Fic: Excerpt (Continued)
Veronica took a dainty bite from her ice cream as she watched Logan from the corner of her eye.
“So what did Dick want to talk about?”
“Oh you know, this and that, Pamela Anderson’s boobs, the next issue of playboy. Deep issues for Dick.” He replied as he stared at his feet. His demeanour contradicted with his humour laced tone.
Veronica shook her head, not giving into the joke “What did you guys talk about for real?”
Logan crooked his head, ready to make another joke out of the situation when he noticed her expression. There was something different there, something daring him to make another wiseass comment on the subject. Her head held high, her mouth closed in a thin line; she sat there stabbing her spoon into her cup. No doubt unaware that she was currently trying to kill her ice cream.
“Nothing” he shrugged, feeling guilty for lying. However he knew it was for her own good, he was only doing it to protect her. The less she knew, the less she got hurt. “Just summer school stuff.”
He saw her nod her head. She gave a tired little sigh. “Fine” she said curtly, the simple word coated with mistrust.
This was going nowhere good. He gave her a small nudge to get her attention. When she looked up, he tapped her nose with his ice cream cone. “What are you doing?” she yelped, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Sweetening my ice cream with something that has more flavour” he murmured conspiratorially, as he leaned in closer and licked the chocolate from her nose.
Veronica shook her head, “Would you like extra cheese to go with that ice cream?” she exclaimed in phoney cheeriness.
“Nope, I can do just fine with a Veronica” he quipped as he grabbed her and planted a huge kiss on her cheek. He felt her tenseness start to evaporate.
“Hmm, I think my ice cream needs a little flavour too” Veronica breathed as their mouths drew closer, their problems pushed aside but not forgotten.
-
Veronica kept searching around the video store. Her plan for the evening was cuddling on the couch with her boyfriend and watching a movie. Sure nothing fancy or extraordinary but she was looking forward to it. Now if she could find the movie she was looking for.
She had just moved on to the next aisle when two strong hands grabbed her from behind and turned her.
“Duncan!” she shrieked. “What are you doing?”
“I found the perfect movie” he exclaimed as he held the DVD out of her reach. “It’s perfect.”
Jumping up and trying to grab it “Oh my God, you found The Big Lebowski? I have been searching everywhere” she exclaimed. Duncan’s face dropped while his grip loosened and she finally got a hold of the DVD.
“Never Been Kissed?” she asked as she read the title out loud and glanced at Duncan, her face one of genuine curiosity. “You really want to waste an hour of your life watching the complete bore fest about a girl who couldn’t get some in high school?”
“I thought you loved that movie” Duncan replied clearly annoyed. He waited for the response that never came. He harshly pulled the DVD from her hands. “Fine, I’ll go find you that Lebowski movie.” He moved at rapid pace towards the front of the store, his right hand white from clutching the DVD too firmly.
Veronica swallowed a lump in her throat and let her gaze drop to her hands. The last thing she wanted was something so minor to ruin their perfect evening. She ran after him and grabbed his hand “No, that’s okay. It’ll be fun” She quietly reassured him. She breathed a huge sigh of relief when Duncan’s face started to soften.
-
Logan looked around at the barbeque. 09’er heaven or hell, it really depended on your perspective. Only his kind would make such a simplistic event so unnecessarily complicated. The formal attires of the attendees would make the celebrities at those so called award shows (which he crudely referred to as the annual ass kissers fest) ashamed of themselves. The meats were served in silver platters, the champagne flowed like water and the waiters carried trays of caviar. He smirked to himself and shook his head. His mom and… well they would have loved it. There was nothing else to do on this hot summer day of torment however so pretentiousness it was. It was not like he had any other alternative given that he had no girlfriend to take out he thought bitterly. No, that was someone else’s fun time now. He curled his hand into a fist at the thought.
“So are you going to drink that?” A voice asked from his right. He turned his head to look into the eyes of an attractive brunette in her 20’s. Her cleavage was very welcoming as was the tongue that was currently licking her upper lip. “This?” He asked as he raised his flask, “Trust me I’m always drinking it babe.” “Are you of age to drink alcohol little boy?” She purred with a flip of her hair, “Wouldn’t want you to get drunk now would we?” She gave him an exaggerated wink. “You could get into a lot of trouble.”
He leered at her, “Hmm, then everything is going according to plan. I have never not been in trouble.” With that he raised his flask to his lips and took a drink. “And I am in no way little” He grinned wickedly as he gave his flask a little jiggle with his hand. He could barely contain his astonishment when the brunette grabbed it from his grip.
“Not little? Well, I’m famous for not believing things until I’m personally proven of their accuracy. Let’s see, I have never not propositioned little boys.”
She gracefully took a little sip.
-
“That day dad missed out on my recital. My mom was lucid; they had this big fight after he got home. He said he was busy with work” More like busy snorting white powder up his nose Logan thought. “Mom said he never put in any effort and somehow the conversation got around to money, like it always did. After that mom packed our bags and well the rest is pretty obvious” Hannah finished. Her head was resting on his chest while she was aimlessly playing with Logan’s shirt.
