This is actually a side story, but I decided to post this as a one-shot. It takes place about a year after the events of To Make a Scene, but it doesn't really spoil anything so I guess it's safe to post this now.

Disclaimer: I don't own Maroon 5, but I do own everything else in this story.


Promise Me This


He had me like putty in his hands the first time we ever went out.

It started out like any romance, girl meets boy, girl starts to like boy, and they hit it off. Pretty soon I thought I was even in love.

He was the perfect Prince Charming. Pale blond hair and light blue eyes. Attractive, killer smile, and charisma. That was what defined Chuck Finschley.

I was addicted. Even to the point where it was unhealthy. That was why, when it happened, I couldn't stop it from hurting me any less than it could have.

"Nicole," he began, pausing slightly. "Let's break up."

My perky smile from earlier froze on my face. "What?"

"I just don't feel it any more. Somewhere down the line, we fell out of it."

Those words gripped me like ice. Without realizing, I wrapped my arms around my stomach in a death grip. The darkness surrounded me, almost choking, preying on my pain. But even then, he still wouldn't stop.

"It's not you, it's me. I'm really sorry. I hope we can still be friends?"

I smiled thinly to myself. Even during our breakup, he hadn't bothered to be original.

He left right then. If he had stayed any longer I might not have been able to keep my composure. I stared blankly at the table, crumpling in a heap on the floor.


It's funny how much separation can hurt. I had always laughed at those who suffered a broken relationship, calling them weak.

Several years later, I was one of them.

Two months had passed since then and I hadn't gotten over it. I just lived life without flourish, without color. I felt like a zombie, lifeless and alone. But time went on.

I didn't hang with my friends anymore, choosing to sit with the other cheerleaders at school. I knew it was wrong to avoid them like this, but I couldn't face them anymore. That was how I always healed myself. Alone.

But sooner or later, I would have to wake up. Sooner or later……


"All right girls, we're done. Great work today!" I called out to the other cheerleaders, trying to sound perky. Everyone left then, but I stayed behind, dropping on a bench and putting my head in my hands.

"Long day?" A male voice asked.

I wearily looked up at him; all my pretences deserted me. A lanky, tall figure stood before me, with a casual grin on his face.

"You could say that," I answered, gathering my things and walking away.

"I know how to fix that," he called, following me.

I bit my lip. Why not? "How?"

He just grinned.


"You brought me to the Maroon 5 concert?" I asked blankly.

"Why not? Don't you like Maroon 5?"

I didn't answer. He turned back to the main attraction on stage, watching them sing. This is officially the stupidest thing I've ever done. I let a sort of stranger that I met about fifteen minutes ago drag me to a concert of my favorite band. How did he even know Maroon 5 was my favorite band? Good job, Nicole, you've officially landed yourself with a potential stalker. You're now a shoo-in for the Nobel Prize for stupidity. I don't even know this dude's first name.

I look at him out of the corner of my eye. Unlike Chuck, he had jet black hair and stormy gray eyes. And while Chuck was heavily built and stocky, he was tall, thin and lanky. Really tall. In fact, he was nearly a head and a half taller than me.

Chuck. I bit my lip, crossing my arms over my stomach protectively. The pain attacked me again. I closed my eyes, waiting for it to wash over me and go away.

I was supposed to erase him from my mind. He was supposed to locate himself in the deepest part of my mind, never to be reached for again.

A week after we broke up, I had seen him with another girl. When our eyes met, his became guilty and he immediately looked away. This had hurt me the most.

My arms loosened around me. I had better stop comparing every guy I meet to Chuck. It wasn't healthy, just like the obsession wasn't healthy. I always did get hurt the easiest, and when I did get hurt, it hurt the most out of anyone else. That was why I was scared of actually falling in love again. Because, if it did happen, if it hurt this much when Chuck left me, being in love and then left would kill me.

I closed my eyes, and leaned against him. Soon I drifted off into unconsciousness.


I woke up with a start. My first thought was that I was in a vehicle, and that we were moving.

"Good morning, sunshine," a voice said from beside me.

My eyes widened. "Where am I? Why aren't we art the concert? Why is it morning? What will my parents think?"

His gray eyes danced with amusement. "You're in my car right now. You fell asleep at the concert and it ended a while ago. And relax. I already called your cousin and asked him to cover for you. Everything's already taken care of."

"Oh." I lamely said. Then I blurted out, "Who are you?"

"I'm Logan. Logan Williams." He said, still keeping his eyes on the road. "It took you long enough to ask."

