"Eat up." Jen instructed affectionately, placing a plate of fish sticks and tater tots in front of Kendall.

"Thanks, mom," Kendall kissed the auburn haired woman's cheek. "How much do I owe you?"

"No, no." Jen stopped him from reaching into his pocket. "It's on the house."

"But mom..."

"No buts." Jen said firmly but with a smile. "I may be a waitress, but I'm mom first. It's my job to take care of you." She cooed as she pinched his cheeks.

Kendall winced, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "Mom!" The green eyes darted to me before going back to his mom.

"Oops, sorry." Jen released her hold. "I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of your boyfriend."

I chuckled as Kendall's cheeks grew a darker shade of red. The blond tried to laugh it off, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Mom..." He mumbled, clearly still embarrassed.

Jen raised her hands, signaling she was backing off then turned to me. "Logan, are you sure I can't get you anything?"

"No, thank you, Jen."

"Are you sure? We're not that busy since that new diner opened up." Jen's tone was sad as she sat in the seat across from me and Kendall.

It was then I noticed that the usually busy diner was now nearly empty, a few seats being occupied by me, Kendall, James, Carlos, and a man at the bar drinking coffee. My brow furrowed in confusion. "A new diner opened up?"

Jen nodded sadly. "Some rich guy, money-flaunting, North Side fatcat Label built a diner one street over, and it's been stealing all of mom's business." Kendall explained then turned to me with wide eyes. "No offense or anything. I'm not calling you, uh, I mean—"

I kissed Kendall to silence his rambling, smirking at the blush that still covered his cheeks when I pulled away. "I'm really sorry to hear that." I turned back to Jen with a somber smile. "Is there anything you can do?"

Jen sighed, leaning back into the booth. "Not really. The owner of the new diner made me an offer, and if this this place doesn't make enough money in time to pay the rent, I'll have no choice but to sell."

"What?" Kendall sat up abruptly, looking horrified by this news. I was surprised myself. Jen loved this place, and I could tell she put her heart and soul into it. Kendall told me it was her dream to own a restaurant. When his dad died, he left enough money for Jen to 'go for it'. Kendall and his little sister had been eating here since they were young. It was a family business. Kendall has expressed to me many times that he had plans to take over the diner one day, and the bright smile that spread across Jen's face when he said it was blinding.

I can't believe she would even think about selling.

"Kendall, I have to make rent and take care of Katie."

"But if you sell you won't have a job!"

"I'll get a job, Kendall. Stop worrying."

"But I was going to take over the diner someday. What happened to that?" The pleading look in Kendall's eyes was heart-breaking.

Jen frowned, reaching across the table to run a hand through Kendall's golden locks. "I'm sorry, baby." She said sadly. "As much I would love to keep it in the family, it doesn't look like an option right now." She slowly stood, walking away with her head hung lower.

I nearly cried when Kendall slumped into his seat, appetite clearly lost when his only picked at his food. I grabbed his arm to catch his attention, giving a look that expressed my empathy. Kendall smiled appreciatively but I could still see a hint of sadness behind it. "Kendall...maybe there's something I could do."

Kendall looked at me with curious eyes. "What could you do?"

"I don't know." I shrugged. "Maybe I could lend her something..."

"No." Kendall shook his head. "I can't let you do that, and she won't let you either." Kendall wrapped his arm around me. "I've told you before that I don't like you for your money."

"And I know that, but I can still—"

"No, Logan." Kendall interrupted with a firm shake of his head. "We can figure this out."

I sighed then chuckled. "I forgot how stubborn your family can be." That got a little smile out of him. "But what do you think you should do?"

"I don't know." Kendall frowned, picking at the food on his plate again. "Can we please change the subject?"

"Okay." I nodded, letting out a breath to relax myself. "So," I grinned at Kendall. His arms tightened around my shoulders, pulling me closer to his side and leaving even more available room in the booth we were sharing. "James and Carlos seem to be getting close these past few weeks."

Kendall finally smirked, looking over at our two friends who were sharing a plate full of corndogs. "Yeah. Carlos usually doesn't share food. He must like James a lot." Kendall laughed.

I smiled fondly at the pair, head resting on Kendall's shoulder. "And I've never seen James smile like that at anyone." I replied softly, watching James laughing genuinely at something Carlos said.

"You're not jealous, are you?" Kendall looked down at me, an amused smile playing at his lips, but there was a hint of insecurity in his eyes.

I smiled, knowing I was falling deeper in love with him with every passing moment. "No." I answered without even a hint of doubt in my mind. I wrapped my arms around his torso, snuggling impossibly closer to his body. "I told you I don't love James."

I expected a smile to spread across that gorgeous face. I expected him to maybe blush and mumble something incoherent while trying to hide his reddening face, but instead he just frowned, turning to his plate on the table. My smile dropped, looking at the blond curiously. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He grumbled.

"It's not nothing." I sat up, successfully removing myself from his hold, making my boyfriend sigh. "What's up?" I prodded again. "Are you thinking about the diner again?"

"No..." Kendall sighed again. "It's just...when I was at work last night, Gustavo had the cooking staff going over a list of menu items."

My brow furrowed in confusion. "What's wrong with that?"

"It was for your wedding." Kendall said sharply, casting a small glare at the food in front of him. My mouth was open in a slight 'o' when I caught on. "Why haven't you told your parents that you and James aren't getting married?"

I struggled to find words. "I-I..." It wasn't going well. "Kendall, I'm not the bold drunk man you met a month ago. I can't just go up to my parents and tell them that the moment they've been waiting for is a lie."

"Are you seriously going to go along with this just to make your parents happy?" Kendall stared at me in disbelief. "What's more important, Logie? Your happiness or theirs?"

The question caught me off guard for a moment. I had never really thought about what was more important, just what was easy. I thought I would have learned by now; easy wasn't always what was best. I gulped, feeling nervousness take over. "M-mine, but..."

"Look, I know I told you I wasn't going to pressure, but this isn't even about us anymore. This is about you standing up to your parents."

I shifted awkwardly in my seat, Kendall's words hitting a nerve. I wasn't the same inebriated, confident guy he met three months ago. I was shy and reserved. The can was open and there were worms everywhere. "I-I never done that before."

Kendall finally chuckled. "I figured as much." He smirked, stroking my cheek lovingly. "Your whole essence screams mama's boy."

