Gag. You'll know why.
Cringe worthy.
Disclaimer: I do not own I Didn't Do It or any of the characters and am only using them for entertainment.
They paused and stared at each other in disbelief for a couple of beats before dropping their stuff and taking off towards the front of the store. Logan wasn't impeded by four inch heels and sped off past Jasmine.
Jasmine cursed under her breath and hobble walked quickly to the front. No way was she going to run and fall on her tush. She joined Logan at the inner doors, banging as hard and yelling as loudly as she could to try to get the attention of anyone nearby or in the parking lot. It was no good.
"It's no use." Logan panted, bending down to catch his breath, one hand still planted against the glass of the door, "You can't see anything past those metal bars. They probably don't know that we're still in here."
"This is all your fault!" Jasmine growled.
He turned to her incredulously, "How the hell is this my fault?"
"It's because you parked in the back!" She threw her hands up in exasperation, "They didn't realize we were in here because they didn't see your car!"
"Would you calm down?" He snapped, sending her an annoyed glare, "I can't think with you screeching right in my ear!"
"Don't tell me to calm down." She snarled, fixing him with her evil eye, "We're trapped in a frickin' store! Who the hell would be calm right now?"
"We're not necessarily trapped. We can just call someone."
Jasmine watched with increasing irritation as Logan continued to pat his pockets for his phone, only to not come up with anything. She rubbed her arms as she began to feel the cold of the air conditioning.
"Let me guess… No phone?" She asked snidely.
"I must have left it in the car. I didn't think I'd need it cuz this was supposed to be quick. Where's yours?"
She slumped against the wall near the doors upon realizing she was missing her purse, "In my purse. In the passenger seat of your car."
He groaned and ran his hands through his hair, "So now what?"
Jasmine stood up, pointing in the direction of the phones at the registers. "We can call out using those phones right? Call non-emergency 911 or something?"
He shrugged, and they headed over there. They both picked up various phones near the cash registers, holding it against their ears and dialing numbers, though there was no tone. Jasmine tried to use 9, pound sign, and any other outside reach extension codes she could think of to no avail. They didn't seem to work.
"I think these phones only call out to inside the store." She said in slight despair, setting the phone down harshly with a clatter.
"What about a manager's office or something? Or like a staff break room? You think there's one here?"
She nodded, "Probably in the back. I'll check the back. You search around up here for a phone."
They separated, and Jasmine ignored the chill down her back of walking through the barely lit, deserted mega store.
She looked behind her, watching as Logan walked toward the concession area, wishing Logan was nearby her. His presence was always comforting, even if they had recently been frequently fighting. It was like they wanted to rip out each other's throats every time they were around the other. She hated it. So maybe their relationship had deteriorated, but Logan was someone she'd always needed in her life. Even before they started dating, he was her support. It was odd not being able to talk to each other normally. But what could she do about it? She couldn't help but feel like he hated her guts. And that hurt her more than anything else in the world.
She shoved her feelings to the back and sped walked uncomfortably in her high heels towards where there was a sign showing the bathroom. As she expected, on the opposite side of the bathroom was a doorway leading to an employee rest area with an old, broken couch and a payphone like phone hanging on a hook.
She rushed over to it and cradled it against her ear, straining to see if there was any dial tone at all. There wasn't. She felt the weight of gloom and anguish crash against her shoulders and just stood there staring off into the distance, imagining the cops finding her decrepit corpse withering away to nothing in this store. It was over. She would be locked in here all night and die in here!
"No tone?"
She hopped about ten feet into the air and launched the phone towards the source of the voice with a shrill scream. Logan yelped and moved out of the way just as the phone crashed into the wall where his head had been.
Jasmine breathed heavily, "Don't do that! You can't just quietly sneak up on someone!"
"I called your name a couple times." He rolled his eyes, sinking into the old, tattered couch in the corner. "Were you lost in thought or something?"
