Guest

Five minutes!

Five minutes have passed since the woman, whose identity I have no idea, arrived. Her long auburn wavy hair and curved backside were all I could see. She appears to be tall, almost reaching Logan's nose, and she has a body that I could only wish for. Perfect like a model. She exudes a rich and confident aura around her as if she knows people will stop to give her a second look, which I'm sure happens frequently.

I think I've seen her somewhere. I wish I could just look her in the eyes to confirm my suspicions. The way she clings to Logan and how he responds to her demonstrates their familiarity with one another. She even addressed him as L, which confirms they've known each other for a long time, but I'm curious about their relationship.

I confirmed my suspicions when she turned around to instruct her driver to retrieve the luggage. She's the same girl I saw in the picture with Logan and Patrick. She's more mature now than she was in the photo, but she's still lovely. I'm not sure why my heart felt like it was being squeezed at the revelation. This is not how I should be feeling. I shouldn't be feeling anything.

I stood there awkwardly watching the two animatedly converse. Logan noticed me standing there with a dirty cloth and sponge in my hand, just as he motioned her to come inside. I frown as she motions for me to approach where they were standing. As I hesitantly approach them, I notice Logan's perplexed expression.

"Could you please bring my bags inside?" She points to the four brightly colored large heavy suitcases that the driver had left near the porch. I looked at her puzzled, but she never returned my gaze.

"Let's go inside, L. Come on, we need to talk about a lot of things." She drags Logan inside the house, leaving me speechless. As I watch them climb the steps into the house, I notice Logan looking at me with an uncertain expression on his face. If he'd just left me alone this morning, I could've at least looked presentable, rather than sweaty and unkempt.

I struggle to carry the luggage inside the house and place it near the living room's entrance. If her driver hadn't been so kind as to assist me in getting everything up those five steps on the porch, I'm sure it would have taken me half an hour to get them inside.

Why am I doing this? I'm not sure. I could have rebelled right away, but I didn't want to be perceived as rude in the first meeting. I didn't give much thought to why she was carrying so many bags. Mostly because I had a feeling I knew the answer. She intends to stay here. But why does the thought of her staying here and being close to Logan make my stomach turn? Perhaps it isn't what I believe. For all I know, she could be his cousin. I hear her speak so sweetly to Logan, her voice so high-pitched, and I wonder how Logan managed to remain calm. Maybe he's gotten used to it.

"You look more mature and manlier now, but you haven't changed much" I couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"How did you find out I was still here, Natasha?" He inquired, and from the tone of his voice, I got the impression that he was attempting to put some distance between them. But it's just a feeling.

"Of course, I have some business here; I didn't abandon New York entirely, L. That is something I would never do." I could see her squeezing Logan's hand, which was resting on his knees, from where I was standing. They were both facing away from me, so they wouldn't notice me standing near the living room's threshold.

"How do you expect me to cut all my ties to the place where I grew up?" I'm not going to avoid all of my obligations in New York, L. Especially with you," she finished so softly that I almost missed it. I could hear the longing in her voice. I'm not sure what they had between them or what happened to their relationship, but one thing is clear: this girl is attracted to him.

"Nat…" Logan sighed heavily, frustratedly running his fingers through his hair. He was about to say something when she abruptly cut him off. She lets out a long sigh before clearing her throat.

"Fine, It was Patrick. As soon as I arrived, I called him. He informed me that you will be at home until 8 am. I wanted to surprise you, so I arrived a week before our reunion." She chuckles as she says the final line, attempting to lighten the mood. Reunion?

My thoughts were racing and all I wanted to do was run upstairs into my room. I try to sneak upstairs unnoticed, but fate once again has a grudge against me.

"Excuse me, could I please have a glass of water?" I freeze in place and curse myself mentally. So much for trying to remain unnoticed. With a puzzled expression, I turn around.

"I had no idea you had a new maid, L. What happened to your old butler, and what was his name again?" Natasha, the girl whose name I heard, inquired of Logan. I lightly clench my jaw. It made sense now why she had asked me to pick up all of her luggage. She mistook me for a maid.

Logan looked taken aback and scowls "It's Charles. And Karolia isn't a maid. She is staying here….. as a guest of mom," Logan informed. I couldn't process anything else they said after that because my mind had stopped working on his words. He wasn't mistaken. I was a guest in this house, which his mother had invited me to. To him, I am nothing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I misunderstood." Natasha approached me and extended her hand. "Nice to meet you, my name is Natasha." She introduced.

"Nice to meet you as well, my name is Karolia," I said awkwardly. Almost immediately, she politely retracted her hand.