"Well sorry," I mumbled. "It didn't really occur to me to ask."

He didn't answer. I saw a black guitar case in the backseat, out of the corner of my eye. "You play guitar?" I found myself asking.

"You could say so," he said, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Do you write songs?"

"Do you want to hear one?"

"Right now?"

"Not right now, but someday. I promise."

"Promises don't mean anything," I found myself saying without thinking. I immediately regretted it, and I clammed up, inwardly cursing myself for that slip of the tongue.

"You know, for a cheer captain, you're not very cheery," he remarked.

"Yeah, well, it's a long story," I muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." I thought for a moment; then turned to face him. "I have a question for you," I began.

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"Why did you bring a complete stranger to a Maroon 5 concert with you? Is this some kind of habit or something?"

He didn't answer at first. "You're not a complete stranger," he said at last. "I actually go to the same school you do."

I thought for a moment. "Are you a senior, like me?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"But that still doesn't answer my question."

He seemed reluctant to answer. "I heard you broke up with your boyfriend recently," he said. "You looked really upset, even though you were trying hard to hide it. I just thought you needed some cheering up."

"Oh." He was strangely observant, then.

"Yeah."

I looked out the window. "Well, thanks."


It was lunch time. Today was one of those days where I wanted to be alone. So I left the building, grabbed my keys from my purse, and jumped into my car. I parked in the donut shop across the street and, sitting down, ordered coffee. I didn't really expect anyone to come here. That was why I was surprised when I saw him again.

Logan stepped into the shop. He was staring at the floor, deep in thought, but when he looked for a place to sit, he saw me. He grinned and moved to sit beside me.

"Do you have a sweet tooth too?" He asked.

I nodded slowly. "You could say that." I paused. "Look, I know I sound rude, but could you please leave? I'd like to be alone for just a sec."

"No." He grinned cheekily.

"No?"

"No." He repeated firmly.

"May I ask why?" I snapped.

"Look, the thing I learned is, the worst time to be alone is when you actually want to be alone. So you're not getting rid of me anytime soon." He smiled, his dimples showing.

I let out a ragged breath. "Fine, be that way then." I looked out the window. "May I ask you a question?"

"Fire away." He took a bite out of his donut. He looked like he needed a haircut, because it was now long enough to fall into his eyes, staying in place even when he brushed it back.

"How did you know Maroon 5 was my favorite band?"

He paused. "Don't you remember, Nicole? You told me once."

"I don't remember talking to you." I knit my eyebrows together. "Are you one of Josh's friends then?"

He smiled patiently. "I've known you more than I know your cousin."

I bit my lip, racking my head.

He stared at me. For some reason, I found this unnerving, and tried unsuccessfully to ignore this. Finally he broke his gaze and said quietly, "Let me jog your memory."

"Hmm?"

"Do you remember four years ago you went to a summer camp? Do you remember which one it was?"

I bit my lip. Four years ago…That means it was before the beginning of ninth grade. Back then, Mom had wanted to remodel the house, so my choices were either to stay at a relative's place or go to summer camp. I picked the latter. "Yeah. I remember," I said slowly.

"Do you remember a kid with gray eyes there? Come on, I was the only one with gray eyes, so you've got to remember that."

I thought for a moment. Then I broke into a wide smile. "In fact, I do," I replied. "At first I thought you were a girl."

He made a face. "Thanks," he said sarcastically. "I'm sure every guy wants to hear that."

I smiled. "You were nice though," I admitted. "Back then I was shy, and you were the first friend I made. Actually, you were the one that inspired me to be a cheerleader."

He raised his eyebrows. "I did?" He asked skeptically.

I giggled. "Yeah," I admitted. "You were just so funny, it made everyone smile. You brought spirit to the place. Back then, I kept thinking that I wanted to be like that. To be able to make everyone smile."

He grinned, his dimple standing out. "Well that's nice to know."


A long time ago, I had loved to stand in the shower, feeling the warm water on every part of my body, even when I was squeaky clean. Now, I stepped out as soon as I was finished, making my showers as short as possible. I grabbed the towel, absentmindedly wiping my hair, without glancing at the mirror.

I quickly changed into my clothes, wrapping the towel around my wet hair and stepping outside.

"Good morning honey," my mom greeted me as soon as I walked out. "Had a nice night?"

"Very," I lied. Actually, my dreams had been haunted with Chuck, reliving that last moment over and over again. But if I told my mom that, who knew how she'd react.

