(Hinder - Lips of an Angel)

"Lost?" Logan growled furiously as Veronica walked out onto the balcony of the Neptune Grand Hotel that morning. She'd spent the night with Duncan again, now garbed in one of the oversized white Neptune Grand dressing gowns. Her blond hair was ruffled, and she was nursing a cup of coffee like it was precious cargo. The post-sex glow in her cheeks.

Surely she should be anywhere but here…

Swallowing hard against the lump in his throat, he downed half the bitter liquid in his cup, scalding to choke down words he might otherwise regret. They were keeping up this little farce of politeness for Duncan's sake. He'd spent the last 4 months wanting to see her like this… But whenever his feverish imagination had conjured it up… it had been his bed he'd imagined she'd spent the night in.

Not Duncan's.

Bitch…

"Nope…" she quipped, her blue eyes avoiding his glare as she picked up a round of toast from the breakfast tray that Duncan had ordered from room service before he'd gone for his shower. He had expected the pain of finding out the two of them had been sleeping together to have lessened over time, if anything, the longer it went on, the more it hurt.

Narrowing his eyes as the petite blond she settled down in her chair with the toast and buttered it, intent on ignoring him as he stood drinking his own coffee, so much for enjoying the morning sunshine, the Apartment was too warm the last few days, a heat wave had swept over most of Neptune and the breeze from the balcony was the only thing keeping him cool.

This wasn't fair.

The rest of Planet Earth revolved around the Sun… while his entire Universe orbited around Veronica Mars.

Aaron Echolls had murdered his son's sweetheart. He had almost murdered Veronica… and it had forever wedged a void between Logan and the two individuals who he cared for more than anything in the world. Duncan was like his brother… and Veronica… was the young woman that had solved Lilly Kane's murder case and revealed the truth about his dad, even at the risk of her own life.

Lilly's death had been the crucible that had changed them all. Binding them together in this fucked up situation that had more in common with a Greek tragedy.

Veronica, was the only person left breathing who he loved… was in the arms of another man.

His Best Friends arms.

It didn't even seem to matter to them. Both were determined to continue this torment regardless of how wrong their relationship was. They were in love with the notion of each other and it would only make them more miserable as time went on.

Why couldn't she leave?

Veronica's father, Keith Mars, Private Investigator was away in Arizona for a few days on his book tour and he was trapped watching as she took advantage of the parental absence to spend some premarital relations with her boyfriend.

Kill me now… Logan thought as he watched Duncan emerge from his bedroom with a happy grin on his face. Watching the happiness on his friends face brought back that Marge Sherwood line from The Talented Mr Ripley and how it described Veronica perfectly.

"The thing with Veronica... it's like the sun shines on you, and it's glorious. And then she forgets you and it's very, very cold… When you have her attention, you feel like you're the only person in the world, that's why everybody loves her so much"

It was excruciating to be so close to that light… but be left out in the dark.

But she only had eyes for Duncan… and he was powerless now to do anything but watch.

He cared about them both, which made this so much harder.

"Morning Handsome" she smiled as Duncan kissed her on the cheek and took the seat next to hers, and Logan had to grip the railing behind him to stop from launching himself over the table to wrench them apart. A muscle working furiously in his jaw as he took a sustaining breath, forcing his posture to relax, giving his roommate a tight smile, mentally cursing whatever deity had decided that Veronica Mars should be his own personal Hell on Earth.

No he still wasn't over her… and any fool could see that.

Maybe now would be a good time to look up one of those advice Columns… how to deal when your best friend dates your ex?

All that being said, Logan didn't have to be cool with it. He should not have to be obligated to hide his feelings, because they didn't.

She didn't when she'd woken him with the sounds of her climaxing in the room just feet from his bed in the early hours of this morning. Wasn't it bad enough that the cushions on the couch still smelled of her perfume after she left?

Duncan thought it was fine he was hooking up the girl who remorselessly tossed his best friend's heart into a meat grinder. He'd dated Veronica first… so technically, Logan had been the one dating His Ex… and had suggested this living situation probably genuinely believing this might not be an issue. Though on the scale of ambivalent to legitimately livid… Logan was Livid.

In the initial weeks of the start of school, he'd investigated the prospect of trailing each of their names through the mud and tarnishing their reputations or trying some diabolical meddling to ensure their relationship's speedy demise… but he hadn't been able to do it.

It had been four weeks since the day he'd told Veronica that he was in love with her that she'd gotten back together with Duncan.

Sometimes the best policy was feigning forgiveness but never forgetting.

Rather than giving her a chance to feel smug, he was determined not to give her a reaction, so he gave her his best I-don't-need-you poker face. he wanted to scream at her but giving in would only make him look like a hard-on harboring jackass still in love with her. No doubt that outburst would be a pathetic mix of expletives, death threats, unbecoming wining, and angry accusations about "forgetting the beauty of what we had."

So he resisted the urge, no way would he give her the satisfaction of knowing he struggled unable to keep his wounded pride in check.

He'd already made that mistake and allowed his jealousy to get the better of him a few weeks ago when he'd fought with Duncan at school. It had only sent Veronica rushing into Duncan's arms, not that he really thought it would have made any difference.. but she hadn't even cared enough to rage on him for it.

In the back of his mind, he knew he'd always be circling her like a starved hyena, waiting for Duncan to walk away so he could have an opportunity to beg for another chance. That 'I Wuv You Beary Much' teddy bear was still in his glove box.

God he was pathetic…

He couldn't claim ownership over her like she's a cashmere sweater… but he was irrevocably hers.

She just didn't want him.

"You want a ride to school man?" Duncan offered as he picked up a piece of bacon, his arm draped over the back of Veronica's chair, and Logan scolded himself for the possessive anger that wanted to shove his breakfast down his throat. His body still ached for her; he still craved to be the one to kiss those lips, to be the one to light up that flirtatious sparkle in her eye. Her thumb stilled as she wiped ketchup from Duncan's chin gave a quick horrified in his direction expression, as if the thought of being enclosed in yet another confined space with him was a fate worse than death.

"I'm skipping today" Logan declared as he left his half-empty coffee cup on the breakfast trolley. The taste was too bitter now in his mouth for him to enjoy, he'd grab something from Starbucks after his surf.

Even more nauseating quality time with Neptune High's golden couple? No thanks, I'll pass…

He needed to clear his head.

"Again?" Duncan asked, frowning in exasperation, probably not relishing having to be his emissary.

"Tasty waves man…" Logan joked nonchalantly and walked back into his bedroom.

What did accused murderers need with book learning?

He glanced back at Veronica's face as she frowned in disapproval. His academic disregard bothered her it seemed.

Interesting…