Have You Ever Listened To The Rain At Night?

Chapter 16

"Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, Mom."

"Your medication?"

"Yes."

"Toothbrush?"

"Yes."

"Fresh underwear?"

"Mom!"

Joanna Mitchell smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to you staying over at someone else's house."

"Yeah, because this is a totally uncharacteristic behavior for teenagers," Logan muttered. He stared through the windshield, recognized Camille's house, but remained in the car.

"Nervous?"

He sighs. "I know I shouldn't be."

"If you don't feel well, you can always call home."

"Yes, I know."

"And don't forget that you promised to reach out. By tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Yes, Mom. Don't worry, I won't forget."

"Then you should go now. I'm sure she's already waiting for you."

Logan felt a nervous anticipation at her words. He nodded, grabbed his backpack and got out.

"See you on Sunday."

"Okay," Logan replied, taking a few steps back and slowly waving after his mother's car. Now there was no turning back. Not that he actually wanted to go back, but still . . .

Slowly, he walked down the street to the front door. The nervous knot in his stomach tightened even more. He stared at the door, unable to move. Then he imagined what Kendall would say if he could see him now, and that thought gave him courage. He took a deep breath, raised his hand to ring the bell . . . and the door almost hit him in the face. Logan jumped in shock and so did Camille, who looked at him in surprise.

"Logan! You are here! I just heard a car and - come in." She literally dragged him into the house. Inside, she beamed at him. "Hi," she said, pulling him into a warm hug.

"Hi," Logan replied quietly, carefully placing a hand on her back. Camille pulled away and one part of him was relieved that she did, the other part was disappointed.

"I'm so happy it worked out."

Logan nodded in agreement, forcing a small smile.

"So, um, what do you feel like to do? Are you hungry, thirsty?"

Logan shook his head. "No, thanks. Maybe later."

"Okay . . . um, how about we watch a movie?"

"Um, yeah, sure. Sounds good."

The movie had been playing for a while, but Logan wasn't paying much attention to the plot. He couldn't. His thoughts were running around in his head, not letting him calm down. And then there was Camille's closeness, which made him even more nervous. She was so close, it would be so easy to touch her . . . but he didn't dare and hated himself for it. There was nothing wrong with it. After all, she was his girlfriend and he was her boyfriend, it was a normal thing to do. And yet he sat tensely next to her, hoping that she wouldn't notice. Why was he so scared? Why couldn't he have more confidence? The knot in his stomach continued to tighten, causing him to shift uncomfortably in his seat, which of course Camille noticed. She turned to him. "You okay?" she asked worriedly. "Are you feeling cold? I can give you a blanket."

"No," Logan began, then he hesitated. An idea came to his mind. Yes, that could work. "Yes," he quickly changed his answer. "Yes, a blanket would be nice."