Deciding that my hair was dry enough, I unwound the towel from around my hair. Mom smiled up, but then it froze on her face. "Nicole?" She asked.

"Hmm?" I asked absentmindedly. I looked up, and frowned. "Is there something wrong?"

"Since when did I give you permission to dye your hair?"

"What?" I asked, not quite comprehending what she said.

"Aren't you satisfied with your own hair?"

"Mom," I broke in. "What are you talking about?"

She took a small compact mirror off the table and held it in front of my face. I gasped.

Instead of the normal glossy black locks, my hair was a long wet auburn. "What happened?" I asked dumbly.

"Are you telling me you didn't mean to dye your hair?" Mom asked doubtfully.

"Of course not!" I exclaimed. "Why would I dye my hair red?"

"Okay, let's rationalize then. What did you do before your shower?"

"I used one of your hair products," I said matter-of-factly. "That new hair gel of yours. You said it was right next to the shampoo."

"Honey, I said it was next to the conditioner," she groaned. "Well that explains things. Didn't you bother to look at the label?"

"Not really," I admitted. "I was deep in thought." I dropped down in a chair. "I'm an idiot," I groaned.

"No you're not," Mom said soothingly. "You're just a little bit scatter-brained lately."

"No, I think I'm an idiot," I insisted. "Who dyes their hair accidentally?"

"It'll wear off," Mom assured me. "Sooner or later."

Sooner or later. For different reasons, right now, I hated those words.


"It's not that funny," I mumbled, watching Logan laugh for the last ten minutes.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, although it didn't sound very sincere. "This is just the first time that someone I know dyed their hair……accidentally."

"Oh, just shut up," I muttered.

"Although, I must say, it looks pretty cute on you," he continued, reaching across and rubbing my hair between his fingers. The simple contact brought a blush to my cheeks, but it went unnoticed.

"It doesn't suit me at all," I protested. "I don't know of any redhead with brown eyes."

"There's a first time for everything," he replied absently. Suddenly, he reached across the gap between us and brushed the skin under my eyes. Heat rushed up my neck.

"What are you doing?"

"When was the last night you slept properly?"

"What?"

He frowned. "You have such dark circles under your eyes," he said. "When was the last time you ever slept properly?"

I winced. I thought I had completely covered that with makeup this morning. "That's none of your concern," I muttered.

"It is if you faint from exhaustion."

"Well, that's not going to happen, is it."

"Have you been having nightmares?"

"There's no reason for me to answer." My lips were in a thin line. The topic was getting too close to the truth for comfort, so I decided to change the subject. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"Hmmm? Oh." Logan paused, before continuing. "A bunch of my friends are going to this club. I heard there's a great band playing that night. Do you want to come?"

"Well." I hesitated.

"Come on, when was the last time you ever went out?"

"It was-"I stopped. Aside from that concert, he had taken me to; my social life had been practically dead. "That doesn't matter!" I snapped.

"Just one night," he said soothingly.

My lips were pursed. "Fine."


The club seemed to be more fun than I originally thought. Logan walked up behind me, with his guitar case slung over his shoulder.

"Why do you have a guitar with you?" I asked.

"Didn't I tell you? My band is opening for this other band. I promised you that I'd let you hear one of the songs that I wrote, didn't I?"

I didn't answer. The word "promise" was a strong one, and even though it was used for something insignificant as this, it touched me that he would actually keep it.

"Are you going to be fine by yourself for a while?" He asked me. "I'll be free after a while, so it's just for a little bit."

"Of course!" I snapped. "I'm not some child."

He grinned. "I'm off, then."

So he left. I sat at a table, ordering a drink. Four people came out on stage, one of them Logan.

"Hello Smash Club!" He called out, holding the mike close to his mouth. "Thanks you for having us here tonight! This first song is called, 'Something Close to Wonderful'"

The melody drifted across the audience gently, soothingly. It was a soft song. Surprising.

You might not have known this but

My feelings will never show

Like a tight box, sealed shut,

But one day, you'll know

Something close to wonderful….

I tapped my foot to the beat, sipping my drink. It was nice, this song. Maybe there was more to Logan than I originally thought.

The song ended.

"Thank you, everyone!" He shouted, grinning. "This was Sparkplug! Thank you and good night!"

I looked around at the crowd. Everyone seemed to love the music. Even Chuck's date seemed to like it…

Wait, what?

Coincidently, Chuck was here. And he brought a girl. A new girl who he seemed to be having fun with. He grinned down at her, only to look up and meet my eyes….

