synopsis – it’s game day and you have a surprise trick up your sleeve that you think will keep Logan motivated to win
warnings – cutesy fun flirty friendship, language, something cheeky at the end
note – this is easily my favorite chapter so far! the next few parts will have slight time jumps to help progress their relationship/dynamic over time. enjoy ♡
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It’s impossible to wipe the smile off your face as you open your front door, greeted once again by Allie and Hannah sitting on the couch. They both perk up, noticing your significant mood shift from the way you left this morning.
“Soooo… how did it go?” Allie asks, her face beaming with curiosity.
You let out a light chuckle, “Way better than I expected actually,” you admit, walking into the kitchen. Hannah and Allie exchange glances at the way you dropped this information so casually and rush up off the couch, following you into the kitchen.
“So, you guys are… good?” Hannah asks timidly. You grab a bottle of water from the fridge, twisting the cap open as you nod, taking a sip of water. The girls still find themselves in shock at how chill you’re being.
“Yeah, we talked everything out and I think we’re gonna be okay,” you state, closing the bottle and leaving the kitchen, heading to your room. Before you reach your door, you turn around,
“Oh, let me know what time you guys wanna leave for the game tomorrow,” you say, smiling as you walk into your room, shutting the door quietly, a drastic difference from the door slamming that occurred almost 24 hours ago.
“Okay… night,” Allie says before looking at Hannah, “Who is that and what has she done with our friend?” Allie asks.
After changing into your pajamas and doing your night routine, you get yourself tucked and cozy in bed, doomscrolling for what feels like hours before you finally put your phone down, finding yourself falling into a deep sleep.
A sleep that wasn’t fueled this time by guilt and sadness, but by a sense of calm and a lingering thought of John fucking Logan.
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The next day escapes you as quickly as it arrives, it’s now late afternoon and you and the girls are getting ready for the hockey game. This game was going to be pretty chill. Briar was playing an unranked team, the game result having no effect on their playoff contention, making this game really a freebee.
Something comes over you as you stare at yourself in the living room mirror, before smirking to yourself and saying, “Can we get to the arena a little early? There’s something I gotta find,” you say, adjusting your current outfit.
“You mean someone?” Hannah teases before you throw her a fake mean glare.
“Noooo, something,” you tease back, not wanting to show all your cards just yet.
Truth be told, you felt a slight power knowing that John Logan liked you. It gave you a boost of confidence that frankly, you’ve been needing. And of course, those feelings were more than reciprocated, but a lot of repair and time was needed before either of you made a move on the other. So, for now, you both were content with flirty conversations, lingering touches and endless eye contact.
Until tonight.
You didn’t want to do anything to possibly scare him off (again), so you plotted a plan. Nothing too crazy, just something subtle and charming. Something you had no idea would make Logan’s feelings for you go even deeper, if that was even possible.
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The arena lights flicker as the school’s hockey song blares through the speakers. One by one, the team comes skating out onto the ice, relishing in the lights, sounds and cold temperature of being on the ice.
Notably, you spot 44, 66, 46 and 22 skate out one after the other, circling the ice before standing in line for the National Anthem.
Hats get removed as the crowd stands up, the lights come on and the song begins. Logan can’t help but skim the stands, looking for you, Hannah or Allie. With his hand over his heart, he could feel the beat of his heart rapidly increase as he spots Allie first, then Hannah and then you.
There you stand, only a few rows up from the ice, oblivious to his gaze, hand over your heart as the song continues. You seem lighter today, no negative body language or insecurity swarming around you.
As the song ends, you move your hand back down to your side. Your body turns slightly towards him, pulling down your seat before sitting down. And as you do that, his heart nearly falls out of his ass onto the ice.
Because you’re wearing his fucking jersey.
Not one he gave you, he definitely would’ve remembered that. But he can clearly see the large ‘22’ sitting on your jersey as you’re sat down now, giggling with the girls and snacking on your favorite stadium food.
He’s only snapped out of these thoughts when Dean comes up behind him, nearly knocking him on the ice, shouting, “Let’s go kick some ass man!” before skating past him.
You had no idea your plan had already worked. It was a simple plan, a cheesy one at that, but you thought it was cute. You arrived at the arena early and found the closest merch shop, spotting your favorite Briar jersey with the ‘22’ and bought it without hesitation.
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Logan was on fire tonight. The team was confused but not complaining as he seemed to always have the puck under his stick. Scoring 3 goals against the opposing team was unheard of for him, this being the first time he’s gotten a hattrick in a game playing for Briar. The final buzzer of the game sounds loudly, as the crowd cheers, chanting at the opposing team,
‘FUCK EM UP, FUCK EM UP, YOU GUYS SUCK’
The energy in the arena is high as the players fist bump each other before going into their respective locker rooms. You, Hannah and Allie funnel out with the rest of the attendees, going your separate way from the crowd to the back entrance to wait for the guys to come out.
You find yourself suddenly feeling nervous. Did you overstep? Should you not have worn this shirt? Is he going to think it’s too much? The girls could sense your nerves, as you hadn’t said a word in at least two minutes, a record for you.
“Hey, don’t worry,” Hannah starts, “He’s gonna love it,” she says reassuringly, giving you a sweet smile. You smile back, nodding your head as you hear the door open.
One by one, you see the hockey players walking out, showered with their comfy clothes on and athletic bags hanging off their shoulders.
Garrett and Hannah and Dean and Allie meet up, exchanging hugs, kisses, the works. You join them all in conversation, Tucker jogging over to join as you all create a makeshift circle, listening as the guys talk about all their big plays from the night.
“And speaking of tonight’s MVP,” Garrett says, his eyes looking just past you. You turn around and Logan’s coming over, his eyes raking over your body, definitely noticing your attire. A smile grows on your face as you leave the group and walk over to him, meeting him in the middle of the parking lot.
“Good job tonight,” you said, the smile still on your face as he returns a smile, once again dropping his eyes to your shirt.
