Third Person's POV [Logan's POV]

Logan carefully balanced the cake on his hands and lumbered towards the cemetery. The night was eerie and the air cold as the uneven, damp grass got trampled under his heavy feet. It was strange how this particular place had countless stars twinkling above, but the rest of the town had pitch black sky.

Logan had gone through more than enough hardships for an eighteen year old boy and sometimes even found himself at the brink of death, so myths like spooky ghosts and bizarre legends didn't scare him anymore. Instead, it gave him a thrill that his buried family might actually be around him or right behind him. He just had to look and imagine things.

Kneeling in front of his little brother's headstone, he unboxed the cake. He checked his watch and it was already fifteen minutes past twelve. His brother turned fourteen today- almost a man now. If only he was alive . . . If only.

Logan shifted back and sat with his arms wrapped around his legs. He gazed at the Power Rangers cake and smiled wistfully. He was sure that his brother's tastes would have changed at fourteen like any other boy- he wouldn't want his childhood favourite Power Rangers cake. But then again, he believed that his brother would always secretly like that despite of growing older. After all, he had been fourteen once too and knew how boys were that age- full of hormones, exploding energy and trying to act way cooler than their age.

Some insects hovered over the cake and Logan simply watched as they feasted on it. It wasn't like he was going to eat it, he was going to leave it at the corner where the scraggly old dog would find it or the cleaner in the morning would dump it. It didn't matter anymore, his brother wasn't alive to celebrate. The cake was meant to only make his heart feel better that he remembered his dead brother's birthday.

He recalled the days when they would sword fight with sticks in the backyard- his little brother only in a white underwear, large sunglasses and a thin towel attached to his neck like a cape. In his brother's gleaming eyes, Logan was a hero. Logan had always been a hero to him just like many younger ones adulated, worshipped and imitated their elder siblings. It was a shame that Logan never lived up to be a hero after his brother's death- he had almost done it, Logan thought somberly.

After some time, Logan got up to leave. He retrieved a handkerchief from his jeans pocket and wiped each of the four headstones. Lifting up the cake, he carried it and left it near the garbage bin. This graveyard was fifty minutes walk from his apartment in the next town and Logan hoped to find a lift back just like he had found coming here. However, there was little chance to find any sober and non-criminal driver at midnight.

Logan strode fearlessly on the empty roads and after ten minutes, he fortunately found a ride. It was a truck heading towards his town for a night break. The driver was kind and cheerful as he didn't stop talking the entire way. It wasn't annoying to hear about his whole family history considering he belonged to a huge Italian family, but it felt quite nice. It kept Logan somewhat occupied and distracted his thoughts from the yellow sunflower- Joy.

He thanked the driver and hopped down the truck once he was near his apartment. He headed towards his place only to find the lift was shut down. Great, now he had to walk twelve floors up! For a moment, he seriously considered sleeping next to the gate since he was worn out for the day.

He grumbled under his breath with each step he took. Suddenly, all he could think about was Joy. Joy, Joy, Joy, why was she everywhere in his mind? He loved her so damn much and he resented himself for telling her that. Why did he act like an idiot and blurt it all out? He should have seen her reaction coming, it was only reasonable.

A part of him hoped for her to accept his heart and love him back . . .

Oh God, he was going mad! But he couldn't stop thinking about Joy- the slightly mischievous way in which she smiled, the wildness in her round, blue eyes and the limitless interpretation of each word that flitted out of her pale, pink lips. The optimistic and sensible way she saw the world- he wanted her to be his.

It was this own selfish desire that caused both of them to fall apart. He should have been happy with the warm friendship they had shared. Now even that was destroyed. And what made him think he deserved somebody so wonderful like Joy? Logan sighed wearily as he arrived at the sixth floor.

He didn't deserve her, he knew that- but he also knew that Joy did love him. He wasn't delusional to think that, it was something he had always known. Just the way he knew that he loved her. It was because of this strong feeling he had within himself that he admitted his feelings to her. But the way she had freaked out and shrank away from his touch slowly diminished Logan's hopes of being loved back.

He was sweating profusely when he arrived at the ninth floor. Leaning against the wall, he tried to concentrate on his breathing.

Breathe in. Breathe out. Calm down, only three more floors to go.

He wasn't even sure if it was the amount of walking that drained him or the gyrating thoughts of Joy in his head.