The world was spinning again. His eyes widened, and they became even wider with guilt, and like that time, he looked away. But unlike that time, I decided to run away. Run until my problems couldn't catch up with me anymore….

"Hey, Nicole!" A hand grabbed my arm. After turning around, I saw that it was Logan, with concern plastered on his face. Everything caught up with me then; everything stopped spinning. We were standing in what looked like a backroom, one that usually only allowed employees.

"Don't just run off on me like that," he panted, taking his hand off my arm.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Who was that guy, anyway?" He asked.

My body stiffened, and instinctively, my arms closed around my waist. "He was my ex-boyfriend," I said tonelessly. "We broke up a while ago."

"Should he really be going out with another girl so soon after the breakup?" He asked curiously, walking over to the door and pulling the doorknob. It wouldn't budge.

"It doesn't really matter, does it?" I asked, still in that toneless voice.

"Damn," he cursed. "It won't open. We're locked in."

My body slumped to the floor, my arms still protectively around me. Logan just stood there awkwardly.

"Is it his fault," he asked slowly. "About that thing you said when we went to that Maroon 5 concert, about promises?"

"When I said promises don't mean anything?"

"Yeah."

I paused. It wasn't a good idea to go on like this, but I decided to explain anyway. "Chuck never did keep the promises he made to me," I said slowly. "He'd make so many, but I found that he always broke them. Then I decided that promises were just words. They don't mean anything."

"You decided that because of one guy?" He asked.

I couldn't meet Logan's eyes right now, not while I was this weak and vulnerable. "Yeah."

We didn't speak for a while.

"So, did you love him?" He asked casually.

I didn't, but something about the way Logan said those words made me say the exact opposite.

"I did," I said, still in that emotionless tone, so he wouldn't catch my lie.

There was a short pause. "Let me ask you something," he said slowly.

I waited, not saying a word.

"For the entire time you were seeing him, did you ever find see any of his faults? If you did, can you name some of them?"

I raised my chin. "Not really," I answered. "That time, I actually thought he was as perfect as they came. Even now, I still think that."

"Is that so," he said.

There was an awkward pause.

After a while, Logan said slowly, "I don't think that's love."

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Maybe it's not exactly prudent for me to say this, but what you claim is love for your ex-boyfriend is just admiration."

"Well, aren't you the little shrink," I said sarcastically.

"Let me continue," he insisted. "Love, in my opinion, is knowing someone's faults, and loving them for it. But when you were going out with him, you were just blinded by the image, the charisma, and didn't bother to really know him, and to grow to love him. No, I think you just admired your boyfriend, not love him."

He walked over towards me, and gently took my arms out from around my waist, forcing me to relax my body.

"But maybe," he said softly. "One day, you'll find someone, and know his faults, and love him for it."

He was too close. That was the only thing that was running through my mind at that moment. Not the fact that I just saw Chuck before, not that my suspicions about my feeling had just been confirmed, not that the girl with Chuck earlier had been extremely pretty. No. I could just think about the fact that at that moment, my breathing had become unnaturally ragged, and that his face was too, too-

The door slammed open, and someone coughed politely. Logan turned, his hands still gently around my arms to keep them from wrapping around my waist again. It was the awkward looking employee.

"Were you here the entire time?" He asked. "Hurry and get out already." He left then, leaving the door open for us to go out.

Logan released me, walking toward the door. The tension, by now, had completely disappeared, and everything was normal again.

"Logan?"

He paused, and looked at me expectantly.

"Have you ever been in love?"

He grinned at me, the shadows making strange patterns on his face. "Perhaps."


Something changed that day. Maybe it was that I was finally able to get over Chuck, or that I learned that I never, truly did love the guy, but from that day, I was able to sleep easily.

The pain never attacked me like it used to either. My arms wouldn't wrap itself around my waist, like it needed to protect myself anymore. It didn't hurt when I saw Chuck in the halls anymore.

And lastly, finally, I was able to breathe on my own.


I knew I couldn't avoid them forever. I knew that one day, they would decide that enough was enough and come looking for me. I just didn't expect that day to come so soon.

It was after school. Today was one of the few days that there was no cheerleading practice, and I was pretty sure my two friends didn't have anything after school today either.

I wasn't paying attention much when I walked to the parking lot. I didn't notice two people walk up to me, until it was too late for me to run away.