“Nice jersey,” he says, looking at you with a smirk. You laugh lightly through your nose, looking down shyly before lifting your head up, locking eyes with him once again.
“Thanks. I don’t know that you would’ve scored 3 goals without it,” you quickly retort in a teasing manner, making his eyebrows rise as he chuckles slightly, running a hand through his hair and adjusting the grip on his bag.
“Funny thing is, I think you’re right,” he says jokingly, with a hint of seriousness noted behind it. Your smile slightly fades, not expecting the bluntness.
You were about to reply before getting cut off by Allie, yelling, “Hey Logan, can you give her a ride to Malone’s, pleeeease?” she asks, clearly doing this on purpose.
You turn to face the group with furrowed brows. Logan ignores the fact that that also makes no sense to him since you’re all heading to Malone’s, but gives a thumbs up to her anyway, you realizing very quickly what she’s doing by the smug look on her face. The group walks towards their respective cars as you turn back around to face Logan.
“Shall we?” he asks, directing his arm in the direction of his parked car.
“We shall,” you reply, walking in front of him. As he walks behind you, he can see his last name peeking out from the top of the shirt as you walk. His heart thuds hard in his chest again as he walks a little faster to walk beside you.
“Hey,” he starts, “It really means a lot to me that you came to support us and that you wore that” he says, glancing at you. You look back at him, not being able to help the smile that always appears on your face when you talk to him.
“Of course, I had to come support you,” you say, “And the team,” you add on, not trying to lay it on too thick.
Laying it on too thick was the least of your concerns, Logan having that completely in his control as you both reach his car, standing by the passenger side. He tosses his bag into the bed of the truck, looking back at you with a gentle intimacy, before coming up very close you, thinking he’s going for the handle of the truck door. He leans in carefully, the air between you suddenly feeling very tense.
“My number looks amazing on you,” he says into your ear, a stretch of goosebumps appearing on your arms and neck as he pulls away with a small grin, still looking at you with those kind eyes.
Something comes over you in the moment. Without thinking, you lean into him and planting the faintest kiss on his cheek. You linger there for a moment longer than anticipated, before you back up at him, reconnecting eyes with him, a light blush appearing on his cheeks. You subtly bite your lower lip to try and stop the smile from growing on your face
“I think a new personal goal record deserved something sweet, no?” you question, unable to fight the smile that appears on your face.
He looks down at the ground chuckling as you giggle softly with him, switching places with him, giving him room to open the passenger door for you. You step in, thanking him as he shuts your door, climbs into the driver’s side. You both head off to Malone’s to celebrate yet another Briar hockey win.
synopsis – you and Logan meet up and you once again find yourself opening up in ways you never imagined possible. you also never imagined how receptive Logan is, despite you being so harsh to him just the night prior.
warnings – continued slow burn, language, reader opens up about trauma, reassuring!Logan
note – i need me a real life John Logan AGHHH!! enjoy ♡
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It’s later in the afternoon and you find yourself sitting at the local cafe, slowly sipping on your drink of choice. You don’t realize how nervous you are until you look down and see your leg bouncing at what should be considered an alarming rate.
The nerves don’t ease at all when you see out of your peripheral vision, a familiar truck pulling into the parking lot. Logan walks in moments later, looking around until he finds you and you lock eyes. His face lightens up as you offer a shy smile, watching him as he walks to your table.
“Hey,” he says softly, pulling out the chair across from you and sitting, You greet him with a small smile and say hi back. He can’t help but notice a slight puffiness under your eyes, as well as the twinge of redness under your nose, most likely from wiping it from crying.
Anticipating awkwardness but being met with comfort was not on your bingo card, that’s for sure. Sitting with him felt the complete opposite of uncomfortable. You chose to break the silence.
“Thank you for meeting me,” you start, “You have every right to be mad at me,” you say very matter-of-factly. “I was horrible to you and you didn’t deserve any of that. You were just being kind and I interpreted it the complete wrong way,” you finished, suddenly finding it hard to meet his eyes.
Logan sits back in his seat and crosses his arms as he watches you with patience. The last thing he wants to do is make you ever feel uncomfortable.
“There was a lot going on in my head at that moment, an- and I’m not using that as an excuse, I- I just want you to know that I feel really terrible about it and if I could go back and undo it all, I promise you, I would,” you plead to him.
He pauses for a moment before leaning forward, resting his elbows on the table and clasping his hands together.
“I’m not mad at you, I never was,” he states confidently, waiting for you to look up and meet his eyes. You do and there is not a single sign of dishonesty. “Confused, yes, but never mad. I could see that there was clearly something going on, I didn’t want to make things worse by trying to say anything else,” he says, gauging your reaction before continuing.
“I could never be mad at you,” he says, not breaking eye contact.
You almost feel crazy, because not only was this so reassuring to hear, but you believed him. You nod, letting him know you do hear him.
“I appreciate you coming, you don’t owe me anything and you’re still here,” you say. You take a deep breath before relaying the story of what caused this to happen. Why you reacted the way you did. Why you are wired this way.
He remains calm on the surface as he listens intently to your story, but he finds himself full of rage internally. How someone could be so cruel to someone else, he would never understand, let alone you? You are one of the most amazing people he’s ever met, he can’t fathom why anyone would treat you that way.
“I am so sorry that happened to you,” he starts, “but I just want to be very clear, I would never, ever do something like that to you, or anyone for that matter,” he states firmly.
“I know you wouldn’t,” you say, nodding your head, “And I’m sorry for assuming you would,” you finish.
It’s his turn to nod his head, as he sits up in his seat, unclasps his hands and gently grabs your hand that’s resting on the table. The interaction makes little butterflies flutter around in your stomach and Logan would be lying if he said he didn’t feel them in his stomach too.
“I would love to still be your friend and continue getting to know you, if you’d let me,” he says gently, his thumb slowly rubbing your hand.
Your eyebrows raise and you find yourself smiling, almost in disbelief that this was such an easy conversation. Your smile continues to grow as you start chuckling to yourself. Logan catches on and starts chuckling too.
