"Okay, spill!" Logan says the second the doors are shut.
"Spill? Spill what?" Carlos innocently asks.
Logan frowns. "Come on, Carlos. You know exactly what."
"Give it a rest, Logie. My mom just wanted to throw a party because we're all back together." Carlos states; starting the car.
"Then why didn't you tell me about it?"
"Must have slipped my mind," Carlos lies.
The fact of the matter is that once Kendall found out about Carlos' plan and that Mr. and Mrs. Garcia knew, he contacted them and talked them into throwing an Engagement party. Carlos was completely against the idea saying they're jinxing everything. It took a few hours of convincing, but Kendall finally got him to cave. While Carlos had some doubt because of everything he and Logan went through; Kendall's completely positive Logan will say 'yes!'
Logan shifts in his seat to face Carlos. "That's a lie and you know it," he accuses.
Carlos sighs, "If that's what you want to believe, then so be it."
Logan sees a hint of fear and disappointment on Carlos' face, but can't understand why. He wants to keep pushing to get an answer, but can see where things could go if he does. Logan moves in his seat so that he is resting his head on the window, watching the scenery fly past.
Carlos observes as Logan turns away from him. He hates the silent treatment. He'd much rather have someone yell at him than ignore him. All he wants to do is tell Logan and propose right now, but Logan doesn't deserve a proposal that occurs as a resolution to an argument. What Logan deserves is what Carlos has planned for Friday. Unfortunately, the doubt that Kendall was able to suppress is creeping back into his thoughts and forces the rest of the trip to be bathed in silence.
Ten minutes later they're pulling up to the Mitchell home.
"Thanks for driving me home," Logan says solemnly opening his door.
"Logan, I-"
"Forget it, Carlos," Logan responds, grabbing his stuff from the backseat.
Carlos reaches for the door to let himself out, but Logan stops him.
"It's okay, Carlos. I'm good. No need to get out."
Carlos stops mid-movement and turns to face Logan. "Are you sure? Can I walk you to the door?" he asks hopefully.
Logan takes a deep breath and shakes his head, "Thanks, but it's not a big deal. Wouldn't want you to do something you don't want to."
Carlos feels like he's been punched in the gut repeatedly. It's not that he doesn't want to, it's that he can't.
"I'll see you Thursday," Logan sadly but hopefully says.
He picks up his last bag and shuts the door. He hesitates a second before turning around. As he starts for the door, a tear escapes and rolls down his cheek.
Carlos remains in his seat knowing in his heart that he should walk with Logan regardless of what he says. Trying to come to terms with what just happened, he chooses to follow his head and not his heart. So he stares out the window following Logan's every move, wishing he'd turn around.
Logan hesitates at the door. He wants to wave good-bye, but his head overpowers his heart. He unlocks the door and lets himself in. Shutting the door behind him, he leans against it waiting for the sound of the vehicle pulling away. Less than a minute later, the sound of an accelerating car can be heard. When the noise fades, tears begin to flow freely while he slides down into a fetal position.
"Logan? Is that you, sweetie?" Mrs. Mitchell's cheery voice asks from the kitchen.
Logan wipes his eyes and stands. He clears his throat. "Yeah, Mom. It's me!" he answers, trying to keep his voice even.
Mrs. Mitchell pokes her head into the hallway. "What's wrong, Logan?"
Logan picks up his stuff, makes his way down the hall, and tries to act normal. "Wrong? What makes you think anything's wrong?"
She steps into the hallway, grabs a bag from Logan, and walks with him to his room. "Well, those puffy, red eyes say something… and don't you dare tell me they're happy tears."
They arrive at Logan's room, hide the suitcases in the closet, and sit on the edge of the bed.
After a minute of silence, Logan asks, "Mom, did Dad ever keep a secret from you?"
Mrs. Mitchell is surprised by the question. "What do you mean?"
Logan sighs and gives her an abridged version. "Carlos let something slip and Kendall covered. I confronted him in the car, but he still wouldn't tell me the truth."