She was the same as always, despite our short time away from each other. Icy blue eyes pierced me, even though they were filled with concern. Her head was held as high as always, and her long, straight hair fell down her shoulders. Her thin figure regarded me. Even there, she stood out, beautiful and composed.

"Nicole," she said. "Don't think that just because you dyed your hair I won't notice you."

Next to her was my cousin, with his cropped blond hair and clear blue eyes. His wide mouth was in a deep frown. He could be intimidating sometimes, especially now, because he was pretty tall.

"I know you want to be left alone," Josh said slowly, "but you know; when you want to be left alone, that's usually the worst time to do so."

Huh. Funny, Logan said the exact same thing a while ago.

"I'm sorry," I blurted out. "I really am. I was hurt for a while, but I'm better now."

Holly cocked her head to the side, studying me with her icy blue eyes. "You've changed," she commented. "You're not as perky as you used to be. Is this what that bastard did to you?"

"Sort of,' I admitted. "But I'm better than I was, I swear."

She bit her lip. As always, I couldn't understand what she was thinking, because she didn't let anything show on the outside. Sometimes I wish I could be like that, strong and composed, and not weak and vulnerable.

"Don't ever do this again," Josh warned. "If you even think about avoiding us, we're going to kidnap you. Got it?"

I laughed. Holly just took me and gave me a warm hug. I stood there, shocked, but then I smiled and hugged her back. She was doing this because she thought I was still hurt, but I really was better. I swear.

"I shouldn't have avoided you guys like that," I said. "All I accomplished was hurting you guys, and I'm really, really, really sorry."

"You better be," Josh snorted. "From now on, you owe me twenty doughnuts for nearly giving me a heart attack."

I punched him playfully. "Always the exaggeration."

We all laughed, the three of us, still in the parking lot like a bunch of idiots.

"Friends again?" Holly asked me.

I smiled. "Yeah. Friends."


I sighed, sitting down on the bench. Cheerleading practice was over, finally. The sun looked like it was about to set. Homework was done and everything during free period. And I had nothing planned for today.

Someone was behind me. Someone I didn't like. I just felt it, knew it in the depths of my mind. I whipped around.

There was Chuck, with his hands in his pockets, staring right at me.

"Chuck." My mouth was in a very thin line.

He looked very awkward. He took a deep breath; then went on. "Look Nicole, I want to get back together with you," he said.

Well. That was unexpected. "Really. After everyone I saw you with I would've thought differently."

"I know I hurt you," he said, trying to sound earnest but failing completely. "But I know that, this time, it'll be different.

There he goes again with the cliché terms. What did I even see in him in the first place?

"No."

It didn't seem to register in his mind at first, but then it dawned on him. He looked shocked. "What did you say?"

"Didn't you hear me? I said, no."

In that moment, something changed. His face grew extremely twisted, breathing heavy. "When did you become so different? You used to be perky."

"Shouldn't you be happy? That time, when you broke up with me, you said you didn't like perky girls. Said they were too clingy." I was taunting him, making it worse. I didn't realize the danger at the time though. No, I just wanted to get away, right here, right now.

"You bitch. No one rejects Chuck Finschley!" He took several steps forward, slowly, slowly.

"I just did, didn't I?" I was completely frozen in fear, but my mouth was still moving... I couldn't move. Move, Nicole, move! My body wouldn't listen. It was as if everything was in slow motion.

Chuck moved his hands forward, his dirty, dirty hand that repulsed me. But at that moment, everything that was happening registered in my mind.

"Help-" A hand clamped down over my mouth. Chuck was hitting my head, making everything blurry. Blood ran down my forehead, making a thing, scarlet mark.

I struggled, terrified, but no one was coming. I was pretty sure of that. My head banged on the bench, and everything was pretty blurry. His hand was still over my mouth. It was getting harder and harder to breathe.

Someone's familiar voice yelled, and suddenly Chuck was pulled off me.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, you bastard?!" Logan was yelling at him, shaking him.

Logan was angry. Logan was almost never angry; I had never seen him so furious before. I slumped on the floor, watching the scene through dazed eyes.

Chuck was getting beat up, pretty badly. One would think that with his big form, he could overtake Logan easily. But he crumpled like a sack under his strikes.

"One thing you should remember is this: Never, ever, hurt the girl I like!" Logan yelled furiously, his lanky form shaking.

Chuck wasn't even fighting back. But then, I realized that he was unconscious. I got up, my legs wobbly, and make my slow way towards the two.

