AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yay, a new chapter in less than a week! Told yall that I'd have more time to write. This one is very much so on the short side, but it's only because I kinda decided to add these two scenes in after finishing Chapter 18. I felt they were necessary to explain some characters' mindsets. Thanks for reading and reviewing and keeping up with this story after all this time! You guys rock and I love you all!

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Kendall woke up the following morning and glanced across the room at Logan, who was still asleep. He could have been in that bed with him at that very moment...he could have been nestled in his arms, feeling his warmth, and holding tightly onto him. They could have literally gone back to that night from a few years earlier, but this time, instead of pretending it never happened, they would have embraced it...they would have embraced each other...and it would have been a new beginning for them both.

He shook his head. What had he done wrong? Hadn't he told Logan plainly enough that he was ready? Hadn't he said all that was necessary? He was ready. He was ready!

He got up and started to get dressed. Logan had been right. Jo's plane would be coming in...and Kendall had to be there to meet her.

He couldn't help but think, though. Maybe he'd been wrong the entire time. Maybe he'd been wrong about Logan, and maybe he'd been wrong about himself. He'd always taken comfort in knowing that he was the "strong" one and Logan was the "weak" one. It had always been easier for him. It put him in complete and total control of the situation. If he wanted to feel close to Logan, then fine...they'd go to the beach, they'd go to a movie, they'd just sit and talk in their room. Logan would comply with no problem. And if Kendall ever felt like they were getting too close? Then he'd focus his attention squarely on Jo. He'd always know that Logan would be hurt by the sudden abandonment, but he'd also know that whenever he was ready to get their close friendship started again, Logan would be right there.

And he'd also known, for sure, that any time he was ready to stop playing games and stop being scared and show Logan how he really felt...Logan would fall into his arms and they'd begin their long journey together.

But that had not been the case, and it could only mean that Logan was stronger than Kendall. While Kendall couldn't take it anymore and was ready to succumb to the passion, it was Logan who'd kept firm. It was Logan who'd kept their mutual goal - "normal" - in focus. It was Logan who'd taken control of the situation, and it was Logan who'd been the rejector.

And if Logan could be strong, then Kendall knew he could be strong, too. He'd wavered a little...he'd gotten close to giving up...he'd let his sister get to him, he'd let that damn Guitar Dude get to him, he'd let his memories get to him, and most of all, he'd let Logan get to him...but that was okay. If Logan could be strong, so could Kendall, and Kendall's competitive nature made him want to be the strongest of them all.

My girlfriend's coming home today, he told himself as he brushed his teeth. And I'm gonna spend as much time as I possibly can with her.

And as he put on his shoes, gathered up his phone and keys, and left, he cast not one glance in Logan's direction...not a single stare.

As soon as the door closed, Logan opened his eyes. He'd been awake ever since he heard the sound of the faucet coming from the bathroom.

He's going to go meet her, he'd told himself when he realized it was Kendall brushing his teeth. He's going to go meet her, and he'll probably be with her all day.

But wasn't that what he'd wanted? Wasn't that what he'd told Kendall to do?

It was, but that didn't meant it didn't hurt.

He was proud of himself, though. He'd fought it! He'd fought it! Kendall had wanted to have some kind of intimate late night chat with him...the kind of chat they'd always had...the kind that would always end with Kendall going to his warm bed and Logan getting into his own cold one. That was how it had always happened, and Logan had been able to fight it this time! And so yes, he was proud.

"Ready."

Kendall had said that he was "ready." Ready to take advantage of Logan's friendship again? Ready to take Logan for granted again? Ready to be a best friend again until it was time to cast Logan aside for Jo...again? Well, Logan was "ready," too, and he was ready to move on. He was ready to get over Kendall, and he was ready to make the changes he needed to make.

He hated that this whole thing was making him view his best friend in such a negative light, though. He didn't want to hate Kendall. Again, he reminded himself that it wasn't Kendall's fault that he was in this predicament. Sure, Kendall had done all the right things and said all the right words throughout their friendship to make Logan love him...but all Kendall had ever wanted to be was a good, old-fashioned, true-blue friend. It was Logan's own fault that he couldn't let go.

