Again, thank you to everyone for your support! It's so much more fun writing this knowing that someone else enjoys reading it. I hope you're not disappointed with the next chapters...
Veronica's nails drummed on the steering wheel as she waited at the stoplight. Logan's rental car was directly in front of her. After leaving the serenity of the cemetery, she was overwhelmed by doubt, confusion and, yes, fear. Suddenly the idea of going someplace private to talk didn't seem so wise. Maybe it would have been better to go someplace for a drink. Someplace public, where she would be less likely to break down into tears and blubber all over him again.
Hot embarrassment washed over her. Crying out, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" in a cemetery at night was hardly how she'd imagined her first meeting with Logan. She'd rarely allowed herself to even imagine being in the same place as Logan, but none of those fantasies had ever involved her crying. They usually involved him writhing in agony and begging for mercy. Somehow those thoughts were gone now.
He wasn't what she'd expected. Sure, the quick wit, the casual charm, the undeniable good looks…they were still there. But he seemed so much more now. More mature. More gentle. As she realized where her thoughts were leading, she laughed to herself and shook her head. She should have listened to her father. If she was no longer the same girl she'd been, why had she stayed so convinced that he was the same guy? She didn't know this Logan. They were just…what was the phrase? Intimate strangers. And yet…she did know him. The guy who stood holding tropical flowers was a stranger, but the guy who'd tossed out cheesy pickup lines was achingly familiar.
Consumed by her thoughts, she followed Logan the last few blocks to the Neptune Grand garage. As she pulled up behind him, and retrieved her purse from the passenger seat, she suddenly wondered what he was thinking. She'd picked up the subtle changes in him, but what did he see in her? Suddenly self-conscious, she got out of the car, leaving the keys in the ignition for the valet. Logan stood by the elevator, waiting for her.
"Please tell me you didn't get the Presidential Suite. That would just be a little too bizarre for me to take right now."
"Where's your sense of nostalgia?"
Her mouth dropped. "Are you serious?"
"Actually, it was already taken. They had to give me the Bridal Suite instead."
"Now I know you're joking."
"I jest not. Want to know who took the Presidential?"
"I almost afraid of the answer."
"Dick Casablancas."
"You can't expect me to believe any of this! Dick Casablancas happens to be here the same weekend and is staying in the Presidential Suite of the Neptune Grand?"
Logan gave her an odd look. "Of course he's here. He's not going to miss the five-year reunion and a chance to see how Madison looks."
She felt like an idiot. She had completely forgotten about the reunion. She had been so wrapped up in her own drama that it hadn't even dawned on her that the reason for Logan's presence in Neptune might not have had anything to do with her. Before she could come up with a suitable response, the elevator stopped on their floor and the doors opened.
She walked into the room behind him, and looked around. "Well, it's not the Camelot, but I guess it'll have to do."
"I think I deserve some pity, actually. Do you know how pathetic it is to stay in the Bridal Suite by yourself?"
She laughed. "I'm sure you could work that into a more effective pickup line than 'So, come here often'."
He grinned mischievously. "It was pretty effective. You're in my hotel room, aren't you?"
She shot him a glare. He simply gave her a wide-eyed, innocent look, and batted his eyelashes. She couldn't help herself. She laughed. He grinned at her, and just stood still, watching her without saying a word. There was something in his gaze that made her pulse pick up, and she found it hard to look away.
"You've changed," he finally said. It was said quietly, and without inflection, but Veronica's defenses immediately went up.
"I had to," she responded, breaking their eye contact and walking towards the balcony. She opened the doors, and stood outside, enjoying the California night. As she sensed him walking up behind her, she gripped the railing and looked out into the distance. With so much to say, she found herself unable to begin.
"That wasn't an insult, Veronica," Logan said, coming to stand next to her. He rested his forearms on the railing, and looked out into the night with her. "It was just a comment. I guess I've had an image of you in my head all these years, and now I have a chance to compare it to reality."
"You've thought about me?" She hadn't meant to ask, but the question slipped out. Logan turned towards her in surprise.
"You really have to ask? I loved you more than I loved my own life. How could I not think about you?"
Veronica turned up one shoulder in a shrug, but could not answer. Part of her longed to simply burst out with everything she had never told him, never been able to tell him, and never thought she would have the chance to tell him. The rest of her was determined to protect her from the pain that baring her soul to Logan Echolls would inevitably cause.
"Veronica?" She closed her eyes, unable to look at him. Her name was like a plea, and she was terrified of responding to it.
"Then why did you leave me?" she whispered, opening her tear-glazed eyes and looking directly at him. "You loved me more than your own life, but you left. You knew, you knew I wanted a chance to start over, and yet you were on a plane before our caps hit the ground." Her voice was gaining strength and volume. Pain would follow, but in this moment, she had to be honest with both of them. "You left and were never heard from again. What was I supposed to think, Logan?"
His own emotions running, he gripped her shoulders, his eyes blazing. "You were the one person I thought would understand! I was no good for you then. I was no good for myself." He took his hands away from her suddenly, as if the contact had scorched him. "You said you changed because you had to," he continued after a moment, struggling to keep his emotions under control. "So did I, Veronica. So did I."
