A/N—Hey all! A short chapter here, and the next one will pick up where this one leaves off. Hope everyone's safe. Thank you for reading. :)

For the second consecutive evening, Logan left work on time—this time to meet up with Carlos instead of Kendall, who would be having dinner at the Knight home and therefore out of the way. Kendall had mentioned that Tuesday would be one of Carlos' long shifts, which meant he'd have to get a lunch break at some point around seven. Just to be safe, Logan went straight to the restaurant after work and arrived at 6:25. He could kill time at the bar with an iced tea and a basket of tortilla chips until Carlos became available.

He didn't quite make it to the bar, because halfway there he caught sight of something that caused his blood to boil. Carlos was currently taking an order from the one man who should never be here, who had in fact sworn not to come back. Logan waited for Carlos to move away before sliding into the booth across from James, who froze with a chip halfway to his mouth.

"Yeah, you'd better be scared. What the hell are you doing here?!" Logan hissed.

"Shit."

"Are you serious right now? You know you're not supposed to be here! What if Kendall shows up?"

James tossed the chip into his mouth and crunched while answering. "He won't tonight. It's his mom's birthday. I knew he'd be there."

Leave it to James to remember that; Logan had to admit, James had always possessed a sound memory. "That doesn't mean he won't stop by afterward. Why are you here?"

James looked away.

"Here you are, sir." Carlos smiled as he approached the table and set down a margarita. "I'm sorry, I thought you were dining alone. What can I—Logan?!"

Caught, Logan sighed. How in the hell was he to explain this? "Hey."

"I...hey. Hey! Is this a date? Are you guys—wait, I'm sorry, it's not my business. I'm just your waiter tonight. What can I get you, sir? Are you staying for dinner?"

In spite of the professional tone, Logan wasn't fooled; Carlos was dying from excitement at the prospect of Logan on an actual date. "I was hoping to meet with you on your lunch break this evening. What time might that be?"

"Me? Uh...I think I'm scheduled for seven tonight. But you shouldn't worry about me, not when you could be having dinner with..."

Before Logan could say anything, James volunteered, "Oh, it's not a date. We're just co-workers."

Shit. Shit shit shit. Logan knew what was coming next, and sure enough Carlos grinned. "Are you James?"

Fuck.

Shocked, it took James a second to come up with a reply. "Uh...yeah. Hi."

"Hey! Logan's mentioned you before, it's so nice to meet you! I'm Carlos, I'm dating his best friend Kendall! We should all go out sometime, as a group!"

One look at James' face told Logan that he was fighting to keep his emotions in check. Logan reminded Carlos, "This isn't a date. I just saw him sitting here and came over to say hello."

"Oh. Right." Carlos cleared his throat. "But James, if you're ever looking for someone to date, Logan's a great—"

"Carlos! That's enough!"

Carlos rolled his eyes. "Fine. Do you want anything?"

"I'll order something later. Please let me know when you're on break. We need to talk."

"Sure. James, I'll bring your tacos out soon. Have fun, guys." Carlos winked at Logan as he drifted away, then he turned back to point at James and fan himself from behind James' back. This time it was Logan who rolled his eyes.

"What's going on, Logan? How does he know my name? Please tell me Kendall doesn't remember anything."

"He doesn't. I made the mistake of mentioning you to Carlos once, as a co-worker, and next thing I know he's assuming we're sleeping together and he tells Kendall, who starts encouraging me to date you. Because apparently I'm 'lonely' and need to date."

"Well, I won't argue that. But you're saying Kendall knows about me?"

"Only that I work with a guy named James."

James frowned. "Why would Carlos assume we're sleeping together? What the hell did you say about me?"

"I said I'd hugged you. That's it. From that, they took it all the way to 'James must be special because Logan never hugs anyone.'"

"Again, true," James nodded. "You don't. You're like a cold fish with anyone except Kendall and me."

"Look, can we get back to the important questions? Like why are you here?"

James used his drink to buy time.

"James, answer me. I know you didn't choose this restaurant arbitrarily."

"Okay, fine. I had to know."

"Know what?"

"About him. I had to make sure he's worthy. He has to pass my test."

"Worthy of what? Kendall?"

"Duh."

"Oh my god," Logan mumbled. "Listen to me. Who Kendall dates and what he does is no longer your concern."

"And we both know I won't be able to let him go until I know he's taken care of by someone who loves him."

"Which I'm handling! You have to trust me!"

"It's hard! He means the world to me and I'm not going to allow just anyone to get close to him."

