A/N—So I'm posting this mostly as a test to see if the site's fixed. If it works, YAY! If you haven't read the chapter I posted last weekend (which was basically the story of Kendall and Carlos meeting), please go back and do that before reading this one. It's been showing up on the site for three days in a row now, so that's a good sign. I hope everyone is still safe and well. As for me, I'm feeling hope for the first time in a long time. :)

Logan was ecstatic to hear the news of their date, if it could be called that. It was close enough in his eyes, anyway. He listened to Kendall gush most of the way home, excited for his friend. He only hoped that Kendall wouldn't change his mind and back out before Friday night could roll around.

So far, the "experiment" was working well. Now they'd just have to put it to the test once Kendall and Carlos began to seriously date.

Or should they? Maybe it would be best for James to stay away completely. The problem was that they'd tried that, repeatedly, and they couldn't seem to stop Kendall and James from running into each other. Inevitably, it would happen again, and James seemed confident that Kendall wouldn't risk hurting a boyfriend to chase a random stranger who was nevertheless "perfect."

James was heavy on Logan's brain by the time he dropped Kendall off. He knew how difficult this process was on James. He said goodnight to Kendall, turning down the offer to come upstairs by citing work as an excuse, and placed a call to James before pointing his car toward home.

James didn't answer the first call, or the second one five minutes later. Logan wondered if perhaps James was on a job, but he'd said he would be home this evening. He finally picked up on the third try, and it was immediately apparent that he wasn't in the best frame of mind. His greeting was gruff. "Yeah?"

"Hey. Am I bothering you?"

"No." Now he sounded positively sulky.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Was it a success with the waiter?"

"Yes. They're meeting up Friday night after Carlos gets off work."

"Swell."

It was anything but, by the tone of James' voice. Logan sighed, tired of this argument. "James, we agreed on this. You wanted him to find someone else and be happy."

"No, I never wanted it. It just needs to happen."

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Yes, James. Why? Why does he need to find someone else?"

"You know why."

"Tell me. Say it out loud."

He couldn't right away, but finally mumbled, "He's lonely."

"And?"

"And...he deserves to be happy with someone."

"And can that person be you?"

"No."

James was on the verge of losing it, Logan could tell. "So?"

"So...he needs to find someone else."

Logan nodded to himself as his car sped down the boulevard. "Carlos will be good for him, James. He and Kendall have a lot in common. They can go places together and do things out in the open, and I'm positive Jennifer and Katie will love him." Shallow breathing was his answer. "James—"

"Logan, I was thinking."

"Okay?"

"What harm can it do for me to have just one night with him? Before he gets serious with this guy?"

"Excuse me?"

"Or even more than one night. I mean, he just forgets me every time we give him the serum anyway. Why can't I have that, like once a week or something? We know he'll be receptive to me even if it's just a one-night stand. And then after, we can just slip him the—"

"James."

"—serum and he won't remember me, so what's the harm? He won't even know he's—"

"James."

"—cheating on this guy. He'll just go back to his life like nothing happened and—"

"James!"

James finally stopped talking.

Logan tried to be gentle. "James, you know we can't do that."

"But why not?"

"I won't take the risk of ruining his relationship with Carlos before it even gets started."

"He won't remember!"

"The serum isn't a toy you can play with whenever you feel like it! It's not designed for repetitive use!"

"But it's working fine with Kendall! There haven't been any side effects."

"I can't be sure of that."

"Wait, what? You said—"

"I didn't want to worry you. I'm starting to think there might be memory loss outside of what was intended."

After a pause, James asked, "What the hell does that mean?"

"Look, I'm not sure. Don't panic."

"Of course I'm gonna panic! Are you telling me he's forgetting other stuff, too? Besides me?"

"I honestly don't know. There have a been a couple of moments when it seemed that maybe he forgot things unrelated to you, but—"

"Why the hell didn't you tell me this?! You swore to me that—"

"James, calm down! Stop yelling at me."

"Don't tell me to—"

"Listen, I'm not sure if he forgot them because in his mind they're tangled with memories of you. It's hard to say. There's nothing to panic about at this point, okay? He's fine. I just don't want to risk anything by giving him the serum if we don't have to. He was excited the whole way home and there's no reason to mess with things. He's happy right now."

"And what about me? I'm just supposed to stand by and watch him be happy with someone else?"

"That was the plan. Your plan."