“What is so funny, huh?” he asks, a flirty smile gracing his lips. You shake your head, still in shock over this entire situation.
“I just can’t believe how easy that was. You really are amazing,” you say honestly, taking your free hand and putting it over his. You stare into his eyes with that same sense of honesty. His grip on your hand tightens ever so slightly and he smiles.
“It’s easy when it’s you,” he starts and before your heart has time to come back up from your stomach, he continues, “I know you’ve been through a lot, but it sounds to me that you’ve learned from this. I’m proud of you,” he finishes.
You’re genuinely at a loss for words, especially as the words ‘I’m proud of you’ are playing on repeat in your head. All you can do is lightly smile and look down, suddenly feeling shy.
“Thank you for hearing me out and not thinking I’m some crazy psycho,” you say, giggling at the end. “And I would love to continue to be your friend too,” you finish, a slight blush coming across your cheeks as your smile grows.
“You’re so welcome. Now, what are we drinking?” he asks, finally removing his hand from yours and sitting back in the chair, fully relaxed as you talk up your favorite drink from the cafe before he goes up to order that same thing.
You both spend the next few hours at the cafe, chatting, learning more about each other, and talking about anything and everything from hockey to your hobbies to hilarious childhood stories.
The natural chemistry flowing between you feels nice.
Relaxing.
Safe.
Before you know it, the sun has set and the cafe is closing up. You follow Logan out, as he keeps the door held open for you.
“Do you need a lift back to your place?” he asks. You hesitate before answering, not wanting to push your luck with him before Allie’s voice starts echoing in your head,
“He clearly checked up on you and is being so nice to you because he cares and he likes youuuu”
Logan giving you a ride definitely beats the walk back home in the near dark too. And he would be damned if he let you walk alone at night.
“Yeah, that’d be great,” you reply, following him to his truck. He opens your door for you and you hop in before he shuts it, walks around the truck and gets settled in the driver’s seat.
The drive home, much like the time spent at the cafe, was so calm. ‘Almost too calm’, you thought. Music softly plays from the radio as you lean your head against the window, looking up at the night sky, the clear sky allowing you to admire the stars.
Logan can’t help but smile as he glances over at you and sees you so content to be looking at something like the stars. He chuckles softly to himself before repositioning his hands on the wheel.
“So…” he starts. You turn your attention over to him.
“Are you coming to the game tomorrow night?” he asks, trying to not make his voice shake, as he finds himself more nervous than usual asking you something so casual.
You look him up and down before you start to smirk a little, catching on to his change in body language and the near voice crack that almost slipped out at the end of his question.
“Why do you seem so nervous?” you question, your smile growing as he glances back at you before moving his eyes back to the road.
“I’m not nervous!” he denies and you furrow your brows, knowing that you can see right through that lie. His heart continues to race as the realization dawns on him. He’s never wanted someone at one of his games like this. Ever.
Logan loved the support of the fans. Wearing his jersey, cheering him on and yelling extra loud as he intercepts pucks, blocks shots and scores goals. He relishes in the glory of skating on the rink. But something about having you there just makes him giddy inside.
“I just.. It would be really nice to have you there,” he said sincerely, making you look at him with softer eyes.
You can’t help but get excited at the idea of him being nervous. You’re unable to wipe the smile off your face as you turn back to the window, looking back outside.
“I will be going, Mr. 22,” you reply charmingly, causing his head to whip back over to you once again.
“You know my jersey number?” he asks, sounding genuinely shocked.
“Of course I know your jersey number. Believe it or not, I actually do go to a lot of the games,” you say, looking back at him.
Logan feels slight guilt that he never realized you were there, but that same damn warmth spreads in his stomach, taking over any other feeling in his body. He chuckles and once again, redirects his focus to the road, doing anything to help distract himself.
He smiles to himself, seeing bits and pieces of your personality coming out more and more with the more time you spend together.
You eventually pull up to your place, Logan puts the car in park. You unbuckle your seatbelt and glance over at him, meeting his eyes. You can’t help but move your eyes from his eyes to his lips and back to his eyes, subtle and quick but definitely not unnoticed by him.
“Thank you for today,” you say softly before grabbing your purse, opening the door and hopping out of the car. Before you shut the door, you turn back around, locking eyes with him once again.
“And thanks for the ride too. I’ll see you tomorrow,” you say with a smile.
“Anytime, see you tomorrow,” he replies, trying to keep his voice still. You shut the car door and walk up to your dorm building, not knowing that Logan didn’t leave until he saw you get inside safely. He exhales as he puts the car back in drive before heading home himself, as another revelation sets over him.
synopsis – as Hannah’s maid of honor, your duties are simple: keep Hannah relaxed, make sure the wedding runs smooth, and do not, by any means whatsoever, fall for the best man
warnings – language, SO MUCH FLUFF, love is in the air, sexual tension like a mf
note – OOOOH this concept is TOO good. I may do a smutty part 2 if requested. enjoy ♡
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Dress. Veil. Shoes. Bouquet. Food. Bar. Decor.
The words cycle through your head, you faintly say them out loud to yourself to ensure you don’t forget anything. Your childhood best friend was getting married for crying out loud, this day needed to be perfect, no matter what.
Arriving extra early to the venue, you set down all the bags you could fit in your hands before heading back to your car, making trip number three of the morning.
You were taking the position of Maid of Honor very seriously. From the moment Hannah asked you, you went into full planner mode, planning every aspect of her wedding, down to the number of mini cheeseburgers they wanted on the buffet.
Oh yeah, it was that serious.
You couldn’t lie, at first, you didn’t see her and Garrett together, living the 'happily ever after' fairytale. Hannah clued you in on the fake dating ordeal over a FaceTime call when you both were in college, across the country from each other and in that moment, you tried reasoning with her, but she just kept saying, ‘trust me, it’s gonna be fine’.
Here we are 4 years later, and oh yeah, it's fine.
