A/N - I started writing this for the Gate picture prompt for the VMficrecs prompts for June. It ended up a bit longer and I'm really trying to finish it by the end of the month, but decided to share out the first half now. There are actually references to two of the other prompts in it too. 3b. Could you survive in the wilderness for a month? And 6d. things you said that I wasn't meant to hear. I put a link to the picture on AO3.
And thank you to everyone who left me reviews on my other June Prompt story (Pink Magic Mountain Majesty). I was blown away by all the wonderful comments. Thanks!
As always, thanks to Bondopoulos for her wonderful beta skills!
Disclaimer: All VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.
Veronica finished reading the confirmation text she'd just received and glanced around the table. Some days, this little gathering still seemed so bizarre to her. Wallace was on her left, intently focused on the open textbook in front of him. To his left sat Piz. He was rooming with Wallace again this year, despite the fact that he and Veronica had broken up shortly after the incident between Logan and Gory in the cafeteria. Even though she really didn't want to condone violence, the entire ordeal with the leaked video and Piz's reaction to that made her realize how different the two of them were and she decided to break things off sooner rather than later. They'd been able to part amicably, although she was certain he took it harder than he'd ever admit. Since he was living with Wallace again this year, their paths crossed quite a bit and while it wasn't too awkward most of the time, there were still those occasions that she caught him looking at her in more of a longingly way than she was comfortable with. Due to that, she'd been really careful not to give him any mixed signals at all, and so far that seemed to be working.
On Veronica's right sat Mac who Veronica had ended up rooming with this year. Parker had decided not to come back to Hearst at the last minute, and when Mac asked Veronica if she'd want to live in the dorms with her, she'd agreed. The strangest member of the quintet at the table sat on Mac's right, currently lightly drumming a highlighter on the edge of the textbook he was reading. She watched as Mac reached over and grabbed the highlighter from his hand. Veronica thought maybe it was to silence the slightly annoying rhythmic tapping, but instead she used the pen to highlight something in her open book before handing it back to him without even looking up from what she was reading. Veronica still found it extremely odd how close the two of them had gotten over the summer, although she tried to rationalize that it wasn't really that strange. Veronica had been away for her internship in Virginia almost all summer and Wallace was in Africa, so they weren't around to be much support when Mac and Max's relationship finally did end. She still wasn't exactly sure how Mac had ended up spending most of the break hanging out with Logan though. Dick had been gone as well, spending time with his dad before his incarceration, so that left Logan a bit buddy-less as well, she supposed; but it still seemed like an unlikely combination to her. Veronica hadn't felt like it was her place to pry, though, so she had acted cool and casual when Mac told her that she and Logan had a class together and wanted to be sure it was okay if they studied together sometimes.
Veronica wasn't really sure how to define her own relationship with Logan these days. She'd certainly been concerned about his safety after the fight in the cafeteria. Even though she'd been angry with him right before that, she couldn't just let him unknowingly be a target to someone who was part of a Russian mob family so she had taken measures to be sure he wouldn't be in danger. She'd warned Logan to watch his back, but then she set up a bit of an insurance policy with Gory's audio from the Castle tapes to be sure that Logan, or any of her other friends, would never be hurt by Gory or his associates. Mac was the only other one who knew about that, though, since Veronica had asked her to help with it.
After getting back from Virginia, she'd been around Logan quite a few times, mostly due to Mac, but they hadn't really interacted one-on-one very much. She wasn't sure if they were both just trying really hard to be friendly to each other, or if they really were still friends. Something still felt a bit off, though, but not enough for her to bring it up with him. She kept telling herself that she was being ridiculous and that given everything they'd been through, it was probably a miracle that they were able to be as comfortable as they were with each other. However, she still had this feeling that there was something wrong between them. There were certainly little things that made her think he still cared about her and was trying to be her friend, like grabbing a coffee and danish for her when they were both on campus for early morning classes. But then other times she couldn't help but notice a distance that hadn't been there before.
She glanced down at her phone again before turning toward Wallace. "So, buddy," she chirped with her hardest to resist smile. "Feel like going on a little road trip with me this weekend?"
Wallace quirked his eyebrow and gave her a suspicious look. "Um… while I'm sure that would be great fun," he replied skeptically. "Darryl has a game this weekend that I promised him I'd be at since I missed the last one."
Veronica gave him a disappointed huff as she turned toward Mac. "Macster?" she asked with a hopeful grin. "How about you?"
"Sorry, Vee," Mac replied as she glanced up from her textbook. "My Grandma's birthday is Saturday and I promised Mom I'd be there."
"A road trip sounds fun," Piz interjected sounding very upbeat. Veronica tried not to cringe, but of course immediately realized she shouldn't have asked the other two in front of him. "I could probably get someone to take my shifts at the radio station."
"Oh…. um… I thought you had a guitar gig thingy this weekend?" Veronica replied, hoping she was right about that.
"Oh right," Piz replied, although he still looked like he was contemplating whether to bail on his band's gig to go with her.
"I could go," Logan announced, causing all four heads to quickly turn toward him. He shrugged before he continued. "I don't have anything planned for this weekend, so I could go along if you need someone."
Apparently, based on everyone else's reactions, no one had expected him to volunteer. Veronica certainly didn't want to be trapped in a car with Piz for five to six hours in just one direction, and while it might be just as awkward going with Logan, she quickly decided she'd prefer that option over the Piz alternative.
"Okay," she answered trying not to sound uncertain.
"I've got to get into the booth," Piz said as he gathered up his things from the table. "Catch you all later," he added before walking across the cafeteria toward the radio station entrance.
Veronica couldn't help but feel like his sudden departure was partially her fault, but she hadn't anticipated this turn of events at all. She avoided looking toward Wallace in case he had an annoyed expression on his face and decided instead that she should probably provide Logan with a bit more information before he felt obligated to go along. "I have to drive clear up near Oakhurst, which is about six hours away, so if you don't feel like going, it's fine. I can go alone."
Logan shrugged and shook his head. "No problem. I really don't have any plans."
Veronica cocked her head and narrowed her eyes slightly. "Isn't there a big Pi Sig party this weekend?"
"Yeah, but I don't really want to go," Logan answered without hesitation.
"Well… it's just to serve some papers, which I don't make a lot of money on… so I was probably just going to stop at a campground or get a cheap hotel Friday night… not exactly anything like the Grand Penthouse accommodations," Veronica explained.
Logan gave her an amused smile. "I'm sure I'll survive."