"I'm running late for my class, so please excuse me," I muttered before offering her a small smile that I'm sure she noticed didn't reach my eyes. As I rushed upstairs to my room, I heard her ask Logan about Grecia.

********

I didn't want to admit it, but I'm interested in what happened between them. It was clear that she Natasha had returned to pick up where she had left off. Is there something going on between them? So many questions kept popping into my head.

Even in class, I couldn't concentrate because my mind was constantly battling with these burning questions and coming to my own conclusion.

When I got back from Uni, I walked into the kitchen to get a bottle of water. Before I entered, I heard a high-pitched laugh. Logan was leaned against the kitchen counter, arms folded, watching Natasha speak animatedly. His face was expressionless, but I could see a twitch in his eyes, indicating that he wasn't paying attention to whatever she was saying. She was eating something from her plate and talking about some old memories she had here.

I turn around to go to my room, not wanting to ruin their moment, but Logan's voice stopped me.

"Lia?" I noticed his expression as he seemed relieved to see me. But why is it so?

"Hello," I said timidly, becoming unsettled by their stares. Why do I feel like a third wheel in this situation?

"Do you want some?" she sweetly asked, pointing to the dish on the counter.

"This was made for me by Logan. It's my personal favorite. So sweet of him," she said, smiling and nudging him with her elbow. He cooked for her but never for me. I felt the same pang of pain again. Karrie put a stop to it! Stop with these feelings that you will never be able to recover from! She is his friend, but who are you to him? No one, only a visitor brought by his mother against his will.

"No, thank you," I politely declined. "I'll get some water and get on my way," I said as I walked to the refrigerator. I took the bottle I kept in the fridge before turning around to leave the room.

Logan opened his mouth to say something, but we were interrupted by a loud noise from the living room.

"WHERE ARE YOU ALL, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN?" We recognized a male voice with a thick Australian accent. Patrick has arrived.

Logan yelled, "In Kitchen," and Patrick walked into the kitchen wearing a black T-shirt and brown shorts, his hair messy as usual.

Scarlet, to my surprise, was also with him, her eyes immediately brightening upon seeing me. That's why I didn't see her at university. She had spent the entire day with Patrick.

"Patrick!" Natasha exclaimed joyfully and rushed to him, pulling him into a hug. Patrick wrapped his arm around her small waist, lifting her slightly off the floor.

"I missed you moron," she said happily as she messed his hair.

"I was missing you, even more, doll."

"Who exactly is she?" I jumped slightly and turned to see Scarlet standing behind me, her lips pressed toward their reunion.

"She's their best pal. Natasha"

Hours later, Scarlet and I were sitting on the beanbag in the living room, while three of them sat on the sofa, drinking and telling stories.

Natasha is staying with us in the mansion for a week because they have a high school reunion the following week. She currently resides in Canada with her divorced mother, but her father remains in New York to run his business. Natasha and Logan met in high school. She was a popular rich kid in school, and she quickly became friends with Logan and Patrick, who were both in her business class. Natasha's father is the CEO of a major automobile manufacturer, and her mother is a well-known fashion designer. I also found out she was Logan's ex-girlfriend. Grecia's words then came to mind: "Even his previous girlfriend was for business."

For whatever reason, they broke up, but she appears to be back to pick up where they left off. She was getting all touchy and softy with Logan which Patrick didn't slide and joked on it saying 'Get a room and make it up' , earning a glare from Logan and a shy smile from Natasha. When she found out I was staying with Logan in the mansion, she expressed her displeasure through her expression.

Scarlet was clearly dissatisfied with her. Maybe it's because of Natasha's rude remarks about her relationship with Patrick. But she could have been joking.

"I didn't expect you to settle down so quickly, Pat. Remember when you said, "I'll only get a girlfriend when we're 30?" I honestly thought she was only for your amusement at first."

*******

Scarlet's first words upon entering my room were, "I don't like her." I shut the door and sat down on the bed, my legs straight out in front of me. Scarlet paced in front of me, her nails biting.

"Enlighten me," I muttered, and she came to a halt, her hands on her hips.

"She looks mean," She says this as if she's trying to make a point. "That doesn't mean she's mean," I rolled my eyes at her response. "As a matter of fact, appearances can be deceiving," I stated.

Scarlet stated, "No, seriously, I'm getting a bad vibe from her." Scarlet has the ability to read a person's intentions from the first meeting; most of the time she is correct, but occasionally she is incorrect. When it came to Andrew, everything went horribly wrong.

"And don't forget how she kept giving us that obnoxious look that a mean queen gives to her slave who cleans her washroom."

