A/N: So, I'm super proud of myself for this because I'm pretty sure it is the longest chapter I've written so far. Yay. Also, I know you guys are going to really hate me for not finishing the scene I left off with in the last chapter. I was going to. But. I haven't exactly finalized what I wanted to happen there and I will show it, but it will be in flashbacks when the time comes, because I have a plan. I do. I think. Some days. Anyway, this chapter takes place a few weeks after the last one. It's summer time, the summer between sophomore and junior year at Hearst. Uh, not that it's really super relevant to the story right now but Dick is in the islands with his dad, Wallace is in Chicago with his dad, Piz and Parker went back to wherever they came from for the summer (I couldn't remember exactly.. Beaverton and Colorado?) and Mac got an internship with NIST in the D.C. area. So. Everyone is gone. Literally gone. Left California gone. What is our favorite noncouple to do? Rely on each other, duh.
Chapter 6: For the Love of the Surf
Like clockwork, Logan appeared at the door of Mars Investigations with a bag of takeout. He had been showing up every day lately, usually with food. Veronica brushed it off as either loneliness or boredom since Dick left to spend the summer in the islands with his father. It wasn't that she minded either, since all of her friends happened to be scattered across the country at the moment, it was a nice change of pace to rely on Logan.
"What's in the bag?" she asked excitedly; her eyes lighting up at the sight of him. Veronica closed her laptop and put away the case file she had been working on to make room for lunch on her desk. "You are certainly giving Wallace a run for his title of 'best friend,' you know," she said with a laugh, trying to take the bag from him.
Logan liked to consider every day he had lunch with her a "mini-date" of sorts, and for the most part they were enjoyable. They were certainly interrupted less often, since all of their combined friends were out of Neptune for the summer, though on occasion a client would walk in signaling his cue to leave. He spread out the take out containers on the desk between them, knowing exactly what she liked from every place in town and putting her favorite in front of her. "This is exactly what I was craving," Veronica gushed, dipping her chopsticks into the container.
"So," Logan continued, taking a bite of his own food, "I was thinking maybe you could cut out of here a few hours early today and we could go surfing." He took the opportunity of catching her with her mouth full to continue, "I know that the filing is done and that you're pretty much caught up on your cases. I will have you back with plenty of time to spare before you need to do surveillance tonight."
He certainly had a point, her afternoon was completely free, but she still wasn't sure, "I'm not dressed for the occasion." Excuse number one.
"Go home and change," he countered. Today he had come prepared.
Veronica, however, was not known to give up without a fight, "I don't own a surfboard." Excuse number two.
"I have a spare," Logan countered with a smirk.
She crossed her arms and leaned forward in her chair, "I don't know how to surf." Excuse number three.
"I can teach you," he responded, matching her movements.
Excuses were getting harder to come by, "we just ate. You can't swim an hour after eating." Excuse number four.
"By the time we both get changed and get to the beach, the hour will have passed," Logan again countered.
Running out of excuses she finally agreed and met him at the beach an hour later in just about the tiniest bikini she owned and the smallest pair of jean shorts over top and no shirt, just to mess with him. If she was going to be there and go surfing, she was not going to make it easy for him to focus on teaching her how to surf.
Veronica grabbed the beach bag she had packed from her car before walking over to the spot where she noticed Logan waiting. "I hope this is all right," she said when she reached him and gestured to her outfit with an evil grin, "It's all I could find on such short notice."
Logan bit down on his finger to keep himself from saying anything as he watched her shimmy out of her tight shorts and toss them on top of her bag. He always thought she looked amazing in blue, but an itsy bitsy teeny weenie blue polka dot string bikini was too much.
Could she be on to his plan? Veronica was certainly one of the smartest people he had ever met and he wouldn't put it past her to have figured it out. "Right, so, how about we get in the water?" he suggested, needing the distraction. He couldn't think about it at that moment.
"One second, I need to tie my hair back," Veronica reminded and bent over to reach into her bag for a hair tie. Once her blonde hair was secure in a messy bun on top of her head, she nodded and followed him to the water, carrying his extra surfboard.
Sitting on their surfboards in the water, Logan was going over basic technique on how to surf and pointing out form on other surfers already on their boards until Veronica stopped him, "I might have understated my surfing ability a little earlier," she said simply before lying down on the surfboard and paddling out to the wave. Veronica certainly wouldn't be winning any surfing competitions any time soon, but she wasn't terrible either. Logan was impressed and mentally added "surfing" to the pro-list in his head.
After a few hours in the water, the pair made their way back to the beach where they left their towels. Checking the time on her phone, Veronica sat down on her towel. She still had some time to kill before she had to go catch a cheating spouse in action. "When did you learn how to surf?" Logan sat down next to her on his own towel.
"Two years ago?" Veronica replied as more of a question than a statement, grabbing a water bottle from her bag, "I helped this kid out and he paid me in surf lessons. It was when we were dating, after I came back from New York. Surfing is important to you and I was going to surprise you but we… uh… we broke up before that happened." Veronica took a drink from the bottle before offering it to Logan, "So, uh, surprise?"
Logan took the bottle from her and finished it off; surfing really made him thirsty. He smiled at her, touched by her gesture, "Thanks." The pair sat in silence for a while, the moment hanging between them. Veronica wasn't well versed in saying how she felt about people, and given her line of work, actions definitely spoke louder than words. She had never once uttered the words "I love you" to him. Yet, something as simple as learning to surf showed him that she really did, at least at one point in time, feel it. "Why did you never say it?" he asked softly, turning his head to look at her as she lay on her beach towel allowing the sun to dry her.
"Because we were broken up?" she asked, pausing between each word. Didn't she just say that?
Of course she knew what he meant, but she didn't want to talk about it. They had just had a pleasant afternoon together, but them being them, they had to end it with a fight.
He could hear her sigh, "Let's not ruin this, okay? We had a really great day and…" Veronica trailed off looking to the sun, low in the sky, "I really should get going. I need to shower and change and get dinner and I have things to do." She sat up and began to gather her things into her bag, frustrated that he wouldn't leave it alone.
Logan placed his hands on top of hers, "I said I'd let you go in time to get to work, and I will, but just know that this conversation isn't over and running from it isn't going to change that." With that, he allowed her to finish packing up her belongings and leave the beach before he lay back on his towel rubbing his hands on his face.
A/N: So, reviews are lovely. I'm sure you know the story by now lol. I know. I left it with a fight again, but I felt the chapter was getting a little long and I needed to end it. plus cooldown times are great. And, I want to keep you on the edges of your chairs dying to find out what happens next because I'm mean and evil and (insert other uncool adjective here).