I miscounted. This story is actually 4 chapters long. I haven't written the epilogue for it yet.
Disclaimer: I do not own I Didn't Do It or any of the characters and am only using them for entertainment.
12 Hours Earlier...
Logan tapped his foot impatiently in the line, waiting to buy the bag of flour he needed to finish this cake. It was already bad enough that he had to make a cake, but he also had a report due at midnight he hadn't finished yet, and he was running out of time to finish it.
He checked his watch with a low growl of frustration. He tapped the woman in front of him.
"Excuse me miss. Do you know why the line is taking so long?"
"Well apparently, most of the staff except for a few staged a union strike. This is the only register open. Although, I heard from someone else upfront that the cashier is flirting with someone."
"Flirting?! Seriously? I'm stuck in this line because some guy can't keep it in his pants?"
The woman in front of Logan gave him a dirty look, curling her lip at his distasteful use of language. Logan didn't care. He was already frustrated as it was and had to finish this cake by tomorrow. He didn't have time to be caught up by this crap!
Logan stormed out of the line and cut past people on the side, ignoring their indignant cries and irritated huffs.
"Hey! You can't just cut us!"
He stopped behind the girl flirting with the cashier. She had her dark hair in a bun and was leaning flirtatiously over the counter, grinning in a come-hither manner.
"Excuse me lady. There are a bunch of us trying to buy our stuff, and you're frickin' blocking the line. Could you move it?!"
"Yeah!" someone shouted behind him.
The girl's jaw clenched, and she turned around in annoyance, only to retract her expression when she saw who it was.
"Oh, it's you." she said.
Jasmine was the girl who was blocking the line? Logan's jaw clenched, and he fought the urge to grind his teeth in irritation.
"Seriously Jasmine? Can't you go five seconds without pouncing on every male that crosses your path?"
"I'm a little busy here, Logan." She muttered under her breath, trying to dismiss him with a jerk of her head.
"Yeah. I can see that. You know who else is busy? All of us in this line! So could you hurry up and go?"
She huffed in exasperation and glanced at him. "Are you trying to buy this flour?"
His eyes narrowed, "Yeah, but–"
Before he could fully respond, Jasmine grabbed it out of his hand and set it on the conveyor belt with a smile, "I'll buy it for you. Shut up. You can just pay me back later."
"Is this your boyfriend?" the cashier looked peeved as he rang up the flour.
"Of course not, Joey. Why would I ever date this idiot?" She quickly stated with a nonchalant wave of her hand, flashing her dazzling smile (meant to kill) at the cashier. Logan glared at her, vexed by her dismissal. "So how about it? Can I get a discount?"
Joey ate it up like Thanksgiving dinner. "Sure Jasmine. Anything for you."
The cashier rang her up, and she swiped, paying for the stuff and then gathering the bags. Logan stood there, partly in shock.
Halfway towards the sliding doors, she turned around and rose an eyebrow, "You coming Logan?"
Logan followed her out the doors of the supermarket, feeling on edge. Jasmine walked ahead of him, her bun bobbing in time to her steps. He'd never really seen her wear her hair up this way before. It was no wonder he hadn't recognized her from behind. Well, that and the fact that her hair was a much darker shade of brown. There were a couple strands of dyed magenta hair looping into the bun. Had she dyed it recently?
"So all that flirting was just to get a discount on your groceries?" Logan asked disparagingly, his mind replaying the image of her leaning across the counter with that flirty smile she only used on guys she was interested in.
She shrugged, grinning, "Hey. My mom always told me to use my looks to my advantage."
"Wow. Didn't know you were that vain…" He muttered, rolling his eyes.
"You know, I'm trying to make polite small talk Logan." Jasmine gave him a look, her eyebrows furrowing in irritation, "Just because we're not dating anymore doesn't mean you can act like an asshole."
"What about you? Seems like every time I run into you, you're always flirting with someone or another right in front of my face. What happened to the two month grace period?"
She rolled her eyes, "It's been two months, Logan. Besides, you dumped me. What do you care if I start meeting other people?"
"I dumped you? Pretty sure it was the other way around." he spat, "Doesn't matter anyway, does it? You couldn't wait to sink your claws in a rebound as soon as we were through."
Jasmine huffed loudly and stopped walking, "Really? We've had this argument thirty thousand frickin' times!" She stuck all her groceries into one bag and shoved the bag with the flour into Logan's chest. He caught it with a grunt. "You know what? I don't need this. Have a nice life. I'm out of here."
She stormed off angrily, not bothering to glance backwards once in his direction. Logan watched her, his anger quickly dissolving into regret.
"Real smooth, Logan. Real smooth." He sighed, turning in the opposite direction toward his car.
Why was it so hard to just talk to her again? When they'd first started dating in late high school, everything had been perfect. Their relationship had been at its peak. Sure, they'd had a couple of setbacks during their first couple of years in college afterward, but they'd managed. After they broke up, things had just taken a turn for the worst. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been able to have a civil conversation with her. He didn't know what it was about her, but every time she talked, he would just keep getting irritated with her.