Seeing your best friend beam at any mention of her fiancé warms your heart. She deserves this. She deserves true love and you will be damned if this day gets ruined by so much as a wrong shade of white in the roses she requested.
Once you arrive back at the venue, having brought the last of the hero items, the catering and décor teams have also arrived, setting up their respective areas. You exhale, heading into the dressing room, prepping Hannah’s dress, shoes and putting all her favorite snacks in the room for her.
Hannah, her parents, Allie and Sabrina all arrive about 10 minutes later, and the pre wedding plans commence.
Music is blaring through the speaker as you continue to help Hannah with her makeup, as her mom is doing her hair. Allie, Sabrina and you are already ready, you all dressed in matching colors, per Hannah’s request.
You wrap up Hannah’s makeup around the same time her hair is done. She walks into the changing room with her mom. As you walk closer to the door, you hear male voices approaching.
Oh hell no.
A knock on the door makes your heart drop and before you can even think, you shout, “Nuh uh Graham, no seeing the bride until she’s walking down that aisle, you know it’s bad lu-“
You’re cut off when you swing the door open, your eyes meeting a very tall, very handsome man, holding a white rose pin in his hand.
“Garrett said Hannah requested something borrowed from his mom, he told me to come find you..” he drops your name with a questioning tone at the end, as you nod. You watch his eyes trail up and down your body, taking in your beauty before holding the pin up to you.
“Oh,” you sigh, taking the pin, “Thanks, sorry I thought Garrett was about to barge in here,” you chuckled. “I’m sorry, and you are..?” you ask politely.
He chuckles as he holds his hand out again, waiting to shake yours. “I’m John, Garrett’s best man”, he says, smiling charmingly at you.
Fuck.
You shake his hand lightly. “I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of each other today then,” you reply, a cheeky grin on your lips now.
“I guess so,” he replies. He looks you over once more before taking a step back, “Well, I’m gonna go find the guys and get ready. It was nice meeting you,” he says, and with one more smile, he turns around and walks away.
‘Remember your duties,’ you think to yourself. You cannot afford a distraction. This was Hannah’s special day and nothing was going to ruin that. Not even a handsome, tall, charming, flirtatious man.
Fuck. Again.
You head back inside to see Hannah in her full wedding get up and your eyes immediately tear up as you bring your hands to your face.
“You look absolutely beautiful Han,” you say genuinely. She looks at you through the mirror, tears welling up in her eyes too.
“Don’t you start,” she jokingly threatens, “You just did my makeup, damnit,” she says as you join her in laughter.
She truly looked like a princess. The strapless top supporting her chest, the corset waist accentuating her natural curves, into the flowy bottom of the dress, she looked absolutely unreal. Garrett was so lucky.
You check the time on your phone before walking closer to Hannah.
“Okay, seating chart is put up, the food and the bars are almost done setting up, DJ is good to go, decor team has placed all the flowers on the tables, I have your bouquet and-“
Hannah cuts you off, putting her hands on your shoulders.
“Please take a deep breath,” she says and you do, probably for the first time today. You inhale, hold and exhale with her before she continues, dropping her hands from your shoulders to your hands.
“This day is going to be perfect, please do not stress yourself out. You should enjoy yourself today too,” she says sincerely and you nod in agreement.
“I know, I just want today to be amazing for you,” you admit, horrified that something will go wrong and the blame will get placed on you and Hannah will never talk to you again.
Maybe you were being a bit dramatic.
“I’m here, with all my closest friends and family and I’m marrying the love of my life, today is already amazing,” she says, grabbing your hands. Your eyes well up again, seeing the little version of Hannah standing there inside adult Hannah.
You squeeze her hands, not wanting to risk hugging her and ruining her dress or veil, “I love you so much Han,” you say, full of so many happy emotions.
“I love you too,” she says. Before you can pull away, she grabs your hands again, her eyes wide with excitement, “Oh! Have you met Logan yet? You’ll be walking down the aisle with him,”
You shake your head, not recognizing the name.
“Don’t worry, he knows what time to be in place, just meet him by the doors,” Hannah states. You nod and look down at your phone, 10 minutes before showtime.
You make sure everyone is sat in the garden before cueing the DJ to start up the music. Soft music echoes through the garden as Garrett walks down the aisle first, taking his place up front. Tucker and Sabrina walk out next, followed by Allie and Dean.
You stand behind the doors, awaiting your cue in the music, when John approaches you, in a stunning all black suit, a white rose pinned to his suit pocket.
As if this man couldn’t get any handsomer.
You turn to him, asking frantically, “Hey, do you know where Logan is? Hannah told me he’d be walking down the aisle with me and it’s almost time and I’m kinda freaking out about it,” you say bluntly.
He finds your urgency absolutely adorable as he chuckles softly before looking back at you.
“That was probably my bad,” he starts, “My last name is Logan, everyone usually calls me that,” he says, holding his arm up, waiting for you to link yours.
You look at him and sigh a huge sigh of relief, “Oh, duh, that actually makes sense,” you say, still flustered from all the wedding prep. It didn’t even cross your mind that he was the only guy left to walk down the aisle, you the only girl left to do so too.
You smile slightly, linking your arm with his. The doors open right on cue and you both walk down the aisle, smiling for the photographer as you make you way to the front, going your separate ways.
Lastly, Hannah comes walking out with both her parents. Garrett immediately begins tearing up, as do you. You glance over at Garrett, seeing Logan pull out a perfectly timed tissue from his jacket pocket, handing it to Garrett. You smile as you redirect your attention back to Hannah, who has now made it to the front. She hands you her bouquet, as you adjust the train of her dress and veil.
The ceremony could not have been more beautiful, their exchanged vows only showing a fraction of the love they have for one another.
“You may now kiss the bride,” you hear and you usher the officiant to move out of the way to not be in the shot. He stares at you weird before realizing what you were trying to do.
‘We went over this’ you thought, rolling your eyes at the slight inconvenience. Logan catches the entire interaction out of the corner of his eye, smiling to himself seeing you so passionate about today.
He already gets the impression that you’re an amazing friend.
