CHAPTER 234: A CONFUSING CONFESSION

Chapter 234- A Confusing Confession

LOGAN’S POV

I froze.

I didn’t even know what part of my body was supposed to move next. My arms dropped to my sides, my chest stopped rising, and my throat... it closed up like someone poured cement down it.

"What?" I croaked, my voice barely making it past my lips. "What... what did you just say?"

But I knew what I heard.

I just didn’t want to believe it.

Tyler looked at me like he wasn’t even scared of the reaction. Like he meant it. Like he’d been meaning it for a long time.

"You heard me," he said quietly. "Now say something."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Not one single thing.

Why couldn’t I talk?

Why was my brain racing but my tongue frozen?

He stepped closer, and I swear my heart did a goddamn somersault in my chest.

Then he took another step.

"Say something, Logan," he said again, a little louder this time. "What? Cat got your tongue? You were yelling just now... where’s all that fire?"

I was still just looking at him, completely thrown off. The air in the room was thick, like it had changed, like everything shifted in that one second.

And then—he kissed me.

His hands reached up and grabbed the sides of my face, and before I could even blink, his lips were on mine.

It wasn’t rough.

It wasn’t rushed.

It was slow.

Soft.

And I let it happen.

His lips moved gently against mine, shaky and sweet, like he wasn’t even sure if he was doing it right. His breath was warm, his hands shaking a little. But God... the way it made my chest tighten and my head spin—it scared the hell out of me.

Because I was enjoying it.

More than I should.

My fingers curled around his arms, and for a second—just a second—I kissed him back.

Until my brain decided to wake the hell up.

This is Tyler.

The same Tyler who once looked me dead in the face and said he wasn’t into guys. That he wasn’t ever going to change his sexuality. That he wasn’t attracted to me.

Then what the hell is this?

Something’s not right.

This isn’t real. This is some stupid trick, or he’s confused, or—something.

I pushed him.

Harder than I meant to.

His feet tripped backward, and before I could even reach out, he slammed into the wall.

CRACK.

His head hit the plaster with a terrifying sound.

My heart stopped.

"Oh, shit—oh my God, shit! Tyler?!"

I didn’t even think. I rushed over and dropped to my knees beside him.

His body was curled, and he was groaning softly. My hands were shaking as I tried to lift him gently.

"Tyler... fuck, are you okay? I swear I didn’t mean to—I didn’t mean to push you that hard. Please, get up. Please..."

But he slapped my hand away with a sharp force that stung.

"Oh... so you really wanted to kill me, huh?" he spat bitterly. "Was that the plan?"

I flinched.

"No—Tyler, no! I swear to God, I didn’t mean—"

"So what, Logan?" His voice cracked with anger. "You hate me that much? That you had to throw me like I’m trash? Like I don’t matter? You didn’t even care that my head hit the damn wall!"

"Tyler, stop—"

"NO! You stop!" he snapped. "You think just because I kissed you that you get to treat me like this?"

I opened my mouth. Nothing.

How was I supposed to explain that it wasn’t about hate?

"I’m sorry," I whispered. "Please, Tyler... it wasn’t intentional. I thought maybe you were drunk or something, that you didn’t know what you were doing. I didn’t push you because I hated you. I was just—confused. I didn’t know how to—"

That only made it worse.

He shoved me.

Hard.

So hard that I lost balance and landed flat on my ass with a painful thud.

"FUCK, Tyler!" I shouted. "What the hell?!"

He didn’t answer.

He didn’t even look at me.

He just walked over to his bed and sat down like I wasn’t there.

I stayed on the floor for a few seconds, my back burning.

I wanted to scream.

But maybe keeping my mouth shut was better. Maybe silence was the only thing that wouldn’t make this even worse.

What was the point of talking when the damage had already been done?

I muttered under my breath, "Screw you, Tyler," as I finally stood up, wincing from the pain.

I didn’t say anything else. I didn’t even look at him as I crossed the room and threw myself onto my bed.

I laid there, staring at the ceiling, the throbbing pain in my lower back reminding me of every second of what just happened.

Maybe it was better this way.

Maybe when we wake up tomorrow, none of this will exist.

Maybe it’ll be like today never happened.

That kiss.

That confession.

That moment where I actually thought for a second that Tyler loved me.

Because he doesn’t.

He can’t.

He only said it to calm me down. To stop the fight. To save my stupid temper from destroying me.

Tyler can never love me.

But could it be true?

Could it really mean that Tyler... loves me?

That word—love—just kept ringing in my head like a fucking church bell. My chest felt tight, my thoughts were racing, and I couldn’t stop asking myself the same question over and over again.

"Does he really love me?" I whispered into the dark room like maybe it would echo back with an answer.

No.

No. No. No. No.

It can’t be.

I shook my head and let out a dry, shaky laugh. "This is bullshit," I muttered under my breath. "This is just another game. Another twisted joke the universe is playing on me."

I laid back on my bed, arm over my eyes, trying to shut everything out. But the memories came crawling in like poison.

I remembered what he told me.

Or maybe it was what he wrote in that stupid damn letter.

I remembered every word like it was tattooed on my brain.

We aren’t compatible.

We’re attracted to different things.

I’m sorry, Logan. I can’t give you what you want.

That’s how he shut me out.

So how dare he come back now—like nothing happened—and say he loves me?

You don’t get to burn someone and then show up holding water after the flames already ate everything.

"You can’t just come back, Tyler," I whispered, blinking fast as my eyes stung. "You don’t get to do that."

I tried to calm myself down. I told myself he only said those words—those three fucking words—because he was trying to stop me from killing Philip. That was all.

"He just wanted to stop me," I said to myself out loud, like saying it would make it real. "He said those words to cool me down. That’s all. That’s the only reason."

But the more I said it... the more it started to sound like lies.

"Then why did it feel real?" I asked myself, pressing my palms to my face. "Why did it sound like he meant it?"

No, Logan. No.

You’re reading too much into it. You’re desperate. You want to believe he cares, so your brain is making up stories. That’s all.

"He doesn’t love me," I whispered. "He can’t."

But then my thoughts jumped to the kiss.

That kiss.

My lips still remembered how soft his were. How his hands trembled. How it didn’t feel fake. How it felt like something he’d been holding in for too long.

Was the kiss also a lie?

Did he kiss me just to make me quiet?

Just to distract me?

"Why the hell would you do that, Tyler?" I whispered. "Why would you make me believe something that isn’t real?"

My heart was beating so hard it felt like it was about to crash out of my chest and land on the floor.

Why now?

Why when I was finally moving on?

Why does he always come back just when I’ve started stitching myself together, only to rip the seams wide open again?

"Why do you keep ruining me?" I muttered, covering my face with both hands.

I was almost okay, damn it.

I was almost done hurting over him.

I was building new walls. I was learning how to breathe without him in my lungs.

And just when I thought I was fine, he shows up, knocks everything down, makes me fall again—and I know what comes next.

He’ll disappear.

Again.

And I’ll have to start over from scratch, like I always do.

Like I haven’t already bled enough for him.

I turned my head slowly toward his bed. He was facing the other side, perfectly still.

Was he asleep?

Sleeping—after throwing my world upside down like it was nothing?

"Unbelievable," I muttered, grinding my teeth.

I rolled onto my side and tried to close my eyes.

But I couldn’t sleep.

I kept tossing and turning, my legs moving under the blanket.

And then I sat up..

I couldn’t take it anymore.

"Tyler..." I whispered.

My throat burned.

My fists clenched in my lap.

"Tyler, why did you have to do this to me?"