But that's all right, he thought to himself. That's all right. Soon, it won't even matter.

He thought about Jo. She'd be back in town at any minute. What would she do...what would she say? She'd told him that it was going to be "all right," but what did she mean by that? Logan had always been a little afraid of her. There was something cold about her at times...something very cold and calculated, almost fabricated, to the point where it would seem like she wasn't even human. But then there were times, fleeting moments, where he could see why Kendall liked her...he could see that she had a heart, that she could be nice, that she could be a cool girl. But now that he'd given her reason to want to destroy him, he couldn't help but wonder what she'd had in mind when she'd reassured him that things would be "all right."

That's tomorrow, he told himself calmly. That's tomorrow. Today...I don't even think about it. Him or her. I don't even care.

He lifted himself out of his bed and began to get dressed for a long day of clubbing - math clubbing, book clubbing, and science clubbing.

James and Carlos watched silently as Kendall dashed out of the apartment and then Logan dashed out minutes later.

Carlos knew what James was thinking, and he wished he'd just open his mouth and say something already. He certainly didn't want to be the one to bring it up, and besides, he felt they'd already established that James would do the dirty work - the snooping, the conjecturing - and he'd just pretend to not be interested. But damn it, he was interested, especially after what he'd heard the night before.

Carlos had been having a sore throat, and so he'd gone to his and James's bathroom for some throat spray. While there, though, he couldn't help but hear Logan and Kendall having some kind of argument. Kendall kept saying that he wanted to "see it now," while Logan kept saying that he could "see it in the morning." Carlos had sprayed not even half a pump of the throat spray down his mouth before he quickly put it back in the medicine cabinet and got back into bed. What was "it?" Well, he wasn't stupid. He figured he knew what "it" was. He had an "it." James had an "it." Kendall had an "it." And Logan had an "it," and apparently Kendall wanted to see "it." He probably wanted to touch "it," too. And...he probably wanted to do other things with "it." But Logan didn't want him to...hmm...

But, again, Carlos wasn't going to bring that up. No, siree. That was James's job, and Carlos just hoped that somehow James had heard that conversation, too. The Palm Woods walls were thin, so it was possible. And if not that, then James had definitely been witness to the somewhat standoffish ways Kendall and Logan had both separately left the apartment. He'd say something about that, right?

"I'm starting to think I've been wrong," James finally said. He and Carlos were at the counter having breakfast burritos and orange juice.

Carlos nodded, relieved to finally hear James say something, but then...

"Wait, what?"

"You were right, I was wrong," James repeated, knowing that it wasn't a common occurrence to hear such words come from his mouth.

"No!" Carlos protested. "No! YOU were right, and I was wrong!"

"Ah, I see," James smiled, raising an eyebrow, "and here I thought you were Mr. 'We Can't Talk About Our Friends Behind Their Backs.' I thought you wanted to forget about the whole thing!"

"Ugh!" Carlos let out, taking an angry bite from his burrito.

"It's okay," James said. "I'm glad you're starting to see common sense. Maybe one day we'll get rid of the helmet."

"Never!"

James ignored this and took a sophisticated sip from his juice. "From the way they both left out of here - separately, I might add - I would guess that they've had some kind of fight. It would definitely explain why they haven't been their usual bromantic selves this past week."

Say it, Carlos's conscience was telling him. Tell him what you heard last night!

"I wonder if Jo coming back today has anything to do with it," James continued. "It seems like every time Kendall and Logan get distant with each other, she has something to do with it."

Carlos slipped off his stool and paced around the room.

"Maybe you were right...about me being right. And I was wrong...about you being wrong," he said, grabbing on to his helmet. "Maybe we've both been wrong this whole time, and nothing is going on!"

"Oh, no you don't!" James replied. "You know that you're just as curious as I am, and this whole thing is frustrating you just as much as it's frustrating me."