"Give her some time, Scar; I believe she is a good person." I can't bring myself to think negatively of her; after all, she hasn't acted otherwise, except for the looks and mean jokes.

"It's clear she's hitting on Logan," she said again, and I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

"They were in a relationship." I pondered.

"Were, a past tense. Now they aren't," she rolled her eyes and sat down beside me on the bed. It's already 1 a.m., and Scarlet and Patrick have decided to stay here because it's late, which made us happy. Patrick persisted in pleading with Scarlet to share a room with him, but she refused. I know they've become overly close, but I'm relieved she's not rushing into anything. And it had been a long time since we had a sleepover.

"And, besides, she's ruining everything," she mumbled, and I puzzledly frowned.

"What is she ruining?"

"She's like a big pole between you two, and I can see my ship sinking," Scarlet grumbled.

"What are you on about? "Whose ship is it?" I inquired, my face flushed with perplexity.

"My ship between you and Logan, of course," she rolled her eyes once more. "I had it all planned, two best friends falling in love with another pair of best friends, our marriages on the same date, our children becoming friends like us, and she is ruining everything." Scarlet chanted, and my eyes widened slightly as images of Logan and me marrying and having children flashed through my mind.

"We don't love each other Scar, we aren't even close," I said, hugging the pillow close to my chest. I believe I have a crush on him, but is it love?

"Meh, you guys live together, ALONE," she emphasized, "in this house that can accommodate thousands of people" she's exaggerating now, 50 people, maybe "I'm not that stupid." I can see the tension between you two as if given the chance, you two would rip each other's clothes." I choked on my saliva and gave her a gentle kick with my feet.

"Many thanks for the picture, bitch." She rubbed her hips as she stared at me. "They are also good friends. "I saw their picture, and they look perfect for each other," I said casually, shrugging my shoulders.

"You always see the good in people," she said. "Show me the picture, and I'll point out all the flaws in that picture," she vowed. I made a funny face at her.

"What gives you such tenacity?"

"Because," she grumbled, "I don't like her, and she's ruining my future plans." She crossed her arms childishly.

"I noticed the photo in Logan's room. So I'm not sure I can take it," I reasoned.

"What's the harm?" We just have to be discreet," she said, and I can see a plan coming together in her head. "I'll stand outside while you go take the picture. "It's as simple as lemon squeezy."

"You're insane," I told my best friend.

"No, I'm not. "All three of them are drunk enough that they won't remember anything, so we have nothing to worry about."

"No, this is not a good idea. "Come on, I'm tired," I said, scooting forward before laying on my side with the duvet covering my body. My blanket, however, was ripped from me before Scarlet sat on my waist and held my shoulders.

"Please, just once," she begged.

"What are you going to do with that picture anyway?"

"I told you I wanted to see it, and we can put it back," she explained.

"I'm not going to risk going there just to see a picture taken years ago," I rolled my eyes and tried to push her away. But she refused to budge. She gave me her best puppy eyes, and I fell for it, dang it!

"Will you do it for me?" she begged.

"Fine," I exclaimed, irritably pinching the bridge of my nose. "Just thirty seconds to study the picture before I take it away," I demanded, and she happily nodded her head. Why do I keep falling into her trap? It's a shame!

"This is so wrong," I groaned as we crept into Logan's room, Scarlet hissed at me to be quiet. My heart was racing so fast that I'm sure the entire world could hear it. The corridor was dark and silent, which terrified me. I was clutching Scarlet's hand tightly, afraid I'd walk right into a wall.

We came to a halt in front of Logan's door, and Scarlet motioned for me to enter. I gave her a worried look. She assured me that nothing would happen and squeezed my hand in encouragement. I took a deep breath and twisted the doorknob slowly. Unfortunately, the door was not locked, and as I entered the room, I bit the inside of my cheeks.

On the bed, I noticed a silhouette sleeping. The moon window outside provided only light, but it was bright enough for me to identify the objects in his room. I walked slowly and carefully on my tiptoes to the glass shelf, my gaze fixed on the sleeping figure on the bed.

I took the photo frame that was hidden behind a memento slowly. But today was not my lucky day. The frame slipped through my fingers and landed on the memento in front of it. The glass piece tumbled down to the floor, waking up the entire house. By God's grace, the glass did not shatter, but the sound was loud enough to wake the person in the room.

Logan jumped out of bed, his blue eyes darting around the room. I froze in place, my eyes as wide as saucers. The bed lamp on his nightstand was turned on, and his gaze was drawn immediately to my figure.

"What the fuck are you doing in my room?"

Oh Shit!