"You can borrow some of my family's camping stuff, if you need it," Mac interjected as she glanced between Logan and Veronica with a look that Veronica interpreted as trying to be helpful. "I'll just let my dad know to pull some gear out for you."
"Perfect, I can stop by tomorrow afternoon and pick it up, if that works for him. Just let me know what time Sam wants me there," Logan responded promptly to Mac with an appreciative smile.
Veronica was a bit taken aback hearing Logan call Mac's dad by his first name. Yet again, just another little thing that made Veronica even more curious about just how close the two of them had gotten over the summer.
"What time did you want to leave?" Logan asked turning his attention back to Veronica.
"Um… I'll be done with class at 10:30, does that work for you?" Veronica replied with a hint of uncertainty in her tone.
"Perfect, I only have one early class and it will be done at 9:30. I'll just pick you up at your dorm then?"
"Okay… Yeah, sure," Veronica replied, wondering what she'd just gotten herself into.
Veronica thought about asking Mac if she was okay with Logan joining her on this trip, but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. That would imply way too many things that Veronica wasn't sure she actually wanted out there. First, and the most problematic, being the perception that she may have suspected something was going on with Logan and Mac when she seriously doubted there was. She certainly didn't want Mac to think she was turning into some jealous ex-girlfriend who obsessed over who her ex was hanging out with. Second being the fact that this road trip actually meant something more than just Veronica not having to drive six hours all by herself. She'd asked Mac and Wallace to join her on a couple of other shorter excursions, so it wasn't an odd request to ask for company for an even longer drive. She told herself to stop agonizing over it because she was certainly making it into a bigger issue in her head than it likely was in real life.
Veronica had just snagged a table in the busy quad to eat her lunch before her next class started when a body moved into her peripheral vision and plopped down in the chair next to her. She glanced over and realized it was Logan.
"So, I was thinking I should make sure you wanted to take my SUV before I go and get all the camping gear loaded. We could take your Saturn, but my Range Rover would be roomier, but I'm open to whatever you'd prefer," Logan started as he looked at her expectantly.
"Well, hello to you too," Veronica replied with a smirk, clearly highlighting the fact that he'd just launched into questions without even saying hello first.
"Oh... um... yeah… hey," he stumbled out as he shook his head slightly. "Sorry… I was just thinking this morning about the trip, and that it would be easier to load the gear into which ever car we're taking... we could transfer it all later… but I thought I'd check anyway."
Veronica scrunched up her eyebrows slightly as she studied him. She still wasn't exactly sure how serving papers had turned into a weekend camping trip with Logan, but if she didn't know better, she thought he seemed really excited about it.
"It's just one night… how much gear do we need?" she asked, wondering yet again what she'd actually gotten herself into. "There's still the option of just hitting a cheap hotel too… I never intended for it to turn into some elaborate camping trip."
"When was the last time you've been camping, Veronica?" Logan asked with what she would label as an enthusiastic grin. "I'm sure it will be fun. We could even stay two nights and drive back on Sunday."
Veronica shook her head and looked at him a bit in disbelief. "When was the last time you've been camping, Logan?" she countered with a tinge of sarcasm as she repeated his question.
"A couple weeks before school started," he replied with the energetic grin still on his face. "It was a lot of fun."
Veronica reached over and placed the back of her hand on his forehead. "Are you delusional from a fever, or have you been the victim of body snatching?" she asked as she pulled her hand away and gave him a perplexed look.
Logan laughed and shook his head. "No… I um… I went camping several times this summer with Mac and her family. It was a lot of fun."
"Oh," Veronica replied, schooling her features so he wouldn't notice her discomfort hearing that. "Too bad Mac couldn't come along too, then," she replied, not really sure what else to say.
"Nah… she doesn't really like it that much," Logan replied with a thoughtful look on his face. "I don't know why though. I thought it was fun and the rest of her family seems to really enjoy it too. She actually didn't join us on the last trip. Sam suggested a guys only trip, so it was just him, Ryan and me. Sooo… your car or mine?" he asked, circling back to his original question and apparently not noticing the odd look Veronica was now giving him.
"Um… if you don't mind putting the extra miles on yours… that works for me."
"Great… did you want to pick up food together, or I could get it for us," he asked next.
"I'm sure there will be some restaurants along the way… I really didn't expect this to turn into a full-blown camping trip, Logan," she replied as she looked at him curiously. "It's not like we need to survive in the wilderness for a month or something. We're just headed out toward Oakhurst..."
"Sorry," he replied looking a little disappointed. "I guess I did get a little carried away."
Veronica let out a sigh. She wasn't sure why Logan was so excited about this trip, but she suddenly felt terrible about ruining it for him. "No, I'm sorry… I've got a couple more classes today and a big assignment to finish up that's due tomorrow before we leave, but we could stop someplace on our way out of town to get food, if you want."
She watched his lips turn up into a smile again. "No problem, I can pick some stuff up tonight after I get the camping gear and then if we need anything else we can grab it tomorrow."
"Okay," she replied as she nodded in agreement. A second later, Logan was standing up from his seat, letting her know he needed to get to class and then he was gone.
It was fairly late in the evening when Veronica finally made it back to her dorm room. She'd headed to the library after class to work on her assignment in one of the quiet corners on the top floor that few people ever seemed to visit. She always tried not to think of the times she'd spent making out with Logan up there but found that increasingly difficult that afternoon given their road trip together the next day.
Veronica was a little surprised that Mac wasn't in the room when she opened the door, but a few minutes later Mac strolled in carrying several Tupperware containers.
"Leftovers from my parents if you're hungry," Mac offered as she set the containers down on the small table at the end of their couch. "Logan and my dad grilled steaks," Mac continued as she made a disgusted face. "At least they did a veggie burger for me too."
"Oh… right… Logan was planning to stop by to pick up the camping gear," Veronica commented as she wandered over toward the table and picked up the top container. She hadn't stopped to eat while she rushed to finish her paper that was due in the morning, and her stomach growled in anticipation of eating a home cooked meal..
"Yeah, my dad helped him get it all loaded into the Range Rover," Mac confirmed as she tossed her bag onto her bed.
"I didn't realize they were so… chummy," Veronica said a bit tentatively as she glanced up at Mac from the potato salad she found in the first container.
Mac's dimples appeared in her cheeks as she smiled broadly at Veronica. "Yeah… they make quite the unexpected pair don't they."
Veronica nodded and looked at her curiously. She decided this was as good an opening as any to figure out what was really going on with Logan, Mac and her family. "How did that even happen?" Veronica asked casually as she inspected the second container in the stack.
