Disclaimer: I own nothing.
AN: I'm usually better at updating but for some reason this chapter has been very elusive. I'm not even sure if I should have posted this at all. I initially started out with their night out to town but then decided against it (I still have it maybe I'll post it as an interlude or something, I'm not sure yet). Anyway, here's the next chapter, I'm trying to establish something here, although I am completely unaware as to what it is. But for now, hope you enjoy the update.
First Impressions
Chapter 3
Jess Mariano cannot help but smirk when he heard the knock.
He was rereading his copy of Nick Hornby's 'A Long Way Down'. He has been expecting this to happen. He was actually surprised that it took this long for her to come and try to talk to him.
It has been two weeks since he, Addy, Logan and Veronica went to the movies.
They drove to downtown Neptune and watched 'Young Adam' at a particularly smarmy theater, well only on the outside, the inside was actually well-kept. The movie was rated NC-17 and involved a Ewan McGregor full frontal.
It was a particularly hard movie to watch because of the onscreen action and the fact that he was sitting right next to Veronica. Once they finished the movie it was concluded that it was porn with an actual plot.
The dinner afterwards was unexpected since they dined in Logan's new beach house; although he had no idea it was his until Addy told him so. So there was the requisite public display of affection between Logan and Addy until Veronica managed to get the two of them away from it all when she suggested that they take a walk.
From there Jess garnered the courage to ask the blonde out on a date. And they have been seeing each other for the last two weeks. Everyday.
So he's been expecting the Spanish inquisition the moment he told Addy about his plans for his and Veronica's first date.
"Jess I know you're in there." He could hear Addy from behind his door.
His smirk widened at her words and put his book down, waiting on how long it'll take before she just barged in without his permission. He looked at the clock beside his bed and he still had four hours before he had to see Veronica.
"And no I'm not going to barge into your room, even though this is my house. I'm not ten anymore so try to be as adult as I am and just give me permission to barge in." Addy stated in a matter of fact tone, completely reading his mind.
Jess got up from the bed and opened the door for his best friend with such flourish. Addy entered the room and made a show of looking around. She sat down at the edge of the bed and picked up his book.
"You're reading this. For the second time I suppose." She looked at him expectantly.
He merely shrugged in reply.
"I don't get why you would reread this. It's not as good as 'High Fidelity'."
Jess crossed his arms across his chest and shot her a no-nonsense look. She assumed the same stance and took his challenge.
"Spit it out Adriana." He rolled her eyes at her and lost their staring match.
"So how long are you planning on staying here?" Addy asked as she flipped through the pages of the book.
"I'll start looking for my own place tomorrow." Jess flopped down next to her.
"I meant here in Neptune. You're welcome here as long as you like." She retorted as she hit his chest with his own book.
Jess rubbed the spot where she hit him and frowned at her. "I'm trying to set up a business here Addy, so I'm thinking more along the lines of a long term stay, and you know how much I love mooching off of you."
Addy rolled her eyes at his words and kept quiet.
"I told you to spit it out already and we both know you're not here to ask me how long I'll be staying here." He gave her a pointed look.
"You and Veronica." She replied sullenly.
"What about me and Veronica?" he was being purposely obtuse.
"You two have been going out for the last two weeks. Everyday, might I add. You two skipped the 'talking' stage and went straight to dating."
"What's wrong with that?"
"Do I really need to say it? The R word Jess."
"There are a lot of words in the English language that begin with the letter R." he glared at her impatiently.
"Rory, Jess. I know I never met her but you've been running after her for the last five years of your life. Am I supposed to believe that you, my best friend in the whole world, who has the propensity to carry a torch for someone indefinitely, just decided that he is over the supposed love of his life?" Addy gave him a disbelieving look.
"I never said she was the love of my life!" He protested.
"Oh come on! You waxed poetic about her when you first met her. And whenever I got the chance to talk to you, you either rambled about her infinite qualities or complained endlessly about her treatment of you."