“Well, fathers. You can’t do with them, you can’t do with them” Logan dead panned, earning a giggle out of Hannah.
“Daddy is not that bad, he is just a workaholic.” Logan somehow doubted that. He probably had to work in order to pay his very expensive habit. Yet he gave Hannah a reassuring smile and pinched her nose. They both heard a small beep from the kitchen.
“The cookies are done!” Hannah exclaimed clapping her hands and getting up from the couch. “I hope you like chocolate chip.” Giving him a small kiss she skipped over to the kitchen.
She was such a nice girl. Logan was starting to regret this more and more everyday.
-
Veronica lay propped up on her elbow, watching Logan as he slept. He looked peaceful in his sleep, and strangely happy. Veronica wondered what he was dreaming about, what he was seeing that was making his lips curl up slightly as he slept.
Veronica traced his features with the fingers of her left hand, starting from his forehead she trailed them down to the bridge of his nose and stopped at his lips. Her breath got hitched in her throat when she felt his lips kiss her fingers ever so slightly. She waited for him to open his eyes and was astonished to see that he was still sleeping.
“What are you dreaming about Logan? She whispered. Yet the real questions- Who are you dreaming about? Are you dreaming about gorgeous conniving trophy wives? About a girl whose joyful laughter was forever silenced by an ashtray? About young innocent blonde freshman?-remained unspoken.
She physically shook her head, trying to get rid of her current thoughts. She was acting like such a girl and a psycho one at that. Here she was ogling her unconscious boyfriend and speaking to his sleeping form. It wasn’t a normal thing. It really wasn’t like her at all.
Panicked, Veronica entangled herself from Logan’s warm embrace and scrambled away to the other side of the bed.
What the hell was wrong with her?
She fell asleep with a million questions swimming inside her brain, her anxiety eating her away inside.
The next morning Logan woke up, and reached his arm to his side to pull Veronica close. His arm only touched bare sheets.
He opened his eyes to look at Veronica’s sleeping form, tucked away at the farthest corner of the bed.
-
Logan and Veronica held on to each other as they continued making out on the couch. Veronica moaned as he moved his head to suck on her pulse point and she desperately clung to him. It was like they were back at the girls’ room in Neptune High. Their every movement was frantic, like this was their first time touching each other and they couldn’t stop.
Logan pulled Veronica into his lap without breaking the contact of their lips and fisted her hair as she slowly started to grind herself against him. Shallow breath mingled with shallow breath and a beating heart pressed against a beating heart.
Logan trailed his hands up her spine and Veronica gasped, before grinning impishly and slipping her hand inside his shirt, gently stroking his muscles.
“Maybe we should take this into the bedroom” Logan moaned breathlessly as Veronica sucked on his throat.
Veronica raised her head, feeling a little out of breath. “No, I can’t. I’ve got to meet Max at school, remember? For the very romantic story of true love forever, the hooker edition?”
Logan groaned and pouted, bringing his two hands to softly cradle her face. “Do you have to? We are having so much fun here.”
“Ah, boys, always looking to get laid” Veronica said laughing.
“You know I just want to spend more time with you” Logan said, his face filled with vulnerability.
Veronica brought their foreheads together “I want to spend more time with you too” She replied truthfully, earning a genuine smile. “But paying clients and their weird love lives wait for no man.”
Logan surrendered with a perceptible sigh. “Ok, go. Don’t be late though, I’ll be waiting” He said as she got up and pulled him to his feet as well.
“I won’t” She replied as their lips locked with each others once more.
-
“You know how surprise parties go; she came in everyone yelled surprise! Then out of nowhere Dean comes in with this cake decorated with white frosting, pink roses… And their picture glazed on top for everyone to see” Logan threw his head back and groaned “Wait I’m not finished” Logan turned his attention back to her “In their homecoming wear from their sophomore year. It was hideous; Carol’s dress had more ruffles than the cake had frosting.”
She took a look at Logan and seeing his barely restrained smirk, started nodding.
“Yeah I know extremely cheesy right? Carol loved it; she wouldn’t shut up about it during the whole party. Plus it was Dean’s way of showing her how much he cared so…yeah, all was not lost” Parker finished.
Logan thought for a second before his face lit up in a mischievous grin “Well Parker Lee, I promise you that on your birthday, I will get” Logan paused throwing his empty bottle of water up and down while Parker stared at him with unabashed curiosity “you a face cake.” “No you wouldn’t” Parker gasped, mock hitting him, clearly intrigued by the idea.
“Yes I will and you can’t stop me. I won’t rest easy until I make everyone eat our faces.”
“Deal” Parker exclaimed as he held his hand up for her to high five.