I glared playfully at him, swatting his hand away. As if he weren't a mama's boy himself. Did he forget that we were, in fact, sitting in his mother's diner right now where as soon as we stepped in he got a big hug and a free plate of fish sticks and tots—which I still found odd because I had never eaten fish and potatoes in such a way. Gustavo would never serve it that way.

I sighed, mind going back to the original subject. "It's just...this is the first time I've ever done something she showed some enthusiasm over. When I graduated high school, got into college, graduated pre-med...she never even blinked."

Kendall was frowning at me again. I could tell he didn't get how two people who created a life out of love couldn't show it. "That's really sad, Logie."

I shrugged. "It is what it is." I mumbled. "It's not that I'm ashamed of you. Please, never think that, but I just know if my parents found out, they would flip a shit."

I waited for Kendall to comment, but he instead pulled me into a hug, kissing my temple tenderly. He held me there for a few more moments, just rubbing my back soothingly. "You cussed." He finally said.

I paused, going back over my words in my head, then chuckled. "I guess I did."

"You like...never cuss."

"I don't, usually. Mother says it isn't polite."

Kendall snorted above me. "Mama's boy."

I once again glared at him, slapping his chest half-heartedly before pecking him on the lips. I finally got that smile I had been expecting all along. It was wide and I could see his dimples perfectly. His eyes crinkled at the sides and those green orbs were brighter than ever. The look alone was enough to put a smile on my face. "I'll tell them."

Kendall's eyes brightened even more. "Really?"

"I'm having dinner with them tonight. I'll tell them then."

"Do you need me there? Is Gustavo catering? I can convince him to let me—"

"No, I can do it." I laughed but was very grateful for the blond's offer. "Thank you." I kissed his cheek, scooting out of the booth. "I better get going now." Kendall nodded, standing with me and giving me a small peck which turned into another peck that turned into a long kiss then a longer kiss. Kendall was pulling me closer, my arms encircling around his neck and his hands slowly slipping up my shirt and ghosting over my skin.

I had to suppress a whimper as I pulled back, feeling heat rushing to my cheeks at the sight of Kendall's lust filled gaze directed at me. "Sorry," I whispered, taking a step back, making Kendall's hands fall.

Kendall seemed to snap out of his daze with a chuckle. "It's okay." He smirked, and I swear I saw his eyes scanning over me. "I'll wait."

I blushed again, knowing that he knew it would only be a matter of time before I broke. I couldn't keep resisting him, and if I was honest with myself, I didn't want to. "James, come on." I finally said, tearing my gaze from Kendall's causing the blond to let out a chuckle.

"Aw!" I heard Carlos whine from their spot across the diner. Kendall and I laughed at the two as we watched them reluctantly say good bye to one another, sharing a hug that went on a little long. My eyes widened in surprise when Carlos leaned up, kissing James' cheek. I looked to Kendall who looked equally shocked before James followed me out the door to my car.

I smirked at him as he buckled his seat belt. James finally caught glance of my look when he saw that the car wasn't moving yet. "What?" His eyes shifted around the car, as if the reason for my staring would be found somewhere in it.

My smirk grew, moving the put the car in gear. "You and Carlos, huh?"

I looked back at James, wanting to squeal with excitement at the blush covering his face. "Shut up." He said.

I laughed, pulling out into the street. The car ride back to out house was filled with teasing and light-hearted conversations, that made me feel just like our friendship never skipped a beat. On the way home I also told James about the diner putting Jen out of business.

"That's terrible!" James responded. "I love going there to hang out with you, Carlos, and Kendall."

I resisted the urge to tease him about Carlos as I pulled into the garage. "I know, and Mrs. Knight is acting so indifferent about it. I know she must be as torn up as Kendall."

"I wish there was something we could do."

"Me too," I sighed, climbing from the car. "But Kendall is way too stubborn to let us give them the money."

"Well, maybe we could..." James trailed off as we made our way in the house. All the lights were off and we couldn't even see our hands in front of our faces.

I blindly felt the for the light switch and flipped it on when I found it. "SURPRISE!" A large crowd jumped up, filling out home with noise and laughter. I truly was surprised to see that my parents had used their spare key to enter my home and set up a surprise engagement party for James and I.

I was gaping almost comically at the party. I turned to James to see that he was shocked as well as a bit uneasy. It was completely out of the ordinary for our parents to do something like this for someone. "Are you surprised, honey?" My mom emerged from the crowd, holding a glass of champagne.

"Uh...yeah..." I looked around at the people, they were all out parents' colleagues, friends, and some other people I didn't even know. "Mother, why..."

"Logan, it's the perfect way for you and James to talk about the wedding and show off this ring." She whispered to me, lifting my left hand to show the flashy ring James had gotten for me.

I sighed. I should have known. This whole engagement wasn't about us in the first place. "Mother, I don't..." My mother shushed me, pushing me and James into the crowd of people, muttering for us to be adorable. James glanced apologetically at me with a shrug and I could only sigh again.

This is not how I expected tonight to go at all. I expected a simple dinner with our parents. We would talk about the wedding and my father's new business plans. Daddy was a wealthy man his whole life. Lucky for him, he inherited his father's fortune and was taught well on how to keep it. He knows all about stocks and watches the financial updates every day. He was an expert of when it was time to pull out. He invested in three big businesses and was partial owner of almost twice as many other businesses. His money made money.

My mom never had a job as far as I knew. She never worked a day in her life and was lucky enough to marry well. My mom always told me, "You can never go wrong if you marry right."

Now, surrounded by all of their friends and business partners, I was even more nervous to tell them the truth. James' dad was one of my dad's business partners, and that's how our parents became friends. I have a theory that they always planned to marry their children off, that when I was born Mr. and Mrs. Diamond hoped for a girl but got James. That's why he's so pretty.

And perhaps why they were so thrilled when they found out we both liked men.

I remember how scared I was to tell my parents that I was gay. They weren't the most understanding people in the world. I expected my mom to faint and my dad to immediately cut me off and disown me. Imagine my surprise when they just smiled widely and told me they understood. I couldn't believe it happened, but I was happy. I couldn't help the deja vu feeling I got from this. Telling them about Kendall was feeling a lot like the moment I came out, but what were the odds that they would respond so positively to this too. Coming out to them was hard enough, but I had to do this for Kendall.