"Well then what are we going to do about it? You keep bringing up these things you suspect, I keep hearing things I don't want to hear, and -"

"Wait, what?"

"What?"

"You said you keep 'hearing things.' What did you hear?"

Carlos sighed. Might as well. He leaned into James and whispered.

"Last night...when I was spraying my throat, I heard them talking...like...not yelling, but they weren't exactly whispering either, so I was NOT eavesdropping!"

"What were they talking about?" James asked, annoyed at Carlos's holier-than-thou attitude.

"I don't know..." He really didn't want to say it. It just felt wrong...it felt dirty. "I don't know, it was just...ugh...I think Kendall wanted something...if you know what I mean."

James was confused. "Wanted something? What did he want?"

"Something!" Carlos repeated. "Something...you know...something. A little 'something-something.'"

"Oh!" James said, finally understanding. "But wait...why would they be arguing over that?"

"Logan didn't want to!"

"Hmm..."

Now it was James's turn to get up and pace. So many things were flying at him at once, and he barely had the time to stop and process them. What could all of these things mean? Kendall wanted sex, but Logan didn't. They were clearly not on the very best of terms this morning, and Kendall was presumably on his way to meet his girlfriend at the airport. It was like a gigantic puzzle with too many missing pieces.

And, unbeknownst to James and Carlos, some of the pieces they'd already placed were definitely not placed correctly.

But there was someone who had all of the answers - well, most of them - who could set them both straight.

"What are you two morons talking about?" Katie asked when she came in. She went straight for the coffee and the stock market section of the newspaper. It was her usual morning routine.

"Uh...uh...nothing?" Carlos quickly responded. James rolled his eyes, knowing that Carlos was not at all good with being subtle and chill.

"We're talking about this movie that's coming out," James said to Katie as they joined her at the counter.

Katie sipped her coffee and checked her stocks while the boys finished their burritos. Suddenly, though, an idea came across James. A brilliant idea, actually, but he wanted to make sure he and Carlos were thinking the same thing. He looked over Katie's head at his friend and was pleasantly surprised to find Carlos looking back at him. Together, they focused their eyes on the girl between them. They looked back to each other and nodded.

It made sense, right? She would know something, right? If anyone in that apartment would know anything about Logan and Kendall's secrets, it would be Katie. She knew everything. But how in the world were they going to bring it up?

As always, James took the initiative.

"So, Katie," he began, searching for just the right "in." "Logan and Kendall must have had some kind of falling out, huh?" He wanted to be gentle and slow with it. Katie Knight was a crafty little girl. She could see through any and all BS, and James was a BS machine. But if he was careful about this, he could get her to spill all that she knew without having to divulge what had been wracking his and Carlos's brains for the last two weeks.

"Don't know, don't care," Katie replied insensitively.

James was taken aback, but he should not have been surprised. He looked at Carlos, who gave him a motivational nod to keep trying.

"Aheheh," he nervously chuckled. "It's your brother and his best friend, though. Shouldn't you care?"

Katie put down her newspaper and narrowed her eyes at him. "Both of them are YOUR best friends, and plus, the two of you spend way more time with them than I do, so wouldn't you know more than me what's going on?"

Touche, James thought, and as he looked over at Carlos, he could see that he agreed. But still, they had to keep at it.

"Yeah, but you're his little sister," Carlos said, taking the reins from James and slipping an arm around Katie's small shoulders. "He tells you everything, doesn't he? When Kendall's having a problem, who does he always run to first? His baby sister, that's who!"

"Well, it's not like he has any friends who are smart enough to solve his problems for him," Katie retorted. She eyed them both carefully and it became clear that these two were up to something. She wasn't completely sure yet, but she knew they weren't too hard to figure out.

"Yes, well," said James, ignoring her insult, "you would know if something's bothering Kendall now, right? Like...if he's having issues right now...issues with Logan...you would know about them, right?"

She nodded. But then she froze. And a peculiar look came across her face, and then she understood it all.