And you're fucking beautiful. But with that, he’s just stating the obvious.
As Hannah and Garrett walk back down the aisle, he can’t help but glance at you once more. He sees the beaming smile on your face as you watch your best friend so happy. His eyes trail down your body, noticing how your hair is perfectly done, how your dress hugs you perfectly, how you are just purely stunning.
You and Logan meet in the middle once again, him holding his arm out as you take it, smiling at him before you both walk down the aisle, Allie and Dean trailing behind you, Tucker and Sabrina behind them.
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The transition to the reception was smooth as ever, everyone being greeted with a welcome glass of champagne or sparkling juice. Everyone gets settled in their seats and await the arrival of the bride and groom.
The DJ hypes everyone up, welcoming Hannah and Garrett in with a loud,
“EVERYONE, LET’S HEAR IT FOR YOUR BRIDE AND GROOM, MR. AND MRS. GRAHAM”
Everyone cheers and claps as the happy couple walks in, huge smiles gracing both their faces as they walk up to the front of the room, sitting at their designated table.
The welcome speeches start, family and friends giving their congratulations, tears flowing, laughs are had and before you know it, it’s Logan’s turn. He takes the mic and stands up, adjusting his suit before speaking.
“Garrett Graham is one crazy motherfucker,” he starts out, gathering a laugh from the crowd. “Garrett has been my best friend since college and I can say nothing but congratulations. I am so happy you and Hannah have found each other. I think we can all say that the love you share for each other is something we all should aspire to have someday. Cheers,” he says, raising his glass as everyone follows suit.
His eyes find yours, knowing your speech is up next. You stand up and take the mic from him. He notices the tears already starting to well up in your eyes, whispering a, 'you got this,' to you before he finishes his walk to his seat.
You sniff lightly before bringing the mic up to speak.
“Please excuse the tear streaks that’ll be imprinted on my face for probably the entire evening,” you chuckle, the crowd laughing as well.
“Hannah and I have known each other for a very long time. We have been there for each other through so many phases in our lives and now we get to check the ‘wedding’ box off of that list. I genuinely could not be happier for you. You deserve to be at peace and in love and I am so happy you have found that with Garrett. I love you both so much and if I keep talking, I’m gonna cry again so I’m just gonna cheers to you both,” you finish, holding your glass up as everyone cheers the bride and groom.
Hannah and you exchange glances as she blows you air kisses. You blow them back, handing the mic to the DJ and sitting down, conveniently, next to Logan. The DJ then asks Hannah and Garrett to hit the dance floor, as their first dance commenced.
That dance alone got the tears flowing again. Logan noticed a tear fall from your cheek onto your dress. He pulls out another conveniently timed tissue from his pocket, nudging your arm subtly. You look at him, then down. You laugh quietly, taking the tissue and blotting your cheeks.
“Thanks,” you whisper. He nods, smiling at you as you turn away, focusing back on the happy couple.
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The party kicks off and you can feel yourself relax. Your duties are officially done for the night and you can finally let loose. You feel yourself relax as you approach the bar, asking for your preferred drink.
“Didn’t know you could drink on the job,” you hear from behind you. You thank the bartender as he hands you your drink. You turn around, a grin already on your face and make eye contact with Logan.
“I’ll have you know, I’m off the clock now,” you sassily say as you walk towards him, maintaining eye contact as you take a sip of your drink.
He doesn’t break eye contact, only when his eyes drop to your lips as you swipe the bit of drink off your lips with your tongue. His eyes come back up to yours, the tension between the two of you growing stronger by the second.
“So… does that mean I can steal you for a dance later?” he asks, the boldness surprising you. You cock your head to the side, the grin not leaving your face as you step even closer.
“Whenever you wanna dance, you know where to find me,” you say, the sultry tone of your voice not going unnoticed by either of you. You back up, your eyes not leaving each other, his pupils dilating the longer he looks at you. You smile at him once more, glancing down to his lips and back up before walking past him, heading to the dance floor.
He turns around, watching you as you place your drink on your table, asking Allie and Sabrina to dance. They excitedly agree, as you make your way to the dance floor. He can’t help but watch you as your hips sway to the music, a smile never leaving your face as you dance.
He is completely enamored by you.
Unbeknownst to either of you, Hannah and Garrett had seen that entire interaction at the bar, fist bumping each other under the table, their very subtle plan coming to life.
Hannah knew the second she met Logan that you guys would be a perfect match. And by pure luck, all these years later, you were both single and open to the idea of dating. She knew it was fate and the plan was hatched. All they needed to do was wait and watch the connection between you two blossom.
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The party slowly died down as the night continued, some family and friends making their exits. You finally take a break from all the dancing, heading to the dressing room to freshen up, when you spot Logan out of the corner of your eye. He’s standing outside by the portable firepit, motioning you to join him outside with a slight head movement.
You hold up one finger, giving him a ‘one minute’ hand motion and he nods before you enter the dressing room. You inhale and exhale, freshening up, touching up your hair and makeup, throwing on some extra deodorant and body spray (just in case, dancing is a workout after all) before heading outside.
The sun has now set, the cool air hitting your exposed skin as you step outside, folding your arms to keep yourself warm. Logan sees you and as if he couldn’t be more charming, he swiftly takes his jacket off and drapes it over your shoulders, smiling at you the entire time.
“Thank you,” you say, wrapping the jacket around you. It smells like his cologne and you curse at yourself internally for finding yet another thing about him attractive.
You both stand outside for a minute in a comfortable silence, staring at the fire before he checks his watch and perks up, remembering, “You owe me a dance, I think it’s time I take you up on that offer,” he says. You glance over at the dance floor, hearing the music playing, before turning back to him.
“Oh, you wanna slow dance to the cha cha slide, huh?” you joke with him.
It was almost as if the timing was magically perfect, you turn back to face the party as the song ends and the DJ gets back up on the mic,
“Alright y’all, last song of the night, I want everyone to grab that special person and let’s end the night out right,” he says, turning down the lights and putting on your favorite slow dance song. You look in shock, knowing that song wasn’t in the playlist Hannah and Garrett approved that you sent to the DJ.
