Chapter 7

The phone call was brief but tense. Faith watched Logan's face harden, his voice becoming clipped as he spoke to his boss. Words like "deadline" and "urgent revisions" floated between them, the warmth of their morning slowly replaced by an undeniable tension. When he finally hung up, he exhaled heavily, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Sorry about that," he muttered, looking away, the hint of that weary, guarded look returning.

Faith shook her head. "Don't apologize. I get it—sometimes, work doesn't let you have a break."

Logan gave her a small, grateful smile, but the lines of frustration still creased his brow. He looked out at her backyard, at the quietness around them, as if trying to hold onto something softer before plunging back into the demands of his life. After a long pause, he finally spoke.

"I've been thinking," he said slowly, almost hesitant. "About what you said earlier… about not doing everything alone."

Faith waited, sensing that this was a rare moment of openness for him.

"I've been on my own a long time, Faith," he admitted, his voice low, almost as if he were confessing a secret. "Relying on people—it's just not something I ever let myself do. When you start doing things alone, you get used to it. It feels safer." He looked at her, and there was a trace of vulnerability in his eyes she hadn't seen before. "But… maybe I've been a little too safe."

She held his gaze, her hand instinctively reaching for his. "Letting people in isn't easy, I know. But you don't have to go through things alone. Not with me. And not with anyone who genuinely cares about you."

Logan let her words sink in, looking down at their intertwined fingers. "It's been a long time since I've had anyone who... felt real, like you do. And your family—they're something else. I'd forgotten what a warm home could feel like."

They sat in silence for a moment, and Faith thought of all the times her family had been her rock. They were imperfect, sure, but they were always there. And seeing Logan recognize the value of that, even if he couldn't say it, tugged at her heart.

Finally, she broke the silence. "Come over again. I mean it. It doesn't have to be just a one-time thing, Logan. My family, they already think of you as a friend. So… come be one."

His mouth lifted in a lopsided smile, but there was still something guarded in his eyes. "That sounds too good to be true. But, I'd like that."

She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. "Good."

The sound of a car horn broke the moment, and they both turned to see Emma leaning out of her car window, waving at Faith to hurry. She'd almost forgotten she'd promised to go shopping with her sister.

"I'll catch you later?" Faith asked, feeling a pang of reluctance to leave him just when they were starting to peel back the layers.

Logan nodded. "Yeah. I'll hang around a bit longer if that's okay. Your dad offered to show me his vintage record collection."

She grinned, the sight of Logan beginning to relax again making her heart swell. "Oh, you're in for it. He'll give you the whole history lesson too."

As Faith joined Emma, she kept glancing back, watching Logan's figure linger on the porch, talking to her dad, and she felt an unfamiliar sense of warmth and possibility unfold within her. It was as if she'd found something in Logan she hadn't even known she'd been looking for—someone who wanted to belong somewhere, even if he was too hesitant to admit it.

Later that evening, after the errands and sisterly bonding, Faith returned home to find Logan sitting on the porch alone, a gentle hum of music drifting from a portable speaker beside him. The sky was awash in hues of deep blue and violet, stars just beginning to peek through, casting a soft glow over the quiet street.

"Hey, stranger," she greeted, slipping onto the porch next to him. "Did you survive Dad's music lesson?"

Logan laughed, his face lit up in the moonlight. "Barely. I think I now know more about 70s rock bands than I thought possible. But your dad—he's something else. I can see where you get it."

Faith rolled her eyes playfully. "Don't tell him that; his head will swell."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, listening to the soft melodies, the night air cool and filled with the faint scent of jasmine. Logan seemed more at ease, almost like he belonged there on her porch, like he was part of her world now.

She turned to him, studying his profile, the lines of his face softened under the starlight. "So… what's next for you, Logan?"

He took a deep breath, as if considering his answer carefully. "I think… I want to figure out what it means to stay somewhere. To not just be passing through."

Faith's heart quickened, and she felt the gravity of his words. This wasn't just about visiting; he was talking about something deeper, something that resonated with his guarded past and the tentative future he was trying to carve out.

"Maybe staying doesn't have to be so complicated," she offered, her voice gentle. "Maybe it's just about being open to finding your place, even if it's just one step at a time."

Logan nodded slowly, his gaze locked onto hers. "One step at a time," he repeated, and she could see the shift in his eyes, the quiet promise he was making—to her, and maybe to himself.

They sat there in silence as the stars emerged one by one, both feeling that, for the first time in a long time, they weren't alone.