She ignored his question and plopped down onto the cushions beside him, sliding her feet out of her heels slowly and massaging her aching toes with a low moan. Logan watched her with some pity in his expression.
"Did you find anything up front?" she asked him.
"Nothing. Manager's office was locked. It's by card too, so there's no lock I could try to pick."
Jasmine took a deep breath, "So what? We're just going to be trapped here all night?!"
"What? You got somewhere to go…" Logan rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah. I forgot you had a date…"
She gave him an inscrutable look, but ignored his comment, continuing to rub her toes back to life from the pinchy shoes. "So what do we do?"
"What choice do we have? We have to stay in this store until morning." He growled.
Jasmine put her heels back on and stood up with a flourish, "Well I'm not staying in this room. I'm going to find somewhere else to stay. It smells weird, and it's kind of creepy."
"Fine. Have fun." He said, laying back on the old couch with his hands behind his head. His legs were hanging off the edge of the too small couch. It would have been amusing had Jasmine not been hurt by the completely blasé way he had addressed her.
Jasmine stared at him for a second, a small lump growing in her throat. She had honestly been hoping he'd come with her. Sure, maybe they weren't each other's favorite person right now, but they could still spend some time together. They both were in a pretty crappy circumstance. Why couldn't they just stick together? At this point, their friendship would never revert back to the way it had been.
She sniffled quietly and turned around, "S-sure… I'll just… go…"
She left the room, looking over her shoulder once as she rounded the corner of the doorway. Logan was pointedly not looking at her, glaring resolutely at the rotting ceiling. She ignored the pang in her heart and dragged her feet around the superstore, trying to find somewhere comfortable to wait until morning.
As she entered the electronics area, she smiled, realizing there was a camping display set up nearby the big screen TVs for sale. It had a tent, sleeping bag, lounge chairs. Everything that was necessary for a somewhat good night's sleep. It was perfect. The display for the televisions was shut off, but she had been to electronics stores. Usually, there was some VCR or control box nearby that controlled and turned on all the TVs. She crawled onto her hands and knees, and snuck behind the televisions, looking for that box. She found it in the corner near the rows of DVDs and CDs and a huge smile grew on her face.
Just because they were trapped didn't mean she had to be bored. There was no point in lamenting their situation. At least there was countless food and entertainment in the store. Not to mention a relatively okay place to sleep.
Jasmine crawled back out of the little nook, and sighed when she realized in her search, she had formed a run in her brand new tights. She took off her heels and placed them next to the tent before flopping onto a sleeping bag on display. She sighed in relief at the dissipated pressure on her toes. It was perfect. She would just watch a movie and relax and before she knew it, the night would be over and she'd be on her way home.
"Logan's probably really uncomfortable on that couch…" she muttered.
And she was undoubtedly lonely. Standing up, she headed back to the employee room knowing what she was going to do. There was a good chance that he would reject her request, but she would still ask. No one deserved to sleep on an uncomfortable rag-covering-hay of a couch. Especially since it was so cold in there.
When she walked in, Logan was still laying uncomfortably in the same way he had been before, staring at the ceiling. She stopped by the doorway, rubbing her arm as goosebumps formed from the chill in the room.
"Logan?"
"Yeah?" His voice was flat, and he still refused to look at her. She sighed dejectedly, already expecting him to say no.
"Hey, I was thinking, why don't we watch a movie instead of you staying in here by yourself? I found a nice camping display nearby and there are TVs in the area. It's bound to be warmer too…"
He remained silent, pretending like she wasn't there, and Jasmine frowned. She knew they weren't on great speaking terms but he was being ridiculous.
"Look. I know you're mad at me, but this is just stupid. I want to be friends again Logan, but it's like you're not making any efforts to meet me halfway. Come find me when you're mature enough to have a conversation again."
