“What’re you doing?” She don’t look surprised to see me. Gotta stay calm, gotta stay calm. Can’t yell at her, can’t grab her and drive off, too many witnesses.

“Pumping gas, want to help?”

“No.” No, I don’t wanna help, I wanna know why she left.

“Well, you don’t have to be pissed about it, sugar. I just thought I’d offer.”

“Why’d yah leave?” She looks kinda shocked, guess she wasn’t expectin’ me to ask her that first thing.

“Well, it seemed like the thing to do.”

“It seemed like the thing to do?!” Can’t yell, can’t yell. Deep breaths, Logan.

“Yes.”

“Leaving me in the middle of the goddamn night, without saying a word, ‘seemed like the thing to do’?!”

“Yes.”

Don’t think about it. Don’t think about waking up to find her gone and all her clothes and stuff missin’ too.

“Why?” She’s starting to look kinda pissed.

“Didn’t you read the note I left you?”

“Yeah but...”

“Don’t act so surprised, Logan. I knew you were gonna leave in the morning so I decided to do it for you. It’s as simple as that.”

That’s still no reason to go leavin’ a man. “How do yah know?”

“How do I know what?”

“How do you know I was planning on leaving?” She’s got that, ‘well, duh’ look on her face.

“Firstly, you spent all last week making sure Scott’s bike was in perfect condition. And secondly, you packed your bags and left them in the middle of the floor!”

I guess I did. “What about last night?”

“What about last night?” She looks too innocent.

“Last night when you came to my room.” And told me that you loved me, and kissed me.

She’s not sayin’ anything and she looks upset. “Look, Marie. Let’s get in the car, ok?”

“Why?” Now she looks suspicious.

“I just wanta talk to you and I don’t think standin’ by the gas pump is the best place to do it.”

“Fine.”

She says fine, but it’s not fine. I can tell. I don’t know what I’m gonna to say to her but I better say somethin’.

She’s not looking at me at all. I don’t know what to say to her. It’s true that I was going to leave.

“Why did you come after me?”

She startled me there. I was lost in thought.

“Because I was worried. I woke up and you were gone, and I panicked.” There nothing to say but that, I panicked.

“Why? You were leaving anyway. Why did it matter if I left too?”

God, she asks hard questions. “I don’t know. I- I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? You followed me three hundred miles across the country and you don’t know why?”

“It’s because of what you said last night.” She looks angry with me.

“You’ve known for a long time that I love you. And you were still going to leave. I don’t know why my saying it out loud should make a difference. What I really would like to know is why you were leaving at all.”

“I don’t know.”

“I don’t believe you.”

She’s gonna make me say it. “Because I was scared all right?! I was scared that I was gonna screw up your life. I was scared to trust people. I was just scared! Are you happy now I said it.”

I’m yellin’ now but I don’t care. I said it, but she’s not laughin’ at me. She just looks sad.

“You didn’t want to stay at the mansion and you didn’t want to screw up my life by bringing me with you, so you were just going to leave?”

She makes it sound stupid. It didn’t seem stupid at the time. “Uhhh... yeah.”

“And you don’t think it would have screwed up my life for you to leave? I would have come with you in an instant. Do you want to know why I stayed at the mansion?”

“Sure.” She’s really upset with me. I don’t know what I did, well other than try to leave her.

“I stayed because I knew you would come back. Do you think I like living there with people who feel sorry for me all the time. ‘Poor Rogue, in love with Logan. She’s going to get her heart broken.’ You think I want to stay there and listen to them say I told so?! I don’t have to come with you but I’m sure as heck not staying there.”

I don’t know what to say. I never knew she felt like that. I thought that she liked living at the mansion. I never wanted to leave her there.

“I- I thought you liked it there. I thought you wouldn’t wantta leave.”

“You never asked.”

She’s right. She’s always right. “Marie, come with me.”

“Logan, I don’t know.” She looks like she’s not sure it’s a good idea.

“Please, Marie. Darlin’. I know I don’t deserve you. I know I fucked up. Hell, I tried to leave you. But I want you to come with me. I don’t know I’ll do if you leave me.”

“Don’t say that! You deserve all kinds of good things. I’m just afraid that you’ll get sick off me and leave.”

She’s crying and I just havta hold her. “Shhhh. Come here baby. I won’t get sick of you and leave.”

“Promise?”

“Yeah, I promise.” She still crying but I think she believes me. “Come with me?”

She nodded. She’s wiping her eyes and sniffing. “Where are we going?”

Uhhhhh..... shit. “I don’t know. Where do you want to go?”

“Well, I always did kind of want to see Oregon.”

“Oregon?” I thought she was gonna say Alaska.

“Yeah.”

“Sounds good to me.” Her eyes are still wet but she’s smilin’.

“Really?”

“Yeah really. Anywhere you want, darlin’. Anywhere you want. ”

She looks so damn happy right now. I gotta kiss her. Gonna show her just how much I love her. Make sure she knows I can’t leave her. Not now, not ever. As soon as I’m done kissin’ her I’m gonna load up Scooter’s bike and we’re gonna get the hell out of this gas station.