Hypothetical Heart (Farewell Fairwood #2)

Chapter 38

38

FEbrUARY

I wake up to flowers on my bedside table, just like I have for nearly a decade, on Valentine’s Day.

Except, instead of the boy I received them from sleeping in the house next door, he’s now sleeping in my bed with his arms wrapped around me.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed and pick up the vase, holding it to my chest as I inhale the familiar scent of white and pink roses. The glass may be chilling my skin, but the gesture turns my insides warm and gooey.

Not wanting to leave Logan’s presence just yet, I set the flowers back down and lay back in my place next to him. His arm automatically wraps around me, and I know he hasn’t been asleep this entire time.

“When did you get the flowers?” I ask, resting my head in the crook of his neck and shoulder.

He turns to face me. “Last night, I kept them in my apartment and went down to get them before you woke up.”

“I didn’t hear you leave.”

“Of course you didn’t.” He laughs. “You could probably sleep through a freight train plowing through our building.”

I rip the pillow out from behind his head and hit him with it, but before I can even laugh about it, he takes it back and throws it at me. When the pillow lands on the floor, he rolls toward me, bracing his arms on either side of my frame and making it so our faces are only inches apart.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, sweetheart.” He smiles.

My face mirrors his, and I feel every ounce of the love I have for him flood my body. “Happy Valentine’s Day, Logan.”

Logan leans down, brushing his lips against mine in a kiss that's soft but filled with years of history. When he pulls back, the warmth in his eyes makes my chest feel like it’s about to burst.

“What do you want to do today?” he asks, his fingers gently brushing my hair behind my ear.

I shrug, feeling content just lying here with him. “I’m not sure. What about you?”

He grins. “Well, I figured we’d start with breakfast. Then I have something planned, but it’s a surprise.”

My eyebrows lift. “A surprise? Should I be worried?”

He chuckles, dipping his head so that his nose skims against my cheek. “When have I ever let you down?”

I roll my eyes playfully.

He grins again, that charming, easy smile I’ve known my whole life. “Trust me. I’ve been planning this for weeks.”

Weeks? My curiosity piques, but I don’t push him for any information. Logan loves planning surprises, and I would feel too bad taking that away from him.

“All right, I’ll trust you,” I say, threading my fingers through his.

“You always do.” His voice is low, his gaze flicking down to our intertwined hands before he pulls me in for another kiss, this one deeper, filled with a quiet promise.

When we finally pull apart, he stands up, tugging me gently with him. “Come on, we’ve got a big day ahead.”

I laugh, but follow him anyway, my heart still racing from the simple magic of waking up beside him. It’s surreal to think that this is my reality now—Logan, no longer the boy next door, but the man who’s sharing every part of my life.

W e end up in the city around dinnertime, walking around through all of my favorite stores. Logan follows, pointing out things he’ll think I like, and holding the things I want to buy. He even takes me into the infamous five-story Barnes and Noble, and while it feels like I’m cheating on Meet in the Margins, I also feel like I’m in heaven.

“Are you good if I send home our bags with my driver?” Logan asks, letting them all fall off his arms and into the backseat.

“ Our bags?”

“Well, considering it’s all your stuff that I paid for, it is our stuff, ” he teases.

“So…” I trail off, watching the car full of all the things we bought drive away. “Where are we going now?”

Logan smirks, his eyes gleaming with that mischievous glint I’ve seen so many times before. “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?”

“Haven’t there been enough surprises?” I ask, pretending to be exasperated, but inside, I’m buzzing with excitement. He’s been planning this for weeks. The thought of him putting in that much effort to make today special only makes me fall for him more.

We walk for a few blocks, the cool evening air wrapping around us as the city comes alive with twinkling lights and bustling streets. Logan keeps his hand securely around mine, our fingers intertwined like they have always been, and yet, it feels different now—like this connection runs deeper, unspoken but understood.

After a few more turns, he stops in front of a small, tucked-away restaurant that I’ve never seen before. It’s the kind of place you’d only know about if you’re a local or have done your research—classic Logan. He’s always been good at finding hidden gems.

“Logan, what is this place?” I ask, trying to peek through the windows, but they’re covered with soft lace curtains, giving nothing away.

“You’ll see.” He pulls open the door, gesturing for me to step inside first.

The moment we enter, I’m greeted by the warm, cozy atmosphere of candlelight and soft music. The restaurant is intimate, with only a few tables scattered around, all set with elegant white linens and delicate flowers in the center. It’s romantic in a way that makes my heart flutter, and I can’t help but glance at Logan in awe.

“How did you find this place?”

He grins, clearly proud of himself. “I have my ways.”

We’re led to a table near the back, tucked away from the other diners, and as we sit down, Logan looks at me with that same adoring expression I’ve seen since we were kids. But now, it holds a different weight—something more.

“This is amazing,” I say, feeling like I’m in a dream. “Thank you. ”

“You don’t have to thank me,” he replies, reaching across the table to take my hand. “I wanted to make today special.”

It’s only our first Valentine’s Day together, and yet, it feels like our hundredth. I squeeze his hand, my heart swelling with gratitude and love for him. He’s always been thoughtful, always finding ways to make me feel cherished, but this… this feels like a whole new level of care.