He reached his car and shoved the bag of flour in the passenger seat before hopping in and heading back toward his campus apartment.
In retrospect, he realized this is exactly what Lindy had tried to warn them about when they first began their relationship. She'd said that their friendship would probably never go back to the way it was before. Especially if they broke up on a sour note. He hadn't really thought about it. At the time, he had only been interested in being with Jasmine who he had been harboring feelings for for a while.
Perhaps he should have given it more thought. Because this whole scratch each other's eyes out every time they saw each other thing was starting to take its toll on him. He just wanted her back. Even as a friend.
~.~.~
Logan stared at the recipe like it was written in kanji. He couldn't understand crap what it was telling. He was totally lost. Yes, he knew baking was not quantum mechanics or anything near it, but honestly, he'd never really been good at cooking or anything of the sort.
"Seriously Logan? All you have to do is measure out what is needed, stick it in the bowl and mix."
Back when they'd been together, Jasmine had made her best efforts to try to help him bake, but it was no use. Once Logan had broken all twelve of the eggs in the carton, she'd kicked him out the kitchen, laughing at his misfortune.
He smiled slightly. He missed those pleasant, teasing conversations they used to have.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts, "Focus Logan. Now's not the time to be dwelling on this."
Logan groaned as he looked at the huge mess of flour and eggs he had created. And he hadn't even gotten anything mixed yet. Honestly, he didn't have time to sit here trying to decipher the hieroglyphics that were the cook book. He checked his watch. Two hours until midnight. There was no way he could get this cake done and write his paper in time.
He couldn't just abandon the cake though. His mother had asked him to make a cake to contribute to her book club bake sale the next day. Normally, Lindy would be tasked with making any food or sweets or cakes, but Lindy was off studying abroad in Spain this semester. She clearly wasn't available. Obviously, his mother called Garrett first, but he had told her he had football practice all evening and had too many classes the next day to finish any cake in time for her book club. Delia was a no because the cake batter would likely end up mysteriously neon green. And Logan suspected his mother didn't call Jasmine because well… that would have been kind of awkward.
But now that he had been left with the cake, he could understand exactly why his mom had been so worried and hadn't had her hopes high for any sort of edible cake.
Logan groaned and ran his hands through his hair. He couldn't just disappoint his mom like this, but what choice did he have?
Well… he did have one option.
But chances were, she wouldn't be willing to help him. After a couple minutes standing at his kitchen island weighing the pros and cons and debating how much it might cost him to call, he finally threw his pride out the window and dialed the number he had memorized ages ago.
I hope she answers…
The phone rang momentarily, but soon enough, he heard the bewildered monotone of her voice.
"…Hello?"
"Hey Jasmine."
"Hey Logan… Wasn't expecting a call from you…"
"I know. It's just… I kinda need your help."
She fell silent for a while, and Logan mentally cursed, ready to just say nevermind and end the phone conversation. He knew this had been a bad idea. She was probably still mad at him about earlier. It bothered him to think about how years ago, they would have helped each other without hesitation. Clearly, things had changed.
"With what?" she finally responded, suspiciously.
"You know that flour I bought? I'm supposed to bake a cake for my mom, but I have no idea what to do or where to start, and I don't know anybody else who can bake as well as you can. I know this is a pretty big favour, but I really need help."
Jasmine sighed softly.
"Alright. I'll be over in an hour."
"Thanks, Jasmine."
"See you soon."
Logan hung up and grabbed his laptop off the coffee table. He had about sixty minutes to write his essay. He occupied his time until Jasmine arrived by writing his outline and the first couple of paragraphs. He wasn't looking for perfection or an A. He just had to turn in something decent enough to give him a passing C. He would work harder on the next one.
~.~.~
By the time Logan put the finishing touches on his essay, an hour had gone by. Just as he finished emailing the paper to his professor, the doorbell rang. He swallowed nervously and stood up to open it, kind of hoping it was Garrett asking to come in because his hands were full or something. Logan was feeling the trepidation.
Don't get him wrong. He needed Jasmine's help. But seeing Jasmine turned his emotions inside out. He was either always angry at her for ending the relationship, or he was pining after her like some puppy. It was terribly unnerving. And the worst part was she had no idea what she still did to him even after all these weeks of them no longer dating.
The doorbell rang again, and he let out a slow breath, opening it to let her in. She smiled slightly, looking up at him through her lashes, and he stepped aside to let her in in slight awe. Sometimes, since they spent less time together, Logan forgot just how beautiful Jasmine was. She looked absolutely gorgeous.
"You look nice." He said, clearing his throat when he realized he had been staring a bit too long than was appropriate for an ex-boyfriend.
"I was getting ready to go out." She scratched her arm nervously, looking away from his gaze.
"Oh. Sorry." Just like that, he was annoyed again. No doubt she was going out with some random guy. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to."
"I'll just finish the cake and be on my way. Besides, you're still a friend."
They headed to the kitchen, and Jasmine washed her hands, staring at the crazy mess he had made while Logan stood nearby.