“I may have learned a thing or two about you while you were out dancing,” you hear and you whip your head towards Logan, who’s looking at you with what one would describe as admiration.
“H-How did you...?” you ask, genuinely confused.
“I asked Hannah, she was more than happy to let me make the change. Something about wanting you to enjoy yourself tonight too,” Logan says. Your heart flutters at his and Hannah’s consideration. You take his jacket off and hand it back to him. After he puts it back on, he holds his hand out, asking, “May I have this dance?”.
You can’t help the grin that crosses your face as you grab his hand, your fingers intertwining as you make your way inside to the dance floor, finding an empty spot around all the other couples dancing.
His hands comfortably find their way to your waist, holding you close to him as you wrap your arms around his neck. You both sway to the music, the moment incredibly intimate as you both find yourselves looking at the other’s lips. Despite the urge for both of you to lean in, you move your head slightly backwards.
“Not here,” you state, “I don’t wanna take away from Hannah and Garrett’s day,” you say. Even though you were technically done ‘working’, the last thing you wanted to do was take any attention off the happy couple. Logan smiles and nods, respecting you even more for that.
He brings you in closer, tightening his grip on your waist ever so slightly, before saying, “Then I guess we better find somewhere more private,” that damn smile not leaving his face.
synopsis – actions have consequences, as you deal with the fallout of you blowing up at Logan. you lean on your girls in this time of need and start to believe that maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
warnings – lots of girlhood (we LOVE Hannah and Allie!!!), language, reader struggles with trusting/believing she’s worthy of love and has her walls all the way up, getting to the root of trauma
note – i have so many ideas for this story!! thank you for the love on part 1🥹 i fear i relate heavily to this part, self-indulgent 1000%. not too much Logan and reader interaction this part, but they’ll be back together soon, don’t you worry. enjoy ♡
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The sun shines through your curtains just enough to wake you out of your sleep. You slept hard, having cried yourself to sleep after all of the events from last night. Still being wracked with guilt and anxiety and not knowing how to handle it is easily the most frustrating thing.
You force yourself out of bed and trudge to the bathroom. Looking at yourself in the mirror was a proper jump scare. Puffy, bloodshot eyes, chapped lips, hair a mess. You sigh at yourself as you strip and step into the shower, hoping to wash away some of this mess, both literally and figuratively.
After your shower, you threw on a hoodie and sweatpants and walked into the living room, seeing Hannah and Allie perk up on the couch at the sight of you.
“How are you doing?” Allie asks gently. You shrug as you make your way to the opposite side of the couch, plopping down and grabbing your favorite pillow, hugging it close to your body as you tuck your legs, sitting crisscross.
“I-,” you start, struggling to find the words to say.
Hannah and Allie have been your ride or dies for as long as you can remember. You know you can tell either of them anything. You know this is a safe space.
Word spread as it does, Logan telling Garrett and Tucker, Garrett telling Hannah and Dean, Hannah and Dean telling Allie. But they would never let you know that. They wanted nothing but for you to feel comfortable and safe in this moment and let you tell your side at your own pace.
“I have never felt so horrible in my life,” you admit, exhaling.
“Everything was fine, we were just talking outside. All he did was compliment me and look at me with those big doe eyes and my first instinct was to assume all he wanted to do was hook up with me and I took that and I ran with it,” you continue in disbelief, hearing how ridiculous this sounds when you say it out loud.
You feel your knee start to bounce as the guilt continues to overwhelm you. You sit up and take a deep breath, swallowing the embarrassment you feel.
“I fell in love. A few years ago. He was quite literally perfect, made me feel like the most amazing girl in the world. I had never felt that way about someone before. I was a virgin and after we… had sex, he acted like he didn’t know me. He became a totally different person. He took something so intimate from me, got what he wanted and left me like I was nothing,” you exhale, the traumatic experience resurfacing all those feelings you've kept tucked away for so long.
“He was also a hockey player, which doesn’t help,” you trail off. The girls sit there nodding, listening intently to your story, understanding more and more as you piece the puzzle together. Hannah reaches over and rubs your knee, consoling you the best she can.
“I know, it was so wrong of me to assume, and the second I started yelling at him, I felt terrible, but I just couldn’t stop,” you trail off, feeling your eyes well up with tears.
“You can’t help what happened to you, babe,” Allie begins, “doesn’t make it okay what you did, but it explains why you felt like you needed to protect yourself in that moment” she adds, making you nod and cry, the tears slowly falling down your face.
You sit there silently crying when the words come out before you can stop them.
“What if I’m not meant to be loved?” you drop. The room falls silent as your deepest, darkest fear was just said out loud so easily. The girls look at you confused, but patiently wait for you to speak again.
“This is just how I’m programmed. What if I can never let myself be loved because I’m so scared of getting hurt again?” you say, your voice so quiet, you feel like you’re whispering.
Allie gets up and moves to sit on the opposite side of you while Hannah scooches closer to you, as they both hug you. You let yourself cry again, realizing this is probably the most you’ve cried in a long time.
Once you feel yourself calm down, the girls let you go and Allie starts to wipe your tears with her thumbs as Hannah reaches over to the coffee table, grabbing the box of tissues.
“Did you guys anticipate this?” you joke, just now noticing the unusual placement of the tissue box.
“Maybe,” Hannah says casually with a tiny smile, holding up the tissue box to you again. You grab some and smile back at her, indicating a ‘thanks’ to her.
“That guy is a fucking idiot,” Allie says bluntly. It catches you off guard as you let out a soft laugh.
“I mean it, he fumbled an amazing, kind, beautiful girl. Don’t let that incident define you. There are so many guys out there who are not like that, I promise you,” she finishes.
“She’s right,” Hannah adds on, “Logan is genuinely such a sweet guy, and it’s clear he cares about you. I think if you asked anyone in our friend group, they would all say how much he likes you,” she says.