Mac slipped her sandals off and moved them over by her desk. "Well… at the beginning of the summer, my dad asked if I knew anyone who could help him deliver a large china cabinet he had refinished for someone. The guy who usually helps him move heavy furniture was out of town and so I decided to see if Logan was free. I expected him to give me some lame excuse to get out of it, but he seemed more than happy to stop by and help. It was about a week after Dick had left with his dad, and I think Logan was starting to get a bit bored and lonely by himself." Mac walked back over and flopped down on the edge of her bed. "Ryan seemed to take a liking to him too and conned him into playing Settlers of Catan with all of us when they were done. And then Logan told my dad to let him know if there were any other projects he needed help with when he left. Of course my dad was more than happy to take him up on that offer." Mac gave Veronica a sly smile. "I seriously expected Logan to avoid my dad's calls after that first day, but he seemed to genuinely enjoy hanging out at our place." Mac paused as she looked a bit more seriously at Veronica. "I think it helped him miss you a little less to have something else to keep himself busy."
Veronica let out a disbelieving scoff. "Right… he really seems to have missed me…" she said sarcastically. "He's barely talked to me since we've started classes… I hardly think he was pining over me while I was in Virginia. We weren't even together when I left."
Mac laughed and shook her head at Veronica. "Trust me… he still very much misses you… but I don't think that he wants to push his way back into your life either."
Veronica looked at her with uncertainty. "I don't think that's true. Has he actually said that?"
"Well… not directly I guess… but I can tell." Mac paused and looked at her for a moment as if she was debating whether to tell Veronica something. Veronica gave her a questioning look, silently urging her to continue. Mac let out a sigh. "I also overheard him talking about you," Mac finally shared. Veronica's brows raised up with curiosity. "It was on our first camping trip… he thought I was asleep while he was out talking to my dad by the campfire. A shooting star flew across the sky and my dad told Logan he should make a wish." Mac laughed and rolled her eyes. "My dad has always made a big deal about shooting stars. Anyway... Logan um… he said the only thing in the world that he would wish for would be to win back the heart of the girl he was still desperately in love with, but he didn't have any idea how to fix everything that he'd messed up with her."
Veronica's mouth opened slightly as she stared speechlessly at Mac. Mac gave her a knowing grin and shrugged. "So yeah.. I'm pretty sure he still misses you."
"But… he... " Veronica paused and shook her head again. "I just thought… he seems like he's intentionally keeping his distance… I didn't think he still liked me… not like that anyway…"
Mac chuckled and shook her head at Veronica. "I'm guessing he's worried about messing up again. If you don't try, you can't fail… but you also won't get what you truly want."
"Oh…" Veronica replied, still a bit shell-shocked from everything Mac had just shared with her.
"I know he's super excited about going camping with you," Mac continued, her dimples growing in her cheeks again. "Several times this summer when we were camping, he'd make little comments about wishing you were there… things you'd like too… well of course he'd say that about s'mores… but other stuff too. I'm sure he won't… you know… try anything on the trip… but that doesn't mean that deep down he's not wanting something more with you." Mac paused and grinned even larger. "Maybe he's hoping for another shooting star to wish on again."
Veronica laughed nervously and shook her head. "I just… I didn't know."
Mac shrugged. "Well now you do… and I guess it's up to you on how you use that information."
Veronica took a deep breath and nodded. She was starting to understand now why things with Logan had felt a bit off since she came back from Virginia. She was grateful that Mac had told her though; it provided her with a better perspective of where things stood now between the two of them. While she was a little nervous about spending all that time alone with him; there was a part of her that was starting to look forward to seeing what might develop between the two of them on their road trip.
Veronica spotted Logan leaning against the wall by her dorm room door when she made it back from class on Friday morning. She gave him an amused grin as she walked toward him. "I hope you haven't been waiting there since nine-thirty," she teased as she dug her keys out of her bag.
He shook his head as he bent down to pick up the drink carrier and paper bag that she hadn't noticed sitting on the ground by his feet. "Nope… just got here about ten minutes ago… stopped in the quad for coffee and pastries if you're interested," he replied as he stood back up and presented the items out toward her.
She smiled appreciatively as she opened the now unlocked door. She took the paper bag first and glanced inside before reaching in and taking a bearclaw out. She'd been running a bit late for her morning classes and hadn't been able to grab any breakfast so she was starving. She took a quick bite and then mumbled out 'thanks' with her mouth still full of the delicious pastry. Logan chuckled while he nodded at her. She glanced at the two coffee cups and then looked back up at him questioningly.
"Chocolate macadamia nut," he explained as he pointed at one, "and caramel mocha," he continued as he pointed at the other one.
She smooshed up her face slightly as she debated which one to take. She finally reached over and grabbed the caramel mocha.
"We could swap off and on," he suggested with an amused grin, obviously able to tell she really wanted both of them. "I promise I'm germ free," he added as he pulled the other coffee out of the holder.
"Come on… you can't get rid of boy germs… I learned that in second grade," Veronica teased with a wink.
"I'm pretty sure I've already infected you with those," Logan replied with a chuckle.
"Yeah… I suppose you did," she agreed with an amused huff before taking another bite of her bearclaw and turning toward her bed. She started to reach for the duffle bag that was sitting on the end of her bed but was interrupted by Logan stepping over next to her.
"I can carry that for you… if you want," he offered as he gestured toward the bag.
"Well that's mighty kind of you, sir," Veronica drawled out with a southern twang.
Logan smirked and nodded as he picked up the bag. "Oh, you may want to bring a pillow along if you didn't pack one. Sam sent along sleeping bags, but no pillows. Unless you want to bag the camping and just find a hotel."
"After the way you hyped up camping the other day?" Veronica teased as she grabbed for the pillow on her bed. "You've got some pretty big expectations to live up to now, I hope you know."
A broad grin spread across Logan's face. "Challenge accepted," he replied enthusiastically.
Veronica quickly grabbed a few more things she needed to take along, including the envelope with the papers she needed to serve. She tried not to think about how great it was to see Logan's eyes light up like that again. She hadn't seen him this excited about something in as long as she could remember. She'd thought more about what Mac had told her the night before, but she still wasn't really sure what to do about it. She'd convinced herself that if Logan had made that comment at the beginning of the summer, that maybe he'd changed his mind since then. She just couldn't reconcile his recent behavior with how she would have expected him to act if he really was still in love with her.