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose in vexation when suddenly, he heard a soft thud. He tottered towards the source of sound and was met with a surprised- almost sheepish looking Marilyn. She was wearing the waitress attire of Pat's with a mustard cardigan.

"You came back now?" Marilyn asked and Logan nodded. "New job kid?"

He nodded again, not entirely lying. He had got a job from eight to eleven in the night (depending on the amount of work) at an office as a menial clerk. He basically had to arrange files after the office hours got over. It was monotonous, but he needed that extra money.

She bent down, picking up the bunch of keys that had fallen. "I got a job at Pat's- more work for less money. Shouldn't have been inspired by that blonde girlfriend of yours, but then again, this feels right."

Again, Joy. Why was she on everyone's mind today?

"She's not my girlfriend, especially after . . . " He bit his tongue, not knowing whether to speak further.

Marilyn seemed to understand him as she unlocked the door. "Come on in kid, you can relax here."

He wasn't sure about her offer, it was already late- two am. But he didn't feel like refusing, so he shrugged. "Okay."

He remembered the days when he could deny or reject anything callously within a fraction of a second without thinking. He had certainly changed over this summer. He had become more of his past self when his family was alive- he had become better.

He followed Marilyn in her dark, cigarette smelling apartment. Her things were strewn all over the place as she added to it by carelessly throwing her mustard cardigan over the couch and placing her rather stylish handbag on the coffee table. She removed her black sandals as Logan awkwardly watched her rub her sore feet.

She grabbed some tissues to wipe off her make up and Logan shifted things on the couch to make place to sit. He sat there, fidgeting with his hands and trying his best to not let his thoughts wander to Joy. It was one of the toughest things he had to do.

Once Marilyn was comfortably stripped down to only her bra and white skirt, she lit up a cigarette. The sour stench and smoke muddled Logan's thoughts and confused him even more. Marilyn offered him a cigarette like always which he didn't take.

"Good boys," she remarked, rolling her pretty grey eyes. Carrying two glasses and a bottle of Gin, she sat cross legged on the floor in front of him. She continued smoking silently, observing Logan under her long lashes.

"I screwed up everything," Logan finally blurted out, not wanting to keep everything stuffed in him. Marilyn smirked and exhaled, the smoke coming out of her pouty lips in a long puff. "I shouldn't have told her that I love her. Argh, I really shouldn't have."

"What's done is done kid," she said bluntly. "That overused phrase about spoilt milk and not crying and all, yeah, I say cry like a bitch but move on in the end."

"But she loves me back- Joy loves me back. I know it," Logan retorted madly and Marilyn plainly poured Gin in both the glasses. "She's not accepting it because she thinks I will . . . That I-I'll do something stupid once she's not here. She thinks we aren't meant to be and after all we have been through . . . She still doesn't believe in-in me."

It irked Logan that Joy thought he was weak and would do it once she was gone. Marilyn noticed the indignation clearly evident on his face. She urged him to take the glass of Gin. Logan hesitated.

"Well, good boy," she mocked him, her voice sultry. "Remember when you drank this magic the last time your tongue was down my throat?" He didn't want to remember that, he winced. Marilyn continued smugly, "It helped with your nerves, didn't it?"

Her fingers lingered as she handed him the glass. He reluctantly took it and clutched it tightly. After staring at it for over a minute, he let out a frustrated grunt. Shutting his eyes, he drank it quickly, the liquid sliding down his throat. It was fresh and citrusy-spiced- but it left a biting taste. Logan shook his head, he had always avoided alcohol because it was nothing but more trouble for a person like him. However, he didn't want to disappoint Marilyn who hoped for a fun companion.

She poured more alcohol in his glass before crushing the cigarette on the ashtray and finishing her own drink.

"Why do the golden siblings fall for pathetic shits like us?" she said, referring to her own relationship with Shaun. Logan agreed with her, they didn't deserve good people like them. The golden siblings were too kind to notice what crappy people they were. And it was a mistake admitting his feelings to Joy. He never thought that alcohol and Marilyn would help him clear his thoughts. "They're too good for the likes of us."

Marilyn was right, it was wise of her to let go of someone as amazing as Shaun. And now it was his turn to let go of Joy. Joy didn't want them to be together, so it would make sense if he went as far away from her as possible.

The rest of the night Logan and Marilyn shared drinks and he even found himself laughing freely. He liked this side of Marilyn- the not so intimidating and mystical one. So when she asked him to stay the entire night, he didn't refuse. He quite liked being with her which kept his mind off Joy. He quite liked being free.