James sniffed. "Yeah, well my plan sucks. I fucking hate it."

"I know. Do you love him enough to put him first? To focus on his needs rather than your own? I mean, that's why you did this. Because all that matters is him and his happiness. And his safety. Has that changed?"

"No."

"Okay. Then we're going with the plan. I won't tell you anything if that's what you want." Logan gave James time to get control of his emotions. "Is it?"

"He's happy?" James said softly. "Like...really happy?"

"Right now, yes. He's excited about Carlos."

James' breath hitched. Logan was sure tears weren't far behind. "Okay."

"James...have you considered dating again? Or...whatever it is you did with men before you met Kendall?" Silence. "James?"

"No."

"I think you should. It would help get your mind off Kendall."

"Actually, that's not true. Having sex with someone else just makes me miss him more. Every time. It's been that way since the night we met."

"You can't spend the rest of your life alone. You'll make yourself miserable."

"Let's just worry about him right now, okay? Once he's happy and...committed...maybe then I can let go."

"I had that thought myself. So let's focus on getting him a boyfriend. And not distracting him with your presence. I mean, imagine you do hook up with him and before I can get him more serum, he calls Carlos and cancels their plans because he 'met the guy of his dreams'? That would be a disaster."

"Not if I carried the serum with me. I could do it like before, right after sex. He wouldn't have time to cancel anything with the other guy."

"James...no. We're not doing that. Every time you're in his presence, he's one step closer to danger."

"I know, I know. I just...how do I stop missing him? Tell me that, Logan."

Logan hesitated.

"Logan?"

"Um. Well. Would you ever want to forget him?"

"What?"

"I'm just saying. We could make that happen. If the pain is too much."

"No."

"Okay, I just—"

"No. I don't ever want to forget what we had. Sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me going, knowing how beautiful it was and that someone as perfect as Kendall could love me." The tears had arrived. "When I feel like a piece of shit for lying to people and manipulating them, I remember that Kendall knew about it, knew what I was, and he loved me anyway. It makes me feel worthy as a person, like I'm not a monster if someone like him loved me enough to marry me. It's why I carry the ring with me everywhere. As a reminder that I am good and I am capable of doing good things in this world."

"James." Logan's heart sagged with the weight of everything James carried around on a daily basis and kept locked inside where no one could see. "You are good. The job you do has saved lives, it keeps more safe every day, and it's helped us accomplish things we couldn't have without you."

"I know. I wouldn't do it if that wasn't the case. I just wish I didn't have to lie so much and fool people to do it. I wish...I wish it hadn't cost me the one thing I love in this world."

James broke down then, the sobs reaching Logan through the phone. He made a u-turn to head back toward the freeway entrance he'd just passed. James didn't need to be alone tonight. "I'm on my way."

If James heard him, he didn't reply. Logan wasn't supposed to visit James at his apartment, it was part of the reason Logan didn't have to worry about being a target; James was always careful to make sure he wasn't followed to Logan's place. Logan wasn't quite sure how to do that, so he stayed away. Tonight, though, it was worth the risk because James needed a friend.

What James really needed was Kendall, but of course that wasn't possible. Logan would have to do.

The rest of the week seemed to drag by for Kendall, but finally Friday evening rolled around. His impatience was replaced by anxiety as ten o'clock crept closer. He hadn't been on a date since Taylor. What if Carlos was a seasoned veteran of the dating scene and found Kendall to be boring? Kendall had always prided himself on not trying to be something he wasn't; if someone didn't like what he had to offer, that was their problem—not his.

He reminded himself of that as he pulled the car to a stop in front of the restaurant. If he doesn't like you, it's his loss. Sure, he likes the way you look, but once you start talking, that might change. And if it does, oh well. You tried. At least it will get Logan off your back for a while.

The pep talk helped a little. He checked his hair in the car's mirror, then tested his breath. It passed. Deodorant was still doing its job nicely as well. He'd decided against cologne, as it wasn't something he used often and he wanted to go into this as natural as possible. He hated it when a guy dressed up and put on his best for the first date, only to show up to the second as a slob. Knowing Carlos would be wearing his work uniform, Kendall had dressed casually so as not to make him feel awkward—also because Kendall dressed casually as a rule.

He looked down at his clothing on the walk to the entrance. A simple pair of jeans and a tee under a flannel shirt. He probably looked like a slob, but his clothes were clean and he was comfortable. Hopefully Carlos would appreciate the relaxed look.