I separated myself from James and the group of women begging to hear the story of our engagement—a story we had told three times already—and found my mom. She was beside my dad, chatting excitingly about something with Mr. Diamond and a few of dad's other partners. I slowly slid beside her, waiting patiently for her to finish, but upon seeing me, her entire focus shifted. "Logan!" She squealed, pulling me closer to her. My eyes went wide in surprise. Mother was never this affectionate towards me. It was odd, but not unappreciated.

"You all know my son, Logan—recently engaged to James Diamond." I rolled my eyes. I shouldn't be surprised that she would take every opportunity given to her to show off to someone about this. My mom turned back to me, grinning widely. "Logan, show them the ring."

"Mother, I really-"

"Show them."

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I-"

"Hortense!" My mom shot a small glare at me but was smiling through gritted teeth. "Show them the ring."

I sighed, lifting my hand to show the ring to the people there. They took a moment to appreciate it, making some off hand comments about the diamond being small and James being as cheap as his father. The adults around me laughed at the joke, continuing to make playful jabs at Mr. Diamond. I sighed again when my mom walked off with them to go find James to ask him something.

I turned around to face my dad, smiling when he clapped a hand on my shoulder. "Hello, son." He grinned.

I chuckled. "Hi, daddy—I mean, dad." I quickly corrected myself. He never said anything, but I could tell my dad hated it when I called him daddy. It was something I child did, and if someone still did it at my age, they were usually women.

My dad nodded in approval. "So, are you excited about your wedding?" He questioned. "You know your mom and Mrs. Diamond want you two at the alter as soon as possible. They already booked a hall, you know." He informed me while taking a sip of his drink.

My eyes went wide for the hundredth time that night, removing myself from under my dad's hold. "Are you serious?" I almost screamed.

"Yeah, the date is like two weeks from now."

I couldn't breathe. The air had gotten thinner and I wasn't taking enough of it in my lungs. "I need some air." I finally got out, rushing out of the house and onto the porch where I started taking in deep breaths. I want to say that after I could finally breathe, I was calm, but I wasn't. How could our moms do this? How could they book a wedding—my wedding—two weeks from now? And worst, hoe could they neglect to tell the people who are actually getting married? I was running my hands through my hair in frustration as these questions and so many other thoughts were running through my head. The one that stood out most was...how was I going to tell Kendall?

"Logan?" I turned around when the front door opened and shut again. James had stepped out onto the porch, looking as stressed as I was. He rushed to my side, concern flashing through his eyes at the sight of my frustrated tears. "Are you okay?"

"No, James, I'm not." I shook my head. How could he think I was okay after hearing about something like that?

"I take it you heard?"

I nodded. "How could they do this?"

"I don't know." James sighed, leaning against the pillar. "But should we really be all that surprised? Our moms are kind of turning this into their wedding."

"But James, they're planning a wedding that we don't even plan on going through with." I ran my hands over my face, breathing a heavy sigh. "I have to tell them tonight." My mind was set. I had waited too long to tell them this and now I had to. Despite this, I was still nervous. Maybe if I dug deep enough I could find drunken Logan's confidence and make use of it in my sobriety.

"Are you going to tell them about Kendall too?" James questioned.

"Depends," I smirked at him. "Are you going to tell them about Carlos?"

Even in the dark I could see the blush appearing on James' cheeks. "There's nothing to tell."

I rolled my eyes at his obvious lie but didn't push him anymore. I needed to focus on the situation at hand. Closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, but I knew no amount of time and deep breaths would prepare me for this. My mind was reeling with different scenarios of how this could play out. The best was my mom and James' mom accepting that we weren't in love and never will be, the worst was mother having a heart attack because she couldn't take another disappointment from me.

"Nervous?" James' voice broke into my thoughts once again.

"No, this is gonna be easy." I joked with a shrug. James chuckled, moving to go back inside, but I grabbed his hand, pulling him back to my side. "As long as you don't leave me."

James smiled softly at me, pulling my into his chest in a hug. I wrapped my arms around him tightly, fisting the back of his shirt. "You're my best friend, Logan. We're in this together." When James pressed his lips to my forehead a flash went off, startling us both and making us jump apart.

"This is the perfect picture to go on the wedding invitations." Mrs. Diamond grinned excitedly, showing the camera to my mother.

"And the magazines will just eat it up." My mom added.

I rolled my eyes, holding back a noise of disgust. I can't believe they actually planned on selling that picture to a magazine for publicity. This was starting to go too far. "Mom, we need to talk."

"Yes, sweetheart, we do...inside...where all the very important people are." Mrs. Diamond nodded in agreement and they moved to leave to porch and go back inside.

"But mom-" James tried but was once again interrupted.

"Listen, boys. You may think this party is for you, but it's not; it's for us. It's so that we can kiss the asses of these rich people." My jaw unhinged at the firm tone my mother was using. She never spoke like that to me, and she I've never heard her swear before. When the initial shock wore off, I was left feeling anger. I knew she thought that all along, but maybe part of me was hoping I was wrong about her. "Now get in there because you can't stay on the porch-"

"Mother, I'm not marrying James!" I finally let out.

Mrs. Diamond looked shocked and my mother just lifted her brow skeptically. "Is that so?" She crossed her arms over her chest, lips pursed in that firm motherly way.

I faltered a bit but stood my ground when James squeezed his shoulder in a supportive way. "Yes, mother. There's no way I can go through with this. I don't love James."

I watched my mother eye me for a moment. Mrs. Diamond's brow rose as she stared skeptically as well. The two women then turned to each other just as they burst into laughter. James and I turned to each other with confused looks. James only shrugged at me. "Baby, you are so cute." My mother approached me, pinching both of my cheeks.

My forehead wrinkled at this. "Cute?" Where did that come from?

"Yes, honey," Mrs. Diamond walked over to James. "It's cute that you think you have to be in love to get married."

I looked to my mom to see she was nodding in agreement with Mrs. Diamond. I moved my mom's hands from my face, giving her a disbelieving look. I looked to James to see he was in just as much shock as I was. "Mother, you can't be serious." I my tone was slightly pleading as I said this. "Why would someone get married if they aren't in love?"