As the waiter brings over the menu, Logan surprises me again. “I took the liberty of ordering ahead for us,” he says with a playful smile.

“You did?”

“Yeah. I hope you don’t mind, but I wanted to pick out all your favorites.”

My heart melts a little more, and I lean back in my chair, feeling utterly spoiled. “You’re too good to me.”

He winks, and I can’t help but smile. Logan is the only person who could ever possibly order perfectly for me. Knowing exactly what I would want and how I would like it.

The meal is perfect—every dish more delicious than the last, and each bite accompanied by easy conversation and laughter. We talk about everything and nothing, just like we always do. It feels effortless, comfortable, like we’ve been doing this forever–probably because we have.

After dinner, Logan surprises me yet again by leading me up a narrow staircase at the back of the restaurant. When we reach the top, we step out onto a private rooftop terrace, where the city skyline stretches out before us, glittering in the night.

I gasp, my breath catching in my throat. “Logan…”

Standing in front of me on the roof of the restaurant are Jameson, Genevieve, Eloise, and Briar, all of them sitting at the banister that overlooks the city.

“You didn’t!” I squeal in excitement, already running toward my friends to wrap them all in a hug. “What are you guys doing here?”

We haven’t been together since Christmas break. In fact, it’s the longest stretch we’ve ever gone without seeing each other. In the month and a half we’ve been back in school, all of our schedules have been packed, and none of us have had time for anything other than short catch-up phone calls.

I had offhandedly mentioned to Logan last week how this would be the first Valentine’s Day where we weren’t all together, which made me sad. When we were little, we used to get one another valentines and chocolates every year. Eloise’s mom would make us heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast and pink milkshakes after dinner. To us, Valentine’s Day has never solely been about romantic soulmates, but platonic ones too.

Today is meant to be spent with everyone we love, and Logan making that happen only makes me love him more.

“Where’s Luke?” I ask, looking around. I’m assuming everyone else came here after their own Valentine’s Day dinners, but I’m more worried Luke doesn’t think we would want him here just because the rest of us are in relationships.

“He’s…” Logan trails off, trying to come up with an answer.

“Busy,” Genevieve finishes with a hint of annoyance.

Now Eloise looks confused. “Is he with Valerie?”

The Luke and Valerie situation seems to be a sticky one for Genevieve, maybe in the same way Jameson and Genevieve were for Logan.

It’s hard when two of your friends become romantically attached because you don’t want anything bad to happen to either of them, and you also don’t want to be forced to blame either of them if something goes wrong. But I’m not sure why we’re even worrying about it, because there’s no confirmation anything is even going on between them–unless Genevieve and Logan know something I don’t.

“I have a good feeling,” Genevieve sighs. “Because it wouldn’t be my friend group if all of my friends didn’t start dating one another.” She glares at all of us.

“Hey, you started it,” Logan says, pointing between her and Jameson.

Genevieve rolls her eyes but smiles, clearly unable to argue. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. At least we had the decency to deny it for months."

Jameson chuckles, draping his arm around her shoulders. “We weren’t the only ones, love.”

Before Genevieve can retort, Eloise cuts in, laughing. "Oh please, you two were the shock of the century.” She raises her glass, nodding toward Logan and me. "But these two? Everyone saw it coming a mile away. It just took them a century to finally figure it out.”

Logan chuckles beside me, pulling me closer. "Hey, we were just taking our time."

"Taking your time?" Genevieve teases, arching an eyebrow. "More like making everyone else suffer through your unresolved tension for years ."

I feel my cheeks heat up, but the warmth in Logan's eyes when he looks down at me wipes away any embarrassment. "Well, we’re here now," I say, squeezing his hand.

"And that’s all that matters," Briar adds with a grin.

We all take a moment to soak it in—being together, the laughter, the love that’s always been there, even as our relationships shifted over the years. Despite everything, we’ve always found our way back to each other, and Logan… Logan’s been at the heart of that for me.

As the night goes on, we swap stories, reminisce about the Valentine’s Days we spent as kids, and make new memories under the stars. The city lights twinkle below us, but all I can focus on is the way Logan’s fingers brush against mine, how he leans in close to whisper something silly in my ear just to make me laugh, and the way our friends have always been our constant, our chosen family.

He steps up beside me, slipping his arm around my waist and pulling me close. “I thought you’d like the view.”

“I love it,” I whisper, leaning my head against his shoulder. The city lights reflect in the windows of nearby buildings, and the air is cool but comfortable. It’s perfect like everything else has been tonight.

We stand there in silence for a moment, just taking it all in, and I feel an overwhelming sense of contentment wash over me. Being with Logan, in this moment, feels like the culmination of everything we’ve ever been and everything we’re becoming.

By the time we’re all wrapping up and saying our goodbyes, Logan pulls me aside, his expression softer than it’s been all night. "I wanted today to remind you how much you’re loved—not just by me, but by all of us."

I lean into him, my heart swelling with affection. "You didn’t have to go through all of this to remind me, Logan. I already know."

He smiles, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. "I know you do, but… I wanted to anyway."

He presses a kiss to my forehead, just the two of us, wrapped in the warmth of each other and the quiet peace that comes with knowing we’re exactly where we’re meant to be.