She is acutely aware of someone standing above her. As she moves to stretch, she becomes distinctly aware of the fact that she's not wearing anything. And by the time she cracks open her eyes, she's ready to scream.
"Morning, Veronica." He's refusing to look at her in the eye, which she realizes as code for: Your Nipples Are Poking Out Of the VERY Thin Sheet That's Covering You. Please Do Something to Rectify That. So as discreetly as possible she drags over the pillow she'd been sleeping on and fluffs it a few times for effect. Not discreet enough, I guess;she notices, because as soon as the pillow is settled in her lap, his eyes are blinking up to hers. "Do you want some coffee?" He asks awkwardly, gesturing towards the steaming pot sitting pretty on the unfamiliar end table on his side of the room. Shaking her head, she gulps as she glances around the room, not recognizing any of it. And I would be where?
"No, thanks." She replies equally as awkwardly. She reaches up to do something with the nest her hair must be and her sheet slips down a little. She notices only because his cheeks are pink again. "I'd uh…the bathroom? Where is it?" He nods once, standing and turning his back to her, presumably so she can get off of the bed and into some sort of respectable position and not embarrass herself again.
"It's um, it's just right through this door," He gestures without looking at her. She's thankful for that, as she hasn't exactly got the toga thing down yet. Or at all really. "On the left."
"And my clothes? Do you know where those are?" She asks, and twinges as she tries to remember how she got here. The rest of that sentence being, so I can get out of this sheet, dress myself and never ever be able to look you in the eye again.
"I think-after you got sick, I think Logan put them in the washer. But I'm not too sure." Sick? I got sick? Sick, sick? "You were pretty wasted, V. I wasn't here when for all of it, but I bet Logan wouldn't have um…" He trails off again, his cheeks blushing furiously. "He wouldn't have taken them without a good reason." He turns, smiling tightly and looks directly at the space behind her left earlobe.
"I'm…sure he wouldn't either. You wouldn't know where he is, would you?" She asks, a flirty smile on her face until she realizes that flirting might not be the best course of action, considering her chosen attire for the moment.
"With your dad." He responds, and her face pales. Logan Echolls is with my father. My father. Who kicked him out of our apartment a month ago? In what universe might that be normal? Her confusion must show on her face, because bites his lip before blushing again. Oh god, Veronica. What did you do? "He figured that uh…well, that your dad might not love that you were out all night. So he and Dick…they came up with this story, and they-"
"Dick?" Her head throbs, the hangover finally fully settling in, and for the second time in as many minutes she tries to make sense of the situation. It doesn't seem to be working.
"Yeah," He's chuckling now, and even manages to look into her eyes for a second. "You kicked him pretty hard last night. That I was here for."
"I kicked Dick." It's more of a statement than a question, but her voice wavers a bit at the end, her eyes scrunched up for some sort of memory of the previous evening, but each time she thinks she's got something, it fades into the background.
"Yeah. It was awesome. He's totally got a scar that'll be around awhile." She nods uncomfortably, and he smiles back, amusement shining through his friendly brown eyes.
"So the bathroom?" She asks after a moment of absolute silence. They've never been alone before, and the realization seems to dawn on them at the exact, same moment. He blushes furiously and she wishes she was anywhere but here.
"Down the hallway." His voice is strangled as she passes him, and she blushes hot all over, noting that he's probably getting an eyeful. "And to the left. Second door." She nods as she hurries away, not even turning as she waves a hand goodbye. As she walks further into the hallway, the space feels somewhat more familiar, and as she gets to the internal balcony, she finally realizes where she is. The beach house. The place where she and Logan- She cuts herself off before she can finish her thought, but memories once so adeptly hidden start to flow to the surface, and her head is pounding so hard that she has to lean against the railing to keep from slumping to the floor.
"Now if I could wake up to that image everyday, I would definitely spend more time here." Startled, she tries in vain to tug the sheet down further on her legs, but gives up as she remembers that he's seen it all anyway.
"Do you want to explain to me why I woke up in the Casablancas' beach house with Beaver standing vigil or should I just assume its one of those non things that I keep having to forget when you're involved." For a confused, hung over girl the barb is sharp, and he winces even though he tries hard not to show it.
