Chapter 43

I had been home for over a week. It was strange being back. I didn’t have much money left so I had to move back in with my parents while I searched for a job. My new qualification made me a desirable candidate though. I had several interviews lined up with several companies in the area.

I found myself spending my spare time babysitting for my sister and helping out at home and doing some volunteer work at a local food bank while I looked for work. I needed to stay busy and keep my mind occupied. Nightmares still came and went but with the therapy I had started, I was taking back control of my life again. I was moving on the way I wanted to, the way I needed to. I always felt in the back of my mind there was something missing and I knew the missing piece was Logan, but I needed to move on completely or at least try to.

After a few weeks of being home I found myself a job as an office clerk at a local distribution center. I settled in quickly and set myself to work. It wasn’t long before I met someone through a colleague at work. Brax Lawson was the usual type of guy that I went for, and we met on a night out work function. We hit it off straight away and had a lot in common.

At first it was strange getting back into dating, but I told him about what had happened over the last 6 months, and it didn’t put him off. We took it one day and date at a time. We didn’t put a label on us, we just got to know each other. I had been on four dates with him over the space of a few weeks when people at work heard about me dating. The colleagues I was closest to were happy for me. Others used it as gossip for the rumor mill. I had been home, in total around 2 months.

Life felt right but wrong at the same time. Even though I had a great guy, a great job, family and friends it still felt like there was something missing. I started to have second thoughts. I hovered over Logan’s number more than once. I kept stopping myself, telling myself that if he really wanted me, he would contact me. I had to stop chasing what I thought was a dream. As the saying goes, the grass is not always greener on the other side.

I had a date arranged on Saturday with Brax and I was excited about it. It was a complete surprise. Saturday could not come quick enough. Luckily the days seemed to follow my feeling and disappeared quickly. As I finished work on Friday night I went to the local pub with a couple of girls from work. We had a few drinks. While I was at the bar getting drinks for my round, I thought I saw Logan.

It couldn’t be him. I shook my head almost trying to shake the thought from my mind. I returned to the table with the drinks for the girls. The air around me suddenly felt heavy. It was a familiar feeling, a feeling that threw me off my game and yet somehow felt so right. I sat back down and was deep in conversation with one of the girls when her eyes went wide at someone standing behind me. I felt a hand on the middle of my back that lit a fire deep within me.

“Excuse me, do you mind if I steal Leah from you for a short while.”

The voice made every hair on my arms and the back of my neck stand on end. I froze. The girls giggled between looks at each other before excusing me. I turned in my seat and slowly placed my feet flat on the floor, I needed to find a way to feel grounded in that moment. I looked up to see Logan standing there with his hand on my back.

“Logan?”