Do You Love Me?
Disclaimer: Don't own characters, don't sue.
A/N: I wrote this kind of, spur of the moment, and I'm sure that at some points its going to suck, or at all points its going to suck, but bear with me, its my first attempt at writing in a very long time. Well, hope you enjoy it and review, flames are accepted as well.
Its cold out. Not too cold, but just enough to make you shiver. Its dark out, but its light enough to see where you're headed. Warm sand makes my toes tingle as I step out onto the beach. This is where he told me to meet him.
An hour ago my red cell phone had vibrated, signaling I had received a new text message. I looked up from my magazine, not knowing where the slight buzz noise was coming from. My roommate Zoey glanced at me, and I at her before her eyes directed me to my phone on the bedside table. Slowly but surely I opened the phone to reveal a screen that read 'One new text message: read or ignore?' I pressed read.
Hey Dana, meet me on the beach, ASAP. Important!
Love, Logan
I'm not even sure why he bothered to sign it 'Love, Logan' when he knew I would know it was him. My cell phone automatically told me it was from 'Logan Reese' because his number was already programmed into my cell phone's phonebook.
My feet tingle again as the soft sand brushes against them. My black flip-flops are held gently in my hands as I walk towards the crashing shoreline. I can see his silhouette against the backdrop of a cold California night. It doesn't take long for me to reach him.
I plop down next to him, dusting the sand off my pale blue low-rise jeans. I set my arms around my knees loosely as he sits beside me in the same position. I look to him; he turns away.
"You called" It comes out more of a question. Why did he invite me here? I'm sure it couldn't be as simple as to ask his famous line, 'wanna make out.'
"Actually, text messaged" He responds, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Ha, ha. Very funny, Logan" I smirk back, "Now, What do you want, to make out or something?" As if that would ever happen. Logan is such an egomaniac, and there's no way in hell I'd ever go for someone like him.
"Actually, No" I'm relieved, "But if you insist." I hit him playfully on the shoulder; He smiles.
"No thanks" I reassure him, "But really? What's so 'important'" I emphasize the word 'important' with finger quotations.
"Its Important" he says, " I swear." At this I laugh. What could possibly be so important to The Logan Reese.
"You know what, Never mind," He answers. Confusion washes over my face. Logan and me have never really seemed close, but in reality, we're so close its scary. I'd Consider Logan my best friend, I know, it seems strange doesn't it? We fight constantly, and bicker back and forth, but we both know we can trust each other.
Suddenly Logan gets up to leave. I grab his arm and pull him down beside me.
"Logan?" I raise my eyebrows in a 'tell me' face. He sighs and gives in. He always does.
"I don't know how to say this" He does. I know he does, he starts off every deep conversation between us with that line. I guess it just makes it easier to talk, knowing that if he makes a mistake, I wont hold it against him.
"Dana" He begins. I urge him to continue. Silence fills the air for what seems like hours. I can tell this is serious. A frown forms on his face, and his hand reaches up to fiddle with the chain around his neck. He wears it everyday, I gave it to him for his fifteenth birthday. That was just a little less than a year ago.
I can clearly remember picking it out for him. I was shopping with Nicole and Lola. We had invited Zoey but she reminded us that she had a rather large science project to finish.
The three of us were shopping, and in the back of my head, I was thinking about Logan's birthday. There was still a month to go, but he was a good friend of mine and I wasn't going to leave it until last minute. This shopping trip wasn't a 'find something incredibly awesome for Logan's 15th birthday' shopping trip, but I was going to keep him in mind, just incase I did happen to find something incredibly awesome.
That's when Lola noticed it. She pulled me into a jewelry store and pointed to a pair of emerald earrings. They were chandelier earrings, and they were gorgeous. The emerald color reminded me of Chase's eyes. Lola gazed at the earrings with the biggest smile on her face, only wishing she could have them. I sighed, wondering when she'd be done drooling all over the glass case. That's when I noticed it.
I leaned in next to Lola, my face inches away from the glass.
"They're Beautiful, right?" Lola asked. She must've thought I was looking at the earrings.
"No" I answered, "Well, yes they are, But" I continued. I pointed through the glass case at a silver chain with a small empty place on it, just waiting to be engraved. Lola looked and instantly saw what I was looking at.
"That is so gorgeous" Nicole spoke up, seeing what we were looking at, "Don't you think it's gorgeous? I think it's gorgeous!" She rambled. I laughed at her constant babbling. She seemed to smile at the fact that I was too excited to tell her off.
"Logan?" Lola asked. It sounded like a statement to me. I answered her question by asking the sales lady how much it was. Surprisingly it wasn't too expensive, however 'not too expensive' didn't mean I could afford it either. I sighed loudly at the two hundred dollar silver chain. I was broke, and this was definitely (in Nicole's words) suckish.