Mrs. Mitchell nods. "Is this secret something that could eventually be revealed?" she asks forgetting to hide the excitement in her voice.
Logan raises and eyebrow. "You know… don't you?"
She hesitates and Logan takes that as affirmation.
"Thanks for the talk, Mom, but I'd like to be alone now." Logan rolls to the other side of the bed and lays down, back toward his mother.
Mrs. Mitchell gets the hint. She stands and heads out, halting in the doorway to look back at her son. When it comes to Carlos, Logan takes things to the extreme. This omission is not helping to alleviate any of his fears.
Mrs. Mitchell is taken from her thoughts by the sound of the front door closing. She takes one last look at Logan and goes to meet her husband.
"What's wrong, Joanna?" Mr. Mitchell asks when he sees the distressed look on her face.
"I just made a huge mistake with Logan."
"Logan's home? Where is he?"
"He's in his room, but he's pretty upset…" She continues to explain the situation.
When she finishes, Mr. Mitchell asks, "Should I go talk to him?"
"I don't think it'll help. He's probably figured out that everyone knows, but won't tell him. I'm going to call Sylvia and see if she can help us."
Slam!
Sylvia looks up from her book expecting to see her son happily bouncing around the corner. Instead she sees him disappear down the opposite hallway and hears another door close. Curious and worried, she makes her way down the hallway.
Knock!Knock!
No answer.
"Carlos?" she asks gently through the door.
Again, no answer.
She turns the knob, but to no avail. Pressing her ear to the door, she hears Carlos sobbing. Her heart breaks, not knowing the reason but also because she is currently incapable of helping.
Ring!Ring!
Not wanting to leave her son, Mrs. Garcia lets the machine answer.
"Sylvia? Sylvia? Are you there? Please pick up. We have a problem. Logan came home all upset. I can only imagine how Carlos is-"
"Joanna, I'm here," Mrs. Garcia says picking up the receiver.
"Thank goodness," Joanna responds with a sigh.
"What happened? Carlos just came home and locked himself in his room. I could hear him crying."
Joanna goes on to explain the situation… how Carlos let slip about the party and the cover up.
"Logan knows that I know the real reason behind the party and has probably figured out that everyone else knows, too. It's not sitting well with him."
"With their history… I don't blame him."
"So what are we going to do?"
"I don't know Joanna. I honestly have no idea."
"All I know is that they need to talk."
"I know. I'll talk to Carlos."
"Good luck…" Joanna pauses, "Sylvia, I can't go through this again."
"Me neither," she sighs as she hangs up.
Sylvia knocks on Carlos' door. Still no answer, but she can no longer hear crying. She tries the knob, still locked.
"Carlos… sweetie? Please open the door. I'd like to talk to you."
Again, no response.
"Honey, I know what happened. Mrs. Mitchell called…"
Behind the door the bed squeaks, footsteps approach the door, and the lock clicks. Mrs. Garcia waits for the door to open, but when it doesn't a minute later, she cautiously enters the room.
Carlos is sitting on his bed leaning up against the wall. His puffy, red eyes turn to his mother as she enters.
"Did she tell you that I ruined everything? That there's no way Logan will want to marry me now?"
Mrs. Garcia sits next to him. "No, just the opposite. She said that Logan's scared."
He looks at her in shock. "Scared?" he asks sheepishly. "Scared of what?"
"Honey, you kept the biggest secret from him for two years and now you have another secret-"
"But this is something he should be happy about," Carlos interrupts.
Sylvia comfortingly smiles, "I know that… and you know that… but Logan doesn't. You know Logan better than anyone. Put yourself in his shoes. How do you think he feels?"
Carlos ponders that idea until his face contorts into a thoughtful glazed stare. "I see what you mean, Mom," leaning over and giving her a hug.
"I really think you should talk to Logan…" Carlos takes a breath. "… sooner rather than later."
He hangs his head. "I know, but what do I say? I still want it to be a surprise."
"Tell him the truth-"
Carlos glares at her.
"- about how you feel. Everything after that should come to you."