Unlike Duncan who'd stood and watched from a far, Leo reaches them with a small smile on his face - like he's sorry he's interrupting but also not sorry enough. "Hey, Veronica."

Her breath hitches and Logan frowns. He doesn't particularly like how airy her voice sounds in her greeting.

As soon as the words are out of her mouth, Logan puts forth, "Hey, I'm Logan. Veronica's boyfriend."

Leo nods, seemingly unsurprised after witnessing their kiss. "Nice to meet you. Deputy Leo D'Amato."

They shake hands and Veronica's mind is still reeling from the kiss and Logan's unprompted declaration of being her boyfriend.

Leo doesn't seem to notice that Veronica looks like she's cornered between two predators and wants to flee into a rabbit hole and live a life on carrots if that's what it takes to get out of this situation or if he does, he doesn't mention it. "Veronica, can I talk to you for a minute please?"

"Anything you say to Veronica, you can say in front of me," comes Logan's immediate defense.

She's surprised by his actions but appreciates the 'I've got your back' gesture. She's not sure why he says that but she appreciates the possibility of a third option (first being run away and live in a hole until this blows over, second being just talk to Leo and get it over with).

She touches Logan's arm, gently and reassuring. She hops off her bar stole and softly says that it's okay as she presses a light kiss against his cheek.

It's not so much a performance kiss as it is a thank you for trying to help me kiss. She doesn't know why he would want to her but she appreciates that gesture all the same.

"So the letter -"

"It was never supposed to get out," she says, in all finality. It's her immediate defense and it feels so repetitive coming out of her mouth. She kind of wishes she could gather them all up and give this speech to them together - except she kind of doesn't because that feels like that would be another nightmare come to life.

"I mean you were never supposed to read it," she continues to say, her confidence that she's sure she absorbed from Logan (because the guy wore confidence like a cologne) was fading. "It was all a long time ago and somehow it got sent out." He nods his head, understanding and gives her a soft smile.

"I kind of figured," he gestures to where Logan is sitting and eyeing them like he's waiting for a signal and is ready to pounce at any given second. "I just thought you might want it back," he hands her the note and she feels anxious for the seconds leading up to her hands reuniting with the letter. "It's very intimate."

"Thank you," she breaths out because once it's in her hands all she can feel is relief. "And I'm sorry about all this."

"It's fine, Veronica," he smiles in the way that makes worries fade away. "It's sweet, really," he teases a bit and for that God awful second she feels embarrassed like she was a kid that had a crush on her teacher except that wasn't how it felt when they hung out at the station - pizza and good conversation - she'd thought at the time that 'this is what dating feels like' except he'd gotten a girlfriend and she felt heartbroken.

She didn't know how she could expect anything else because she was fifteen and he was straight out of the Academy at nineteen.

She'd learned then that age wasn't just a number and the difference between nineteen and fifteen was bigger than just four.

"I'm glad you were able to find closure," he says with sincerity and his Hakuna Matata smile that dissolves all her embarrassment in one easy go. She smiles appreciatively and is reminded why she had the crush on him. "Thank you, Leo, really."

"Don't be a stranger, okay?" She gives him a nod and a smile and feels relief as he walks away. She wishes all boys were as easy to deal with but she supposes it's because Leo's an adult and he thinks Logan's her boyfriend.

Fake boyfriends sure are useful.

She turns around and heads back to Logan - who's pretending all he was doing was drinking his chocolate milkshake and reading the bold poster of food puns hanging on the wall.

"So, boyfriend, enjoying your milkshake?" She teases.

"Yup. It's everything a boy could want in a shake." His eyes fall to the envelope in her hand. "So how'd it go?"

"It felt good to get back my letter," she says, it's like a piece of her has come back home after a rebellious night of partying. "I just feel embarrassed that he's seen it."

"I don't think it's embarrassing," he says and he doesn't know how to articulate what he means to say except maybe he does. He wants to say that it's not embarrassing to have feelings for someone but he doesn't want to encourage her to pursue one of the guys (Duncan) she'd cared enough about to write them her a letter. Except maybe what he really means to say is that it's not embarrassing for you to have feelings for me.

He's convinced she'd tell him it's because he thinks everyone loves him like she'd so boldly stated in her letter and the words I don't want to date you, Logan Echolls - I don't actually like you - haunts his mind.

"Yeah because you've never had someone see something you didn't want them to," she points out self-righteously, even though she's feeling anything but self-righteous.

"Okay, point," he concedes. "So what are you gonna do about the other guys?"

"I don't know," she shrugs, she doesn't want to think about it or deal with it until she has to and Logan probing her like this isn't helping at all. "I'll tell them the truth, I guess."

They're silent for awhile and she's ready to leave now and he's offering to give her a ride home. She almost doesn't accept but then he's encouraging come on doesn't give her any time to decline.

The ride home is music fuelled and quick. She gives him a soft thank you and hurries out of the car - maybe if she's fast enough she can forget that this day happened.

"Hey," Logan says - he's out of his car and catching up to her on her front porch - "What if you didn't tell them the truth?"

She turns to him, confused and unfocused. "What?"

He's suddenly got this wave of determination and he believes that his idea is the solution to all of their problems. "What if they kept believing that you and I were dating?"

"What are you saying, Logan?" She asks him to clarify because it can't be what she thinks he's saying.

"I can be your fake boyfriend. I mean, it'd get them off your back, right? And Lilly was pissed when she found out that we kissed. If she thinks that you and I are together then she'll want to get back together."

She's ready to refuse, he knows it and so he says before he leaves, "Just think about it, okay?"

A/N Guys, I'm so amped that y'all like this so much, thank you! ^_^