Random one-shot! R&R if you love me!
HPloveofmylife
The invitation arrives in his mail one-two-three-four-five months after the band split up. They still talk to each other, of course, but it's not as frequent and James sounds almost cut off and a bit lonely whenever he talks to Logan.
But the little envelope that turns up in his mailbox has swirly writing on it and it's gold and glittery and it makes Logan's eyes swim with tears because that writing is ohsofamiliar and fuck it all, he knows what's inside this glitterygold envelope.
He still opens it anyway.
The envelope flutters away in the breeze because he's not gripping quite tight enough and his heart won't slow its beating and as he reads the .words he feels sick to his stomach.
To Logan Mitchell,
You are cordially invited to the wedding of:
Steve Calen and Camille Roberts
After that, it's a blur.
/
A week after the invitations are sent out, Logan crawls from his room, picks up his home phone and dials the number he knows by heart.
"You knew." He snarls into the phone, gripping the counter so hard his knuckles turn white.
James draws in a slow breath on the other end and then says quietly, "Yeah, I did."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Again, James hesitates but then he whispers, "Because you wouldn't have done anything about it." The line goes dead.
Logan slides to the floor with his head in his hands and he cries silent tears because ohgodohgodohgod she's getting married.
James was right – Logan wouldn't have done anything about it.
/
The day of the wedding, Logan pulls himself from his bed, pulls on his one&only tux that really shouldn't fit anymore but does. He stands in front of the mirror and makes himself look e.x.t.r.a. good.
When it's time to leave, he almost forgets the entire thing because he's got a massive headache and all he wants to do is crawl back into bed and pray that this is a dream.
But he drives to the dock – their wedding is on a boat, surprise-frigging-surprise – and he boards it, ignoring the way his stomach tosses and turns, and he heads over to a far corner and hopes to blend in with the background.
Kendall and Jo (no, no, see it's Kendall&Jo or Jo&Kendall) see him first and they weave toward him. Jo hugs him tight and he hugs her back and breathes in her grape shampoo because it reminds him of such a long time ago and Kendall 'man-hugs' him and it makes him feel a teenybit better {but not by much}
Next Carlos arrives with the blond Jennifer on his arm, and they both embrace Logan and Jennifer breathes in his ear she doesn't love him. Always you, you know.
Liar, he breathes back. She doesn't speak to him the rest of the night.
James arrives last, and he looks good, but there's a weary tint in his eyes and when he smiles it looks just a little bit forced, but only if you squint.
/
The wedding begins.
The boat never leaves the dock, and it makes Logan feel just a little bit better because he's never really liked boats and if he needs to leave he can.
Steve's standing at the head of the boat wearing a black tuxedo and he looks happier than anyone has seen him before. He's standing up there alone aside from the vicar, and the sun beats down on him and Logan can't help but feel a deep, resonating stab of hatred.
And then, the music starts and everyone turns to the back of the ship. Everyone gasps when Camille appears.
She's wearing the most magnificent gown Logan has ever seen and it hugs her in all the right places and her veil covers her entire face. Her train follows must be 6 feet long and the white roses in her hands make Logan feel sick.
They say their vows, and everyone's in tears because Camille is an amazing actress, let's face it and they say I do, but only Logan notices the small glance she casts toward him and his heart skips a little bit but she still says those little letters and his heart is on the floor again.
/
The reception is on the boat still, and Camille slipped into a simpleyetbeautiful dress almost identical to the ones she used to wear at the Palmwoods and her hair is up in a loose ponytail and it looks so…so normal.
She's procrastinating talking to him, which shows just how much she's changed because back when he knew her she'd want to get the bad stuff out of the way as soon as possible.
He's leaning against the railing of the ship when someone taps him on the shoulder, he turns to whoever it is, and he can't help but smile.
"Didn't think you'd come." Camille says as she hugs him, breathing in the scent of vanilla coffee. She smells of coconut, he notices numbly, and his grip tightens on her slightly.
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." He tells her when he releases.
Liarliarpantsonfire!
"You looked beautiful in your dress."
She blushes dark crimson and pats his chest in a friendly way. "You don't look too bad yourself." She says with a sly smirk, and he laughs softly. There's an awkward pause between them, and then Logan breaks the silence.
"I missed you." Camille looks up at him with unshed tears glistening in her eyes, and she smiles a bittersweet smile at him.
"No you didn't. Because if you did then you would have called. I waited for weeks for you to call, Logan." A single tear slips down her cheek, and she wipes it away quickly.
"So then why'd you marry Steve?" He asks her and his voice cracks slightly, but of course she notices because she always notices things about him.
"'Cause if I waited for you, I'd be waiting for forever." And then she's walking away without a single look back, and half of his heart follows her.
/
When the wedding ends, Camille sends Steve off to say goodbye to the stragglers with a quick kiss and a promise that she'll be in the car soon. When she's sure she's alone on this huge boat, there's nothing stopping her now.
She falls to her knees in the mess that is her life and sobs.
Her makeup runs down her cheeks and she just wants to curl up on the floor and let the darkness claim her. But no, she will not do that, because that would be too cliché, too movie-worthy.
So instead, she gathers up the mess and rubbish that people let f l u t t e r in the breeze and her heart breaks a little bit more because, really, all this mess and shit that no one wants, itsjustlikeherheart.
And she finds a photograph, and the tears fall more freely now and she won't wipe them away. They stain the ripped and ragged photograph and her heart crumbles to dust.
It's a picture of her and Logan, and they're smiling and laughing and staring at each other with adoration and she thinks that she'll never feel that kind of happiness ever again because ohgodohgodohgod her freedom is gone and now she's married.
"SHIT!" She shouts to the sky, throwing her hands up and releasing the photograph. It dances in the wind and then it's gone and it takes all that she has with her.
Camille's married now and that little diamond ring on her finger glints up at her and she can't help but think, if I married Logan, I'd be the happiest girl on earth at the moment.
But she didn't marry Logan. She married Steve.
Logan gave up on her. But, truth be told, she never gave up on him.
After all, 96% of first loves end in break-ups.
She smirks to herself and it's like she can hear his voice in her mind. But then she shakes her head and continues to clean up the mess people have left behind. She's halfway done when she finds an envelope tucked into the upholstered leather of a booth.
It's got her name written on it in writing that she knows ohtoowell and she picks it up, rips it open and begins to read.
Dear Camille,
I'm sorry I-
She doesn't finish, just shreds the paper up and watches it float to the surface of the water. She stares down at the flecks of white floating above crystal blue and she wants to cry some more but she can't because Steve's waiting. So she walks off the boat with her head held high and a fakefakefake smile on her face.
She's barely been married to Steve for two hours and already she wants a divorce.
What kind of sick girl is she?
But those little letters that Logan wrote on that scrap piece of paper still haunt her, and before she can cry anymore, she digs her nails into her skin and slips into the white car that says 'Just Married!' in spray paint on the back.
"What's wrong, babe?" Steve asks as he gives her a long, drawn-out kiss that should make her weak at the knees but instead gives her a pounding headache and makes her want to vomit because nonono this is all wrong. He tastes like chocolate when he should taste like vanilla.
But she forces a smile on her face and traces a finger along his cheek, even though it feels weird and different and she still has that urge to crycrycry.
"I'm just so excited that we're finally married!" And she kisses him again, but a little voice – one that sounds so much like Logan's – whispers in her ear.
Liar.
She ignores it.