After helping Chase out at the Sushi Restaurant, Sushi Rox, for almost a month, I had earned just enough money to pay for the chain. I was so proud of myself. As soon as I earned the last cent of two hundred and twenty dollars, I practically ran back to room 101. Zoey was the only one there, and she was working on, yet another, project.
"Zoey!" I yelled, holding onto my knees, bent over, almost out of breath. She looked up to me with a questioning look, "Mall. Now" I managed to get out.
She was about to protest, when somehow I breathed out the words "Important. Logan. Birthday. Two days." She sighed, which I interpreted as her agreeing. She grabbed a jacket, and I smiled and we headed out the door with my two hundred and twenty dollars stuffed into my wallet.
We rushed to the mall, and when I got to the jewelry store, I noticed a young woman, maybe twenty-five looking at Logan's chain from behind the glass case. She ushered the sales lady over and asked to see it. I coughed loudly and got the sales lady attention. I made a motion that resembled cutting my own throat with my fingers, and flashed her the money. The sales lady kindly responded to the woman, "Sorry, that's only a display." The woman sighed and left the store, probably in search of a similar chain.
I raced to the counter, out of breath, pointed to the chain and placed the two hundred dollars on the counter.
"That comes to two hundred and sixteen dollars, with tax" She smiled, "Would you like it engraved?"
"How" I breathed, "Much?"
She smiled again, either she knew something, or she was just being friendly. I'm going to say the latter, because she was only a sales lady, one I hadn't spoken to in my life, besides now of course. She told me it was only ten dollars extra, and would only take an hour. This was such a good deal; it couldn't be real. I think I smiled the biggest smile I had ever smiled in my life. I had to take the opportunity.
I dug through my purse. There was only four dollars left. Why hadn't I worked that overtime for Chase at Sushi Rox last night? Why? I could've made the extra six, plus some for myself.
I smiled weakly at the four dollars on the counter as I continued to dig through my purse, fully knowing I wasn't going to find any more money.
"What would you like engraved?" I looked up shocked. There was still six dollars to go. Zoey smiled at me, and I at her.
"Dana" she began, I smiled at her, and "Don't worry about it" she finished. I don't think I could've been any happier at the moment.
"What should I engrave in it, Zo?" I asked her. I knew what I wanted to put, but I couldn't say it with Zoey standing right next to me.
"Put," She seemed to be thinking, but I knew what was coming, "Put, 'Logan' on one side, and then 'I love you' on the other" She smiled whole heartedly.
I laughed, "Zo!" She simply continued smiling and said, "What?! Don't you love your best friend?" She was right. Logan was my best friend, and I did love him.
"Alright, fine, Put, 'Logan, I love you' on it" I sighed. The sales lady smiled, told us to come back in an hour, and took the chain away.
I feel the sand between my toes. I scrunch them up and burry them in the sand.
"Dana" He repeats. I love the way he says my name.
"Logan" I mock him. He smiles. Not a fake smile, a genuine one.
"Do you love me?" I'm shocked. I turn to face him as his hands fiddle with the chain. It still has the words 'Logan, I love you' etched in it. Why would he ask me that? His answer lies right between his fingers.
I smile and grab his hands away from the chain, "You're my best friend." He frowns and pulls away. What did I do wrong? Did I even do something wrong?
"Logan?" I ask, he looks up slightly, "What's wrong?"
"Do you love me?" He asks again, "Do you really?"
Doesn't a two hundred and twenty-six dollar chain that you worked your ass off to get say I love you? And to top that, it literally says 'I love you.'
"Do you really have to ask?" I answer his question with one of my own.
"Stop avoiding the question" He snaps at me. I'm taken aback. Woaaaah, when did this sudden change of heart occur?
"What's wrong with you today?" I ask, attitude in my voice, but I'm still concerned.
"You Don't" He simply replies and stands up. I'm extremely confused.
"Logan, what're you talking about?" I'm standing now as well. I reach to grab his hand put he quickly pulls away.
"You never did" What kind of thing is he trying to pull here? I don't even know what's going on, but for some reason, I can feel our friendship falling to pieces.
"Logan" I repeat his name, "Look at me" He doesn't. I put my hands to his cheeks and force his eyes to meet mine, "What in god's name are you talking about?"
His eyes water over, and I see anger growing in them. I let go of his face and he looks away, "You never did, you never did, I can't believe I believed you" He says more to himself. He reaches his hand up to the chain around his neck. I suppose he's going to fiddle with it again.
My jaw drops as my hard work is broken into pieces. His hand tightly clamps around the chain, "You never loved me," he whispers as he pulls the chain off his neck and the back part snaps. The pieces of the chain fall to rest in the sand as tears brim in my eyes.
I can't believe he did that. I can't believe he just walked away from me, away from our friendship. I don't even know why.
