Chapter XI: The Start of Something Special (Maybe)

Agnes released a deep sigh, feeling mentally drained after her encounter with Logan a few hours earlier. Maybe Lincoln was right, and she was being unfair to him. After all, it was purely circumstance that caused her to miss her chance with him.

"Mom? Are you okay?" Agnes was shaken from her thoughts by the worried tone of her daughter Cristina.

Yes, her daughter.

A month or two after Logan vanished, she had gone on a walk to vent some of her frustrations and found herself in a fairly seedy part of town. Out of nowhere, a heavily muscled man tackled her and dragged her into an alley, where he viciously assaulted her. She surprised everyone when she decided to see the resultant pregnancy through and even raise the child. Her parents didn't like this and threw her to the curb the moment she turned eighteen, leaving her and her almost three-year-old daughter to live part of their lives in a shabby college dorm. She worked three part-time jobs while taking night classes, all to pay for tuition, lodging, and food. On weekends when class wasn't in session, one of her old friends who went to the same college was kind enough to watch Cristina so that Agnes could catch up on sleep. She and Cristina now lived in a one-room apartment that was poorly maintained, her salary as a teacher barely covering expenses.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine, sweetie," Agnes finally replied. "Do you need help with your homework?"

"No, I just wanted to let you know that it was your turn to take a bath. I'm going to bed," Cristina said, running a comb through her damp hair. The two of them were forced to make a few sacrifices: bathwater had to be heated in a large pot on the stove, and both had to use it before draining it. Their shared "bed" was a bare queen-sized mattress in the middle of the floor with two pillows and a scratchy wool blanket. They sometimes had to share body heat in the winter when the furnace would malfunction.

Agnes smiled and kissed Cristina on the forehead, saying, "What did I ever do to deserve such a wonderful daughter like you?" She noted with distaste that Cristina's navy-blue nightshirt was getting too short. She'd need a new one soon.

"I don't know. You're just lucky, I guess," said Cristina, who unlike other children never got tired of her mother's affection. Agnes took a bath and donned her own lime-green nightshirt before climbing under the blanket, wrapping her arms protectively around her daughter, who snuggled into the embrace.

...

Logan woke up to someone knocking on his door. Luna stood on his porch with a wide grin on her face.

"Having problems with the ladies, huh, bro?" she asked. It took Logan a moment to process what she was implying before he groaned and facepalmed, calling Lincoln an unflattering name under his breath.

"Alright, who else knows?" he finally asked Luna.

"Just me. Lincoln figured I'd be the most level-headed with my advice. If I sound like I'm going overboard, let me know." Logan was too nice of a person to just make her leave, so he invited her in and let her start talking while he made breakfast for the two of them. "So, first things first, bro. It sounds to me like she had a crush on you without you knowing, but knew perfectly well about your crush on her. She's mad at you for disappearing into thin air before she could ask you out. Does that sound about right?"

"I think so," Logan said amidst the clatter of cooking utensils. Luna moved to the kitchen so that they could hear each other better, and also so that she could help him cook.

"Here's what you do: investigation from afar regarding her interests might be seen as stalking, so take the route that requires a little more patience. Go about your daily life until you bump into her at the store or something, then greet her and try to initiate conversation. If you feel bold, offer to pay for her groceries or something else nice for her. Rinse and repeat once or twice, then ask her out if she doesn't beat you to it. It'll take two or three dates for you to agree to start calling yourselves an official couple, but there's a chance that something might spark right away." The conversation paused so that Logan and Luna could dig into their omelets. "If all else fails, go to Lori for advice. I'd save that for a last resort, though. The way I heard it, she played pranks on Bobby to get him to notice her."

"Noted. Is there anything else I should be aware of?" Logan asked.

"Yeah. Some chicks are nervous by nature, so they tend to gravitate towards bulkier physiques for a feeling of protection. You have this whole 'no-nonsense bad boy' look going on, so that's a plus in that department. It's even better if she knows you're a softie at heart."

"Alright. Now, if you'll excuse me, I still need to get ready for the day," Logan said and took Luna's dishes to the kitchen. Luna left shortly after, leaving Logan to shower and don a fresh set of clothes. He did some more research on his future targets, then looked in his fridge for something to eat for lunch and realized that he needed to go shopping.

...

Logan wasn't the only one who needed groceries. Unlike him, though, Agnes had to plan each and every shopping trip very carefully so that she she would have enough money for rent and utilities. With rising prices, she kept cutting it closer and closer, and her rent was being paid later and later every month.

She hated her landlord; he undressed her with his eyes every time they met, and she caught him giving the same hungry gaze to Cristina numerous times. Unfortunately, her apartment was the only place in town that she could afford. If she only could, she'd put as much space as she could between herself and her daughter and that fat, greasy pig of a man.

As she placed a loaf of the cheapest bread she could find in her shopping cart, Logan entered the same aisle, and their gazes met. They stared at each other in awkward silence for several moments.

"Um...hi?" Logan said, scratching the back of his neck.

"Hi. Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday, Logan," Agnes replied. "I've been under a lot of stress recently, and seeing you for the first time in so long made me snap for a moment," she explained.

"Eh, water under the bridge. But I can't believe you had a crush on me this whole time. I guess it's kind of funny, because I was crushing on you."

"I know. You, uh, weren't exactly subtle about it," Agnes giggled, feeling some of the tension lift. Just then, Cristina walked into the aisle from the other end (under no circumstances was Agnes leaving her alone at the apartment when their landlord had a spare key).

"Hey, Mom, did you want regular or unsalted butter?" she asked, then froze when she saw Logan.

"Hello, there. Who are you?" Logan asked politely.

"Logan, this is my daughter Cristina. Sweetie, Logan here is an old...acquaintance of mine," Agnes introduced them, pulling the shy girl into a small side hug.

"Nice to meet you, Cristina. You look just like your mom," Logan said with a smile and held out his hand. Cristina hesitated a moment before shaking it.

"It was nice talking to you, Logan, but Cristina and I need to get going. Our landlord has this weird curfew policy," Agnes said with a hint of regret.

"I'm pretty much done with my own shopping, too. I can pay for yours," Logan offered.

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Agnes tried to decline, but Logan was persistent.

"No, no, I insist. It's the least I can do."

Agnes felt her face heat up as the three of them stood in the checkout line. Based on the gentlemanly gesture alone, getting to know Logan was looking like a better and better idea...