“Have I ever told you that I hate you?” I said, breathing heavily, bending over and leaning against my knees as we got back to his house. Why didn’t I just go shopping with Nell? It was a Saturday and I was torturing myself by letting Logan train me. Exercise always made me feel good after but before and during it was my enemy. I honestly didn’t know how Logan could do it all day and train other people too.
“Frequently,” he muttered dryly. “In fact, the last time before today was a week ago, you know, when I threw water on you?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “That was not funny.” When his mum had asked him to wake me up I doubt that was what she had meant.
Jace and I spent most nights together at his house, and I couldn’t bring myself to stop that little routine. Since I got out of my hermit state, I’d slept in Jace’s room more than my own and his family had no issue with it at all. It was all I had left of him, but I knew I would have to give it up eventually, and I wanted to.
Logan grinned wide, the shallow scar just below his bottom lip from when he flew over his bike’s handlebars disappeared, the way it always did when the skin was stretched. “It was.”
“I need water, to drink.”
Logan waved his water bottle out in front of me, eyebrow raised and mouth curved, smug. “I keep telling you that you should take water with you when we run.” He did tell me that, all the time. Logan did everything properly when it came to exercise, even when he wasn’t at the gym and even though I wasn’t a paying client.
“Shut up and give me that.” I grabbed it out of his hand and drained the remainder of the bottle.
“Right, the usual stretches to cool down and then you’re done.” I groaned and followed him to the back garden to die again.
“Do you think I should take it slower since I’ve been out of action a while?” We worked out together three times a week when Jace was alive but I stopped doing it when he died.
“Nice try but you’re doing fine now. I don’t think you should slow down on anything.”
“Why do I get the feeling there’s a double meaning there?”
He looked away. “There is. I’ve spoken to Cassie.”
Siblings were supposed to fight, not talk! “You think I should move on?”
“It’s been three years, Chlo, you deserve to. You want to, don’t you?”
“Yeah. I’m ready.”
He smiled. “Good. Now, smoothie?”
“Oh, definitely,” I replied, my mouth watering at the thought. Logan always made his famous strawberry and banana smoothies after a workout. That was my favourite part of our routine and made it worth the pain.
Chapter Two
Chloe
“How was the run, crazies?” Cassie asked. Like with the rest of the family, I got along really well with her, too, she was like a sister. She didn’t like exercise though, the same as Jace, so they always let us get on with it and would make faces when we returned.
I groaned. “Good-ish.” She shook her head, looking at me as if I were actually crazy. I think the last time she had done anything sporty was when she was at school, nine years ago.
Cassie looked very much like Logan with the same colour blue eyes and dark blonde hair. Hers was dead straight and just below her shoulders but she often shoved mousse in it to make it do something. She was just a little taller than me but then most of the people in my circle were.
“You two want Chinese?” she asked, glancing at the Golden King Chinese menu in front of her.
Logan raised his eyebrows at her. “Cass, it’s half past four in the afternoon.” Usually, his mum would serve dinner at half past six every night but it was the anniversary of their first date so Daryl was taking Julia to some posh hotel in the city. They deserved to celebrate after being together for thirty years.
“Yeah?” she questioned, staring at her younger brother blankly, waiting for a good explanation as to why she couldn’t have Chinese so early. “And?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
“If you think I’m playing mum just because they’re away, you are seriously mistaken. Now, what do you two want? Chlo, you’re staying, right?”
“Yes, thanks. My usual?” Cassie nodded and scribbled down my order on a scrap piece of paper.
My house was too quiet. Since my parents set up a car rental place four years ago they had spent most of their time at work, leaving me at home. I was plenty old enough to take care of myself but I now found the silence suffocating.
Logan reeled off a list of what he wanted and went off to have a shower.
I sat down opposite Cassie on the kitchen stool and waited for the inevitable Jace conversation. “So, how’s everything going?” I asked, trying to steer things into her life rather than mine.
Cassie thought that hanging on to Jace was unhealthy. The problem I had was I didn’t quite know how to live my new life without him. We’d spent years practically glued to each other’s side. It was hard to fully let go of my old life.