"This is what I get in thanks for saving your ass? Next time I'll let you finish that striptease. Bet you'll be really thankful in the morning." Her face pales considerably at his words, and he regrets them the second they come out of his mouth.
"S-striptease?" She manages, her eyes wide. His face is blank and expressionless, but his eyes are guarded and she knows that's a bad sign. "So I just randomly started taking off my clothes at the Casablancas' beach house. Great." She's talking more to herself than to him, and slumping against the rail, she leans her head against her hands resting them her knees. He tries not to gape at her tumbled beauty. "How did I get here?" She misses the look of sheer adoration on his face, and he hides it away before she can get a second glance. "I mean, I couldn't get here on my own. Every time I've been here, it was either with Duncan, or you or Lilly…one of you was driving. I couldn't have possibly gotten here by myself." His cheeks redden, and this time she doesn't miss it. "What? Oh god. Was I drunk before I got here? Did I come on to Dick? Is that why I kicked him? Because he tried to cop a feel-?" There's a greenish sheen to her skin now, and palm down, she presses her hand to her lips to keep the bile in.
"Mars, even if you were naked and smeared with whipped cream, I would never tap that." A strange sense of relief soars through her, and for once, she's not even offended at Dick's asinineness. "Well, I mean…if I was really fucked up, maybe you'd get to feel the Dickernator, but seriously it's not a-" She holds her hand up to stop him, finally noticing his lounging form on the chaise across the room. His arm is thrown over his eyes to keep out the offending sunlight, and there's a large red gash on the right side of his face. She bites her lip to keep from laughing. I did that. Points for me
"So if not Dick, then…?" Her voice is softer now, and he realizes finally that she doesn't remember any of it. Which, he muses, is probably for the best.
"Something happened with D babe, and when I got back to the suite, you were really…" His voice fades out for a moment, as he recalls her mascara smeared eyes and tear stained face when he'd found her sprawled on the suite's couch in an unfamiliar black nightie.
"Really…?" She's looking at him questioningly, mild annoyance flitting across her features. He can't blame her, but he doesn't want to embarrass her either. He knows how much it'll hurt.
"Uh…upset. And I think," He laughs lightly, just a hint of amusement under his breath as he remembers her bawdily asking him to join her in discovering the finer arts of scotch. "I think you hit the Grand's liquor cabinet a little hard." She nods, taking his words in, trying so hard to remember, but coming up empty.
"I don't…I don't remember anything." He glances at her for a moment, his dark eyes meeting hers, and for a moment, everything else fades away, and his words come back to haunt her. I still love you. Dick's laughter breaks them out of their trance.
"Maybe that's better, Mars. You were a sight to see last night." Her cheeks burning, she moves to stand, her sheet unknotting a little as she twists her arm to grab the railing above her.
"Here, let me help you." He murmurs, at her side almost instantly, lifting her as if she weighed nothing.
"Thanks." She mumbles wearily, tugging the sheet up a little higher, and practically hiding within it. He doesn't blame her. "Um, so Beaver said something about the bathroom being somewhere?" Belatedly she realizes how little sense her sentence makes. Apparently I had a rough night. I totally deserve the slack.
"Yeah," He responds, his hand wrapping around her very naked forearm, and steering her around. "It's this way," He continues, pointing down another white-carpeted hallway that she hadn't even noticed before. She can barely breathe with him so close, and as she takes a step, she stumbles slightly and suddenly his hands are back on her again, and her skin is on fire. She wonders if he can tell. He probably can. Oh fuck it. The memories sprinkle back in droves, and she remembers how his skin felt all over her. How he'd felt- "V? Are you Okay? You look funny." His voice is close-barely a whisper in her ear, and she blushes even deeper than before.
"Me? Yeah. Fine. I'll be better once I get this walking thing down. Promise." He nods at her, smiling tightly, and she realizes that they've reached what she's assuming is the bathroom door. "And considering we've stopped, I'm assuming that this is the bathroom."