"Wow. You weren't kidding about needing help."
"Yeah." He scratched the back of his head, feeling slightly awkward. "So Mom wants me to make something low cal for the ladies who aren't too fond of ingesting sweets. Got any ideas?"
"Sure. But you'll need unsweetened cocoa powder. We could use skim milk instead of whole milk."
"Sounds good."
She wiped her hands off on the kitchen towel, rummaging through the lower kitchen cabinets for some plastic supplies.
"You still know where everything is?"
She stood up with a whisk, a small smile on her face, "I did practically live here, Logan."
"Yeah." He smiled back, "Garrett used to hate it."
"He was always so awkward about it too." She giggled quietly, before checking the fridge. "Well. You don't have any skim milk or cocoa. Nor do you have a measuring cup."
"Well it's no big. We can run to the grocery store really quickly and grab it."
"Grocery stores in this area are all closed by now," she said, checking her phone. "Isn't there a super store around here? We can just run there quickly and hopefully we can grab what we need and leave before it closes."
Logan grabbed his keys off the table, "I think it closes at 11:30. We've got about twenty minutes."
She grabbed her purse and followed Logan to the front door. "Then let's hurry."
They rushed out the door and took the stairs two at a time towards the back parking lot of his apartment complex. He unlocked his car, and they hopped in before he sped out of the lot and drove at law-breaking speed to get to the super store. Jasmine gripped the 'Oh shit' bar like her life depended on it and jerked and hopped in her seat every time he went around a curve a little too fast or came too close to another car in his wild maneuvers.
He laughed, "You're not going to die you know?"
"Old habits are hard to break." She screeched, covering her eyes when Logan turned onto another street just as a honking car was rushing through the intersection. "I forgot how dangerous of a driver you are..."
"Hey, as long as we make it from point A to point B alive, we're good right?"
She shot him an annoyed look, "We might be alive when we arrive, but mental trauma tends to stick!"
They arrived at the parking lot of the giant super store, and he cut around the back, parking under a bright parking lamp.
She rolled a sidelong glance at him, "The back? Do you know what time it is?"
"This is brand new car. I'm not risking it getting dented or scratched because some soccer mom is in a rush to finish some last minute shopping." He pulled out his keys and started to leave, "You can just stay here if you're worried. I'll do this quickly."
She scoffed and hopped out as well, "No way am I staying out in this deserted parking lot by myself. Besides, I know what is needed to be bought."
She groaned in pain as they scurried towards the entrance of the store.
He stared at her heeled feet, "Aren't you uncomfortable?"
"Price to pay for looking cute." She sighed, "Though I probably should have brought a pair of flats to change into. We're not going to take long though."
"Yeah. It's just a quick in and out."
Logan's gaze lingered on Jasmine as she walked a bit ahead of him, scurrying to the doors. It was times like these that Logan would regret the way their relationship ended up. It was hard to stay focused when everything Jasmine did and everything she wore was just cute. Especially now, when she was all dolled up. Hair perfectly made up in a bun, showing her graceful neck and shoulders. Her dress swishing against her legs, perfectly framing her lithe figure. Her heels making her legs look miles long.
And he knew there was nothing he could do but secretly ogle from afar.
"There's no one manning the doors." She said when they reached the front entrance, "Do you think they're already closed? It's 11:26."
"Nah. There's still some cars in the parking lot. I'm sure we can just hurry up, run in, and grab our stuff before they close."
They went through the doors, bending down under the metal railing that was only halfway brought down. There were a few people being rung up by the cashier. Jasmine released a breath of relief.
"We've got a couple minutes. C'mon. Let's grab what we need to and get out of here."
Jasmine pulled off her heels so she could move faster, and they raced between and through the aisles, grabbing the cocoa powder and the measuring cup. She picked up a box of Peeps, squealing in delight.
Logan rose a brow, "Just couldn't resist, could you?"
"I love my Peeps!"
"I remember." He chuckled quietly. "So where's the skim milk?"
"Probably towards the back."
They walked towards the dairy section further back. The area also contained the numerous meats and cheeses that could be bought. There was no one behind the deli stand. Jasmine's nose wrinkled, and she stopped just short of stepping into the area.
"Could you grab the milk Logan? There's probably meat gut residue or something gross on the floor."
He turned around, a small, teasing smile on his lips, "Scared, Jaz?"
She slipped her heels back on her feet, realizing going without shoes probably wasn't the greatest idea. Sure, she had pantyhose on, but it would barely provide any protection from the germs on the ground.
"Of germs? Yes. Blame Garrett and his diseases in raw meat lecture. I don't think I'll ever be able to eat Hweh again…"
Logan laughed at her disgruntled expression, and she returned his smile, giggling quietly. As they stood there, for a second it was like their relationship had gone back to normalcy. Teasing each other, talking like old pals. It felt good. Logan felt at ease.
"I'll get the milk if it makes–"
And then the main lights cut off simultaneously, leaving the two in semi-darkness. Their eyes both widened in alarm.
"Shit."