"Shut up." He knew he was close to pouting but that's the trouble with having best friends, they tend to know you better than you know yourself.
"All I'm saying is that you shouldn't pursue anything with Veronica just because you are trying to get over her."
Jess was quiet; he could tell that she had more to say.
"And I don't want you getting hurt." She placed her hand on his arm comfortingly.
"You think Veronica is going to hurt me?" he gave her a skeptical look.
"For the first time in my life I get the ringside view of you developing feelings for someone. And I can feel that you are on the verge of falling. You may not know it yet, you may be trying to discount it as physical attraction, but I know you Jess Mariano, you are giving Veronica a part of yourself, something you rarely do in such short a time."
"I did it with you." He looked at her pointedly.
"Well that's different. I'm more of a sister type." She shrugged.
"Look, if it'll make you feel any better, I won't propose marriage to her until the fifth week that I've known her." Jess put his arm around her shoulder companionably.
"Jess!"
"Addy!"
"I'm serious. Veronica is basically the anti-thesis of Rory Gilmore. First off, she is blonde, while Rory is a brunette. She is also way shorter than Rory. Then there is the innocence that is severely lacking in Veronica, which you said is in abundance in Rory."
"Enough!"
"Don't take that tone with me." She looked at him crossly.
"Can we, just for once, not over analyze my whatever with Veronica? I like her Addy and I haven't really liked anyone for a long while now. I know you're concerned for my well-being but I can take care of myself. And by the way, Veronica isn't short she is petite."
"You know I'm only trying to look out for you. And I know that your whatever with Veronica is on the way to becoming very real. I just…I don't want you getting hurt again. Not after what happened with Rory." She murmured quietly.
"I appreciate it, really I do. But you can't protect me Addy, much like I can't protect you from everything. But you're here and I'm glad I'm here too. And this thing between me and Veronica…all I know is I like her. Not because she doesn't remind me of Rory, but because she is Veronica."
"Okay." She replied, sounding very much like the nineteen year old that she was.
"Okay." Jess bumped his shoulder against hers.
She smiled at him in return, "So where are you taking Veronica tonight?"
Veronica was still in her robe as she answered the door.
"You are an hour early." She stated as she opened the door, expecting Jess to be behind it.
"I didn't know we had plans." Logan replied with a smirk on his face.
She frowned at him and was about to slam the door to his face.
"That's not very nice." Logan wagged his finger at her with one hand as the other effectively stopped the door from being slammed on his face.
"What do you want Logan? As you can see I'm getting ready for my date with Jess." She rolled her eyes as she gave up trying to keep him out of the apartment.
Logan followed her into her room, with complete disregard of her privacy.
"Can't I just pop in for a visit, my good friend?" he rolled his eyes at her as he fell onto her bed.
Veronica was a little too preoccupied with searching for the right clothes to wear for her date that Logan went unnoticed for five minutes.
"Really, have you no manners? Here I am in your presence and I am ignored, for shame, Veronica Mars, for shame." Logan shook his head with such disappointment.
"Listen Logan, I don't have time for you right now, I'm in the middle of preparing for a date. Something you don't have to do since you're a guy and for some unknown reason you already have a girlfriend. So would just leave me in peace." she nodded in the direction of the door.
Logan pointedly ignored her and looked at the dress that she was holding. "Fancy."
She was holding a purple strapless dress that ended mid-thigh, a black sash on the waist completed the look, simple yet very elegant. "Thank you." She muttered darkly as her order went ignored.
"I have it on good authority that Jess likes earthy tones, just throwing it out there." Logan smirked at her expression.
For a second Veronica thought about putting the dress back in the closet but then decided against it since Logan was looking particularly superior. She threw the dress on the bed and tried to manhandle Logan out of her room so she could change.
"It's not like I haven't seen the goods before." Logan pretended to struggle against her efforts but eventually found himself on the other side of the door.
