That's what he told himself as he leaned against the railing near the science block, eyes fixed on the far end of the courtyard where the performing arts hallway spilled into the open.
He told himself he was just passing by. Just killing time before his next class. Just… watching the breeze pick up loose sheets of paper and swirl them through the air like autumn leaves -- even though it was summer.
But deep down, he knew why he was there.
He hadn't seen Maya properly since the day of the show. Just glimpses -- her shoulder rounding a corner, her laugh echoing behind someone else, her name floating up in passing conversations like a song people couldn't stop humming.
And when he did see her, it was never just her anymore.
It was her -- and Damien.
They were never holding hands. Never acting like a couple. But they were always… there. Near each other. Too near.
Logan didn't like it. He didn't know if it was guilt or frustration or that familiar clawing feeling in his chest he hadn't let himself acknowledge since before he left her.
It wasn't supposed to be this way.
He didn't break up with Maya to lose her. He broke up with her because things were getting complicated. Too intense. Too vulnerable. She was seeing parts of him he hadn't meant to show.
So he walked away.
Cleanly. Quietly. No dramatic scene. No closure.
But now, watching her walk across campus with Damien at her side, Logan realized that silence had done more damage than he expected.
He shifted his weight, gaze narrowing.
Maya stepped out of the hallway, her hair tied low, hoodie sleeves pushed up to her elbows, a tote bag slung over one shoulder. She wasn't smiling, but she didn't look upset either. Just… preoccupied. Like someone trying to focus on everything and nothing at once.
A few seconds later, Damien emerged behind her.
Of course he did.
He moved like he belonged beside her, like he'd been there for a while and had no intention of leaving. Logan's fists curled before he could stop them.
Damien wasn't doing anything obvious. That was the part that stung. He wasn't flirting or touching her. He wasn't laughing too loudly or trying too hard.
He was just… there.
And Maya let him be.
She didn't flinch when he walked beside her. Didn't speed up or slow down. She just kept moving -- and he matched her step like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Logan hated that it looked so easy for them.
He hated that he didn't know what was going on between them.
He hated that Maya hadn't looked for him since.
From across the courtyard, Tessa waved. Maya turned toward her friend, lifting a hand in acknowledgment. Damien said something, and Maya nodded before veering off to meet Tessa, giving Damien a small nod -- polite, distant.
That flicker of distance should've relieved Logan.
It didn't.
He watched her disappear into the crowd, her face never once turning in his direction. She hadn't seen him. Or maybe she had -- and chose not to care.
His heart sank at the thought.
He stayed frozen for a long moment, then exhaled through his nose and turned away. Each step away from that building felt heavier than it should.
But he wasn't ready to leave.
Logan's feet led him to the old amphitheater behind the arts building -- a quiet, shaded corner barely used unless there was a rehearsal or photo shoot. He sat on the second tier of stone steps, elbows on his knees, staring ahead at nothing.
Back when they were together, Maya used to sketch here.
He remembered finding her once with her knees tucked under her, pencils scattered, sun kissing her cheekbones. She didn't even flinch when he walked up behind her. She just passed him a spare pencil like she'd been waiting for him all along.
He missed that.
Not just the comfort, but the feeling of being seen -- without needing to speak.
He'd had that with her.
And now it was gone.
He closed his eyes, trying to shake the memory. But it played on a loop. The way she looked at him that day. The way she didn't pull away when he touched her shoulder. The way she used to say his name -- like she didn't want to say it too loudly, in case it shattered something fragile between them.
He swallowed hard.
He wasn't ready to admit he wanted her back. But he was ready to admit he hated seeing her drift closer to someone else.
Especially someone like Damien.
It wasn't jealousy, exactly. It was fear. Damien knew how to play cool. He was effortless in the way that made people lean in. Logan had always relied on being real, honest, raw -- even when it hurt. But now it just felt like he'd cut himself open and walked away, while Damien sat back and watched Maya put herself back together.
And she let him.
Logan stared at the row of empty benches. His jaw clenched.
He wasn't sure what scared him more -- that Maya might have moved on… or that she hadn't, and she was just waiting for him to do something. Say something. Show up.
But he didn't move.
Didn't call her name.
Didn't ask for anything.
Because deep down, he wasn't sure he deserved to.
As the sun shifted across the sky and the shadows lengthened, Logan stood slowly, brushing the dust off his jeans. His eyes drifted one last time toward the courtyard, even though he knew she was long gone.
Maybe that was the problem.
He always looked too late.
He turned, heading toward the hallway. The sound of a door creaking open in the distance caught his attention -- but he didn't glance back.
If she was behind him, she'd have to come to him now.
But he doubted she would.
He walked on, steps steady, heartbeat anything but.
What he didn't see -- what he couldn't have known -- was that Damien had doubled back a minute after Maya left with Tessa.
And he'd watched him, silently.
Eyes unreadable.