You lightly laugh and smile as you stare at your lap.
Maybe they had a point.
“I don’t know if he’d ever forgive me, I was really mean to him. But he did text me last night after we got back,” you mention casually. Both girls’ heads flip to you.
“Babe, if that’s not a good sign, I don’t know what is!” Allie exclaims.
“I didn’t reply though,” you say, trailing off.
“It’s never too late to!” Hannah says cheerfully, motioning for you to get your phone out. You pull your phone out of your hoodie pocket and open the text conversation, seeing Logan’s 2 texts sitting there, unanswered.
“What would I even say?” you ask, “I can’t even imagine he’d wanna talk to me, he probably just said it to-“
“Uh, I’m gonna stop you right there. Enough of this negative self-talk! He clearly checked up on you and is being so nice to you because he cares and he likes youuuu,” Allie says, slightly bouncing on the couch smiling.
“If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have said anything,” Hannah adds on.
You nod your head in agreeance. It does all make sense. You think back to how he met every harsh word with patience and kindness. About how he tried to reassure you. About how he didn’t push when he could tell that something was wrong.
This voice of doubt in your head just needs to shut up.
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Logan skates around the rink once more before deciding to line up some pucks to run more shooting drills. Practice ended 30 minutes ago and he found himself still skating, hoping the empty rink could give him some clarity as he processes his emotions.
Last night was rough to say the least. He doesn’t know what had happened to cause the switch to flip in your head and make you so combative. He knew you were triggered and there was no way to help you in that moment. He felt so helpless and all he wanted to do was hold you and tell you everything was going to be okay.
He’s so distracted thinking about you and this whole mess of a situation that he misses every single shot he takes.
“Damn, you’re losing your groove man”, he hears, turning around to see Garrett with that snarky smirk on his face.
Logan skates over to the sideline where Garrett’s standing, taking his helmet off and flicks his hair back.
“Fuck off, okay? Got a lot going on,” Logan retorts, half joking, half being serious.
“Well yeah, I’d be mad too if the girl I liked went off on me like that,” Garrett drops bluntly, making Logan look at him angrily.
“Not the time, man,” Logan replies, clearly not having it. He gets off the ice and takes a seat next to Garrett on the sidelines and sighs. “I really don’t know what happened dude, it was like something came over her and she just did a full 180,” Logan admits.
“Who knows, but from what you told me, you handled it pretty well. That probably helped her to be honest,” Garrett says sincerely. Logan nods in agreement.
Garrett stands up and pats Logan on the shoulder. “Alright, practice has been over, go take a shower, you smell like shit,” he laughs, grabbing his bag and walking out of the arena. Logan sits for another minute, taking a sip of his water before standing back up and heading to the locker room.
After his shower, Logan walks around the locker room in nothing but a towel wrapped low around his waist, pacing and thinking, maybe even overthinking, when he finally snaps out of it and walks back over to his locker. He gets changed, grabs his bag, closes his locker and heads out.
He walks out to the parking lot, finding his truck and throwing his bag in the backseat before climbing in front. Before he drives off, he pulls out his phone to catch up on what he may have missed during practice. One notification stands out above the rest.
11:56am
I’m sorry too. Can we meet later?
He nearly drops his phone, as he rereads the message multiple times, making sure he’s not seeing things. Before he can even fully process what’s happening, he’s typing a response, agreeing to meet you later that day.
synopsis – what do you do when you like someone but could teach a master class in self sabotaging?? aka, Logan really likes you, you’re trying to fight your feelings for him by convincing yourself that he’s a player. you’ve dealt with the typical ‘athletes only wanna hook up’ type of guy before, so you’re also terrified of trusting someone like that again
warnings – slightly new/casual friendship, slow burn, friends to lovers, softness turned to angst QUICK, language, reader struggles with trusting/believing she’s worthy of love and has her walls all the way up, this story deals with lots of mental struggles! Logan is gentle and patient and literally the greenest of all green flags
note – OMFG HI!! i haven’t written a fanfic since I was 12 years old writing on Wattpad, who remembers those good days?? this year has been all about embracing my inner child and the things I loved growing up, so I thought I’d try writing again. of course, I had to indulge and write about my latest fictional crush, John Logan. enjoy ♡
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With your ears still ringing from the joyous screams that came from the hockey rink, you find yourself back at the hockey house for a party after the guys kicked ass tonight. You, Hannah and Allie are hanging out on the couch, watching the guys get, let’s be honest, way too competitive at their game of beer pong. You can’t even find it in you to be annoyed by it. The guys needed this win and they needed it bad, they deserve to be obnoxious and celebrate.
You notice beer pong ending, watching Garrett and Dean cheering and high 5-ing, while Logan and Tucker groan in disbelief that they lost. Seeing as the show is over, you stand up.
“I’m gonna grab another drink, one that doesn’t taste like sour cardboard,” you say, grimacing at the empty can of beer in your hands. “You guys want anything?” you ask.
“All good, babe,” Allie said, giggling with Hannah, who laughed and nodded in agreeance.
You smiled back and make your way into the kitchen, tossing the empty can and searching for something different. Opening the fridge, you’re caught off guard by the amount of food sitting in there.
“Only thing you’re gonna find in there is a whole lot of Thanksgiving leftovers,” you hear from behind you.
You turn around and meet eyes with Logan, who’s looking at you with a slight smile.
“Had a feeling you may be looking for this?” he continued. You glance down at his hand and notice he’s holding a can of your favorite drink. When you make eye contact again, you notice a softness in his eyes.
You immediately shake the thought and walk towards him.
“And how would you know that?” you say back, a slight smile now taking over your face.
“Lucky guess?” he chuckled sarcastically. “No, I saw you walk in here, figured you wanted something a little better. Warm beer can only be so good,” he stated, still grinning at you.
You chuckled and nodded, taking the can from his hands.
“You’re right about that,” you agreed, smiling as you thank him, opening the can and taking a sip.
