All Chapters of A Little Bit of Joy: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

"Ah, put it in the box, quick!" I shrieked with laughter as Jamal threw the small crab in the box and Gemma hurriedly shut it. Jamal started breathing heavily while dramatically acting to wipe the imaginary sweat on his forehead. Gemma peered into the box, we had caught four small crabs and the thrill of catching them was still surging through our bodies.Logan was sprawled under a palm tree nearby, leaning against the trunk with his legs fully stretched out and arms casually spread on either side of his body. His eyes were closed peacefully and his head was tilted upwards. The rays of the sun fell over his face and the shadow of the leaves above made the light on his face appear in stripes, which made him look so aesthetically pleasing without even trying."Hey, Logan!" I called out and watched his eyes flutter open as he blinked rapidly at me like he had snapped out of a trance. He always did that. He then scrambled to sit erect and his hands dug in the sand in full alert. "You alri

Third person's POV [Logan]Logan woke up from the bed because of the noise of his phone ringing on the nightstand. He rubbed his eyes lazily, stretched himself before picking up the call. He didn't say anything and let the person who called speak first."Logan, you there?" He heard the familiar voice of his old friend Jerry and swallowed hard. "Did you see the text messages I sent the other day?""Yeah," Logan said in a barely audible voice. "I saw.""So when are you moving out?""Give me some time, I need to figure out--- ""Look, man, I understand, but I'm sorry," Jerry interjected and continued, "I helped you all this while, but I can't anymore. I need to sell the place, I need the money and your rent money isn't enough man.""You can increase the rent, I'll pay," he said with determination while unconsciously fiddling with the hem of his t-shirt."That money won't be sufficient for my mamma's treatments, I have to sell the house."Logan could hear the firmness in Jerry's voice and

"Do you think he's at home or he ran away or something?" I asked Jamal who narrowed his eyes at me."I ain't no foreteller so let's knock, shall we?""Smartbum," I muttered and we both stared at the door helplessly. We were outside Logan's apartment which was very sketchy. The entire building looked haunted and what was worse was that Logan lived on the twelfth floor which meant taking the helicopter-like noise emanating elevator. The elevator shook like there was an earthquake and I wondered why my grandpa found this apartment to be a good investment. If it didn't help Logan, then I would suggest him to sell the apartment without any delay.Jamal started banging the door with loud thuds and I rang the bell continuously, but to no avail."Should we break the door?" Jamal asked while positioning himself to burst in and I tried to twist the doorknob as the last feeble attempt. Surprisingly, the door slowly creaked open. Jamal shot me an incredulous look and I mirrored his baffled expres

Logan and I were returning back from the ocean during our lunch break. It was another hot afternoon summer with sand sticking to our toes and we wriggled our feet occasionally. I glanced at Logan who was definitely feeling the heat as sweat appeared on his forehead. He was wearing a black-brown and white thin striped shirt with full sleeves. He unbuttoned the first and second buttons for more air."Thanks for keeping me company, Logan," I said with a small smile and he averted his eyes from the road to me. "Are you feeling thirsty? We can grab a drink.""Uh-yeah," he replied and I sighed in relief. Honestly, I was parched and needed something cold to drink other than water. Water was too plain.I didn't take him to Pat's because Jamal worked there and I didn't want Logan to meet him after what all happened. I didn't even take him to my favourite café by the coast because it was a tad expensive [cafés with an ocean view were never cheap] Instead, I took him to the dairy close to our fl

"H-How did y-you . . . " I stuttered like a fool with wide eyes."I always knew that you had taken this from my apartment. I saw it peeking through your pocket and now on this desk. But I didn't know that you would start pitying me because of this," he rasped, his nostrils flaring and dimples faintly appearing.I couldn't take him seriously with those innocent dimples, but I suppressed my smile."I'm not pitying you--- " My words died down when he was about to storm away. I quickly grabbed his arm and yanked him back. "No, I'm not letting you walk away like that. After this much progress, I don't want to go back to square one. I won't let you push me away.""What do you want?" He seethed in anger and I craned my neck to match his height."You're going to ask me that?" I demanded and scoffed. "I want you to stop pushing me away. I want you to let me in. I want to help you get better. I want you to listen to me and accept my care. I want you to be happy."He stared at me, his sea-colour