"Can I ask you a question?" She jumps suddenly, almost as if she's shocked to see him, even though he's been on the opposite end of the couch for the better part of an hour.
"I'm not up for a fight, Logan." She responds weakly, closing her eyes as she rubs her temples.
"I'm not either." He responds, just a second too late and she can tell he's been looking at her. A stab of pain shoots low within her, but shivering, she pushes it away, pulling the blanket at her knees up around her and refusing to acknowledge his pain. She has enough to deal with as it is. Almost instinctively she knows when he's looked away, and sneaks a peak in his direction. He remains silent even though he can feel her eyes on him. It's a vicious cycle they have going, but neither seems to be able to look away.
"Fine, Logan. Ask away." He can hear the weariness in her tone, even though she's obviously trying to hide it and it makes him ache for her. Her eyes are closed when he turns to face her, and she's managed to burrow under the cover, creating a security blanket around herself. That of all things, doesn't surprise him. Veronica Mars as the Impenetrable Fortress of Solitude. He could see it now.
"You can only handle the silent treatment when you dish it out yourself, huh Mars?" He responds after another moment of just looking at her. His words are just a beat too off again, and inwardly he curses himself, but its so hard to look away from her. Especially when her guard is down. He can barely breath when she cracks open her eyes, and he sees the fire blazing within them.
"Alright, that's it. I'm going. Could you tell Duncan-" His fingers wrap around her forearm, and as she tries to pry them off with her other hand, he gazes up at her, an apologetic smile tilting his lips.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Okay?" She can tell that he's laughing at her, even though his lips haven't moved, and gazing down at him, something within her shifts. "Don't go." She nods, almost imperceptibly and sits back down on the couch, wrapping the comforter around her again, but even tighter this time.
"You never asked your question." She says in a soft voice, minutes later. An explosion comes from the television, and for the first time since she agreed to stay, her eyes focus on the picture on the screen. Thank God Die Hard is an easy movie to pick up on. I'd fail the written exam.
"It's not important." He responds, suddenly uneasy. He doesn't want to know the answer, he realizes. It's better off this way. The torture is certainly easier to take.
"If you say so." She responds petulantly. She can barely control herself from sticking her tongue out like a huffy child. To top it off, his reticence in responding makes her want to know even more, and she knows it'll drive her crazy if she doesn't find out soon. Damn Logan for making everything so complicated. What could he possibly want to know that he already doesn't? "Do you know when Duncan'll be back?" She asks purposely after a second, knowing the affect the D-word will have on him. His ears redden, and his eyes fasten onto Bruce Willis' flailing form. Finally, some emotion.
"He has League Meets, and he said he would be late. So uh, late." She laughs at his response, and it's the same bright, twinkley chime he hasn't heard since the beginning of the summer. His gut wrenches. He can't seem to get their time together out of his head, but she's obviously over it. Over it-she's dating Mr. Perfect now. She's so over it she's probably forgotten that it ever happened. Just for that he wants to kiss her, he even shifts a little for easier access, but even as he's calculating how to get her into his arms, he knows he won't. There are lines that even Logan Echolls won't cross, and this is one of them. And despite their differences, despite everything, despite the fact that he knows Duncan isn't at League Meets, it isn't worth it. He glances back at the picture of them again, balanced precariously over the television for the entire world to see. How young and carefree they were then. But they hadn't been. Not really-what with Lilly and the secrets in her eyes, his own father's drunken beatings and then…Veronica. Sweet and simple, constantly in Lilly's shadow...she'd been easy to look over then, but not now, with her shorter tougher hair and her-She's growing her hair out.
"Right. How could I forget? He's driving two hours out of his way to try and teach underprivileged kids how to play soccer. My boyfriend the humanitarian." Her voice breaks into his realizations, and he responds with the first thought that comes to mind.
"Sort of like my girlfriend the Action Figure." As his words sink in, she remembers the way he'd teasingly call her that over their summer together, and blushes to the roots of her hair. She should have known she couldn't handle being alone with him. It brings back too many buried memories.
"Are you ever gonna ask me that question, Logan?" As far as segues go, it isn't the smoothest, but she needed anything to get her mind off their past. She turns to look at him, noticing his eyes on the framed photograph of the four of them at Homecoming. Duncan's arms were loosely wrapped around her shoulders, and even though it wasn't visible in the shot, Logan's arm had grazed her back as well. And at the very edge of the photograph was the virtual dynamo herself, the one who'd gotten her into this whole mess to begin with.
"Do you-" He clears his throat and turns to look at her, his eyes impenetrable. "Do you really think it was better?"