A part of you is dying inside over the fact that he knows your favorite drink. That he went out of his way to find you and give it to you. That he cared enough to think of you. It takes zero time for the other part of you to immediately shut it down, reminding yourself that he is just a sweetheart and would do this for anyone.
You were well aware of Logan’s reputation. The playboy hockey player who loves sleeping around and having a good time. You know guys like that, you’ve dealt with guys like that and the number one rule you’ve learned?
Stay the hell away from them.
You hate the small part of you that wants to believe that’s not Logan. That maybe he’s not this stereotype you know all too well. Were you naive to think he could be different?
You’re shaken out of your thoughts as Logan speaks up again, asking if you want to join him by the fire pit outside. You nod and follow him through the house and outside, the brisk air hitting you when you step outside.
You both grab some blankets and settle onto some chairs in front of the fire pit, immediately warming up as you get cozy.
You break the comfortable silence, congratulating him on the win tonight.
“2 goals and an assist, I think it’s the best I’ve seen you play”, you look over at him and see he’s already looking at you, smiling.
He can only hope you don’t notice the way he blushes, as compliments from you always make this deep pit grow in his stomach. He looks at you, the firelight illuminating your beautiful face and he finds himself at a loss for words. He just chuckles quietly and looks back at the fire, while you do the same.
Logan never takes compliments from you for granted. One thing he’s learned about you though, is how hard you are to read. Your bubbly personality, your confidence, the way you always know exactly what to say and when to say it, surely there’s something going on beneath the surface. And he would do anything to not only figure you fully out, but be that safe space for you to be your true, authentic self.
The realization dawned on him as he sits there, glancing between the fire and you. His heart sinks into his stomach for the second time tonight as he tries to redirect his brain as he looks at you once more.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” he says softly.
The intimacy of the moment catches you both off guard, him especially being shocked that the redirection definitely did not work. You look over at him, seeing nothing but raw truth in his eyes.
“Why do you say that?” you ask, hoping the insecurity you feel isn’t seeping out in your voice.
He shrugs, “I just thought you should know. You’re so supportive and sweet. I really appreciate you,” he says, his eyes not leaving yours.
You’re stunned, smiling at him, not expecting such kind words from him.
“You’re amazing too,” you said, not knowing what else to say.
You both hold eye contact and it feels like he is staring into your soul, his pupils subtly growing larger the longer he looks at you.
Like he wants you.
And you shut down.
The smile leaves your face too quickly, which of course, he notices, as you shift your body, trying to calm the anxiety bubbling up inside you. Then, the dreaded question gets popped in the sudden awkward air.
“Are you okay?”
You can’t bring yourself to take your eyes off the fire, your jaw clenching slightly as you immediately feel your body go into defensive mode. No matter how hard you’ve tried to fight it, you can’t help yourself.
“Yeah. I’m fine,” you reply, still refusing to make eye contact. You lift the blanket off yourself and stand up abruptly, causing Logan to slightly flinch at the sudden movement. He follows you as you try to walk away as quickly as you can, not wanting to face anymore embarrassment.
“Woah woah woah, what’s going on?” he asks frantically, gently grabbing your wrist, forcing you to stop and turn around.
He’s shocked to see you looking completely distant, your brows slightly furrowed.
“You can talk to me,” he reassures you, trying to get you to look back up at him.
You finally bring yourself to look at him and your heart breaks at the sight. He looks genuinely concerned and now, you find yourself feeling bad that you made him feel this way.
“I’m sorry,” you mumble, shaking your head as you look down at the ground, trying to escape this conversation as fast as humanly possible.
Logan is left more confused than ever as you stand there, looking more vulnerable than he’s ever seen in the few weeks you’ve known each other.
“Why are you apologizing?”
“Because I’m not what you want!” you blurt out, louder than you expected, shocking both of you.
“I am not the girl you can just sweet talk to get me in bed,” you accuse, regretting the words as soon as they come out, but not being able to stop them.
He looks offended almost, which threw you off for a split second, before he speaks.
“You think that’s what I’m doing?” he asks, and it hurts your heart to hear the sadness in his voice when he asks you this.
“I know that’s what you’re doing!” you snap, your voice getting louder. “I know guys like you, I’ve fallen for guys like you. You make the girl feel special, like she’s the only girl in the world, then you fuck her and leave her like she’s nothing!” you continue, seeing nothing but red.
You both stand in silence at the realization. You’ve revealed the one thing you’ve felt the most shame for. That you fell for the oldest trick in the book. That you fell in love with a guy who only wanted you for sex, then dumped you like you were nothing.
The shame creeps up your neck. You feel flushed, embarrassed, sad.
Logan’s eyes soften as you tilt your head down, shutting your eyes, your lip slightly quivering as you shake your head, doing everything in your power to not break down right then and there.
“I’m not doing it again, Logan,” you whisper, shaking your head as you open your eyes, lifting them to look at him.
Neither of you say anything, both of you clearly shaken up by what’s just occurred. You speak up one last time, your voice sounding almost pathetic.
“If you really care about me like you say you do, just leave me alone,” you say, giving him no chance to reply as you make your way back inside, wanting nothing but to disappear.
Logan watches as you head inside and immediately head towards the front door, Hannah and Allie noticing your change in mood and following you quickly out the door. He finds himself so confused as to how this situation got completely misconstrued.
Something else had to be going on.
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Once you and the girls get back home, you walked straight to your room, slamming the door in frustration. Hannah and Allie slowly walk up to your closed door.
“We’re here for you whenever you need us,” you hear Hannah say muffled through the door. Her voice is nearly drowned out by your sobs, as you lay on your back in your bed, sobbing quietly into your hands.
Why did you have to be this way? Why did you have to ruin everything?
You continue crying for what feels like hours when you hear your phone ding with a text. Confused, you wipe the tears from your face and grab your phone out of your pocket, the guilt sinking in even further when you look at just who had texted.
12:46am
J.L.🏒 – I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable.
J.L.🏒 – For the record, that was never my intention. I hope you’re okay.