Ghosts of Averoigne
“Hey…” he finally groaned. “Where’d you come from?”
He looked unusually exhausted. Kara saw the beginnings of dark circles under his eyes, as if he’d been up all night.
“Sorry,” she explained. “We got stuck at the library when the storm came back.” She tried glancing into his room. Logan still hadn’t opened the door more than a crack.
“So you stayed there?”
Yes, she almost lied. “No. We, uh, we managed to find another hotel within walking distance. Some little bed and breakfast.”
Logan’s mouth curled into a smirk. “Sounds cozy.”
It was. Kara’s heart thumped so loudly she wondered if he could hear it. Way more than you know…
“It was alright,” she shrugged. “At least we got some good sleep. You on the other hand—”
She tried pushing her way into the room, but Logan still didn’t step aside. Instead he yawned.
“I was up pretty late,” he told her. “Maybe give me another hour?”
“Up late?”
He sighed. His shoulders slumped and he stepped back, finally allowing the door to open. Kara took it as an invitation to push inside.
Except for his rumpled up bed, the room was empty.
“No,” he chuckled, reading her mind. “No one else here. Just me.”
She crossed her arms playfully. “No cute blondes from the lobby?”
“I threw them all out at midnight,” Logan teased.
Kara felt a sudden wave of relief. It was relief she really couldn’t explain — a peace of mind that made her genuinely happy. Why should she even care what Logan did? Or who he did it with?
Especially after your own little ‘honeymoon’…
Logan yawned again and Kara poked him in the ribs. “Then why’d you stay up so late?” she asked. “You know what today is.”
“The winter solstice.”
“Yes, and we’re—”
“I stayed in the room last night,” Logan said abruptly. When Kara’s eyes went wide he simply nodded. “Room 334.”
A chill ran through her, sending goosebumps up and down Kara’s arms. She was awestruck.
“By yourself?”
“Yeah.”
“The whole night?”
“Well, most of the night, anyway.”
She punched him hard in the arm. “You asshole!” she cried out. “We told you not to do that! Something could’ve happened! Anything could’ve happened to you, and neither Jeremy or I would’ve been there to—”
“Kara, stop already!” He was clutching his head now, as if in pain. “It’s alright, okay? I’m fine. And besides, I made some progress.” He let go of his head, but was still rubbing his temples.
“What kind of progr—”