My mom smacked her lips, rolling her eyes at me. "Oh, Hortense, don't act so naive." She was glaring at me. I knew from the use of my first name that she was done playing games, and was putting her foot down. Mother had always been stubborn. She always approached a situation with kind eyes and a gentle smile, but as soon as a conversation seemed to be going in the opposite direction of the way she wanted, she would turn cold and do almost anything to get her way. I had seen her do it so many times in my life that I was almost afraid of it. "People marry for all kinds of reasons; love has nothing to do with it anymore."

"But mom, you love dad, right?" James turned to his mother.

"Very rarely do two people end up in a happy marriage. Sometimes to make your marriage work, you have to just smile and grit your teeth. Otherwise it's just pointless." James blinked in surprise, sputtering out random words in order to respond. When nothing coherent came, Mrs. Diamond placed a hand on James' shoulder to silence him. "James, some things are more important than love." Mrs. Diamond smiled a small smile, running her fingers through James' hair.

I scoffed, never having felt more disgusted with my parents than I had at that moment. "Like what—money and status?"

"Of course." Mother and Mrs. Diamond chorused.

I could feel the anger bubbling inside me once again. I couldn't believe that after all of this they still planned on making us go through with it just to get richer and make names for themselves. I couldn't even form words to tell my mother how disappointed I was. I felt my mom swipe her thumb across my cheek, wiping a tear, and giving a faux pout as if she was sorry for what was happening. I hadn't even realized that frustrated tears had gathered in my eyes until then. "It will all be alright, dear." She said softly.

I wrenched my head away from her hand causing her to frown and narrow her eyes. I turned my gazed away, not able to look at her right now. "I suggest you two get inside. We do still have guests to entertain." She turned on her heel, sauntering to the door, Mrs. Diamond blowing us a kiss before she followed.

When the door shut, we were enveloped in silence. I looked to James to see him staring blankly in front of him. He seemed to be trying to take it all in. His mom had practically come right out and tell him that she didn't love his dad, and she never had. That can be tough for someone of any age to hear about their parents.

But what kind of parents would want the same for their kids? The only people who would benefit from this marriage is them. James and I didn't care about money or how we were labeled—or at least I didn't. I always knew my mother was a spoiled woman and often selfish when it came to...really anything, but this was a new low.

I looked up when James shifted, adjusting and dusting off his clothes. "What are you doing?" I asked in confusion.

"We'd better get back inside." He said, moving to the door.

My eyes wide, not believing what I was hearing. "James, we can't go along with this!"

"You heard them, Logan. It's pointless!"

"It's not pointless!" I tried to reason with him. "You don't want to be trapped in a loveless marriage, do you?"

"It's not loveless. We're friends. We love each other."

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, and we were in a relationship for years and we were fine."

My eyes narrowed at the brunet, fist clenched sternly. I could be as stubborn as my mother if I tried. "I wasn't happy. Did you forget that our 'relationship' is what started all this? I wouldn't even have met Kendall if it wasn't for that." I sighed, tears gathering in my eyes once again. "I spent half of that night staring at every happy couple around me and just hating their guts for having what I wanted. Now, I have it and you want me to just give it up?"

James sighed as well. "Be realistic, Logan." He threw his hands up in frustration. "This is the life we live in, and nothing about it is going to change any time soon. So let's just grit our teeth and deal with it."

"I am not going to marry you, James."

"We're not talking about forever...just until our parents die." I stared incredulously at him before chuckling lightly. "Sadly, Logan, not everyone is going to come out of this happy."

"Better them unhappy than us." I huffed. "You don't think it's a little odd that we're grown men, and we can't stand up to our parents?"

James stared at me, brow quirked. "That sounds like something Kendall would say."

I blushed, rubbing the back of my neck. "He might of said something like it..." James chuckled at me. "But that doesn't make it any less true. I can't hurt Kendall like that, and what about Carlos?" I watched as James' eyes went downcast. "We have to stand up for ourselves."

James was silent for a long time. Finally he nodded, grabbing my hand as we made our way inside. We jostled our way through the people crowding our home, looking for our parents. We finally found them around another group of of my dad's business partners. They were laughing and congratulating Mr. Diamond on another good deal.

"Who knew something so simple would make so much money?" Mr. Diamond laughed as he approached.

"Dad, I have to talk to you." James said firmly.

"James!" His dad completely ignored him, wrapping his arms around the tall brunet's shoulders and pulling him into his body. "Did you hear, son? I started a new business."

I rolled my eyes, not surprised by this at all. "That's great, dad." James said in a disinterested tone.

"Yes, it's not something I'd usually invest my money in, but it's turned out to make me quite a bit of money."

"Dad, I actually-"

"Who knew a diner on Fifth Avenue would be so successful?"

James and I froze, glancing worriedly at each other. "Wait, you opened the diner on Fifth Avenue?" I questioned.

"Yeah," Mr. Diamond laughed. "Those hood rats don't look like much but they sure can eat." The group around us laughed, clinking their wine-filled glasses together.

I glared at the cocky man, taking a small step forward. "Those people are not hood rats." I defended. "They're decent people who have to work twice as hard as we do to get half as much. Did you ever stop to think that you might be putting some of those hardworking people out of business?"

"Logan, that's how business works." Mr. Diamond smirked. "If you can't run with the big dogs, you'd better stay on the porch."

I rolled my eyes as the other adults laughed with Mr. Diamond. I was becoming too tired to deal with their ignorance. "You're disgusting." I spat, glaring at the taller man.

Mr. Diamond's smile fell, and I could see my mother and Mrs. Diamond glaring at me from over his shoulder. "Hortense!" Mother hissed, stomping toward me with a gritted smile. She grabbed my arm tightly, nails digging into my arm, and making me wince slightly. "You stop this degenerate behavior right this instant." She whispered harshly to me.

I frowned, biting my lip to keep from screaming.

"You know, I'm taking in a lot more money now. I think I'll splurge." Mr. Diamond reached into his pocket, pulling out a five dollar bill in tossing it at me. "Send this to your hardworking South Side friends." He said with a smug grin.

My jaw was clenched tightly as I watched the bill fall to the floor in front of me. Before I could do or say something I would regret, I reached behind me where a waiter was carrying a tray of drinks and grabbed one, downing the whole thing in one gulp. I knew my mother had always taught me not to drink too much in public, but fuck it. I needed this.

