A/n: If you thought the last chapter was fluffy, wait till you read this…
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11/11/20
Part Four:
Logan rolled out of the bedroom, freshly showered and changed, to find Max sitting on the kitchen counter, absorbed in a cookbook.
"My, you are getting domestic," he said, unable to hide a grin.
"Figured it was my turn, seeing as you're the one who usually has to do all the work," she said, smiling back at him. He looked better already, she thought. Freer, somehow, as if once he'd left the city he'd also lost some of the responsibility he carried. And damn if it didn't suit him.
"So you planning a Guavera Culinary Miracle?"
"Nope; it's already done. Sitting in the fridge ready for lunchtime. Although I wouldn't exactly call it a miracle."
"What is it?" He asked, moving towards the fridge to look.
"A picnic; I thought we'd go al fresco seeing as it's sunny. And there's a nice spot I noticed by the lake…"
"By the big willow? Yeah, we used to have picnics there all the time when I was a kid. We usually came up in summer, though…"
"It's fairly dry, she said. And it's not so cold today if you sit out of the shade. Put on a jacket and we should be fine."
"Sounds good. What're we gonna do in the meantime, then?"
"It's your birthday; you decide."
"Feel up for a walk round the lake a little way?"
"Sure," she said, hopping off the counter.
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Max had been right; the day was cool but clear, the crisp sunshine picking out the vivid colour in the falling leaves. The ground was relatively hard, too, so Logan had little difficulty manoeuvring his chair over the surface.
They walked in companionable silence for a while, before Logan spoke.
"It's beautiful up here at this time of year, isn't it?"
"Perfect," Max agreed, feeling the sun warm her face. "It's like the light's cleaner or something."
"It is," said Logan. "Doesn't have to travel through all the healthy Seattle smog before it gets to us."
"Sounds like you're getting used to the idea of spending the weekend up here," said Max slyly.
"I've always been open to persuasion," he said, glancing up at her with a wide grin.
Max couldn't help but stare. Out in the bright fall sunshine, his dimpled cheeks reddened by the cold breeze and exercise, Logan looked years younger than she'd ever seen him. The blonde highlights in his hair caught the light like a halo of gold and gleamed off his steel glasses. And his eyes… The always brilliant blue sparkled with electricity, glowing almost iridescent. In a word, he looked… breathtaking.
It took several seconds for her to realise she wasn't actually breathing and force herself to gulp air as she followed him.
Logan was breathing a little more than usual as he propelled his chair through the long, mostly dead grass. Out in the fresh air, free of the stares and pitying glances he always received in the crowded city, he felt energised, as he hadn't been in months. In the deserted countryside he could pretend the pulse had never happened; there was just him and Max beneath the unbroken blue sky.
Logan stopped, having reached the point he was making for. This had been one of his favourite haunts as a child; a flat platform, looking out over the wide blue lake. On days as clear as this, the sky could be clearly seen reflected in the surface. Closer to the edge, the lake appeared to be ringed with fire, from the reds and oranges of the dying leaves.
"Wow," said Max, quietly, gazing at the view with awe.
"Yeah," Logan agreed. He turned to say something else, but was silenced by what met his eyes. Max had always been beautiful to him, even pale and weak while she seized on his couch. But out here, with the sun turning her tanned skin golden and her dark hair into a chestnut mane, she went beyond beauty. The expression of awe on her perfect features gave her an innocence he'd rarely seen; he was reminded forcibly of how much she'd missed out on in her short, violent life. Her chocolate eyes shifted from the view to his face, seeing his serious expression.
"Logan?" She said, almost afraid of his response. Minutes ago he'd been so happy, and now the cares of the world seemed to have caught up with him.
"I'm sorry, Max," he said, with genuine remorse in his voice.
"Sorry for what?"
"For being an ass about this whole thing. It's the best gift anyone could have given me. Thank you."
Max bent down to hug him, relishing the feeling of his arms around her. "You're welcome," she said, softly.
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Even more fluff! And no cliffs at all! I'm so proud of myself.
(In case you were wondering, yes, I am the real sim-r, and no, I have not been replaced by a pod person.)