I fall to my knees and clasp the broken silver links in my hands. I can see the small flat piece that has 'I love you' engraved in it. Do I love him? I mean, he's my best friend, I love him, yeah, but am I in love with him?
I pick up the parts of the chain and stand. My knees feel like jello, and I can hear a storm rolling in. The walk back to my dorm isn't a long one, so I should make it there before the rain starts. Unfortunately, I'm not that lucky. The rain pelts down just as I reach the pavement. I'm almost certain Logan's caught in this too considering his dorm is on the other side of campus. I'm smiling, and I have no clue why. I'm sopping wet, and my best friend practically said he hates me, and yet I'm smiling. You must think I'm crazy. I am, I'm pretty sure I am.
I slowly walk up to room 101, to greet Zoey and Nicole. Lola stays in room 102 with Quinn. I feel kind of bad for her.
I grab my key from the back pocket of my jeans and I unlock the door. I turn the knob and I find a sleeping Nicole and a worried Zoey.
"Dana! Where were you?" She almost shouts. "Out" I reply. Her eyes dart from my eyes to the chain that's still tightly clasped in my hand.
"What happened?" She asks. I take this moment to break down.
"I don't know!" I yell, placing my head into my hands, "One minute we're best friends, the next, he hates me. I don't even know what I did!"
Zoey puts a reassuring hand on my back and sighs, "Did you ask him?" she ponders out loud.
"How could I?" I ask more to myself, "He just" I pause, "Stormed off" I say as I finally find my words. Zoey looks sympathetic. That's all I need right now, sympathy. Note the sarcasm. Somehow Zoey finds a way to comfort me, and I finally calm down long enough to explain.
"He asked me down to the beach, that's what the text message was" I look to her, and she urges me to continue, "Then I went down there, and he said he had something important to say, and then he was thinking, and then he asked me if I loved him and I said I did as a friend, well, I didn't exactly say I did, but I know he knew. He just kept asking me that over and over, and I was kind of getting fed up, and then he freaked" Zoey looked confused at my explanation, but I continued, "Then he said 'you never did, I don't know why I ever believed you' or something like that, and then he, he..." I stopped.
She glanced at the chain and I nodded, "He snapped it off his neck like it was nothing" Zoey frowned. She knew how much the chain meant, "And then he just… walked away from me."
Zoey sighed. It seemed like we'd all been doing a lot of sighing lately.
"Go talk to him" She looked at me and her eyes told me it was the right thing to do.
I pulled on a black Blink 182 zip up hoodie, and pulled my caramel curls into a loose ponytail. I slipped my flip-flops on and uttered a quick "Thanks" to Zoey before exiting the dorm.
I walked across campus in the pouring rain, the chain still in my hands. As Soon as I reached dorm 32 I knocked. Logan answered the door with a smile that quickly faded when he saw me.
"Oh" he said, "its you"
"yup" I answered, "Its me"
"Well, now that we've established that, I think I'll be closing my door" he responded, but before he could close it, I whispered his name. He held the door slightly ajar, and I whispered again.
"Can I talk to you? Please?" I begged.
He stepped outside, closing the door behind him.
"Wh- What happened back there?" I asked, my eyes full of questions.
He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Wow, I didn't think anyone could sigh anymore, but sure enough, he did.
"I, I don't know Dana" He admitted, looking down and leaning on the wall.
I looked at him quizzically before responding, "What was so important?"
"Dana" He said. I didn't like where this was going. It had started this way on the beach, and I didn't want it to end up the same way this time.
"I Don't know how to say this" He spoke that ever famous line.
"You've had a while to think about it since you stormed off" I countered. He shot a glare at me and I shot one back. Finally, he gave in, his eyes full of worry. He didn't even have to ask, I just responded.
"Yes Logan, I love you" His eyes lit up, "Of course I do, you're my best friend" his eyes returned to their saddened state, and his frown became deeper.
Why was he upset?
It finally dawned on me. Logan Reese, egomaniac, wanted to be more than best friends.
"Logan" I reached for his arm, he pulled away. I reached again and entwined my fingers with his. "I love you" I finally admitted it to myself. I loved him. Correction, I was in love with him.
"I know" He responded and smiled, "We're best friends right, of course we love each other" He punched me playfully in the arm.
"Your right" I answered. "We do love each other"
He smiled at me; I guess he was content with us being friends. He turned to go back into his dorm, "Hey" I grabbed his arm, "your forgot this" I said as I placed the silver chain into his palm, "Its true."
He took the chain happily, and held it tightly, he turned around to go back into his dorm.
"Hey Logan" I called once again and he again turned around, slightly frustrated at me calling him out again.
His frustrated look quickly turned to a smile as I kissed him. I broke away and answered his question once again, "I really do Love you."
Sequel? If you R&R I'll love you forever :)