Logan was dumbfounded. "I can't believe we're having this conversation. They've had all of two dates, James. You can't judge his devotion to Kendall after two dates."

"No, but I can judge his character."

"From this? Him serving you dinner?"

"Not just me," James replied. "Everyone. I'm watching him with other diners and with his co-workers, getting a feel for him. I didn't give Kendall up just so he could be with an asshole."

"Carlos is not an asshole."

"I'll decide that for myself."

Logan wanted to scream. "Give me that." He reached for James' margarita and swallowed down a gulp. "You and Kendall make me want to start drinking. Carlos too, for that matter. All of you, you're going to give me gray hair by the time I'm thirty-one."

"Okay, that's enough," James stated as Logan went for a second gulp. He snatched back the glass. "Leave some for me, dickhead."

"You're the dickhead. You shouldn't be here."

"Well, I am. Deal with it."

They were glaring at each other when Carlos arrived with a plate of food for James. "Be careful, it's hot. Logan, are you sure I can't get you anything?"

Though Logan debated ordering something that would elevate his mood and help him stop thinking, he shook his head. "No. Just...hurry."

"I'll be ready in about twenty minutes."

"I'll meet you at the bar."

"Cool. James, did you need anything else?"

"Yeah, another margarita please. Since Logan drank half of mine."

Carlos smirked while raising a brow at Logan. "Did he? I'll get that right out to you."

"I'm going to kill you," Logan warned as Carlos practically pranced away in happiness. "Now he's going to tell Kendall we're sharing drinks, which is one more thing I never do with someone."

"Except us. You do it with us."

"As far as Kendall knows, I do it with no one else. I am never going to hear the end of it, James. What happens if Kendall insists we all get together, huh? What then?"

"Yeah, that's not happening. It's hard enough imagining him with someone else. I don't need to see it."

"You'll have to if those two are determined to 'fix' me."

"I'm not worried about it, you'll figure out a way to keep it from happening. Oh my god, these tacos are fucking bomb."

"Bomb? Did you just say bomb?"

James shrugged, unbothered by the judgment, and took a second bite. Logan tried to get them back on track. "So...James. You came here to check out Carlos. See what sort of person he is. Yes?"

"Uh huh."

"And?"

"And what?"

"Stop talking with your mouth full."

"Then stop asking questions while I'm eating."

Logan barely refrained from reaching for the margarita again. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, centering himself.

"Dude, these tacos are fantastic!"

Thinking James was talking to him, Logan opened his mouth for a scathing comment. It was Carlos who answered, though. "Right? I told you they're amazing!"

"Thanks for the rec, man."

When Logan opened his eyes, James had a second drink in front of him. Carlos was looking at him curiously. "You okay?"

"Fine."

A narrowed gaze met his, and he glanced at James before looking back at Logan. "You sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay. You know where to find me if you need anything."

Logan gave a curt nod. He waited for Carlos to move away and said to James, "Tell me what you think of Carlos. After you swallow that."

James finished the food currently in his mouth and wiped it with a napkin. "What do you want to know?"

"James, don't make this difficult. You came here to study him. What's your take?"

Reluctantly, James admitted, "I like him."

Logan nodded. "I told you he's a good guy."

"He was polite to me, but that's his job. I've seen how he is with others, but again—that's his job. So I don't put a lot of stock in that."

"Okay. What do you put stock in?"

"The fact that he hasn't hit on me is a good sign."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because I'm gorgeous. Do you have any idea how rare it is that I don't get hit on by servers and bartenders? It's why I'm so good at my job; I'm pleasing to the eyes."

Again Logan wanted to argue that and couldn't—James got results on the job.

"But more than that, I can tell he thinks I'm gorgeous. And he hasn't dropped even one flirty comment. But I mean, who would with Kendall waiting at home?"

"So you've decided he's loyal."

"And he's mature enough to be professional when he has to be. I can also tell that his co-workers like him, and that says a lot, too."

"They do," Logan agreed. "His best friend works here. The bartender likes him. I imagine everyone does."

"Yeah. He's got that kind of personality, it draws people in. He knows how to put people at ease."

Logan made a scoffing noise. "He also knows how to drive me crazy."

"Then he's awesome in my book," James teased with a grin. "But seriously, it's how he was with you just now that showed me he's worthy of Kendall."

"What? With me?"

"Yep. He could tell you were upset. He knew something had set you off, and assumed it was me. Did you see the way he looked at me while he was asking if you're okay?"

"No?"

"He's been great with me since the second I sat down. But as soon as he thought I'd done something to upset you, his entire attitude changed. He's ready to take me outside and kick my ass."