"You said we need to head up to Oakhurst, right?" Logan asked as they walked out of the room and Veronica turned to lock it. She nodded in reply. "I found a spot I could reserve at a campground near there on Bass Lake... if that's okay with you. I figured we could at least check it out once we got that far."
"Sure that sounds fine," Veronica replied as they started walking down the hall together.
When they reached his Range Rover, he opened the back to add her duffle bag to the rest of the stuff that was already loaded.
"Is that a fishing pole?" Veronica asked in amusement.
Logan made a sound that halfway sounded like a laugh and halfway like a sigh. "Sam insisted I take it along, just in case. When I mentioned we might be staying by Bass Lake, he got kinda excited about there being a lot of fish there."
Veronica quirked her eyebrow at him. "And you actually know how to fish?" she asked curiously. The camping thing was a bit odd, but she really couldn't picture Logan actually fishing.
Logan smirked and gave her a little wink. "Guess you'll just have to wait and see, now won't you?"
"I guess I will," she replied with a sly grin. "But I hope we're not dependent solely on your fishing skills for our dinner," she added teasingly.
Logan's hand flew up to his chest as if she had wounded him. "Your lack of confidence hurts, Mars," he replied with a faux injured look on his face.
"Speaking of food, Echolls," Veronica continued after rolling her eyes at his dramatics. "Did we need to stop for provisions on our way out of town? You know… for alternatives to the fish I'm sure you'll catch."
"Oh ye of little faith! No… I think I stocked up enough to get us by… even with your enormous appetite," he replied as he smirked at her. "But just in case, there's a little resort near the campground with a general store and even a restaurant."
Logan closed the back of the SUV and walked with her to the passenger door and opened it for her. "Shall we get this epic road trip started?" Logan asked with a grin.
Veronica crooked an eyebrow at him, wondering if his choice of words was significant or not. As far as she knew, he didn't remember his epic speech. He'd never brought it up again after saying the events of that night were kind of a blur, even when they'd gotten back together several weeks later. He didn't seem to notice her questioning expression as he waited for her to climb in. Once she was seated, he closed the door behind her.
Logan had ended up carrying the pastry bag along with his coffee as they'd left Veronica's room. After he climbed into the driver's seat, he held the bag out to her. "There are a few more if you're still hungry," he commented with an almost teasing smile.
She stared at the bag for a moment before shaking her head. "Nope, I'm good, but thanks."
Logan nodded and turned to put the bag somewhere in the back seat.
"I could keep it up here by me… just in case you decide you want one while you're driving," Veronica offered, having second thoughts about turning the offer down now, but she hadn't wanted to give him the satisfaction of teasing her about it.
"Good plan," he replied with a hint of amusement. She found a good place to set the bag and then started to put her coffee cup in the center console. "You really can have some of the chocolate macadamia nut one if you want," he added as he sat his drink in the other empty holder.
Veronica let out a small huff before reaching for his cup and taking a slow drink. She noticed Logan's lips quirk up in the way they always used to when he knew he was right about something that she hadn't wanted to admit.
"Now you're going to get girl germs," Veronica teased with a mischievous grin.
"I'm all up-to-date on my shots. I'm sure I'll be fine," he shot back with a smirk before he started the car and headed out of the parking lot.
They remained fairly quiet until they finally reached the highway and Logan asked her how she'd liked her internship in Virginia. They hadn't actually talked much about that before she left given the state of things between them, but she wasn't surprised at all that he knew about it given he'd spend a lot of time with Mac over the summer. She spent a good chunk of time telling him what she could about it, which surprisingly ended up being a lot more than she'd initially expected. Mac and Wallace hadn't actually asked her too much about it, so other than telling her dad, this was the first time anyone else had really seemed interested in hearing details about what sort of things she had done and how she had liked it there. She was still talking about it when they reached Bakersfield. Logan spotted an In-N-Out as they reached the outskirts of town and suggested that they stop to grab some lunch.
"Double-double, animal style, with extra crispy fries and a chocolate shake?" Logan asked as they approached the order-taker standing at the drive-thru. Veronica smiled and nodded, a little touched by the fact that he still remembered exactly what she liked to order.
While they were silently eating their lunch, Veronica realized she'd spent most of the drive just talking about herself and Virginia. "So… what else did you do this summer besides camping with the Mackenzies?" she asked once they were done with their food and just finishing up their shakes.
"Not a lot… I did some surfing… I actually taught Ryan, Mac's brother, how to surf," Logan replied as he focused on the road with a thoughtful look on his face. "I ended up taking a couple of classes too… trying to fix a few GPA issues I ended up with last year," he admitted a bit sheepishly.
"That's great, Logan," Veronica replied, trying not to sound judgmental at all. She knew she'd been a bit tough on him at the start of their year at Hearst about skipping classes and she didn't want him to feel bad about that now. "I'm sure Ryan really appreciated that too."
"Yeah… he's a good kid. I know he drives Mac up the wall most of the time, but I guess... I don't know… it would have been sort of cool to have a younger brother like that," he admitted a bit hesitantly. "It was just nice hanging out with her family, which I never imagined I'd end up doing, but somehow I did."
"Yeah… you mentioned your boys only trip… You and her dad must have hit it off too then?"
"Yeah, he's a great guy. I mean… your dad's great too… but, well… I think he was a bit biased given I was interested in you… and having him being the former sheriff… well it was just much different."
Veronica could tell he felt a little uncomfortable about comparing her dad to Mac's and coming across sounding like Mac's was much better. She couldn't blame him at all though. Things had been strenuous to say the least between Logan and her dad. "I'm glad you and Mr. Mackenzie hit it off," Veronica replied, hoping to put him more at ease.
"Yeah… me too," Logan replied, looking slightly more relaxed. Veronica turned her attention out the window again as he continued to talk. "Her mom's great too. I still can't believe that they're actually—"
Logan's abrupt silence caused her to turn back toward him. He was staring straight ahead and the relaxed look that had been there only seconds before was gone, and she could tell that he seemed a bit tense all of a sudden.
"They're actually what?" Veronica asked, not sure at all what was suddenly wrong with him.
"Oh um…" Logan replied as she shook his head, like he'd lost his train of thought for a moment. "Not vegans like Mac," he continued, sounding less sure of himself, but not looking over at Veronica at all.
"Yeah…" Veronica replied as she studied him for a moment. What's really wrong? How did we get from them being great to them not being vegans? Veronica thought for another moment before something occurred to her. She'd been texting a few people on her phone occasionally as they drove so she pulled it out to type out a quick message. Logan seemed intently focused on the road now and wouldn't even glance her way.