James put a hand on my shoulder which I glared at before turning back to his dad. "Dad, I really have to tell you-"

"You know, James," Mrs. Diamond interrupted her son, and I shot her a glare as well as I grabbed another drink. "With all the extra money, you could finally get that personal hair salon you've always wanted—right here in your own house."

I watched in shock as James' eyes brightened with interest. He was actually considering it! I bit my lip again, shoving James and my mother off of me and going to flag down another waiter carrying a tray of drinks.

"Mitchell, you should really keep a leash on your son." I could hear Mr. Diamond laugh from behind me as I walked away.

…

I has leaning against the door, clumsily knocking on the wood. I maybe had a little more to drink than I first anticipated, but I was just that pissed. I continued to knock, I wasn't sure if I was doing it loud enough. My arm was just kind of lifting lazily and my fist was flopping against the door. When the door opened, I nearly fell, luckily I was caught by a pair of strong arms. I looked up into the green eyes and smiled. "Hey, Kendall."

Kendall's brows were furrowed in confusion. I knew he wanted to ask a ton of questions at this moment, but he chose not to instead shifting my body so he could help me inside. He guided me over to his couch, gently depositing me there. "Logie, are you alright?" He took a moment to look over my appearance, subtly checking my body for any kind of injury. I smiled to myself, seeing him so worried over me.

I grabbed his hands, smiling gently at him. "I'm fine. Just a little drunk." I giggled.

"Did you drive here?" He sounded horrified, falling onto the couch by my feet.

"No, I took the bus." I rolled my eyes. I may be drunk, but I wasn't stupid.

Kendall let out a breath, eyes still slightly worried as he looked at me. "What are you doing here?"

I frowned, remembering the reason I downed so much alcohol in the first place, and why I then went up to my bedroom, climbed out the window, and took a bus to my boyfriend's apartment. "My parents are dicks." I mumbled.

Kendall's brows shot up in surprise, and I almost laughed at how this situation was so similar to the night we first met. "I take it dinner didn't go well then." He sighed.

"My mother and Mrs. Diamond pushed the wedding up to two weeks from now." I didn't miss the horrified look on Kendall's face. "And when I told them that I refuse to marry James, they laughed at me." I spat.

"Laughed?" Kendall's forehead was wrinkled in confusion.

"Yeah, they laughed, and they said that the wedding isn't even about us." I could feel angry tears gathering in my eyes once again, blurring my vision. "They plan on making us go through with it anyway."

"Logan, listen to me." Kendall placed a hand on my cheek, brushing away a fallen tear with his thumb. "They can't make you do anything. You have a right to say who you do and do not want to marry."

"I know, but-"

"No buts. If you don't want to marry James, then you're not going to marry James. No one is going to make you do something you don't want to do." He said with a firm glare.

I sniffed, sitting up and wrapping my arms tightly around my boyfriend's neck. I smiled into his should when his arms wrapped around me in return. "Thank you, Kendall."

"You're welcome, Logie." The blond kissed my cheek, letting out a heavy breath. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out."

…

I sighed when I walked back into my home. I was glad that even in my state of inebriation, I remembered to grab my key.

I stayed with Kendall longer than I expected, but I didn't want to go home that night and face my parents. Come the next day, I didn't think I could face James either. I had always known that James was shallow, and sometimes he could even get a big selfish. I didn't think that he would ever sell me out for something so petty. When I told Kendall this, I had to tell him about the diner. To say that he was pissed—not only at Mr. Diamond but at James too—would have been an understatement.

When Carlos found out he couldn't believe it either. He didn't think James would do something like that. Then is sunk in. The usually happy Latino looked absolutely heart-broken at the news. He spent the day pouting, looking as if someone had kicked his puppy.

This upset Kendall even more.

I finally decided to go back home that night and pack some of my stuff. If I couldn't be around James and I know I don't want to be around my parents right now, then I had no choice but to leave. I was happier with Kendall, Carlos, and their families. They were more like a family to me than my own. Their lifestyle isn't one a grew up with, and it would take some getting used to. Anything was better than surrounding myself with selfish and heartless people. Kendall had of course supported my decision one-hundred percent. I could tell he was just trying too contain his excitement at the thought of me finally moving in with him.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?" He had asked. "I get that you're a little emotional right now and you're acting on impulse. I don't want you to regret anything..."

I had to cut him off with a kiss. As cute as he was when he rambled, I knew this was something I had to do. I always knew this would happen someday—packing up my stuff to get away from my parents. Before I even met Kendall, I knew it would happen. After I met Kendall, it was obvious it would go down this way, but I always thought it would happen later after I told my parents about him, and they kicked me out. When James and Carlos started getting closer, I thought James would be coming with me as well.

I let out another heavy sigh as I packed my clothes into a suitcase. As fed up as I was with this place, I was going to miss it.

Or at least James.

"What are you doing?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin when James' voice echoed through the room. I looked up at him standing in the doorway with a confused expression on his face. When the shock wore off, my face turned cold as I looked away from him to continue packing. "I'm not talking to you." I mumbled.

"You just disappeared from the party last night. Where did you go?" When I didn't answer, James continued. "Logan, I haven't seen you for a whole twenty-four hours. I was worried. I had to tell our parents you were sick." I heard James sigh, and the bed dipped from him sitting on it. "I'm sorry about what happened at the party, okay?"

I rolled my eyes. "No. Not okay, James."

I noticed him smirk from the corner of my eye—most likely because I just broke my vow of silence to him. "You didn't even stick around long enough to hear my answer." He continued.

"It's not something you should have to think about."

"I know that, but you know how I am. I've never really had people in my life that I care this much for besides you. Giving a fuck about someone else is new to me."

I rolled my eyes again, finally shutting my suitcase and pulling it off the bed, to my side. "It doesn't matter. You can stay here and enjoy your personal hair salon all you want, but I'm not going to stic around to look at it a know that every time I step foot in it, I helped put a good woman, mother, and friend went out of business for it."

"Hey!" James stood with a glare, stopping a perfectly good storming out moment. "I am not putting Mrs. Knight out of business."

"You're not helping her keep her business, either." I glared right back. "Jen has always treated us like sons. How could you do this to her? Do you know what type of person does that, James? Your mother."

