There was a pause in the conversation for a moment. The boys stared at Katie, thinking that what she had said was an innocent joke. But, no, she looked serious.
"Griffin changed his mind again, didn't he?" Kendall was the first to react. "I'm personally sending him away. You can tell him that."
"No, he won't have anything to do with you. Gustavo wants to buy out Rocque Records or quit."
"He wants one thing today, another tomorrow, and we want stability at our age!" Kendall blurted out.
"And you get to decide for all of us?" James intervened, sharply putting aside his non-alcoholic cocktail. "We've got to grab the chance before we get caught up in our own businesses. Carlos, what do you think?"
Carlos was a little taken aback by the question and shifted his gaze downward. He didn't want to be leverage in this fight, so he was prepared for any outcome. "I don't know... Whatever you change, friends, I'm still with you."
"And I know what I want out of life, and I'm fully behind Kendall," Logan interjected, nonchalantly and with a slightly raised head, taking a generous sip of lager for courage. "You have nothing to lose, Carlos, so you don't care. You should make up your mind."
For a moment Carlos's face showed resentment. "Yeah, I can't plan like you. But I'm working for seven and have a full-time job now, not in the prospect."
"Big Time Rush is not a prospect, it's a chance!" James persisted. "Just one action and everything will be back to the way it was!"
"It'll never be the same! No one has been interested in us for a long time, and Gustavo is keeping us around out of longing for the past."
"Oh yeah, Kendall, we're interested for everyone now." James crossed his arms, furrowed his brow, and made it clear that he didn't want to lose the band.
"The arguments of a five-year-old," Logan interjected, grinning nervously. "Or a failed model."
"A smartass needs arguments? Please," James continued with undisguised aggression. He wanted to get through to everyone, no matter what it took. "You're going back to Big Time Rush, and you're not singing for three cents in a medium-sized diner, but as a normal musician. At the same time, you go to LA to study fucking medicine, because you can afford it, and you meet Camille, who dumped you. She's kind enough to forgive even a dork like you."
Logan could take a lot, but the mention of Camille acted like red on a bull. Why would James want to pry into his personal life? He doesn't even know what's really going on between them! Logan wanted to come up with the most pointed objection he could think of, but the tension was so high that Katie intervened.
"Are you two trying to get into a fight or what? Everyone hears only themselves. Shame on you!" With her gaze, she awakened a small but still acrid feeling of guilt in each of the interlocutors. "Until Gustavo and I have settled everything, you have time to think. Spell out the pros and cons, talk like smart people. Personally, I'm outta here."
Katie left the money for her order and took a quick step toward the exit. None of the guys were eager to talk, at least not in the current tense situation. Each of them repeated Katie's action and left for their homes.
Logan's mind was a jumble of thoughts, which he tried to drown out with music on the way home. At one point his head felt so heavy from the chaos in it that he leaned desperately against the window. All the way home, Logan stared absently into the distance. Whether out of habit or out of love for the scientific approach, he tried to organize his thoughts as if they were notes in an outline.
James's words came to mind first. He's a nice guy, but once it got to the point of his dream, it became simply impossible! Logan was angry for a while, and yet the negative emotions quickly subsided. It was pointless to be offended. And to him James was like a brother, he just wouldn't be able to.
Logan thought about it. James so often talked about a dream, but never specified what he really wanted. Fame? There was almost nothing left of the former auditions now, the attempts to keep the band together were unfounded. Money? Brooke owns a cosmetics company, she could provide for all of her son's whims. Singing? No one was stopping him from performing in pubs and cafes like Logan himself did. In the end, he summed it up: James dreamed of being heard. Heard by as many people as possible, which would confirm his importance in their eyes.
Then Logan remembered the phrase he had foolishly said to Carlos today. Why had he rebuked Carlos after what he had seen with his own eyes? He'd known how hard his friend was working, and a couple hours ago he'd wanted to be supportive, counseling, not poking him.
No, Carlos was wrong. It was time to think about serious things: education, career, and finally, relationships...
Relationships. Logan remembered Camille again, but he deliberately tried to push her out of his mind. He wasn't mentally prepared to think about their future together, or perhaps even the lack of it. Could he have guessed in those moments what would happen very soon? On his way home, Logan saw her, her red car with that theater mask sticker on the hood.
"Camille? No way, tell me I'm dreaming!"
"I won't," she said with a flirtatious smile and suddenly left a series of scarlet lipstick marks on his cheek. "But I almost fell asleep in the car while I was waiting for you."
"You're beautiful, as always!" For Logan, all opinions of perfection paled before Camille: so fragile and delicate on the outside, but fierce and strong in spirit on the inside.
"Thank you," Camille looked away for the sake of propriety but immediately gave in to her emotions and leaned on Logan's strong shoulder. "God, I missed you. You have no idea how much!"
Logan hugged her tightly as if to tell her, "It's okay. You're safe now." And how could he have imagined that they couldn't have a future?
"I hope you didn't cancel the movie for me, did you?"
"Maybe a couple of auditions," Camille grinned. "But that's nothing! Why don't you invite me in?"
"Oh, yes." He took out a bunch of keys and went inside with her.
Without waiting for the offer to drink tea or have a snack, Camille continued the conversation. It was clear from her activity that the news could not be delayed for a moment.
"Listen, Logan. Do you remember when Dr. Hollywood wanted to recommend you for admission?"
"That was a hundred years ago now. Why?"
"I talked to him. He wrote a letter of recommendation and called the chancellor of his alma mater," Camille said with undisguised delight. "Dr. Hollywood also asked me to tell you that he was very pleased with your choice. He always saw you as a doctor!"
"Camille, you're a miracle!" Logan gently put his arm around her waist and gave her a brief kiss on the lips. Yet there was a certain uncertainty and puzzlement in his eyes.
"Is something else bothering you?" Camille asked, and then Logan realized for the umpteenth time that she could read almost any emotion in him.
"Gustavo is offering to rebuild Big Time Rush. It's kind of for the best, though. I'll study in LA, live near you, make music. And then there should be enough money."
"Are you sure you can handle that kind of workload?"
"Do I have another choice?"
"You do," he calmly answered and after a short pause continued. "Borrow money from friends, from parents, from me in the end."
"No, no way!"
"Logan, medicine is not a resort! If you want to succeed, you have to focus on one thing. I'll lend you enough money to cover your first semester."
"Camille, you've already done so much for me," he said after Camille's remark, but he pressed his finger gently to her lips and said: "All this time I dreamed at night about not the university, or the music group, or anything else. I dreamt about you, my main treasure in this life. So let's talk about what's really important. About you and our feelings."
"You don't have to talk about it." Camille moved closer to his ear, then whispered playfully: "It has to be felt."
Logan gently pushed back a strand of his lover's brown hair and kissed her neck. Despite his indecisive nature, today he was sure that he would do anything for a girl like her. If only a trip to Los Angeles could give him a personal life and a career, he would go there without a second thought.