[Does Logan know about the baby swap?] She typed in a text to Mac.
It took about a minute for Mac to reply. '[Yeah… it came up this summer.]
Of course… freaking Madison. Veronica bit on her lip as she glanced over at Logan. It was like all the energy and excitement had been drained out of him now; he had a forlorn look on his face that she could tell he was working really hard to hide, but he couldn't get that by her. Haven't we suffered enough from that? She spotted a sign for a rest area up ahead.
"Hey, can we stop to use the bathroom?" Veronica asked as she pointed to the sign.
"Of course," Logan replied as he nodded slightly, but still wouldn't look at her.
As he pulled in and parked he glanced her way for a moment before he quickly looked away. She knew that look. The one he always had when he felt guilty about something but didn't know what to do to fix it. He opened his door and climbed out. She watched as he walked to the front of the SUV and leaned against the hood, facing the building with the bathrooms. She took a deep breath and opened her door. She walked over so she was standing in front of him, but he looked over her head toward the building.
"I'll um… just wait here," he said as he avoided her gaze.
"Hey…" she said in a firm tone, causing him to look at her. "I know what you were going to say in the car… and I think… I think it's time we put that behind us, don't you agree?"
He swallowed hard and nodded. "I'm sorry, Veronica," he mumbled as he looked regretfully at her. "I didn't want to lie to you… but I didn't want to mention her name either… I don't know why I even started to…" he let out a frustrated breath and looked disappointed in himself.
"Well the fact that she's biologically related to such wonderfully nice people while she's such a monster is pretty shocking," Veronica responded with a sly grin. "And the whole baby swap thing… that in itself is pretty crazy too."
He finally smiled a bit more and she could see his shoulders start to relax. "Yeah… my mind was definitely blown when Mac told me…" He took a deep breath before he spoke again. "And thanks… for not getting upset with me."
Veronica gave him a warm smile and nodded. "Yeah… of course… I don't want you to feel like you have to keep things from me just because it might upset me, okay? I'd like to think we're better friends than that."
"Me too," Logan replied with a genuine smile on his face.
"Well, now that that's settled... " Veronica gave him a smirk and gestured with her head toward the bathrooms. "I did finish off one and a half coffees and a milkshake, so I think I'll just run in there quickly."
Logan nodded and looked a bit more confident before he told her that he'd be right there waiting for her.
After their brief stop, Veronica asked Logan to tell her about some of the camping trips that he'd gone on with Mac's family to try to get him excited again. It seemed to work and it wasn't long before he had her laughing about some of the mishaps that had happened on their various outings. Time had gone by much faster than she expected, and before she knew it, Logan announced that they'd arrived. She glanced at the name of the campground as they started to pull off the main road and couldn't help but chuckle quietly.
"Wishon Point Campground?" she asked with amusement. Logan nodded as he slowly made their way to their spot. "Like wish on a star?" she asked next.
He glanced at her for a moment with a slightly puzzled look on his face before he answered. "Yeah, I guess so…. although it is just one word."
Veronica definitely wasn't going to be able to forget what Mac had told her now that they were staying at a campground with a name like that. What's next? An actual falling star?
The site Logan had reserved for them was one of the few that faced out to the lake that was across the main road. Since it wasn't summertime, there were only a few boats out on the lake and the campground seemed to be only partially full. Logan didn't waste any time in starting to unload the Range Rover and set up camp. At first Veronica watched him in amazement until she finally realized she should probably volunteer to help.
It had been years since Veronica had been camping, and she was quickly grateful that Logan knew exactly what he was doing. He had her help him set up the tent and then asked if she could use the portable pump to fill up the air-mattress in the tent while he got other things organized. She'd been wondering if they were going to just have to sleep on the hard ground, so she was thrilled that they'd have the comfort of a large air-mattress. She briefly wondered if it would be strange to share it with Logan, but as he brought in the separate sleeping bags, she realized that there wouldn't really be any chance for them to accidently get tangled up under covers together. She momentarily chastised herself for actually being disappointed about that.
When she was finished with the air-mattress and left the tent, she saw that Logan had filled the fire pit with wood and set up some very comfortable looking camping chairs around it. There was also a small propane camping stove set up on the edge of the picnic table and the cooler she'd spotted in the back of the SUV was sitting near that.
"So… are you still planning to catch our dinner?" Veronica teased as she glanced out toward the lake. "We only have, what, about another hour or so before the sun starts to set? You'd better get a move on if you plan to impress me with your fishing skills."
"Yep… I can't imagine that burger and fries will hold you over much longer, will they?" he replied with a smug grin before he walked back over to the SUV and grabbed the fishing pole and a tackle box from the back.
It was only a short walk from their campsite down and across the road to the edge of the lake. Logan pointed to a log near the edge of the water and suggested that it looked like a good spot before walking over and placing the tackle box on it. Veronica watched as he took a seat on the log next to the box, opened it and started digging through it. She had no idea what he was looking for, but was astonished that he seemed to actually know what he was doing. She took a seat on the opposite side of the open box and stared inside as Logan pulled out a small jar of what looked like little reddish-orange orbs.
"Balls-O-Fire?" she chortled as she read the top of the lid and then laughed even harder as she caught a glance at what was written around the outside edge. "Soft but satisfying?"
A lecherous grin started to form on Logan's face, but then he let out a huff of breath and shook his head, obviously quelching whatever retort had popped into his mind. "They're salmon eggs," he explained as he started carefully sliding them onto a hook attached to the end of the line on the fishing pool.
"Well I'm glad they are 'soft but satisfying' then," Veronica replied in amusement. "In my experience, most soft things aren't that satisfying," she couldn't help but add.
Logan gave her a slightly admonishing look as he shook his head at her, which made her laugh even harder.
"Come on, Logan… you know you likely had several quips that you were just dying to say."
He smiled a bit more before he stood up and walked closer to the edge of the water. She watched as he did something with the reeling part of the pole and then swung the pole backwards before casting it forward causing the hook and eggs and a small red and yellow ball that he'd also attached to the line to fly out across the water before it finally landed with a small splash. He did something else with the reeling part before he walked back over and sat on the log again.
Veronica glanced out at to where she could still see the yellow half of the ball floating in the water and then back at him. He was just staring out at the water now too. She glanced back toward the yellow float before turning back to him again. "Now what?" she asked out of curiosity.