If not? It wasn't meant to be.

He bypassed the host station and went straight to the bar, taking a stool opposite the kitchen area but with a view of it. Carlos popped out of the door almost immediately to rush a tray of what appeared to be enchiladas to an occupied booth.

I should try the enchiladas next time. They're probably as good as the tacos and fajitas.

Of course, if this didn't go well, Kendall most likely wouldn't return to the restaurant. And that would suck, because the food was fantastic.

On Carlos' trek back, he caught Kendall's eye and smiled before holding up a finger to indicate he'd be there soon. Kendall nodded, more than happy to wait. It was a treat to watch the compact body in action as Carlos made his rounds over the next ten minutes.

He'd made it through half of his beer when Carlos spoke from behind him. "Pardon me, sir, but is this seat taken?"

Kendall glanced back over his shoulder with a smirk. "It is not. Feel free to sit and keep me company. In fact, why don't I buy you a drink? You look like you've had a long night."

Carlos grinned as he slid onto the stool. "Friday nights are always hectic in here. But it's cool, I just kept thinking about the hot guy who would be waiting for me when I got off."

"Oh? Should I leave? I wouldn't want him to think there's something going on between us."

"Nah, stay and hang out until he shows up. I might decide I like you better," Carlos winked.

They both laughed at the joke. Carlos ordered a beer for himself, then turned to Kendall. "I'm Carlos, by the way."

"Are you? I wasn't aware of that," he teased. "Hi. I'm Kendall."

"Nice to meet you." Carlos shook his hand as if they'd never spoken before this evening. "I haven't heard that one before. Kendall, I mean."

"Ah. Yeah, I think my parents were at a loss for another K name. That's the tradition in my dad's family—every kid gets a name beginning with K."

"Really?"

"Yep. I have a sister named Katie. There are plenty of girl names out there with a K, but I think by the time I was born, all the good boy names were taken by uncles and cousins."

"Kendall's not so bad," Carlos shrugged. "I think it fits you. Thanks," he said to the bartender who set down his beer. He downed a few swallows and asked, "What are you gonna name your kids?"

"I haven't decided on that yet. I mean, if it's a girl, it's easy. I've got tons of choices. A boy...like I said, they're all taken."

Carlos nodded. "I don't have that problem in my family. My dad, grandpa, and great-grandpa all have the same name as me. That's our tradition."

"Well, that's easy," Kendall chuckled. "But doesn't it get confusing?"

"Sometimes, when we're all together. My gran will call out 'Carlos!' and we all come running."

"Are they all still alive? Even your great-grandpa?"

"Yeah, I don't know how. The guy can barely walk. And he drools sometimes. But he also smiles a lot, so...it can't be all bad, right? Getting old?"

"Hopefully we get the chance to find out."

"Amen to that. Hey, are you hungry? Can I buy you a late dinner?"

"Thanks, but I ate earlier. I'm sorry, I couldn't wait."

"It's cool. Do you mind if I order something, though?"

"Of course not. We're just two dudes hanging out at the bar, right? Who happen to be sitting next to each other?"

"Right," Carlos snickered. "I haven't eaten since lunch and I'm starving. But...since we are sitting next to each other, why not tell me a little about yourself? So I can compare you to the hot guy I'm waiting for."

Kendall laughed. Carlos definitely had a great sense of humor going for him. "Okay, well...there's not a lot to learn about me." He waited for Carlos to finish putting in an order of food to continue. "I'm pretty boring. I don't do much outside of work, which is at a high school. I coach the hockey team and help out a little with football, and teach P.E. classes."

"P.E.? Man, if I'd had a P.E. teacher who looks like you, I wouldn't have minded running laps every day."

Kendall blushed, unused to outright compliments about his looks. "Well, thank you, but you wouldn't have gotten anywhere. I don't look at my students as anything other than that."

"Smart. But come on, you can't tell me you don't have girls throwing themselves at you."

"I don't coach the girls."

"Guys, then. You're pretty young, I'm sure there have been uncomfortable situations you had to...discourage."

"A few," Kendall admitted. "They all think I'm younger than I am."

"Ah, that question every guy on a date hates to hear."

"Good thing we're not on a date then, right?" Kendall smiled. "I'm twenty-nine."

