitely lasts far too long for me.

"I don't know. But as soon as I have a plan, I'll let you know."

"Sounds like a long time. And you have no money, no job. How do you want-?"

"I'll be fine. You and me, we're like stones."

"Stones," I mutter absently.

"Exactly. Always remember that. And one day we will rule the world. Then we can show everyone what is really inside of us."

"You're right. But . . . I'm gonna miss you."

"Hey, hey. Since when did you get so emotional? What happened to my badass sister?"

"She missed her idiotic, stupid brother."

"That was probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me."

I have to laugh. "Stop making me laugh, you jerk."

"Why should I? At least this way I know you're okay."

"I am."

"Good. And now enough about me. I want to know what's going on in your life. That Beau you wrote about in your letters . . . is that still a thing?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'm not going to let the all-powerful big brother come out and tell you things you don't want to hear anyway. But let me ask you just one question: Is he good to you?"

"Yeah, Beau is great. Don't worry about him."

"Good, that's all I need to know. You're happy with him. That's enough for me."

"You're the best."

"I know." He is silent for a moment. "Hey, Lucy, I need to hang up. But I promise you, I'll get back in touch with you as soon as possible."

"Alright. Go get 'em, tiger. Make me proud of you."

"Nothing easier than that. Bye, Lucy."

"Goodbye, Michael."

"Do you have any idea what you just did?!"

Shit, he's upset, really upset. "Logan, relax. I didn't mean to-"

"No, that's it. You've clearly crossed a line, Lucy!"

"But I-"

"Do you know what your little action can do? If the guys know, Mrs. Knight will soon know too. And do you know who will know about it then? My parents!"

"I-"

"No, I'm not done yet. Besides, if Carlos and James know, the whole Palm Woods will too. And then how long will it be before the press finds out about it, huh? And if Gustavo and Griffin find out-"

"But no one can prove it. It could just be a rumor."

"Are you new to Hollywood? The press doesn't care whether something is true or not. They write what will bring them the most profit."

"I don't think the guys will spread the word. They won't risk that."

Before Logan can yell at me again, Camille steps in between the fronts.

"Lucy's right. I don't think this story will make the big news, and-"

"Could you please stop this?!"

Now he didn't yell at me, he yelled at Camille.

"What?"

"No matter what happens, you constantly protect her, you are always on her side."

"That's not true. I-"

"Yes, it is. You're my girlfriend, you should be on my side."

An uncomfortable silence spreads.

"Do you want me to leave?" I ask Logan.

"Do whatever you think is right." And with that he turns around and disappears, the slamming of the door is really loud in this silence. I look at Camille. "He's really pissed, isn't he?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Maybe coming here with you was a mistake from the start. Maybe I should-"

"No, Lucy. You stay. I insist."

"He's right, you know? You don't have to protect me all the time."

"Yeah, I know. Looks like I messed up too."

"He yelled at you. That's my fault."

"No, it's not. And I promise you, he'll calm down. I'll take care of it."

"How?"

"Oh, you know. I can be pretty convincing."

I smile weakly. "Thanks, Cam. For everything."

She hugs me, then walks away and I go back to my room.

I sit on the bed, staring at my phone. I need to talk to someone, and right now there's only one person who can help me with this situation with Logan. With a heavy heart, I dial his number and wait. One second, two seconds, three-

"Lucy?"

"Hey, Kendall. Um, am I disturbing you?"

"No, it's okay, I have time. What's up?"

"I think I really messed up with Logan this time."

"What happened?"

"You haven't heard?"

"You mean the Minnesota story? Yeah, no, not everything. I just got back. I was out with . . . someone."

"You can say Jo's name, Kendall. That's perfectly fine."

"Oh yeah, right."

"So, about Logan . . .?"

"Don't worry about it. Logan's just a little sensitive when it comes to things like that. He cares about what other people think of him."

"Seriously? That guy always runs around in sweater vests and worries about what other people think of him?"

"Yes, I know. It's complicated. Logan's personal life is very important to him. Have you never noticed that he's always the one who says the least in interviews and always refuses to answer personal questions? Unlike James, who apparently has no sense of shame at all, which has driven Gustavo crazy on more than one occasion. Logan doesn't talk enough, James talks too much. So interviews are always quite a challenge for BTR."

"Your point?"

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Well, Logan's getting upset now, but it'll go away. Do you want to know what our insider tip is when we've managed to upset him? We'll let Camille handle everything."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"It usually goes like this: Logan gets mad about something, gets upset, and then disappears to Camille's apartment for a few hours. I don't think I need to explain what happens there. Anyway, after that, he's always in a better mood, or at least much calmer than before, and when you apologize to him, he doesn't take it so seriously anymore. All thanks to Camille."

"So Camille is in charge of picking up the broken pieces?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"So, I should wait?"

