Right back to square one.

[logan_echolls]

If I had known that Veronica's reaction to me kissing her would be ravishing me right back, despite the fact that she had just broken up with Duncan, I quite possibly would have kissed her a lot sooner

Comments

[renewedsoul_v]

"See, now the signs, they make things much simpler. Put everything into nice broad categories. Though if you ask me, some of them have entirely too many things in them." I commented. "Like, Soup. Why is there like an entire aisle that's seemingly endless different kinds of soup? I'm pretty sure there's more variety in soup than there is in the entire pre-made breakfast food genre." I shook my head slightly. This was why lists where helpful. Knowing what you want when you wade into the endless sea of options is good.

"Well, maraschino cherries are both yummy and fun, especially when paired with chocolate and/or ice cream but I actually did mean the fresh kind of fruit. Though now that you've mentioned it, why not both?" I shrugged. Let's face it. Logan was a teenage guy with a seemingly endless amount of money to spend on food. If it wasn't three-quarters junk food, I'd think there was something wrong there.

"I never said I was horrified to step foot on it, Logan." I laughed. "I just figured, you know, it wasn't really set up to be lived in full time, so I could help with that."

So I hadn't envisioned my day being mostly chores, but I was spending the entire day with Logan. Well, until 3 o'clock anyway, and I definitely wasn't going to complain about that. At least I didn't have to work at the coffee shop later. That was a small bonus, assuming Dad and I could get through the evening without getting to another argument.

[logan_echolls]

"I think I'm more going for if it looks good and I think I'll like it I'll put it in the cart." I commented to her. What other way was that going to work? It was just shopping, I mean it couldn't be so utterly complicated.

I couldn't help but send her a suggestive smirk as she mentioned the fact that maraschino cherries were both yummy and fun when paired with chocolate and/or ice cream. Is there anything else you'd like to make fun, Veronica? You know, I'm actually thinking she could make broccoli taste good if she was really that determined for me to have a fruit or vegetable.

Pulling into the grocery store's parking lot, I parked in one of the front spots. I slipped my hand into hers and my keys into the other pocket when we walked in.

"At least the yacht'll be somewhat presentable to my one and only visitor," I told her. I was more like the one who was horrified to step foot onto it because it was stepping into a room of old ghosts. It was like going back to my house after my dad had been arrested this Summer. There was a reason I had left everything perfectly as it was. I just couldn't figure out the reason yet.

[renewedsoul_v]

"Well, that's one way to go about it." I agreed with a smile. "This just a free for all or is there an intention to plan meals of some kind?" I asked. This was definitely going to be the most entertaining trip to the grocery store in a while.

His suggestive smirk didn't go unnoticed. We were going to end up so completely distracted as soon as we got somewhere private, weren't we?

"Whenever I'm actually able to do that without my dad freaking out." I nodded, giving his hand a squeeze as we headed to where the carts were and got one. I knew my dad would come around sooner or later.

It just felt like it was going to be much later at the moment, which was so annoying and painful. Sure, I broke the rules, but at least I was responsible in the process and owned up to the fact that I broke them. Apparently that didn't even begin to balance the scales though. What happened this weekend and the Felix Toombs investigation should be completely separate things that I'm in trouble for though, not one giant thing that stripped me of freedom entirely.

You'd think my dad would be happy I didn't fight him on backing off the case once he said he'd take it. But he's probably pissed off about having it in the first place. I just hoped he looked over the files soon and saw that there was something seriously not right about that entire thing.

"So, what are we going in search of first?" I asked curiously.

[logan_echolls]

I shrugged towards Veronica at that. Going down each aisle and picking up things that sounded good would have been my way to go about things here.

"I'm thinking free for all." I told Veronica, releasing her hand and getting one of the shopping carts. "Since it's not exactly like I'm planning things. Frozen pizza's a meal plan, right?" I asked, the corner of my mouth tugging into another smirk.

It was pretty obvious by the look on her face that the fight that she had with her dad was this permanently damaging thing. Or at least permanently damaging to our relationship. Keith Mars had no problem letting her stay all night at her boyfriend's place, but the moment I stepped in he began to disapprove of the thought to let Veronica go anywhere.

It wasn't from the murder accusations. I know that. It couldn't possibly be when we dated all Summer and he didn't say a word. No, it was because of what happened when she broke up with me. I know that. Loss of temper plus his daughter set him right on the edge. Who could blame him, but you'd think that maybe people could end up doing better. There'd be something called forgiveness. At least Veronica saw that, even if her father couldn't.

