I hope the ending of this chapter makes up forall those cliffhangers.I'm only planning to write an Epilogue aftetthis, so please tell me if it seems to end too abruptly. I can always edit it and add in more.
-MG
The world around them stopped, as his eyes searched hers. Nothing existed except the two of them. Veronica scarcely dared breathe, and her heart thumped so loudly that she was sure Logan could hear its erratic rhythms. She felt more alive than she had felt in years, more exhilarated…and more afraid. Suddenly it seemed as though everything she had been running from for the past five years had suddenly caught up with her on the balcony. Everything she had fought against, everything she had secretly longed for, everything that she had not even admitted to herself that she dreamt of…all of it was in his eyes, and she feared its intensity.
"I can't breathe," she gasped, and turned her head away. She couldn't see the disappointment flash in his eyes, but she could sense it as he dropped his hand from her face. Still he said nothing. She looked back towards him, her eyes pleading for understanding. His gaze warmed, and he smiled softly.
"You're scared of me, aren't you?"
"I…that's….what kind of question is that?" Veronica spat out, taken aback. How was she supposed to answer that? And how could he ask it and smile while doing so?
"An honest one. You're terrified of what I make you feel." Logan couldn't help smiling. For one life-altering moment, the truth he had been hoping to find and scarcely allowed himself to believe in had been staring him in the face, shining out of a pair of big blue eyes. "Admit it, Veronica Mars. You can't resist me. And you know it."
Veronica pushed away from the balcony, and walked inside. "You're out of your mind." The tenderness of the previous moment was temporarily forgotten in her pique. Logan followed her inside, and grabbed her hand, pulling her towards him.
"Well, you definitely win the blue ribbon for being an ass, Logan," she said, as she tried to jerk away. He simply tightened his grip.
"They only give blue ribbons to pigs, darling."
"It's your lucky day, then! You won that contest as well."
Logan's smile grew broader. The more sarcastic she became, the more convinced he was that he was right. Five years may have gone by, but Veronica Mars still avoided questions in the exact same way. He pulled her closer, until she had to brace her hands on his chest in order to maintain any distance. She squirmed against him.
"Logan, cut it out! I didn't come up here to wrestle with you, I came to talk!"
"That's fine. Just tell me one thing, and I'll let you go."
"Damnit, Logan! I don't want to play games. Grow up!" She balled her hands into fists, ready to start hitting any minute.
"No games, Veronica. Just tell me one thing, honestly. Do I still have a chance?"
She stopped squirming. His voice had gone soft, and his free hand came to caress her cheek once more. Her mouth dropped open. Whatever she had been expecting, this was not it. There was no sign of arrogance, of innuendo, even of playfulness. His eyes were serious.
"What?"
"You said that you wanted to hate me. wanted to move on. And then you said that you never managed to do either. I'm asking you if that means that it's too late for us. If I have a chance with you. Even a miniscule one."
"I…"
She didn't know what to say. She felt like she was walking a tightrope, and that the smallest shift in balance would send her crashing to the ground. And this tightrope had no safety net. If she said the wrong thing, she knew that she would never be able to recover from the crash.
"I…"
Was it too late? All those years of resentment, bitterness and anger…could they be washed away in one night? Is "I'm sorry" all she really needed to heal? Could it really be that easy? Or was tonight just supposed to be some kind of closure, a chance to look back one last time before moving on forever?
"I…I don't know, Logan," she finally said, swallowing hard. "I don't know how to say 'no'. But I'm terrified to say 'yes'."
"I'm scared too," he whispered. "I screwed this up before, and I'm scared I'll screw it up again. But if I let you walk out that door tonight, I'm afraid I'll regret it for the rest of my life. And I'll end up one of those rich 80-year-olds dating ditzy models and actress wannabes, until one of them takes advantage of my senility, marries me, and then suffocates me in the middle of the night with a pillow."
She smiled. He was completely right. She would never be able to forgive herself if she walked away from him again. Since when did Veronica Mars let fear stand in her way? "I was going to say the same thing." Her hands flattened on his chest, and tension left her body. She leaned further into him.
"Really? Can you start dating the models now? While you're still hot?"
"I'll think about it."
"And what about me?"
"What about you?"
"Will you think about dating me, too?" He brushed a silky lock of blonde hair away from her forehead.
"No."
His hand stopped mid-air. From her bantering, and the way she was leaning into him, he had assumed she was giving him that chance he so desperately needed.
"I won't date you, too, Logan. I'm going to date only you."
It took a minute for her words to seep in. He grinned, and wrapped both arms around her, holding her tightly against him. He bent his head towards her, moving slowly enough that she could evade him if she wanted to. She didn't move away.
"Can you breathe?" he whispered against her lips.
"No," she whispered back, her entire body straining towards him.
"Good." He leaned down the last fraction of an inch and laid his lips against hers. Slowly, sweetly, tenderly, they kissed, pouring their hearts into one another. Veronica never knew if they had stood like that for mere seconds or if an entire eternity passed them by. She only knew that it was in that moment that she became whole again.