I saw James' eyes go wide. He always hated being compared to his mother. Brooke Diamond was the warmest of people, and James always found pride in the fact that, though he isn't the nicest person in the world, at least he wasn't his mother. I watched his face harden again, glaring intesely at me but I didn't falter. "I'm not doing anything!" The tall brunet insisted. "And you're not exactly helping either! What's running away going to solve? You quitting as soon as things get tough isn't helping anything."

"I'm not-"

"You think you've change so much since meeting Kendall. You think just because you're dating someone from the other side of town makes you some sort of great South Side Activist or something, and everything you do makes you so much better than me. Well, Hortense, you haven't changed. You're still the scared, shy, little rich kid from North Side who can't stand up from himself or anyone else." James let out a small, humorless laugh as he stepped aside. "You want to run, then run." He gestured to the open bedroom door.

My mouth was slightly agape as he finished, eyes brimming with tears. I hated how much I was crying lately, and I hated that James' words were able to get to me so easily. I quickly looked away from him, not wanting him to see me cry. I didn't look at him as I left the room. I didn't answer him as he ran down the stairs, yelling after me. I didn't look back as I drove away from the house I had called my home for years.

James had been my only friend for as long as I could remember. I didn't like anyone else. None of the other kids would play outside in the grass until your knees were hopelessly stained green. None of the other kids would even think about being near a bug, much less go catch one and watch with wonder as I identified each one they brought to me. No other kid would put me at risk of getting yelled at by Gustavo just for the sake of a cookie. No. No other kids did that.

James did.

James was never unfriendly towards me. Besides those few years before I met Kendall, James had always been nothing but friendly. Even then, he never said an uncivil thing about me. James used to beat up the kids who said negative things about me (before he decided that he was too pretty for fighting). Maybe that's why I was sitting in my car, in the parking lot of the diner, crying my eyes out. I was shocked that James would say those things about me.

Maybe I should just go back. I wasn't ready for this. I hadn't been out on my own for ten minutes and I was already a mess. A knock on my window caused me to jump. I turned to see Kendall staring worriedly at me from outside my car. I unlocked the doors, allowing Kendall to slide into the passenger seat. He didn't even ask questions. He only pulled me into his arms and allowed me to cry into his shoulder.

From then I let everything out. I clutched Kendall's shirt tightly in my fists as I sobbed. Kendall's hands ran soothingly up and down my back, whispering soft and calming words in my ear. After a while, I found myself calming down. I wasn't surprised that Kendall was able to do that. I always felt safer in his arms, like the entire world melts away and it's just me and Kendall.

When I had finally calmed down to a few hiccups, Kendall pulled back to look at me. "Do you want to tell me what's up now?"

I sniffed, but didn't move from Kendall's embrace; in fact, I snuggled closer. "James just struck a nerve." I shook my head with a frown. "It's stupid."

"Logie, when you cry, it's not stupid." He said sternly. "What happened?"

I sighed, telling Kendall all about what happened with James. Every time I started to get choked up again, he held me tighter, waiting patiently for me to continue. It wasn't until I finished that I noticed his body was tense and his face was twisted into a scowl as he stared straight ahead of him. "Kendall," I reached up, softly grabbing his cheek to get him attention. "Don't be mad at him, okay? He was right."

"Logan-"

"No, I'm still a shy little rich kid who can't stand up for himself or the people he cares about, and being with you doesn't change who I am." Kendall was frowning at me as I said this but didn't say anything. "The only time I seem to have a brave bone in my body is when I'm drunk."

"But Logan, you are brave."

"No, I'm-"

"Listen to me." Kendall demanded, forcing my eyes to his. "You were brave enough to go back there tonight and leave behind your whole life for something completely different. You're standing up to your mom and refusing to go through with the wedding despite how your mother will react to it. To others you may look like you're running away, but it takes guts to do what you're doing." He gently rubbed my cheek with his thumb, wiping away any remaining tears.

I sniffled, able to give a small smile. "You really think I'm brave?"

He gave a small smile, wrapping his arms tighter around me, and kissing my temple. "Absolutely."

I smiled wider, allowing the hug to linger just a while longer before sitting up. "Should we head to your apartment now?"

"Let me just let mom know you're alright before we go to our apartment." He smirked, placing a quick peck to my lips. "What's mine is yours now, Logie."

I tried to hold back a smile at him calling his apartment ours but it was useless to contain my my excitement. Kendall chuckled at me as he climbed from the car. I followed behind him, entwining our fingers together as we walked into the diner.

"Again, I'm really, really sorry Jen."

Kendall and I stopped, giving each other confused glances when we spotted James standing with Jen. She smiled at the brunet, squeezing his shoulders reassuringly. "James, it's okay." She laughed. "It's not your fault, and if you could do something I know you would. You're a sweet boy, James." Jen gave a big smile at James' blush. "But unfortunately, there's nothing we can do, and you don't have to apologize for that."

"I just feel really bad for how I've been acting." James hung his head guiltily. "Logan and Carlos will probably never talk to me again, and neither will Kendall once he finds out."

I looked to Kendall with a frown, actually starting to feel bad for James. Kendall seemed conflicted. His expression said that he was still upset with James for saying those things to me and making me cry, but his eyes held sympathy for my friend. I squeezed his hand before releasing it and walking to James. "Hey, buddy." I said softly.

James spun around, wide eyed. "Logan!" I could tell he wanted to smile, but bit his lip uncertainly to stop himself. I gave him a small smile, a silent sign that we were okay. James finally smiled brightly, pulling me into a tight bear hug. I let out a small squeak of surprise, only to be muffled by James' chest. "I'm so sorry, Logan. I have no idea why I said what I did."

I chuckled, patting James' back. "It's okay. We both said things we didn't mean."

"I said way worse." James pulled me back, gripping my shoulders, and staring sincerely into my eyes. "I don't think you're a coward. You're stronger and smarter than I'll ever be." James sighed. "Everything you said about me was true, and I was stupid for thinking about it. A personal hair salon isn't worth losing you as a friend."

I was grinning widely as he said this. "I knew you weren't a bad guy, James."

Jen aw'd behind us, and I was about to pull James back into a hug when Kendall cleared his throat, finally approaching the two of us. James swallowed nervously at the intense look on Kendall's face. "Calm down, James. I don't hate you." He started. James visibly relaxed, and I couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "But if you ever talk to Logan like that again, you'll have me to answer to, okay?"