"Yes. Because if you try to talk to him now, you might just make things worse. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about."

"Thanks, Kendall."

"No problem at all. Hey, Lucy?"

"Yes?"

"I . . . um . . . it was nice talking to you again. I miss our conversations."

I'm surprised that his words don't trigger an attack of pain in me. Maybe everything will be okay between us after all. Maybe we can manage to be friends again.

"Thanks, yeah, um, I think I need a little more time, but yeah, I miss talking to you too."

"Do you think that when you get back, we could hang out? . . . Oh, no, forget that. I . . . I don't want to rush you, just take as much time as you need, that's okay. But if you feel like talking again, you know, just for fun, then I'm here for you. You know that, right?"

Okay, now I'm reaching my limits. I should hang up before my emotions go crazy again.

"I'll think about it, Kendall. Thanks for your offer. I'll keep it in mind."

"Alright. Bye, Lucy."

"Bye, Kendall."

Lomille

Even though Camille had promised Lucy that she would take care of it, she thought it would be the best to let Logan cool down for a few hours before talking to him. This also gave her enough time to plan her preparations in peace. Now it's almost sunset, perfect timing. She walks into the room where she and Logan are currently sleeping and gently closes the door behind her. Logan sits on the bed with the laptop. He doesn't even look at her. "What?"

Camille raises her eyebrows. "Is this really the way you want to talk to your girlfriend?"

"Yes, 'cause I'm mad at you."

She sighs. "Okay, maybe I made a mistake."

"Maybe?"

"I'm sorry."

He doesn't answer, continues typing on his laptop.

"What are you doing there?"

"Working."

"Hey, I thought we weren't doing work during our trip."

"I needed something that would distract me."

"Alright, enough of that." She walks over to him, takes the laptop and puts it aside.

"Hey."

Then she takes his hand and makes him get up from the bed.

"What are you doing?" he asks suspiciously.

"I told you earlier that I had a surprise for you." She pulls him with her, but he stops shortly afterwards. "But I snapped at you . . ."

"Yes, you did. And I'm sure we'll find a chance to make it up. Now come with me."

She leads him down the stairs to the front door. She opens it, then turns around to him. "Close your eyes."

"Why?"

"It's a surprise, remember?"

"Yeah, I guess I don't like surprises anymore."

"Logan . . ."

"Okay, okay. I'll do it." Logan closes his eyes and feels soft material being placed over his closed eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure you can't see something."

"And what if I trip and fall?"

"Just hold on to me."

"I will."

She finishes the knot at the back of his head, then looks at him briefly, and breathes a kiss on his lips. "Are you ready to follow me?"

"Yes."

"Just one more step . . . Alright, we're here."

"Well, finally. Can I look now?"

"Yeah, just let me take off that blindfold."

"Out of curiosity . . . why did you pack a blindfold for our trip anyway?"

"Oh, well, no reason, must have been a mistake."

"Yeah, sure."

"Okay, you can look."

Relieved, Logan opens his eyes and looks around. "Wow . . ."

They are now on the other side of the lake, where the forest begins, and they are protected from people's eyes. What caused Logan to make his exclamation, is the picnic right in front of him, which was apparently arranged and planned with a lot of patience and love. "What did you do? Decorated the entire forest?" His gaze wanders to the nearby trees around them, which are decorated with fairy lights. "Forests don't have electricity, do they?"

"They run on batteries, not electricity."

"Interesting."

"Now come here and sit down. You need to eat something. I know you haven't eaten since this morning."

"How do you know that?"

"Because you never eat anything when you're angry or upset . . . no matter how many times I've told you how unreasonable that is."

"You know, the fact that my girlfriend is nagging at me right now really adds to the romantic mood."

"Just sit down."

"Okay."

They sat down on the blanket. From their spot, they have a wonderful view over the lake, and the sun, which is gradually starting to sink.

"I made all your favorite snacks," Camille explains, handing him a sandwich. Logan takes it, looks at it thoughtfully, wants to take a bite, puts it down, shakes his head. "I'm sorry, I can't do this."

Camille jumps up, annoyed. "What did I do this time?"

Logan stands up too. "Nothing, nothing at all. I'm the problem. The truth is, this trip has been ill-fated since the beginning, and secretly I blamed Lucy for it, but it is my fault. I keep messing up, I feel like I don't deserve this at all. And sometimes I think . . . sometimes I think that I don't deserve you either." He turns away, takes a few steps away, leans against a tree, crosses his arms and looks out at the water.

"Logan . . ." She walks over to him and takes his hand in hers. "Look at me."

He doesn't do it.

"Please."

He turns around.

"Why don't we just try to forget everything that has happened so far and just focus on this current moment?"

He looks down at their hands and nods. "Yes, that would be great." He leans in a little to kiss her, but she says, "Oh, and I never want to hear again that you don't deserve me. Can we agree on that?"