"James, you're imagining that. We're not even friends; he wouldn't jump to my defense like that even if you were treating me badly."

"Are you kidding me? You may not consider yourselves friends, but he does. It's obvious in the way he greeted you. The way he's trying so hard to set you up with someone."

"That's just Carlos. It's how he is, James. With everybody."

"Yeah, okay. If you don't believe me, watch this." Before Logan could figure out what James was talking about, he shifted to a snide tone. "I'm just saying, I think your idea is shit, Logan. It's never gonna work. Try to come up with something better next time."

Logan's jaw dropped in confusion until he realized Carlos was standing just behind him. "Is everything okay over here?"

Logan looked back at Carlos; he was glaring daggers at James. "Yeah, we're good. Just discussing work."

"Mm-hm. Well, I decided to take my break a little early. I'll be over there in a second, Logan." To James, he said, "Sir, Deanna will be taking over for me. Let her know if you require assistance." Gone was the smile and the politeness.

James looked like the cat that ate the canary—he'd proven his point to Logan and was smug about it. "Sure thing, bro. You have a great night. Thanks for everything."

Carlos spun on his heel and walked away. James barely held in a snort. "You were saying? Dude, that guy is so ready to rip my head off right now!"

Logan blushed, unsure why the idea made him squirm. "It's just because he's a gentleman. He'd probably come to anyone's defense."

"Right. Why is it so hard for you to believe that someone actually likes you?"

"It's because I'm Kendall's friend. That's all."

"Maybe, but he also seems to like you as a person. One more reason he gets my approval."

"Whatever. I need to go."

"Yeah, he's already sitting at the bar waiting for you. Glaring at me again. This is so funny."

"You know what's great about it? He'll stop trying to set us up." Logan scooted toward the edge of the booth. "Hey, before I go. You approve? He's good enough for Kendall?"

The amusement fled from James' face. There was pain in his eyes when he answered, "No. But nobody is. Not even me."

When his eyes started to water, Logan reached out to cover his hand. "He'll do, though?" he asked gently.

A broken sob escaped and James had to look away. "Yeah. He'll do."

"I really don't want to leave you."

James reached for a napkin. "Go. He's waiting for you. I'm fine."

He wasn't, but this wasn't something James would ever be okay with. Logan squeezed once and stood up, patting James' shoulder before heading to the bar.

Time to focus on making Kendall happy again.

"Are you okay?" Carlos wanted to know the second Logan slid onto the next stool. "I mean, really okay?"

"I really am, Carlos. I promise."

"Okay, because what he said is bullshit. I may not know your job, but I know you're smart and nobody should ever talk to you that way."

Touched, Logan couldn't fight a smile. "Thank you. We smoothed it over."

"Yeah, you got him back good."

"Pardon?"

"I saw his face right before you left. Whatever you said really upset him, so...good. He deserved it."

Guilt crashed down hard. "No, Carlos, I wasn't trying to get him back. He's upset about something personal."

"Oh. And even after he talked to you that way, you were still nice like that? I saw you hold his hand."

It was too complicated to even begin to explain. Feeling James' eyes on them, Logan suddenly asked, "Is there...somewhere else we could talk? It's loud in here and I could use some quiet after the day I've had."

"Oh, sure! I was just gonna eat my dinner during my last break, but if you don't mind I can grab it now and we can talk in my car? Or in yours, if you'd rather?"

Fearing that Carlos might be a messy eater, Logan suggested, "How about yours?"

"Cool, let me go grab it. Gran made my favorite today, so I brought leftovers! Don't move."

With a chuckle, Logan promised not to. He looked over at James once he was alone. His friend was rising from the table to dig out enough money to cover the meal, which he hadn't even had the heart to finish; the plate was still half-full. Logan could only imagine James' hurry to escape now was due to the knowledge that Kendall was officially with someone else. He'd heard it, but actually meeting Carlos and knowing it was okay to let go had hit hard. "I'm sorry," Logan mouthed across the room.

James' bottom lip trembled. Logan stood up, intending to go to him and accompany him home; Carlos could wait. James shook his head, reading the look in Logan's eyes, and waved a hand at him.

Stay, his expression said. I'm fine.

Logan sighed. He'd call James on the way home and offer to come by then. Most likely once he got there, James would collapse and let out all the emotions he kept inside. By the time Logan called, he would be ready for company—and probably cupcakes.

Carlos suddenly blocked his view of James, holding an insulated lunch sack. "Okay, I'm ready!"

Mentally shifting gears, Logan smiled at Carlos. "Lead the way."