And just like James was tensed up again, nodding obediently.

Kendall, Jen, and I chuckled at him, and I pulled James into another hug to calm his nerves a bit. With a sigh, James finally relaxed again, but his shoulders were slightly slumped as he stepped away. "I was hoping Carlos would be here so I could explain everything to him."

I smiled sadly, running a comforting hand up and down my best friend's arm. "He's probably helping his mom close up." Jen offered helpfully. "You could still catch him if you hurry."

…

"I honestly expected Carlos to hold out a little longer." Kendall laughed as we entered his—our apartment. I was still smiling like a fool at the thought.

"I can't say I'm surprised." I followed him to the bedroom, plopping on the bed as I watched Kendall put my suitcase in the closet. "When James pulled out those gourmet corndogs, I knew he was a goner."

Kendall chuckled, joining me on the bed with a content sigh. "I can't believe we're living together." He smiled.

I smiled with him, leaning forward to place a long kiss to his lips. Before I could pull away, Kendall was wrapping his arms around me, bringing me closer to him, deepening the kiss. As he lay me back onto the bed, my heart began beating faster. I knew my battle against this was slowly weakening, and I wouldn't be able to resist much longer.

From the way Kendall managed to remove our shirts so quickly, chuckling at me as I ran my hand up and down his torso, he knew I wouldn't last much longer either. I let out a soft moan when Kendall moved his lips down my jaw and to my neck, sucking and biting on the skin there. I was squirming beneath him when his lips traveled to my chest, down my stomach, and teeth scraping against my hips. Kendall's hands, made their way to the hem of my pants, locking eyes with me as he slowly pulled them and my boxers down my legs.

I swallowed nervously as Kendall's eyes ran over my now fully exposed body. I could feel my face heating up when his eyes met mine, pupils wide and eyes darker than I've ever seen them. "You're so beautiful, Logie." He whispered, standing to pull off his own pants and boxers.

"I-I am?" I let out another nervous breath as Kendall crawled back onto the bed, laying flush against me.

"Gorgeous." He said before bringing our lips back together again. I let out another soft moan, wrapping my arms around the blond's neck when our bare erections rubbed together. "Kendall," I whimpered, breaking the kiss. "I need you." I bucked my hips into his, making Kendall groan as he gave a small nod.

I felt my heart swelling at how gentle Kendall was. He was careful not to put me through too much pain as he prepared me, eyes locked on mine the whole time, looking at me as if I were going to break, frequently checking if I was okay. I let out a soft chuckle through my moans, falling more in love with Kendall by the minute.

Being filled by Kendall was the most intense feeling I had ever experienced. By the time he was buried within me, I was breathless. The feeling of finally being with Kendall in the most intimate way and sharing this connection with him was everything I expected it to be and more. Feeling Kendall moving within me, his muscles tensing and relaxing under my hands, his warm breath against my ear and neck as he whispered a mantra of "You're so beautiful. So amazing. I can't believe you're mine" over and over in my ear had me tensing and whining as my orgasm quickly approached.

"I love you Kendall." I whimpered weakly into his shoulder before I was silenced by the waves of pleasure washing over me, Kendall's name being the only thing slipping passed my lips as I came.

Kendall followed with a grunt, looking directly into my eyes as he released inside me.

When we finally caught our breath, Kendall smiled down at me with that signature smirk of his. "What?" I questioned.

"I love you, too."

I blinked, mind going blank for a minute before it finally hit me. "Oh," My face slowly broke out into a grin as I slowly registered what he said.

"You're so adorable." Kendall chuckled at me, leaning down to kiss my lips as he pulled out, rolling beside me.

I immediately curled into his side, sighing contently when Kendall wrapped his arms around me in return. "I could get used to this." I smiled into the blond's chest.

"Making love or the cuddling?"

"All of it." I smiled sweetly when he leaned down giving me a peck on the lips before we let sleep take over. I was awakened in the middle of the night by my phone ringing. I tried ignoring it, not wanting to leave the warmth of Kendall's embrace, but it just kept ringing. I finally decided to get up in answer after it went off a third time. I was being careful not to wake Kendall up, but he seemed to be dead to the world. I chuckled when he was still snoring softly, not even flinching when I moved his arm from around me.

I scrambled for my phone in my pants pocket, rolling my eyes when I saw the name glowing on my screen. With a sigh, I answered the call. "Hi, mother." I said quietly, still being careful not to wake Kendall.

"Hi?" I could imagine my mother gaping at me. "You disappear for two days and all you can say to me is hi?" I opened my mouth to respond but she beat me to it. "Hortense Mitchell, where have you been?"

"I left, mother."

She paused briefly before she continued in a slightly calmer voice. "You left? As in you ran away?"

"What choice did I have?"

"You could have stayed here!" She shouted. I glanced at Kendall when he started to stir and let out a breath when he went back to snoring. I quietly stood up and left the room. "Do you know how childish it is to run away, Hortense?"

"About as childish as it is to manipulate people to get your way." I snapped.

My mother gasped and I knew if we had been standing face to face she might have slapped me. "You can't speak to me like that. I'm still your mother."

"My mother who wanted to force me into a marriage with someone I didn't love for her own personal gain." I cried. "How could you do that to your own son?"

"You would have learned to live with it."

"I wouldn't have been happy."

"Oh, spare me, Hortense." She spat. "There's no such thing as a happy marriage."

"You're wrong." I shook my head. "Mother I found someone who makes me happy. He doesn't have much, but I love him and he loves me no matter who my dad is or how much money I have."

"...He sounds like a bum from the South Side."

"He's not a bum!" I tried to desperately explain to her, but she didn't get it. "None of them are. They work hard, and besides I don't care about money."

"Hortense..." My heard her gasp from the other end. "Please tell me you aren't dating a thug."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the small chuckle that slipped passed my lips. "No, he's not a thug, but he does live on Fifth Avenue. His mom runs the diner that James' parents are putting out of business. I have friends here, mom. They're like my family."

She was silent for a long time. I was almost worried that she had hung up on me until I heard her let out a sigh. "I can't believe you would do this to me, Hortense." She sounded like she was on the brink of tears. "And what will your father say when he finds out you're with some hood rat?"