"Your rights to seeing the goods have been forever revoked asshat!" Veronica retorted loudly so he could hear her through the door.
"Aw, shucks." He retorted sarcastically as she opened the door, already wearing the dress.
"So what exactly compelled you to harass me right before my date with Jess? She demanded as she started putting on her make-up.
At her words Logan seemed to have remembered the purpose of his visit and his expression became serious.
"You and Jess have been going out for two weeks straight. It's weird."
"Why?" she shot him an exasperated look as she applied some lip gloss.
"Because it is. It's not normal to be so willing to date a guy you barely know." Logan countered stubbornly.
"The entire point of dating is to get to know each other. Besides he's best friends with your girlfriend." She pointed out.
"Still, I know more about him than you do Ronnie."
"Are you saying you want to date him?" Veronica chuckled at her own joke as Logan frowned at her. "Is this the part where you warn me about his deviant ways?" she cast him a skeptical look at his reaction.
"I'm not saying he's a deviant. All I know is that he spent the last five years of his life pining for a girl from Connecticut. Five years Veronica, now all of a sudden he is all over you. I find it odd, don't you?"
Veronica rolled her eyes at him as she checked her make-up one final time and then slipped on her high heels; she was ready for her night out with Jess. Now if only Logan would disappear and her night would be just peachy.
"All I'm saying Veronica is that you be careful. Don't lose your heart to Jess, not yet anyway."
Her eyes narrowed at his words, "Is it really concern marring that face of yours Logan?"
"Veronica, Jess has been in love with this Rory girl since he was seventeen, and now he is what? Twenty-three? I'm just saying that relationships like that don't just disappear overnight." Logan crossed his arms across his chest defensively.
"Look thanks for the warning and for the concern. But Jess is nothing I can't handle."
"I know that. You're Veronica Mars, intrepid girl detective, but that doesn't mean you are impervious to broken hearts. After all…" he trailed off and looked at everything but her.
Veronica rolled her eyes, "I have had my heart broken before Logan, and not only by you. I got over those and it's not like I'm packing my bags and running off to Vegas with the guy. We're just dating."
"Fine. See if I show concern for your well-being after this ungrateful reception." Logan replied petulantly.
"Listen, I am grateful that you still worry about me, despite our history. But I am fully capable of taking care of myself. And if Jess does hurt me, I know how to get rid of the body." Veronica grinned at him.
"As long as I get to pick the place to bury him we're okay." He winked at her. Veronica laughed at his reply.
"The thing is Logan, I really like Jess." Veronica uttered softly when their laughter died down.
Logan looked pensive at her words. "I suppose he is an okay guy."
"But…"
"But five years Veronica, not something you joke about."
"You're right." She admitted quietly.
"Say what now?" Logan looked surprised and he grinned widely at her words.
Veronica rolled her eyes; trust Logan to harp on the words declaring that he was right. "I said you're right, and it is not the sign of the apocalypse. But I'm not going to stop seeing Jess just because of his history. I'm having fun with him. I'm not expecting him to be the love of my life."
"Good." Logan nodded approvingly.
Veronica started laughing at his obvious display of wisdom. Logan frowned at her but ended up laughing as well, "Still the offer to find the place to bury him stands." Veronica laughed even harder at his words.
At that moment a knock on the door interrupted them. Veronica opened it once again and this time she was right to expect it to be Jess.
"Hi." She smiled in greeting.
"Hi."
"Okay, that's my cue. Broody McJackass, see you around." Logan squeezed through Jess and waved at Veronica.
"OPJ." Jess replied absently as he stared at Veronica. "You look gorgeous."
Veronica blushed at his words and her gaze landed on the bouquet of irises he was holding.
"Oh, this is for you." Jess noticed her staring at the flowers and handed it to her.
"Thank you." She murmured as she took them.
"So are you ready to go?" he asked her after she placed the flowers in water.
Veronica pushed out all the doubts that Logan placed in her head and answered, "Yes."
AN2: Thanks for reading.