"You're pretty smart for a drunk girl, y'know that?" He teases, and she smacks him on the arm. It's just a light tap-barely anything, but his arms wrap around her again, and he's tickling her in all the secret spots nobody's ever thought to look for. Out of nowhere she finds herself looking straight into his eyes, which are definitely a giddy killer. They're smoldering and deep, and without even realizing it, she leans up and kisses him, her lips burning hot against his. The sheet magically disappears, and finally she's naked and willing beneath him. "Oh god, V. I've-" He drops a kiss on the top of her head as he bucks against her. She arches up, nodding, and dragging his head down so she can kiss him again. She'd forgotten how great this was. How perfect he could be. "Veronica," He breathes against the skin of her neck, shuddering as he pulls away. "If we're gonna do this," He pauses for a moment, so she can back out if she wants to. It might kill him, but he won't pressure her into something she doesn't want. He wants this…whatever this heat is between them, to be for real. Permanent. But he won't make a move without her consent-unless she wants it as much as he does. She's licking her lips, her eyes shining just a few inches below him, and he can't help himself. He leans forward and kisses her, his lips searing into her skin. "If we do this," He mumbles again, looking away so he won't get lost in her.
"You'll need condoms." She finishes for him, leaning up to kiss him again, and his heart constricts. "And I," She pulls away for a second, wiping the corner of her mouth with her knuckles. "I'll need to go to the bathroom." She leans forward to kiss him again, but he's laughing too hard to let her.
"And if that isn't the mood killer of the year, ladies and gentlemen, I don't know what is." His eyes dance merrily as they gaze into hers and grinning mischievously, she tilts her head to the side, her eyebrows rising with unspoken challenge.
"Is that so, Mr. Echolls." She practically purrs, pushing him against the wall and clambering into his lap. "I beg to differ." She breathes when she's settled comfortably, and looks at him straight in the eye as she slips her hand beneath the waistband of his sweats. And a grin spreads across her face. "And so," She pauses, winking comically. "Does this guy." She squeezes, and his face pales. Wrapping his arms around her again, he kisses her, his lips fusing to hers.
"If you keep that up, Mars, I'm gonna cum in my pants. And you know you don't want that to happen." He whispers against her ear, and she laughs, until he bites down, and a low ebb of pleasure flows through her.
"Okay, Okay." She protests, her hands pressing against his chest. "You find condoms, I pee, we meet back here in 5 minutes." Her breathing is ragged, and he can't help but kissing her again.
"Well, y'know Veronica, I wasn't planning on getting lucky this weekend…" He teases and she can't help but laughing, the sound low and breathy, and completely not like her at all.
"I'm sure Dick," Her fingers sneak down his waistband again. "Has some. He always seems to want to be getting lucky." He nods, panting. He doesn't ever want her to stop. "But I bet he can't always follow through. I bet you don't have that problem, do you, Logan?" She squeezes again, and he shakes his head no. She doesn't need to know that he hasn't been able to be with anyone since her.
"Condoms. 5 minutes. Yes, ma'am." He does a weak salute, and she can't help but laughing. Standing, he leans to kiss her again, yanking her up with him, and wrapping his arms around her. "We've gotta stop meeting like this, Mars." He murmurs against her lips, and she only smiles, her heart shining through her for once, not guarded eyes. Kissing her again, he bends her backwards, and balancing her with only his hand, he grabs the discarded sheet from its corner, and wraps it around her shoulders. "5 minutes, Veronica!" He whispers when he reaches the end of the hallway, turning back to look at her. She's grinning broadly, her skin flushed and glowing, and he can't remember ever have seeing anyone as beautiful.
"5 minutes." She responds, lifting her palm to display the number. He laughs, ducking his head, and in another second, he's gone. Humming to herself, Veronica adjusts the sheet, wrapping it tightly around her chest. Twisting the doorknob, she grins broadly, almost as if she's unable to help herself, until she notices a pool of black silk in the middle of the tile floor. Every one of her instincts is screaming at her not to look, to turn around and run away. To go back to Logan, who'll surely be back in less than 5 minutes. But she can't help herself. Bending slightly, she snatches it up, a shiver rustling through her. And as she holds it lengthwise in front of her, her memories of the previous night come rushing back. "Oh my god." She breathes, her hands shaking. What a mess I've made. Rushing out of the bathroom, she runs down the back stairs, relief coursing through her as she spots Logan's keys thrown haphazardly on the landing. "I've got to get out of here."