"We could just browse," I offered, already pushing the cart towards the first aisle.

[renewedsoul_v]

"Well, I guess, yeah, technically." I laughed softly at his smirk. "There's other frozen things you can get too. Pot pies, pasta, tv dinner-type things. Sometimes I wonder if our entire country would just fall apart without all the prep work being done for them when it comes to meals. It's kind of sad, really. Or was I the only one seeing commercials for Turkeys that you basically just have to heat up for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners?" That, to me, was just totally missing out on fundamental parts of the holiday.

"Browsing works." I nodded. Not like we were in a hurry or anything. We were practically the only ones here. It wasn't even 9 am yet.

"How is it you managed to make grocery shopping and cleaning seem like more fun than school?" I asked, "I mean, assuming it was a normal day and I actually wanted to be there, doing chores isn't usually high on my list of fun ways to waste a day."

[logan_echolls]

"And there's plenty of canned foods that have the same purpose of a quick meal." I pointed out to her, gliding slowly down the aisle on the cart until it started to tip with my weight. "I used to like those microwaveable Spaghetti-O's. They were like my favorite food when I was ten. I had it almost every day."

I don't know about you, Veronica, but the thing that my mom taught me about Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners was that the help was paid for a good reason. Still, like her, I couldn't imagine a Turkey that you just heated up instead of being completely home stuffed and seasoned. "Isn't Thanksgiving and Christmas supposed to have more work than that being put into it. Birth of Christ and Plagues on Indians pointedly being celebrated?"

"And, I think you're actually making it more fun than it really is," I added to her. "You're just waiting for me to be in awe at the number of soups and soup brands there are," I replied teasingly as we stumbled towards the bread section. I stopped.

Okay, so beyond picking if I wanted tortillas, bagels, english muffins, buns or even bread slices... - "Isn't bread supposed to be... just bread?"

[renewedsoul_v]

"I think most of us did. Or some variation on the canned pasta in tomato sauce concept. Quick, easy and pretty much everybody liked it." I nodded, smiling as much at the image of a ten year old Logan happily inhaling Spaghetti-Os as the little bit of gliding down the aisle he'd just done on the cart.

"Among other things, yes." I laughed. "Anyway, there's supposed to be some effort in pulling it all off properly beyond taking it out of the fridge and putting it in the oven at the right temperature for the right amount of time. Even if it is just managing to get a huge catering staff to make the party flow smoothly. That's not exactly easy either." I said. I knew my Christmases and the ones Logan were used to were one of the many things not even on the same scale, but that didn't mean his mom didn't put a ton effort into making them special in her own way.

"That. That look right there is exactly what I was teasing you about earlier." I said, biting my bottom lip slightly to keep from laughing at the completely overwhelmed look on his face. "I hadn't even thought about the bread. Bread is bread. There's just a million kinds. White, Whole Wheat, 60% Wheat, Mulit-grain, Rye, Sourdough. And I'll stop now because that's already a lot."

Poor Logan. Total deer-caught-in-headlights syndrome when he saw all the bread. "Aren't you glad you aren't doing this all by yourself now?" I asked softly.

[logan_echolls]

"What was your canned food of choice?" I asked with a small smile to her, catching the amused grin on her face as I had finished gliding down the aisle on the cart.

"Yeah," I nodded holding the smile on my face at the thought of Christmas. "If there was one things that she was really good at it was probably that. The hosting, the planning. I mean, you remember how she made every event into a big deal."

Mom had love those times. It was her chance to shine and take the center spotlight instead of being this wasted washed up one time big time actress who just married to keep the status. There was no big Christmas party this year. There was no chorus of carolers ringing in the holidays with perfect tone. It might have been fake happiness, but it was gone. It was just gone.

"What the hell is 60% Wheat?" I asked, turning back to the bread instead of thinking how I rang in the new year this year by getting in a fight with my best friend. With a half-sigh I picked up a shiny package of Wonder bread, it was one of the things that I at least found familiar.

[renewedsoul_v]

"If we're dealing with pasta? Ravioli." I replied, still smiling, "Though I do seem to recall a fondness for canned Fruit salad too." And we've somehow come back to cherries again. Wow, there's a theme among my favourite desserts, isn't there?

"She loved those parties." I agreed, "Everything was always so beautiful, bigger than life." Had to give Logan's mom credit for that. Her parties were always to such a scale that I had to remind myself that it wasn't a movie.