"Yeah, you look really good for twenty-nine, dude." Carlos waited for Kendall's blush to dissipate and said, "I'm thirty. Really feeling that push to settle down and start a family, you know? Mostly from my mom."

"Dude, right? What is it with moms? 'Kendall, you're almost thirty. When are you going to find a nice boy to settle down with?'"

"Ha, that sounds just like my mom. Has she tried to fix you up with your best friend yet?"

"Oh my god!" Kendall laughed. "Yes! 'What about Logan? He's handsome and smart, and he cares about you. You two should try dating.'"

"Logan's the guy you were here with? For dinner?"

"Oh. Yes. We've been friends for...gosh, how long has it been now? Five years? I think?"

"Yeah? How did you guys meet?"

"We uh...um..." Kendall frowned, trying to recall their first meeting. "I think...wow. How did we meet?"

"You don't remember?"

"I...I feel like it was...a dinner. I know we had dinner together. At my apartment. Maybe...wait, no. Hold on, how did we meet?"

Carlos nudged him. "Watch out, that happens more and more once you turn thirty."

"I can't believe I don't remember! I want to say we were introduced by someone, but for the life of me I can't remember who. That's crazy."

"I'm telling you, the memory is the first thing to go."

"What about your best friend?"

"Oh, that's Tommy. He works here, too. Actually, he's the guy who served you and Logan the first night you came here. At least I think it was your first night; I hadn't seen you before."

"I remember that night. You were checking me out."

"What?" Carlos attempted to laugh off the notion for all of three seconds. "Okay, guilty. I followed you into the bathroom and tried to get your attention. You didn't even notice."

"Sorry, I'm horrible with that sort of thing. I'm usually oblivious when a guy is flirting with me."

"You knew it when I did the other night."

"That's because I wanted you to flirt with me."

"Oh?" The air changed between them, an electricity traveling unseen but felt by both. "Do you want me to flirt with you now?"

Kendall licked his lips. "What if that hot guy shows up and catches you?"

"Too bad. I decided I like you better."

Well. Okay. Tonight was definitely not a failure. Kendall could read Carlos and knew what he wanted.

The question is, do I?

There wasn't much debate before Kendall settled on an answer. Yes, he did want to kiss Carlos. Badly. He leaned in, body coming alive at the prospect of contact after so long without it. Carlos lifted his face. Their lips had barely grazed each other's when a yell rang out across the room.

"Yo, Carlos! You still here?"

Carlos jumped, causing their noses to bump together. "Sorry!" Carlos exclaimed. "Sorry, I'm so sorry!"

Kendall chuckled. "It's okay." He looked up to see Tommy making his way toward them. "I think your hot guy finally showed up."

"Oh please, we both know you're my hot guy. Tommy, what the hell? Could you have worse timing?"

Oblivious to what he'd interrupted, Tommy went on to discuss an upcoming shift swap with Carlos. Kendall tuned them out, still stuck on the "my hot guy" comment. It felt good to be possessed in that sense, for someone to think of him as "my" anything. How long had it been since he'd had an actual boyfriend?

Years. Probably...at least six years. Closer to seven maybe. Why had he gone so long without dating anyone? No wonder he was so lonely.

Hearing his name, Kendall shook off those thoughts and returned to the moment. Carlos was introducing him to Tommy. "And this is Tommy, my best friend that I told you about. Except when he interrupts a kiss with a guy I'm on a date with. Really, Tommy? You couldn't wait ten seconds?"

"Bro, sorry, I didn't know!" Tommy held out a hand. "Hey. Nice to meet you. I've seen you in here a few times. With other dudes."

"Oh, that was my friend Logan." Kendall shook hands and then let go of Tommy. "And...you probably saw me with Taylor, who was a date. My first in years and it didn't go well."

"Is that the guy who kept making puns? Like even while he was ordering, he had to make jokes. It was funny the first time. Then? Not so much."

"Exactly!" Kendall agreed. "Imagine an entire hour of that."

"Oh man, yeah, you made the right choice ditching him. Trust me, Carlos is a step up. He's annoying sometimes, but you'll never find a more loyal guy. I mean, he stayed with his last boyfriend way too long. I kept telling him he needed to break it off, but Carlos—"

"Okay, Tommy, that's enough, you can go now!"

Kendall was amused by Carlos' discomfort. "Thanks for the tip, Tommy. I'll keep that in mind."