"We wait for a fish to bite," Logan explained as he glanced at her for a second and then looked back out at the water again.
Veronica squished up her nose and glanced back and forth between him and the ball again. She saw his lip curl up slightly, obviously able to see her out of his peripheral vision. "That's it?" she asked with a slight amount of exasperation. "I thought there'd be a bit more… action."
"Looking for a bit of action, are you?" Logan quickly replied, causing Veronica to smile with delight. There was her playful, flirty Logan. Finally.
She laughed and shook her head. "You know what I meant," she replied a bit coyly, not wanting to get too unguarded with him yet. He tilted his head so he could see her for a second and smiled one of his smug little mischievous grins before he nodded and turned back to face the water again.
"So this is all you normally do when you fish? Sit on a log and stare at a floating little ball?"
"It's called a bobber," Logan explained and then chuckled to himself.
"I'm sure it is," Veronica replied teasingly.
"When the fish takes the bait, it pulls on the line and the bobber will disappear under the water," Logan explained with just a hint of amusement in his tone.
"How long does it usually take?" Veronica asked as she continued to watch him, while he just watched the bobber.
Logan shrugged. "Just depends… we fished for over an hour at one lake and never had a single bite, while at another lake we caught several in the first thirty minutes."
"What do you do while you wait?" Veronica asked next, still shocked that Logan was actually doing this.
"I don't know… I guess we talked about stuff," Logan answered as he lifted one shoulder in a half shrug.
"Oh…" Veronica replied as she stared out at the water again. "Why don't you talk to me anymore?" she found herself asking without giving it a second thought.
"What?" he asked as he turned to look at her. As she glanced over at him, she saw a look of confusion on his face. "We talked a lot today," he continued with a tone of uncertainty.
"Yeah… but before that… at school… you're around… studying with Mac… but you don't really talk to me anymore." She had no idea why all of a sudden she'd gone there and felt a bit vulnerable now, but she couldn't take it back either and wanted to know the reason.
Logan let out a small sigh. "I um…" He paused and shook his head as he stared back out at the water. "Piz is always there…" he explained quietly.
Veronica's brow crinkled in confusion. She hadn't really thought much about it, but most of the time Piz was there too when they were all together. "Well, we're not together anymore…" Veronica started to say before Logan spoke again.
"And I feel guilty…" he added ruefully.
Veronica hadn't expected that. "You shouldn't feel guilty… it's not your fault we broke up."
Logan stared back at her for a second before he spoke softly. "That's not why… I feel guilty that I'm glad," he admitted before quickly turning away to face the water again.
A small smile ghosted across Veronica's lips. She'd been doubtful about what Mac had told her because Logan hadn't acted how she would have expected him to act if what Mac had said was true. But now, looking at the situation from Logan's perspective, things were starting to make more sense. But what do you want, Veronica? How many times can we crash and burn before we end up at the point of never being able to even stand to be around each other? Is being just friends better than nothing at all?
Veronica's ruminations were suddenly interrupted by Logan quickly hopping up from the log. He was cranking the little handle on the pole causing the now bouncing bobber to come closer to shore. Veronica hopped off the log and walked over to the edge of the water with him. She watched as he hoisted a shiny silver fish out of the water and into his hands.
"I thought it would be bigger," Veronica commented as she looked at the small fish in his hand that was likely only about six inches long.
A rakish grin broke out across Logan's face before he spoke. "Not something I normally hear..." he replied, causing her to roll her eyes at him. "...since usually I catch much larger ones," he continued, shifting to have an innocent look on his face.
"Well, I'm still impressed… although I don't think that's going to make much of a meal."
"Yeah… he's too little to keep, but maybe we'll get lucky and get a bigger one next."
Veronica watched as Logan carefully removed the hook from the little fish's lip and then sat it down in the water. It only took a few seconds for the little fish to bolt off and disappear in the deeper water. Logan went back to put more eggs on his hook before casting the line out again. Just a few seconds after he sat down on the log, a huge bald eagle swooped down over the lake and effortlessly snagged a fish in its claws and then flew back up, disappearing behind the tree line.
"Wow…" Veronica mumbled. "That was… majestic…"
"Yeah," Logan replied as he turned and gave her guileful grin. "And no comment about his being bigger than mine."
Veronica laughed and shook her head at him. "So, what was the largest one you caught this summer?" she asked next, deciding to shift the conversation away from the more personal topic she'd brought up before. He seemed more than happy to share some of his fishing stories with her while they waited for him to catch another fish. He told her about how he, Sam and Ryan would try to outdo each other and ended up making it into a bit of a competition. The one who caught the smallest fish had to do the dishes. Logan was typically the one who ended up losing until their last trip when he finally caught the biggest one. Logan enthusiastically told her about the eighteen-inch fish he caught that trip when she happened to glance back out at the lake.
"Your bobber thingy… it's bouncing…" Veronica told him as she pointed out at it and stood up from the log.
Logan stood up as well and reeled in his line again. He had a smuger grin this time as the fish was easily twice the size of the little one he'd caught first.
"Well… that's a much more impressive catch," Veronica commented with an impressed look on her face.
"See… we could easily survive out here on my exceptional fishing abilities," Logan bragged as he removed the hook from the fish's mouth.
"Yeah, yeah… you're a real Daniel Boone…" Veronica teased as she shook her head at him. "But now what do you do with it? Just eat it like that?" she asked as she squished up her nose.
Logan laughed and shook his head. "Not exactly… I need to gut… clean it and then we can cook it on the fire." Veronica grimaced a bit more, not really excited about the preparation part. "Why don't you head back up to camp and I'll clean it down here by the water and meet you up there," Logan suggested.
"Sounds good," Veronica replied quickly before she turned and headed back up to their campsite.
As she made her way back, Veronica realized through the trees she could make out the resort that Logan had mentioned just past the campground. She also saw what she thought looked like cabins, and it struck her again just how crazy it was that Logan was so excited about camping and sleeping in a tent when there were other more civilized options so close by. Of course she'd been the one who said she didn't want to stay someplace expensive, but she'd still never expected him to be so excited about all of this. She grabbed a soda out of the cooler and took a seat in one of the camping chairs that Logan had set up around the firepit. It faced back out toward the lake, and the tranquility of the view and her surroundings really hit her. She could easily see why Logan might find all of this appealing. It was peaceful and quiet; no reminders of the life he'd grown up knowing.
It didn't take long for Veronica to spot Logan walking back up from the lake. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and snapped a shot of him carrying the fishing pole, tackle box and fish with the lake in the background. Definitely as unusual of a shot as the one he took of her behind bars.
