Toxic: Logan's Story (Torn #4)(5)

“I said, I’m fine!” she grumbled as she sat up.

Two seconds later, she grabbed the garbage can beside the bed and threw up violently into it. I jumped back a couple of feet as she continued to throw up. It seemed like hours had passed by before she was finished.

Jesus. I’d never seen her like this.

Finally, there seemed to be nothing left in her stomach, and she rolled back onto her bed, groaning. “Fuck. Maybe I am drunk.”

Drake chuckled quietly. “No shit, Chloe.”

She glared at him. “Just say what you came here to say, *.”

“We came to tell you to decide who you want. Both of us want you, but who you want is what really matters. Whoever you don’t choose will back off, no questions asked.”

She looked back and forth between us. “What if I want both of you?”

And then, she passed out.

Fuck.





I couldn’t sleep at all that night. Instead, I tossed and turned as I replayed the last few months over and over again in my mind. I tried to figure out what I had done wrong to push Chloe away. From the beginning, I’d known that Drake was interested in her, but I’d ignored it. I’d thought that she was smart enough not to fall for the * who slept with every woman he saw. Of course, I hadn’t even considered the fact that he might actually care about her. I hadn’t thought he was capable of caring about a woman.

I’d been overconfident and stupid. I’d thought that she was mine, and no one would take her away from me. We’d been through so much together. We’d been attached at the hip since I moved to West Virginia my freshman year. I’d stayed by her side through everything with her mom. When her mother, Andrea, had shown back up in Chloe’s life to torment her, I was the one she would always come to. I was the one who would help her clean her cuts when her mother had beaten her. I was the one who would beg her to go to the police. And I was the one who would understand her decision when she had refused. She had been afraid that she would be put into foster care and never see me or her other best friend, Amber, again.

I was so angry with her, but I was hurt, too. I had trusted her completely, and she’d stabbed me in the back. The one person I’d thought would never hurt me was the one who had ripped my heart to pieces. Even if she chose me, I wasn’t sure that things could ever go back to the way they had been before. And if she chose Drake…I would walk away. I would cut ties with her and start over again. The thought of leaving her behind had me clenching my fists in anger. Drake was the reason that my entire life was falling apart, and I hated the * with every fiber of my being.

I finally fell asleep just as the sun was starting to rise.

I hadn’t been asleep for more than an hour or two when I heard a knock on my door. I rolled out of bed and slowly walked to the door, terrified of who I would find on the other side. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to see anyone at this point.

I opened the door to see Chloe standing in the hallway. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Despite the circumstances, I longed to reach out and comfort her. I pushed the thought away. Without a word, I turned back into the room and sat on my bed. Chloe walked in and closed the door behind her.

I sighed before glancing up at her. “I lost, didn’t I?”

She looked at the floor. “Not really. I’m so tired of hurting both of you, Logan. I love you both…just in different ways. I’m not choosing him, but I’m not choosing you either.”

I tried to hide my emotions as I realized that I was losing her. It felt like someone had punched me in the chest. The pain I was feeling right now was unbearable.

I rose and crossed the room to stand in front of her. “I understand, and I accept your decision.” It nearly killed me to say the words, but I forced them out.

Tears started falling from her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Logan. I ruined everything we ever had. I didn’t just lose my boyfriend, but I also lost my best friend in all of this mess.”

I pulled her into a tight hug, unable to watch her suffer. “You haven’t lost me as a friend, Chloe, but I need some time before I can go back to the way things were. Just don’t give up on our friendship. I promise, I won’t leave you.”

She hugged me back tightly. “I understand. Thanks, Logan.”

She pulled away and made her way to the door. I watched as she opened it.

“When you’re ready, you know where to find me,” she said before leaving me.

I didn’t move for several minutes. Instead, I stood there and stared at the door, willing her to come back and tell me that she changed her mind, that she chose me. In my heart, I knew that she wouldn’t come back. I walked over to my bed and dropped down onto it. Once again, I wondered what I had done to end up like this. All my life, I’d tried to help people, and I’d been a good guy. And for what? So, I could watch the love of my life walk away from me.

Unable to stay in my room any longer, I changed into a pair of jeans and a plain T-shirt. I grabbed my jacket and then my keys off the desk, and I headed for the door. I had no idea where I was going, but I knew I needed to get out of this room.

The hallway and stairs of my dorm building were nearly empty as I made my way outside. I walked to my car and pulled out of the parking lot. I drove around town, debating on where to go. I circled around until I was almost back at my dorm. Then, I saw the bar where Drake played—Gold’s Pub.