"Yes, of course." And now he kisses her, pulls her close, holds her. And suddenly it's back. The spark, the fire that was barely noticeable over the last few days. They can both feel it as their kiss intensifies, the tension is building up. Then Camille gently pulls away from him. "We should really start eating now. After all, it took me all afternoon to prepare it."

Logan nods. "All right."

And they sit down again, eat the snacks, talk and laugh, and watch as the sun finishes its magnificent play of colors and sets.

At the time the first stars appeared in the night sky, Camille turned on the lights. Then she snuggles closer to Logan, and he puts his arms around her. "I missed this."

"We've never been here before."

"No, I mean, I missed this, the two of us, doing things like this together without any hard feelings between us." His eyes light up as he says this, and Camille sees in them all the love and appreciation he has for her, and something else too. Something she was hoping to find. She smirks. "And do you know what I miss?"

"Tell me." His voice is barely more than a whisper, giving her pleasant shivers.

"This." She kisses him.

"How can you miss this? You kiss me all the time."

But she just smiles mysteriously, moves her lips from his mouth down to his neck, then back up to his right ear, lightly biting him. Logan flinches. "Hey, careful. You know I have sensitive ears."

"Please don't take this the wrong way, honey, but every part of your body is sensitive."

"That's not true."

Smirking, she moves back to his neck, lightly biting him a second time, he flinches again.

"Told you."

"Okay, enough fooling around." He tries to sit up, but she makes him lie back down on the blanket. "No, now it's my turn to make things up to you."

"Oh, no, you don't need to-"

"You know, if it's so easy for me to blindfold you, it also won't be a problem for me to tie you up or gag you. Do you want me to do that?"

"Um…"

"That's what I thought. Now relax and let me be good to you."

And he's trying, he really is. But it's so damn difficult for him. "I don't know what to do," he informs her.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

So, he closes his eyes and tries to deal with the situation. And after a while it actually gets better. He opens his eyes again, looks at the night sky, and even smiles while his fantastic and unique girlfriend gives him good feelings. And suddenly an idea pops into his head, a possible solution to their 'problem'. And when he realizes that she wants to move on to the important parts, he stops her. He pulls her towards him and then rolls slightly to the side so that he is now bent over her. He grins down at her.

"I wasn't finished."

"I know." He gives her a deep kiss and feels her fingers digging into his back, he doesn't mind.

He stands up, takes her hand and helps her up. She looks at him confused. "Wait, what are you up to? I thought we were going to-"

"Oh, we will. But first, we should take a little break."

"What?"

He smiles sweetly at her. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then help me bring these things back into the house. We can't just leave them here overnight."

"So, just to make this clear . . . Instead of having hot, mind-blowing sex, you want me to clean up?"

Still smiling, he pulls her close, rubbing his nose on her neck, then covering it with light kisses that he knows will drive her crazy. And she actually presses herself even more against him, moaning with pleasure.

"Never heard of anticipation before?" he whispers seductively in her ear and laughs softly at the look on her face.

Logan watches Camille putting the leftovers into the fridge. When she's finished, he stands behind her, puts an arm around her and lifts her up bridal style. Her arms automatically find support around his neck, like they would do this every day.

"What are you doing?" she asks with a smile, running a hand through his soft hair.

"You'll see," he says mysteriously, and carries her upstairs to their room. There he places her on the bed, climbs onto the bed as well, looks down at her. Then he kisses her lips, moving down to her neck, then to her shoulders, to any point he can reach in that region.

"Logan?"

"Hmm?"

"You know how much I love it when you're gentle and tender, but honestly, I was hoping we could heat things up a little."

He smiles. "That's a fantastic idea."

"It is?"

"Absolutely."

Now with light, playful bites on her neck, he worked his way down to her collarbone. His hands slowly get under her top, giving her good feelings. Then he whispers in her ear, "Tell me what to do."

"What?"

"You heard me. Tell me what you want. And I will do it."

"I don't understand . . ."

"No? Okay, instead of telling me, why don't you just show me?" He places her hand over his, and suddenly she understands. "You want me to take control?"

"Yes."

"Logan, that is so-"

"But could you promise me something first? Please don't try to do anything nice for me anymore unless I ask you to. And I will, I promise. Can we agree on that?"

"And you're sure this isn't about me being . . . bad at it?"

"Are you kidding me? You're amazing, you know what you're doing, there's no doubt about it." He gently lifts her chin. "Any guy would be happy to have you. But luckily, you're with me."

"Forever."

He kisses her sweetly on the forehead and she places a hand on his cheek, running her thumb over his skin, smiling. "Logan?"

"Yes?"

"Kiss me."

"Gladly." And he does, and at the same time, he feels her taking his hand and guide it to her bra. Tonight, she's in complete control and he's totally okay with that.