-
“I left my guitar on the sidewalk” Piz rambled on “Just as Johnny stepped on the pedal. It was his first time driving by the way. Instead of going for the road he somehow managed to go backwards and he drove the car onto the sidewalk instead.” He paused dramatically “You can see where this is going right?” he asked Veronica.
Veronica took a minute, her face an example of mock concentration “Let me guess, he crashed your guitar.”
Piz shook his head no. “Nope, thank God nothing happened to my guitar, but the same can’t be said for Trevor. Johnny ran over his foot” Veronica winced “Yeah, he had to wear a cast for months, and he is our lead guitarist so we couldn’t play for, well months. This gig we had lined up totally went to this other group, who, well between you and me, shouldn’t call themselves musicians in the first place given that they are horrible. Like Avril Lavigne trying to do metal, Paris Hilton trying to sing kind of horrible. Well you get what I mean.” He paused to catch his breath before continuing “Worst day of my life, Johnny runs over Trevor’s foot and all our hard earned work goes down the drain.” Piz took a look at Veronica who was playing with the strap of her bag.
“Earth to Veronica, the shuttle has landed.”
“Yeah sorry, I’m just really worried about this election thing, now that Vinnie is running too, things will get dirty. Go Neptune!” She finished with a false cheer.
“Don’t worry; I’m sure your dad will pull through. My mom always says that good things happen to good people.”
“Then it’s a good thing she doesn’t live in Neptune” she said wistfully. “Those who say that Sunnydale was on the hell mouth have clearly not been in Neptune.”
“Come on it’s not that bad; nothing is bad as the thoughts in your head. Those are the things that make you go crazy” Piz replied sagely taking a sip from his soda. “So don’t sweat it much.”
Nonetheless all Veronica could think about were girls with bashed skulls, alcoholic mothers, burning fridges and school buses being ticking time bombs. Were they considered as only bad thoughts if they were a part of your existence?
-
“Honey I’m home!” Logan hollered as he banged the front door shut. “I am officially ready to celebrate!”
His eyes took in the decorations, and the tree that they had decorated together two days before. Veronica had left on the Christmas lights, and the dimly lit room sparkled with a rainbow of colours.
“So are you ready, or are you ready ready? There’s a difference you know, wouldn’t want to tire you out” Veronica sing songed from their bedroom.
“Well I did take a long bathroom break during one of my meetings so if that…” Logan audibly swallowed as he caught the sight of Veronica sprawled on their bed in lacy black lingerie. She beckoned him with her finger and he complied as he slowly moved to stand in front of her. He leaned in for a kiss just as she got on her knees to reach him when he noticed the red bow tied to the front of her bra. “What’s this?” He asked fingering the ribbon while Veronica left chaste kisses on his chin. “Your present” Veronica replied in breathless anticipation “Don’t you want to open it?” Logan grabbed Veronica in an eager kiss and didn’t let go until they both felt the need to breathe in some oxygen. “You’re incredible baby but aren’t you already giving me the greatest gift a man could ask for?” He asked rubbing her cheek. “A bonus gift then” Veronica smiled as she pulled him against her. “Is it the gift that keeps on giving?” Logan quipped as they both erupted in giggles when they collapsed on the bed.
“Are you sure this is ok? Should we even be doing this? What if something goes wrong?” Veronica cut him off by placing her finger on his lips. “I’m starting to think you’re not too keen on this celebrating thing. There are other ways one can celebrate by themselves you know” Veronica retorted seductively as Logan groaned and captured her lips with his own. After he pulled back however Veronica could clearly see that his concern had not yet vanished. “You heard the man, everything will be fine” She soothed “Everything will be fine.” With that she took his hand and placed it on the bow. Logan raised his eyebrow and smiled as he slowly pulled the ribbon loose.
Afterwards, Logan absentmindedly rubbed her stomach while they comfortably rested in each others arms. “So when should we tell your dad?”
“Well Christmas is only days away, so I thought we could tell him then. It’ll be like a-”
“Don’t say it!”
“-bonus gift.”
Veronica stopped to think about what she had just said and cringed her nose in disgust. “Eww.”
“You got that right” Logan laughed as he placed a tender kiss on her forehead.
Veronica got serious once more. “It’ll be perfect, don’t you think? Telling him then?”
“Yeah, perfect” Logan whispered as he lovingly tucked a stray hair behind her ear.
“I love you.” She murmured as she buried her face against his neck. Logan felt his heart start to race like it had the first time she had ever admitted that she had loved him. Actually his heart raced every time she told him that she loved him. It never got old. He was sure that it never would.
“I love you too baby” he sighed as he pulled her closer. He could feel her smile against his neck.
-
This book is dedicated to
Scarlett Mars-Echolls,
my eight month old daughter
&
Veronica Mars, my girlfriend
who has been my other half
ever since she unexpectedly
kissed me on the balcony
of a seedy motel.
A/N If anybody is wondering, the last part is 6-7 years after their freshman year at Hearst when they are older and (hopefully) wiser about relationships :)