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

[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."