Chance Read Online Free PDF Page B

He gazed at Charlotte as he said it, appearing to gauge
her reaction. It was the first time he’d ever referred to her as anything that
signified she was his girlfriend. Even though he’d only made this announcement
to his dog, she felt another rush of excitement.
    Is that what I am?
Logan’s 'girl’? His girlfriend?
    A rather silly part of
her didn’t even know how it had happened. Their union had been both gradual and
insidious. Yet somehow, she’d been swept away by this man. At that moment, she
was sure being Logan’s girlfriend was exactly what she wanted. The honor of
being his was what she wanted more than anything in the world. It felt right ,
like the natural progression of where things had been heading between them.
    As they walked back to
her house, hand in hand, she felt as though she was floating on air, or maybe, walking
on water seemed more apropos. The world around her seemed to melt away, as if it
was in some kind of distant bubble in which they were no longer a part. They
were together, just Logan and her, alone on a perfect and exciting new
adventure as boyfriend and girlfriend.
    ***
    The next few months
passed as if in a whirlwind. They began seeing each other nearly every day.
Logan almost insisted upon it. He’d call her every morning before work, again during
her lunchtime and again, just as she was finishing up at work for the day. He'd
check what time they were meeting and where.
    If another commitment
came up or she didn’t feel like going out because she was too tired, he'd give
a sad, little sigh and would tell her how much he'd miss her.
    Charlotte's friends were extremely
excited to hear she had a boyfriend. They were happy for her. “It's about
time!” seemed to be the most common sentiment. Her friends wanted to meet him, out
of curiosity. It was so rare Charlotte would have a guy in her life so, her
friends all wondered what this special man was like.
    They'd ask her when she
was going to bring him out. Bethany insisted they'd all go for a drink
together. Logan, however, was not sold on the idea. He said he didn’t feel
comfortable being around large crowds of people, especially people he didn’t
know. He'd once told her being in public spaces made him uneasy.
    Charlotte questioned him
about his statement. After all, they were always out in public as a couple.
However, Logan clammed up and refused to elaborate. She'd wondered whether it
had been an excuse because he was nervous her friends wouldn’t like him for
whatever reason. However, that seemed strange, as well. It didn’t seem to fit
with Logan's personality. He was usually so confident and self-assured.
    Her commitment to spending
so much time alone with Logan on such a regular basis resulted in her seeing
her friends much less often. She occasionally spoke to them on the phone, via
e-mail or text message, but it had been a while since they’d been out together.
She hadn't seen any of her friends in person, except for the people she worked
with.
    Charlotte had no major objections
to the new arrangement. She was so caught up in Logan and the way he showered
her with endless affection and attention she didn’t even miss her friends. He
seemed to have a way of being clingy without getting to the point of annoying
her. Maybe she'd just matured and now was ready to share her life with someone.
It seemed to be the natural progression of things.
    Eventually, Charlotte's
friends had begun to express their annoyance with her consistently turning down
their offers for evenings out and shopping days. She was always choosing to
spend her time with Logan. Bethany, who was always the bluntest of her friends,
even told her over the phone that she needed to get out more.
    Charlotte just brushed the
comments off and ignored them. She assumed they might be jealous of what she and
Logan had. She doubted any of her friends had partners who wanted to spend as
much time with them as Logan did with her. She also doubted any of their
partners