Shaking her head in disdain, Jasmine spun on her heels and walked out of the room back to her little "campsite". She was angry and hurt all at once. She thought she could try to fix their screwed up relationship, but it seemed she was right. Logan did hate her. And he wanted nothing to do with her anymore. She angrily wiped at the tears that were leaking out of her eyes, sniffling heavily. She just wanted to go back to the days when they could hang out as friends, watching shows and movies together and laughing at stupid things people did. If this was the way it was going to be for the rest of college, she would rather they just never dated at all to begin with! She should have just taken heed of Lindy's warnings all those years ago.
Jasmine grabbed a comedy from the shelf of disorganized, but cheap films and stuck it in the slot, playing it on the big screen. Then, grunting and exerting her muscles, she pulled the large TV and tugged it around so that it was facing the front of the tent flap before sliding into the sleeping bag inside the tent and lying on her stomach to watch it. She needed something to cheer her up. Something to take her mind off of the fact that the best relationship of her life had crumbled to pieces.
~.~.~
The movie was only about thirty minutes in when she heard footsteps approaching. Jasmine froze and held her breath, wondering if there was someone else in the store with them. She held still, hoping that if she didn't make any noise, the intruder would walk right by her.
"Jasmine?"
She let out a heavy breath and felt her entire body untense and unwind in relief. It was only Logan.
"I'm in the tent!" She called out.
Logan walked around the corner, holding a bag of popcorn, two cokes, a box of Peeps, and a bag of jelly beans. He stopped in front of the tent and squatted so he was in her line of sight. She stared at him expressionlessly, waiting for him to speak.
He sighed, "I was an ass to you Jasmine. I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you, and I know you were just trying to be friendly. I'm sorry." He lifted up the goods slightly, "Peace offering. Do you think you have room for one more?"
She couldn't help but smile at his earnest expression and sweet words. "There's room. But why are the back of your clothes wet?" She laughed softly, "Looks like you pissed yourself."
"I tried to use the microwaves in the appliances area to make the popcorn, but there was a puddle of water on the ground that I didn't see. Landed on my ass." He shrugged sheepishly, "After that, I realized there are bags of already popped popcorn in the snack aisles.
"Well take off your clothes and hop in here." She said, leaning past his tall figure to see more of the movie.
Logan's eyebrows jumped, and he spun around in surprise. Jasmine realized what her words had sounded like and how they could be misconstrued, and her cheeks flushed.
"Not like that!" she quickly rectified, "I meant take off your outer clothes before you catch a cold! Don't you have on stuff underneath?"
"Yeah, but still…" he looked nervous, "In the sleeping bag? With you?"
She shrugged, trying to feign nonchalance, though she was as nervous as he was vocalizing his nerves. "It's cold in here. We can maximize heat. It's no big deal."
"If you're sure…" he muttered, setting the snacks on the lounge chair before stripping down to his dry underclothes. Jasmine decidedly kept her eyes off of him, though she was tempted to stare. Old habits really were hard to break.
He grabbed the snacks and slid in beside her. After much maneuvering and shoving over, they finally found a comfortable enough position. Jasmine tried to relax, but being this close to Logan again was setting her nerves on edge. He was warm and comforting. Especially when she caught a whiff of his alluring cologne. All it did was remind her of the times they used to spend cuddled against one another. She was this close to snuggling further against him, but she knew if she did anything of the sort, he'd probably slip away.
She grabbed a Peep and stuffed it in her mouth to occupy her mouth and keep from possibly opening it and saying something stupid that would ruin this fragile truce they seemed to have built.
"I'm sorry…" Logan said quietly after an extended period of silence.
She turned to look at him and quickly reverted her gaze back to the big screen when she realized how close his face was to hers.
"For what…?"
"You were supposed to go on a date tonight right? He's going to think you stood him up."
Jasmine glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Logan's words had sounded aloof, but his jaw was clenched, and he was gripping the coke like he wanted to squeeze the life out of it. His words sounded like he was okay, but his actions were completely opposite. Was he jealous? The thought of that made her heart beat faster in elation.
"I don't have a date, Logan…" she finally replied, fighting the smile that was breaking out on her face.