Later, Logan wakes up from a light sleep. He's thirsty. He looks at Camille and notices that her part of the covers has slipped to the side, almost completely exposing her body. He quietly gets up from the bed, straightens the covers so that Camille wouldn't freeze, because she's basically just wearing her panties, gives her a quick kiss on the cheek - he can't resist - and leaves the room.

In the kitchen he prepares a glass of orange juice and drinks it while leaning against the fridge and thinking about his and Camille's last spectacle, it really was mind-blowing.

"Logan?"

He looks up and sees Lucy standing in the doorway. Unlike him, she doesn't look like she's been asleep yet. "You still awake?"

She nods and slowly comes closer. "You?"

"Oh, I'm just thirsty."

She nods. "Yeah, I can imagine. You know, your finale was hard to miss. And I'm talking about the first and the second."

Logan feels himself blushing. Sometimes, when he is intimate with Camille, he becomes a whole different person, like the complete opposite of him. Like a second personality. Then he doesn't care if they do it in a bed, in the shower, or in an elevator. But when it's over and someone talks to him about it, he goes back to his normal self and is actually embarrassed by the not-so-secret things he does with Camille.

"Yeah, you know, we had a few things to catch up on."

"You don't say."

Silence spreads.

"Logan, I-"

"Lucy-"

They look at each other, both smiling a little sheepishly.

"You go first," Logan says, since he's a gentleman – most of the time.

"Okay . . . Logan, I'm sorry. You were right. I didn't think about my actions. It won't happen again. And if you still want me to leave, I will."

Logan shakes his head. "No, Lucy, I don't want you to leave. No matter how annoying you are, we are friends, and I shouldn't have overreacted like that. I'm sorry too."

"Well, I don't know what you mean by annoying, but . . ."

Logan rolls his eyes but smiles a little.

"So, are we good?"

He nods. "Yes, we're good."

They look at each other in silence again.

"You don't want to hug me now, do you?" Lucy asks defensively. Logan pretends to think. "No. No, not really."

They grin at each other, then Logan finishes his glass, puts it in the sink and goes back upstairs with Lucy. Before they part, Lucy says, "Oh, and for the record, you're way more annoying than I could ever be."

"You're kidding me, aren't you?"

"No, that's a clear fact. Ask anyone."

Logan nods and decides to call it a night. "Anyway, good night, Lucy. See you tomorrow."

"It is tomorrow."

"Yeah, who's the annoying know-it-all now, huh?"

Lucy smiles. "Night, Logan." She turns away and disappears into her room. Logan watches her go for a moment, smiling, then he goes back to his bedroom as well.

Satisfied, and in peace with the world, Logan goes back to bed. As soon as he lies still, Camille cuddles up to him. Her body is warm, he likes that.

"Where have you been?" she asks sleepily. Logan gently rubs her back, which elicits a pleasant sigh from Camille, despite her tiredness.

"I got thirsty. And I talked to Lucy."

"So, are you guys good again?"

"Yes."

"That's great," she says, yawning. Logan smiles softly. "Go back to sleep."

"I will." She turns around so her back is now leaning against his chest. Smiling, Logan continues to rub her back to help her fall back to sleep. And tries to ignore the overwhelming thought that his girlfriend is lying next to him in bed, practically only wearing her underwear, her warm body pressed against him, his hands running up and down the delicate skin on her back. And he finds himself getting 'excited' again. He briefly considers saying something to Camille, but then decides otherwise. Camille had already slept, it wouldn't be right. Maybe he would just wait until she fell asleep again and then get himself out of this situation- "Oh . . . gosh!" His thoughts were interrupted by suddenly feeling Camille's hand on his boxers under the covers.

"Still not enough?" she asks, and from her tone he can tell that she is grinning.

"Sorry," he says, laughing sheepishly. "I guess I can't control everything."

"Obviously." Her hand doesn't move.

"Just go back to sleep."

"I could do that . . . or . . ." Now it moves slightly, making him grit his teeth to stop himself from moaning loudly.

"It's your decision, Logie."

"I . . . I don't know . . ."

"All right . . ." Slowly, so incredibly slowly, she pulls her hand away, it's almost torture.

"Wait."

She pauses. "Yes?"

"Um, you know, maybe, well, if you don't mind, could you . . . help me out?"

"Well, if you insist . . ." She turns to him, smiling. "Why do you always have to make things so complicated?"

Logan rolls his eyes. "Yeah, I know, I have a problem."

"The way I see it, you have two problems at the moment."

"Yeah, about that . . . are you going to do something now, or will just keep teasing me?"

"There's no reason why I can't do both," she tells him with a wink. "Looks like I can finally finish what I started earlier."

"Camille, don't make me beg."

She rolls her eyes and sighs theatrically, a little too dramatic in Logan's opinion. "Camille…"

"Fine, let's help you out of this situation, shall we?"