I could feel my anger rising slowly, but held it back...or at least tried. "His name is Kendall." I said through gritted teeth. "He's not a hood rat, and he cares about me. His whole family does. His mom treats me more like her son than you do."

"I don't care what those people do." She hissed. "I care that you would defame the Mitchell name over something as silly as this."

"It's not silly!"

"I won't let you do this, Hortense." My mother said defiantly, clearly no longer listening to a word I said. "It's not too late. No one knows about this. You can still come home and forget this ever happened."

"I don't want to come home. I want to be with Kendall."

She paused again and I held my breath for her reaction. Would she cry and beg for me to come back? Yell, scream, and demand that I come home? Would she apologize? Would she just let it all go and let me live my life the way I want and with who I want?

Not likely, but I could still hope.

What I wasn't expecting was for her to suddenly hang up on me. I could feel my anger slowly vanishing, and the tears of sadness gathering in my eyes. I knew it was foolish of me to think that she would change, especially through the duration of one phone call, but I still hoped she would understand. I was her only son, but I wasn't worth ruining reputation.

I tried to hold back, but the tears kept falling and before long I was letting out quiet sobs. I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and I instantly leaned into the embrace. I could feel myself already starting to calm down, but the pain was still there. "It's okay, Logie." Kendall whispered, running his hands through my hair. "You don't need her."

I nodded, knowing it was true. I had gotten so far without her or my father, and I didn't need them now. "I know." I whimpered, feeling the tears returning and falling down my cheeks. "But she's still my mom."

…

I sighed, hanging up my phone and tossing it onto the table in front of me. "How are you holding up, sweetheart?" Jen asked, taking a seat across from me.

"Well, she cut me off completely. All of my credit cards have been canceled and my trust fun has been frozen until I come to my senses." Jen frowned at me, but didn't speak. "I can keep the car I have, and I can go back and get the rest of my stuff. After that she doesn't want me anywhere near her house." I finished with a sigh.

"I'm so sorry, honey." Jen finally spoke, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand.

I shrugged. "I don't care about the money. I never did, and I have more than enough money saved up." I said with a slight smile. Jen raised a brow at me. "My dad taught me everything he knows about saving and investing."

"He hoped you'd follow in his footsteps." Jen said with a small smile of her own.

"No matter how much I told him I'd rather be a doctor." I laughed and Jen laughed with me.

When our laughter died down, I was left with a half-hearted smile. Jen took notice, her smile going sympathetic. "You two were close, huh?"

I shrugged again, playing with the napkin in front of me. "Kind of." Over the years my father and I had spent a lot of time bonding together. Mother would usually be out with her friends, doing whatever, but dad always tried to make a little time for me. He was a busy man—that I understood from a young age. It never matter at the time that mother didn't act like a mother or that daddy didn't always have time for me. I had James and Kelly then; now I had so much more family that I could have asked for.

"Hey," Jen shook my hand to get my attention. "How about I make you some food."

"You don't have to-"

"Logan, I am making you lunch. Do not argue with me." Jen said sternly, patting my head affectionately as she walked off.

I chuckled, doing just as she said. I looked around the empty diner for a moment, feeling upset that this place was actually about to close. Jen's restaurant had that homey feel, and the one James' dad built was undoubtedly flashy and expensive. I don't know why people would suddenly stop going to a place that's always been there for something new. I guess it's just because of that. It was new.

I was pulled from my thoughts when my phone went off. My forehead wrinkled in confusion when I saw it was my dad calling me. "Dad?"

There was a shot pause before he spoke. "Hey, Loges."

"Hey..." I replied slowly.

"I'm just going to get to the point, son." He took in a breath. "I don't agree with your mother. You're a grown man and you deserve to be happy with whoever you want—rich or poor."

I blinked in surprise. "Really?" I felt a small smile coming to my lips.

"Of course. You're my son." I didn't know what to say. I was left speechless by my dad's words. All this time I thought he agreed with my mom on everything, but he was different. "I'm sure the man you're with is great."

I was full out grinning now, words unable to describe how happy I was. "I'd love for you to meet him sometime."

"I'd like that." There was another pause between us before he spoke again. "So...what are you up to? Are you okay? You have a place to stay, right? Enough money?"

"Yes, dad. I'm fine." I smiled softly, glad at least my dad was still there for me. "I was actually thinking of making an investment."

"Really?" I could hear the surprised tone in my dad's voice.

"Yeah, but...I could use your help."

…

"Logan, it was a long day with Gustavo. I just want to go home and sleep."

I rolled my eyes at boyfriend. He had been whiny since the diner had closed. "Shut up." I laughed at the pout on his face as I continued to drag him down the side walk. "You're gonna love this." We stopped in front of the diner and I turned to face Kendall with a large smile. "Tada!" I gestured to the building.

Kendall stared at the building blankly before looking back at me with a raised brow. "My mom's closed diner?"

"No!" I reached into my pocket, pulling out a set of keys and jingling them in front of his face. "Your diner—open for business." I turned around unlocking the door, dragging Kendall inside with me. I flipped on the lights, smiling as Kendall's eyes widened at the sight of the diner. It was redecorated and repainted so that it looked newer, but it still held the same homey feeling it always had.

"H-how...?"

"I bought the diner." I shrugged.

Kendall's shock faded, leaving him looking concerned. "Logie..."

"Don't worry about it." I interrupted, knowing exactly what he was thinking. "I have faith in this diner and that you and your mom will manage it amazingly."

"My mom?"

"Surprised?" Jen appeared from over the counter, smiling widely at her son.

"You knew?"

"We told you the diner was closed so that Logan and his dad could work on it and get it ready for it's grand opening tomorrow." Jen came over and patted me on the back.

"It's why I let you mope all week." I grinned. "I didn't need you to stumble upon a flyer and ruin the surprise."

"You actually sold the diner to Logan?" Kendall asked his mom.

Jen grinned at us. "I told you I had no problem keeping the diner in the family." The auburn woman leaned over, kissing my cheek, causing me to blush.

"I can't..." Kendall shook his head, but I could see him smiling. He loved this. Seeing that smile on his face was enough to make all of this worth it. "Logan," Kendall faced me with a wide grin. "I...I don't know what to say."

"Then shut up." I laughed, wrapping my arms around around his neck. "What's mine is yours, remember?" I smirked.

"You're amazing." Kendall grinned widely placing a kiss to my lips.