"Enjoying the view?" Logan asked with a smug grin when he finally reached her. She wasn't sure if he actually did notice her taking the picture because she thought he was looking down at the ground more than up at her as he was walking back up.
"Yeah…" she answered a bit coyle. "It's pretty nice here. Lot's of scenery to appreciate."
Logan smiled a bit more and nodded. She still couldn't tell if he was just amused that she was enjoying herself when she'd been reluctant about it before or if he knew she was sort of referring to him too. He sat the pole and the box down on the picnic table while he went over to another box he'd brought along and opened it up. He grabbed some foil out of that box and laid the fish on it. He then went over and snagged a soda out of the cooler and stared out at the lake again as he opened it.
"They actually filmed 'The Great Outdoors' here," he commented before taking a long drink from the soda can.
"Lake Potowotominimac?"
"Yeah… I guess… Was that actually the name they gave it in the movie?" Logan asked with a perplexed expression on his face.
Veronica smiled broadly and nodded. "Yeah… my dad loved that movie for some reason, so I saw it quite a few times."
"I didn't realize that was the name of the lake in the movie… I guess they were shooting it at a lodge across the lake that actually burned down the year after they filmed it. They did rebuild it since then though. There's a popular steakhouse there…. Ducey's On The Lake."
"Steak, hm?" Veronica mumbled as she turned back to the lake again.
"Hey! My fish will be delicious," Logan protested with a huff.
Veronica laughed and turned back to him with a mischievous grin. "I'm sure it will… and while it was much larger than the first one… I do hope you have some other things to go with it, because I'm not sure that's going to fill both of us up. Shall I go forage for some berries?"
Logan chuckled and shook his head. "No, I'm sure I've got plenty of other options without forcing you to go foraging. Natalie sent along some beef stew that we can heat up and some homemade biscuits too."
"What, no dessert?" Veronica teased, earning a slightly admonishing look from Logan.
"S'mores, of course," Logan replied as he playfully shook his head at her and started pulling things out of the cooler. "It's camping, Veronica… what other sort of dessert could there even be?"
Veronica smirked as he sat several apples out on the table. "Glad to see you didn't forget your favorite fruit," she commented as she stood up and walked over to pick one up, tossing it in the air before catching it and placing it back with the others.
"You know… an apple a day…" Logan countered with a shrug.
She gave him a tender smile and nodded. She couldn't help but wonder how often he'd hoped that really was true when he was younger. Although she knew that Aaron had avoided involving doctors as much as possible as well. "What can I do to help?" Veronica asked. As surprised as she'd been that Logan actually knew what to do while he was fishing, she was almost as surprised at how comfortable he seemed to be with preparing their dinner too.
"Think you can manage heating duty? It does require the ability to stir," Logan teased as he pulled a pot and spoon out of the box near the cooler.
"Whatever, Betty Crocker," Veronica scoffed as she shook her head at him.
"I'll start the camp stove for you… not sure you're qualified for that job yet," Logan countered with a mischievous wink.
It had still been somewhat of a surreal experience watching Logan buzzing around the campsite, starting the fire and preparing the fish. But Veronica had to admit once they were done eating, that he was right and the fish was quite delicious. He modestly admitted that it was thanks to Natalie and Sam teaching him their special way of cooking it when they had been camping. It was too dark to see the lake anymore by the time they finished eating, and so for a little while they just sat quietly staring into the crackling embers of the fire.
"So what else would you do when you were camping with the Mackenzies?"
"Well…" Logan replied with a thoughtful look on his face. "They usually brought games and cards along and we'd play those sometimes."
"I'm guessing you didn't play Texas Hold'em with them," Veronica teased.
Logan chuckled and shook his head. "No… Ryan taught me how to play Garbage so we played that a lot."
"Garbage?" Veronica asked as she gave him a puzzled look.
"Yeah… it's a card game. I um… I think I have a deck of cards in the glove box if you want me to teach you."
Veronica laughed softly. "Never know when you might need a deck of cards for strip poker?" she asked teasingly.
"No…" he replied with a sheepish grin as he shook his head. "Ryan left them there… so you can't tease me about them when you see them either."
Veronica gave him a questioning look as he stood up and walked to the car. He walked back and took a seat at the picnic table, repositioning a lantern that had been closer to the cooler so it was sitting near him on the table. Veronica stood up from her chair and walked over to take a seat across from him at the picnic table. She laughed as she spotted the Incredible Hulk on the back of the cards that Logan had removed from their package and was shuffling.
"Ryan's,,,, sure," she teased as she smiled up at him.
Logan ignored her comment and started laying cards out on the table in front of them. He made two rows of five cards for both of them and then placed the deck in the middle.
"The objective is to get your cards to show 1-10 in order and you flip them over as you get one to go in that spot," Logan explained. "Kings are wild. You can go first… go ahead and draw."
Veronica drew the top card and Logan continued to explain the game as he had her swap the five she drew with the fifth card in front of her and then had her put the two that was there in the second spot, which revealed a queen, so her turn was over. He continued to explain the game as he took his turn and she was able to quickly catch on. He shared that usually they'd play all the way down to one card, with the winner of each round getting to have one less for the following round. She certainly had never expected this day to end with the two of them playing with Incredible Hulk cards at a picnic table by a lake in the woods.
"Should we break for s'mores?" Logan asked as they finished their fifth round of the game. Veronica had been so stuffed with the beef stew, biscuits and fish for dinner that she hadn't even thought about dessert earlier.
Veronica enthusiastically agreed, which caused Logan to chuckle at her as he collected the cards and put them back in their box. He pulled graham crackers, chocolate bars and marshmallows out of the food box as well as two collapsable metal sticks for roasting the marshmallows.
"You really are the prepared little camper, aren't you?" Veronica teased as he handed her a stick. Logan chuckled and shrugged before they headed back over to the chairs by the fire. Veronica had toasted her first one and was staring at it thinking about Lilly. She couldn't help but think back to some of the times when they were younger and would have bonfires on the beach with Lilly and Duncan. They'd frequently bring along s'mores supplies with them back then as well. Lilly would always con the boys into making hers for her so she wouldn't get her fingers all gooey.
"Do you want me to put it on the graham cracker for you?" Logan teased softly. From the look he was giving her, she couldn't help but wonder if he was remembering the same thing. Veronica shook her head and held her hand out for the graham crackers. "Did you know you get a certain expression on your face when you think about her?" he asked with a somber look on his face as he handed Veronica the package of graham crackers. She shook her head again and tried to smile, but she could tell it probably didn't seem very genuine.
