Carrying a box of pastries my mom had made, I reluctantly knocked on Logan's villa door. When I thought no one would answer, the door swung open and I found myself facing his eyes.
Logan was impeccably dressed in a white shirt, sleeves casually rolled up at the wrists. Without his glasses, he seemed less distant than usual.
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed from inside the villa, "Logan, did the takeout arrive?" It sounded like the house was bustling with people. I took a step back awkwardly, handing over the box of pastries. "These are from my mom." He glanced down briefly then stepped aside, "Come in."
"Eh?" I was taken aback, waving my hand dismissively, "No need, I'm just here to drop this off and then I'm leaving." Before I could turn away, someone approached, exclaiming, "Mia?!"
We stared at each other, a flicker of recognition crossing our faces. It seemed like a high school classmate, with whom I had shared a fairly good rapport.
Hesitantly, I called out his name and he responded immediately. He looked at the pastries Logan had just taken and remarked, "I didn’t expect you and Logan to be close." I managed an awkward, "Uh."
"Right, it's only Jordan you don't get along with. Logan is really nice," he continued. I replied, "Ah."
As I was nudged inside, the classmate commented, "We’re discussing our next research project, perfect timing for you to join."
I hesitated, "I’m not really interested in that." Mainly because it would be over my head and I’d likely embarrass myself...
The living room was crowded with various people. Upon my entry, the clamor somewhat subsided. Logan stood next to me, and a girl asked, "Logan, is she your girlfriend?" He looked at me without clarifying.
Torn between explaining and remaining silent, I finally just clicked my tongue and rubbed my temples, "I better leave." Logan’s cool fingertips caught my wrist, his voice clear and resonant, "I have something for you." I blinked, then followed him upstairs.
This provided a good excuse to bring something back to my mom. I never understood why she liked Logan so much... He opened his bedroom door, and I hesitated at the threshold, "This seems inappropriate, I’ve never been in a guy’s bedroom before." Nevertheless, I followed him in without further protest.
His bedroom was minimalist, adorned only in white and gray, reflecting his own reserved nature. In one corner of his bookshelf was a picture frame facedown. Curious, I crossed my arms and noticed writing on the back of the frame: "Merry Christmas, Mia."
Intrigued, I stepped forward, turned the frame over, and saw it was a photo of me during freshman year at Christmas, sneaking into the computer room and playing computer... The details were fuzzy, but I remembered being well-dressed that Christmas after my parents had confiscated my phone so that I can't contact my friends. In desperation, I had used the school’s computer to do that.
I was stunned. "You..." Logan handed me a small box, his eyes softening as he looked at me, a rare departure from his usual aloofness.
"What’s this?" I murmured as I took it, adding with a hint of realization, "Wow, I never knew you had a crush on me back then. What did you see in me anyway?"
"It wasn’t that," he replied, "I was considering reporting you."
I was puzzled, "?"