These fuckers know, she realized. They know Kendall's secret! Well...glad I'm not the only one anymore.

She was going to play her cards carefully, though. There was no need to just come right out and ask them if they knew that Kendall was deeply in love with Logan but was scared of saying so. If by chance they didn't know this already, she didn't want them to hear it from her. But it was so obvious that James and Carlos knew what was going on. Why else would they be grinning in her face and asking her cryptic questions? They weren't the sharpest knives in the drawer, but it wasn't like Kendall was great at masking his Logan love. It would only be a matter of time before everyone was suspecting something, if they didn't already. And clearly, Carlos and James were already there.

"What are you trying to ask me?" she finally asked, looking from one to the another and back again.

James and Carlos met eyes, but neither one seemed prepared to answer her.

"You tell her," James instructed Carlos, but Carlos went right to shaking his head.

"No, no, no! This is your thing, remember? I don't have anything to do with it anymore, I'm out of it!" Carlos responded, leaving the counter and going to sit on the couch.

"Out of it?" James asked indignantly. "You're the one who was eavesdropping on their sex conversation last night!"

"Wait, what?" Katie asked, slipping off her stool.

The room got silent as all three faces had question marks on them. Katie raised her eyebrows just a little higher to emphasize the fact that she wanted some answers.

Once again, James took the initiative. "We think that something's going on between Logan and Kendall. Like...something. Like...they're together."

"What? No!" Katie replied, shaking her head. "Unless something's happened in the last twenty-four hours, they are not together."

"But you know what we're talking about!" Carlos chimed in, noticing that Katie was more taken aback by the thought of Kendall and Logan actually being together than by the mere idea of it.

Katie sighed. She hated being the mature one sometimes.

"Both of you...just sit. And no talking until I'm finished, okay?" They did as they were told, and she put her hands on her hips like a principal disciplining two unruly students. "Logan and Kendall are not and have never ever been together. Ever. Okay? Ever."

"But-"

"Shush!" she interjected. "Kendall has a lot of stuff that he needs to work out, and I'm pretty sure Logan does, too. What they both need is time and space. What they DON'T need is two friends sneaking around behind their backs."

Carlos merrily poked his tongue out at James. "See! I told you!"

"They don't need people eavesdropping on them, either!" Katie shot at Carlos, who was properly put in his place. "I don't know what you heard, but I'm pretty sure you misunderstood. Like always."

James quickly stuck his tongue out at Carlos.

"Now, if you two have any more questions, don't ask me," Katie said, going back to her paper. "Grow some balls and ask them. They're YOUR friends, remember?"

Once again, the room was silent.

Carlos was glad. He didn't know what was "really" going on, and he didn't care. He loved Logan and Kendall, he didn't want to hurt them in any way, and if they were together, he was extremely happy for them. If they weren't together, then he felt like shit for ever thinking they were, but he'd get over it. Part of him, though, knew deep down what he really wanted for them.

But it was over. For him, anyway. "Good," he said as he got up from the couch. "Now that that's over, I'm going to go take a shower, since someone decided to use all of the hot water last night..."

As Carlos disappeared down the hall, James let the new revelations sink in. Kendall and Logan had "stuff" that they needed to work out. What "stuff?"

Love stuff, you idiot, he told himself. And it's none of your business. It's nobody's business but their own.

Of course, he wasn't surprised that Katie would know. There were few things she didn't know. He was equally as unsurprised by the fact that she'd laid out the facts and that was it. She was very loyal to her brother, and James knew that she'd never do or say anything to hurt him. She wouldn't do or say anything to hurt any of them, actually, and that made her the best little sister in the world.

And so he was going to let it end like that. For now, at least. Katie could sip her coffee and read the paper, and Carlos could go and take his shower. James could turn on the TV and get wrapped up in a reality show. But them ignoring it wouldn't change anything, and sooner or later, whatever it was that Kendall and Logan had to "work out" would end up being the talk of the Palm Woods.

NOTE: Chapter 20 should be up very soon!