"Yeah, and keep in mind that anyone who breaks his heart has me to answer to."

Carlos hopped off the stool and shoved Tommy away. "Oh my god, please go already! I'll cover you tomorrow, just go."

"Fine. But if this guy causes you any problems, Carlos, just say the word and I'll—"

"Shut up! Go away! Let me enjoy my dinner with a gorgeous man!"

While Carlos was reseating himself, Tommy did the whole "I'm watching you" thing with his fingers pointed at his eyes, then at Kendall. Kendall gave him a thumbs up. Once Tommy turned away, he said, "I like him."

"Seriously? You like Tommy? He's an ass!"

"But he cares about you. That's the mark of a good friend."

"I guess. Logan cares about you, too."

"Yeah, I suppose he does. I'm surprised you could tell that just from serving us dinner."

Carlos choked on the first bite of food he shoveled into his mouth.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Good. Want some of this?"

Kendall looked at the plate overflowing with beans, rice, and enchiladas. "I was actually thinking earlier I should try the enchiladas."

"Here, take a bite. I love meat, but enchiladas are better with just cheese. Try it."

He chewed when Carlos shoved a forkful into his mouth. "Oh man, this is heaven."

"Right? Let me get you a fork, we can share."

He hadn't been hungry before, but Kendall accepted the offer and ended up eating half the meal while he and Carlos got to know each other better. It turned out that outside of work, Carlos spent much of his time with his family. He enjoyed video games. He liked to attend sporting events. Loved going to the movies. All were things Kendall was partial to as well, and by the time they'd finished two beers each, he knew he wanted to see Carlos again.

Luckily, Carlos seemed to be on the same page. They said goodnight in front of the entrance, Kendall going in for a kiss again. This time, he made contact. Carlos kissed him so long he ran out of breath and had to break it off, and in that moment there was no question about the next step—he wanted to take Carlos home with him.

Because of that, he didn't. Kendall wasn't looking for a one-time thing. Carlos was someone he'd like to keep around, and so he decided that it would be best to take things slow. He did allow himself to share a second kiss with Carlos, who made it clear with roaming hands that his thoughts were going the same direction—he wanted to see where they could take this.

"Hey," Kendall whispered, breaking the kiss. He kept his arms wrapped around Carlos' shoulders so that their bodies were pressed together. "I think...no, I know...I want to do this again."

"Yeah. Again would be good."

Kendall nodded. "I really want to take you home right now."

"Uh huh. That would be good, too."

A chuckle escaped Kendall's throat. He rested his forehead against Carlos'. "I'm not going to. I don't want to rush this. I want to take my time with you."

"What if the world ends tomorrow? It could happen, you know."

"It could. I'm gonna take my chances, though." Kendall backed up so that he could look into Carlos' eyes. "You're worth doing this right. Let's start with a real date. See how that goes. Let's...I don't know. Ice skating? Batting cages? Miniature golf? Bumper cars? Arcade? Is any of that appealing to you?"

"Kendall, keep talking like that and I'm gonna cream my pants right here in front of the restaurant."

Kendall laughed hard, and it felt good. It felt so good to laugh, to be carefree and excited about life. "Then I know the perfect place to take you. We can do it all. Then we can stuff our faces with pizza and cotton candy."

"Oh my god, you are the perfect man. You know that, right? Like if I wrote a letter to Santa and asked for the perfect boyfriend, listed all the requirements, he would leave you wrapped in a bow under my tree. Naked."

Another laugh exploded out of Kendall. "We'll get there. I'm...pretty damn sure it'll be soon. But for now, I think we should just spend some time getting to know each other. I know you have to work for Tommy tomorrow, but are you free Sunday?"

"I can be. He owes me. I'll make it happen."

"Are you sure? We can just do dinner or a movie during the week if that's easier for you."

"No way, you just offered me an entire day of fun. No taking that back. You still have my number?"

"I do."

"Text me. I'll buy breakfast Sunday morning, then you can spend the rest of the day spoiling me."

Kendall grinned. "I can get on board with that." He leaned down for one more kiss, this one soft. "See you Sunday."

"Can't wait."

Kendall couldn't either, which surprised him. After all of the struggles he'd gone through just to find someone, dating no longer seemed like a chore. He called Logan on the drive home and thanked his best friend for pressuring him into taking a chance with Carlos.

He was grateful to have a friend who cared so much about him. Without Logan, he would still be alone.