Logan finally looked away from the screen, staring at Jasmine with narrowed eyes, "But you said–"
"I said I was getting ready to go out." She interrupted before he could finish his assumption. "Not necessarily for a date."
"So why are you dressed all fancy?"
So he had been jealous. Probably really jealous. Was that why he had been acting like a jerk earlier? Don't get her wrong. Jealous Logan was a jerk, but the fact that he was jealous excited her. She liked knowing he was jealous. If he was jealous, then that meant that he still had lingering feelings. Which meant, maybe… just maybe he didn't hate her.
She giggled softly, "Never heard of a girl's night out?"
He released a relieved breath through his nose and snorted, turning back towards the TV, "Wow. I'm an idiot."
"Yeah…" she stated, "You know… Just because I flirt with guys doesn't mean I necessarily want to go out with them, Logan. There's no need for you to be so jealous."
He stiffened almost entirely, and Jasmine prepared for him to snap at her. No doubt she had just ruined this little good mood they'd settled in. But to her surprise, instead of answering in irritation, he sighed again, resting his chin on his crossed arms.
"Yeah… you're right."
She blinked a couple times in surprise, wondering if she had just heard him right. "…Why are you jealous? We really aren't together anymore."
"I know." His fists were clenched again, "It just bothers me… Seeing you with all those guys. And knowing that will never be me on the receiving end again."
She smiled in relief. Maybe she had been wrong about Logan this whole time. But then that meant he still was pining after her. Which meant the feelings were mutual.
Throwing caution to the wind, Jasmine rolled over onto her side, facing Logan completely.
"Logan."
The muscle in his jaw ticked, and he remained still, steadfastly staring at the movie on the screen.
"Logan. Look at me."
Slowly, he rolled over so he was facing her as well, mirroring her position and gazing straight at her with an unreadable expression on his face. His blue eyes looked almost a murky gray in the dim lighting. Jasmine held her breath and reached out, cupping his jaw with her hand.
"Listen to me carefully because I'm only going to say this once." She rubbed her thumb lightly against his cheek, "I don't flirt with guys because I want to go out with them. And I don't flirt with guys to make you jealous. I flirt because I can't let go of you. Because it hurts to know how our relationship fell so horribly. The only way I can feel better is if I distract myself. Because I need help getting over you. I still love you Logan."
Logan's eyes softened, and he reached up, covering her hand with his own, "Why didn't you say anything, Jasmine…"
"I thought you hated me…" she replied softly.
"I could never hate you. I love you too much to ever hate you Jaz."
"Logan…"
He leaned into her, and their lips met gently in a slow kiss that made Jasmine's toes curl and left heat pooling in the base of her stomach. She slid her hands down to the straps of his wifebeater, tugging him closer and deepening the embrace with a soft sigh. Her heart felt like it was about to burst. She'd missed him.
Jasmine broke the kiss and opened her eyes, giggling softly and nuzzling her nose against his cheek. "How did our relationship get so messed up?"
"I think we lost sight of our friendship. And then we couldn't be ourselves." He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, kissing her head softly. "When we're not us, we just don't work."
Jasmine nodded, "I think we rushed in ending our relationship. I didn't want things to end Logan."
"What? I thought you did."
"I thought you did!"
They leaned back and stared at each other for a few seconds before dissolving into stupefied laughter. Was this really all because of some stupid misunderstanding? At least they'd worked out their issues. Hopefully things would only improve from here on out. She didn't want to lose him again.
Jasmine yawned, her eyelids drooping, "I'm kind of tired."
"Yeah, me too."
Jasmine snuggled up against his chest, loving the complete feeling of warmth surrounding her. Logan reached up and knocked the remaining popcorn and candy out of the tent carelessly out of the way of their heads as Jasmine laughed, pinching at his side to stop moving. He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her forehead, pulling her even closer.
"Goodnight Logan." She muttered sleepily, a goofy grin growing on her face.
"Goodnight Jaz."