"Do you think about her much?" Veronica found herself asking as she pulled a graham cracker out of the package and reached for one of the candy bars that Logan had sat on a stump between their chairs.
Logan shrugged and let out a deep sigh. "Sometimes… not as much as I used to… but every once in awhile something will remind me of her."
Veronica nodded in understanding as she stared at her now completed s'more. "Same for me… I used to dream about her a lot… right after… but now that's pretty rare."
"Yeah… it's been a long time since I've dreamt about her," he commented almost nervously. Veronica glanced over at him and noticed he had a solemn faraway look in his eyes as he stared at the fire. He suddenly cleared his throat and forced a smile back on his face as he turned to look at Veronica again. "She'd certainly hate sleeping in a tent out in the middle of the woods."
Veronica laughed at that. "Yeah, can you imagine the fit she would have thrown if someone had actually made her do it?"
Logan chuckled as well for a few moments before he stopped and gave her a more serious look. "Thanks for going along with this, Veronica. I really enjoyed spending the day with you. Like you said down by the lake… it's been too long since we've just talked and hung out like real friends."
Veronica swallowed down the lump she felt in her throat and nodded, needing a second to find her voice again. Had he also decided that just being friends was the safest thing for us too? Part of her wished she wasn't so terrified about just coming right out and saying something to him, but her fears seemed to be winning out. "Yeah… I've missed being your friend too."
He smiled and nodded as well before turning his gaze back to the fire. They each made a couple more s'mores before Veronica wasn't able to suppress a loud yawn.
"It is getting a little late, isn't it?" Logan commented as he glanced at his watch. "If you're ready to call it a night, I can take care of things out here if you want to go in and change clothes. Just let me know when it's safe to come in."
She mumbled a 'sure' as she stood up from the chair. She couldn't help but think about the times that her changing clothes in front of him was no big deal. In fact usually he was the one taking most of the clothes off. She shook her head slightly to clear those thoughts out of her head.
"You can take the lantern in and I'll grab a flashlight," Logan continued as he stood up as well and moved to the table. He pulled a flashlight out of the box that had contained the food and turned it on.
Veronica grabbed the lantern and headed into the tent. She hadn't realized how much heat the fire was giving off until she got in the tent and realized there was a brisk chill in the air. She was glad that Mac had suggested that she may want to take some warmer clothes for sleeping in and that layers were usually a necessity when camping. Especially when you don't have a warm body to snuggle up with. Veronica let out a small sigh and changed her clothes before slipping into the sleeping bag by her pillow.
"I'm done changing," she called out softly, not wanting her voice to carry to any of the other campsites.
She could tell that Logan was dousing the fire as she heard the hiss of steam and could see the light dimming. He poked his head in the tent and smiled at her. "I'm just going to put the food box back in the Range Rover so we don't have critters trying to get into it," he told her before disappearing again.
He appeared a few minutes later with two bottles of water. "Just in case you get thirsty," he said as he handed one to her. She thanked him and sat it down next to the air-mattress.
"I um…" he started a bit nervously. "I was going to change too… you can just close your eyes… or not... whatever you want to do… I'm leaving my boxers on while I change."
She couldn't help but laugh at his nervousness. Even before they'd dated, she'd seen him with very little clothing on during sleepovers at the Kane's, and of course when they were together the prior year, she'd seen him naked many times. "I can close my eyes if that makes you feel better," she responded with a playful lilt to her voice.
"It's not… I'm not… I just didn't want you to feel awkward."
Veronica chuckled again. "You seem to be the one feeling awkward, Logan."
He gave her a sheepish grin and shrugged. "Maybe a little, but it really is because I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."
"Well I appreciate that, but I promise I'm fine," Veronica replied reassuringly. "But I'll close my eyes if that will make you feel better," she added before she reached up and covered her face with her hands.
She heard Logan let out a little sigh and then heard him shuffling through his bag. It only took a minute before she felt the air-mattress shift slightly and he quietly said 'all done'. She uncovered her face and saw that he'd changed into a long-sleeve t-shirt and sweatpants.
"This is a pretty fancy air-mattress," she commented as she bounced slightly on it. It was definitely a much higher quality one than she'd ever seen before. He grinned as she bounced and she could only imagine he was thinking about how childish she probably looked.
"I actually bought this one…" he admitted.
"For us?" Veronica asked before she realized how that may have sounded. "I mean… for this trip?"
"Yeah. Sam had some pads that we used a few times over the summer, when we didn't have their RV, and those were not very comfortable at all… so I thought… well I thought this would be much better."
"I definitely agree," Veronica told him as she watched him move around so he could crawl into his sleeping bag too. It was stranger than she'd expected it to be; lying right next to him, yet not being able to just curl up and wrap her arms around him. He finally got situated and turned on his side so that he was facing her. She so badly wanted to reach out and run her fingers across his cheek, but knew that she shouldn't. She suddenly realized that they'd actually gone the entire day without touching each other at any point. Even back before they were dating, when they were good friends, they'd been affectionate with each other; innocent hugs, bumping shoulders or even curling up together watching movies.
"Do we need to leave early tomorrow?" Logan asked, pulling Veronica out of her thoughts.
"Oh… um… not super early. It will probably be another hour from here to the place we need to go, but there isn't a particular time we need to try to be there."
"Okay… I wasn't sure if we needed to be sure we were out of here by a certain time."
Veronica shook her head in reply.
"Since the lantern's on your side of the bed, you can turn it off whenever you're ready," he continued with a faint smile.
"Oh right," she said as she turned away from him to where she'd put the battery operated lantern when she came in. She flicked it off and realized just how dark it was out there in the middle of the woods. There were several other groups camping too, but none were very close to their campsite. At least not seeing him lying next to me might make it easier. She immediately realized that wasn't really true at all. "Hey, Logan?" she said into the darkness.
"Yeah?" he answered quietly.
"Thanks for volunteering to come along and being so excited about camping. It really was a fun day."
"Of course… and anytime you need a road-trip buddy… I'd be more than happy to go along."
"Thanks," she replied softly. She couldn't help but wonder though, for how long that would be true. He's not going to be single forever, Veronica. She doubted any new girlfriend would be thrilled about him going on road-trips with his ex. As she drifted off to sleep, she felt an uneasy feeling deep inside since she was totally conflicted about what exactly she should do.