"The short answer as I understand it? A mix between white and whole wheat flour." I told him, laughing softly at his reaction. "It's supposed to be...healthier." I trailed off slightly as he picked up the Wonder Bread. I almost wanted to cringe. Yes, it was yummy, yes, they did enrich the mineral content, but the amount of preservatives jammed in there kinda negated that to me.

[logan_echolls]

"Everything was always so beautiful, bigger than life."

Things at the Echolls were always beautiful and bigger than life, weren't they? A good percentage of us were hired actors while the rest played the parts. And the thing was? It all blurred into this line where you couldn't tell if it was acting or real anymore. You show off for the camera so much that you end up always showing off like it's there.

Veronica was dead on, even if it was just image.

"Healthier?" I asked as she trailed off and eyed the package of Wonder Bread that I had picked up. "You were saying the whole 60% percent wheat was healthier?" I offered her a place to pick up what she was saying from. "Which I'm guessing this isn't by the look that you're giving me," I added, putting the bread in the cart before we continued down the aisle.

Heading down around the fresh fruit and vegetables, I picked up one of those pre-cut dishes with all kinds of fruit in it. See, Veronica. I am getting some nutrition in.

[renewedsoul_v]

"Not entirely, no." I nodded, smiling slightly as he put it in the cart. "But I'll give you that it tastes good, and I'm not the one that has to eat, so it's cool." I smirked.

"Picking up fresh fruit all on your own?" I questioned in mock surprise, "I think I might actually be able to trust you to do this by yourself next time and not leave here with just junk food." I teased, kissing his cheek quickly.

"Okay, I'm done mocking...I'm done. But after your reaction to the bread aisle and how I didn't just fall over laughing, I think I earned a little bit there." I smirked again. "You won't starve, so I won't have to worry about that on top of missing you. Which is a bonus."

[logan_echolls]

It wasn't exactly the end of mocking. Veronica did manage to carry through the entire shopping trip finding one thing or another that amused her that I was doing. Half of the food ended up some form of chocolate or something that she'd end up eating if she came over here - and she had somehow managed to smuggle spinach in the groceries that I paid for. I had only noticed after the fact when I was packing things into the refrigerator on the yacht.

"Spinach, Veronica? I hope you're not sharing when you eat this," I felt the smirk pull at my lips as she stuffed the cabinets with an assortment of junk food.

"So, is this whole thing do-able?"I asked, looking around at the yacht which was half messy with things that weren't even mine. I just wanted to get rid of the stuff and Veronica knew that. I would probably set flames to this whole place if Veronica wasn't here to stop me from doing it. She'd just point out logically that there were better ways to deal.

[renewedsoul_v]

"Oh, come on, Logan. Spinach will not in fact kill you." I pointed out as I put the last can of pringles on the shelf, smiling as I noticed the slightest smirk on his lips. "The fat content in most of what I've put in this cabinet just might, though. Just promise me one thing? None of this snack food will be used as a meal substitute?" I asked hopefully.

I didn't exactly want to harp on him about proper eating habits. That wasn't what I was meaning to do, either. I just - come on. 18 year old kid, totally on their own? Pure junk food diet seemed to be standard practice. Which worked fine for about a maximum of a week.

"Getting this place liveable? I really don't see why not." Sure the yacht was big, and it was a little disorganised right now, but it was totally possible to have this place looking fairly comfy by the time Logan had to drive me back to the school. "Assuming we don't get too off task, that is."

[logan_echolls]

"Well, it made Popeye stronger, but I don't see how it's going to help me," I told her, reluctantly, "Other than increase my daily vitamin and iron intake. Pringles won't kill me. I'm pretty sure I could take on more junk food than I have in my cabinets right now. Do I really have to swear not to eat the Sour Patch Kids for lunch?"

So, it probably would end up being occasional lunches or dinners. Just if I was lazy enough not to heat something in the microwave though. I took in her look. "Okay, I promise. I'll actually give myself some proper nutrition. You saw the fruit didn't you?" I asked.

"And, I have absolutely no idea what you mean by getting off-task," I said, tugging the leftover plastic bag out of her hand before kissing her slowly. I ran my fingers through her hair. "We could always clean up some before you actually point out with clear examples of what being off-task is like." I'd need the distraction, I knew. "Though, I'm still tempted to just toss the drawers and what ever's in them and go straight to the distraction."