"Stop it, Logan," my voice said softly. Everything was extremely blurry and I knew that I was going to lose consciousness soon enough, but I shook it off, because I had to continue. I pulled weakly at his arms, and he complied, shaking violently. "This isn't the answer."

I pulled him, until he was far, far away from the scene. Rational thought were making itself known in my mind, quickly, before I passed out. I pulled out my cell, and called the first person on speed dial.

If I had been thinking properly at the time, I would've known that that was Holly, and it was a good idea after all to put her first on speed dial instead of someone else, or else I would've been in trouble. But, I could count on Holly, and that was good enough.

The phone rang a couple of times, but finally she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Holly, I need a favor. But wait, you're at Michael's house, aren't you." I pressed my head against Logan's back. His shaking ceased, and his breathing was becoming normal again.

"Yeah, I'm helping him baby-sit Gabe. But don't worry about it. I can make him drive me to where you are right now." The sound of a male voice protesting in the background could be heard.

"I don't need to pick me up. Rather, I need to pick you up someone unconscious, and then, err, clean him up." My head hurt so much, and the edges of my vision were becoming black, but I fought it off wildly. Not now. I couldn't pass out now.

There was a pause. Then, "Explain later. Where is he?"

I quickly gave her an address and hung up. Everything was spinning.

"Calm down," I dazedly said to Logan, and I repeated this several times. "Logan, calm down, calm down, calm……." I was falling, falling, into his arms. Then everything went black.


Two weeks had passed since then. Logan was avoiding me, after making sure that I was alright. Holly and Michael had both freaked out when they found Chuck, all bloody and unconscious, but after cleaning him up, there weren't any major injuries to get Logan in trouble. In fact, when he woke up, he seemed too ashamed that he was beaten up to say anything.

I fingered the scar on my forehead. It had completely healed, and everything now seemed normal. Fortunately, Chuck ceased to harass me, instead choosing to avoid me when he spotted me in the halls. Unfortunately, Logan was doing the same.

Life had become extremely dull without Logan, but he seemed determined to avoid me.

School had ended, but I just stood there, the other students filing past me, passing me by.

I was still in a daze when I got home, and when I went to buy the groceries. I was still like that when it was almost time for the sun to set.

Josh ended my reverie by slamming his hands down on the table. "Alright, this is enough," he exclaimed. "If you miss him that much, go look for him already!"

"But he could be anywhere," I protested. "Anywhere in the world, including…."

The idea shocked me. But as I thought more and more about it, the more it made sense. So I just rushed out the door, leaving a bewildered Josh in the house, staring after my disappearing figure.

And I ran, not stopping until I found him in the field where cheerleading practice was held that day, the same day he first turned my life upside down. He was sitting in the middle of the field, arms around his knees.

I approached him silently. "Long day?" I inquired.

He looked up, startled, but then his lips curved in a slightly amused smile. "You could say that," he answered.

"I know how to fix that," I said softly.

He looked at me skeptically. "How?"

I smiled, but then cut the pretenses. "Why were you avoiding me?" I asked him bluntly.

He hesitated. "Not a lot of things can make me angry," he said at last. "But when I do get very, very angry, it's pretty scary. And you saw me like that. It's not exactly a pleasant thought."

I sat down, across from him. "I wasn't scared," I said. "Heck, I was about to pass out! The only thing I could think of was that it was nice to have someone care that much to get really angry when I got hurt."

He didn't say anything for a while. But when he did, it was unexpected. "Plus, I said something like that…"

I frowned, but then I stood up, and pulled Logan with me.

"I didn't like it when you avoided me like that. It was painful, even." I continued.

He wouldn't look at me. I put both of my hands around his face, and turned it so that he met my eyes, gray to brown.

"You saved me, Logan," I said softly. "You were there, when no one else wasn't. You restored my trust in people. And I learned that maybe, maybe, promises do mean something. But when you left, that was all gone."

I was reaching my point. I let my hands fall to my sides, and I stepped back.

"Promise me this," I said slowly. "Promise me, that you'll never leave me like that again."

I held out a pinky, like a little child, and looked determinedly into his eyes. He looked taken aback.

"Promise me," I repeated.

His gray eyes closed slowly, and his hand moved, so that his pinky was wrapped around mine. "I promise," he said softly. And I knew, deep within my heart, that he would keep his promise.

The next thing that I did was extremely impulsive, drawn into the moment. I didn't think at the time, but if I did think, then I'd realize that, after everything the two of us went through, it was probably the best thing that I could have done.

Actions speak louder than words, right? Logan had said everything he could to me, and now it was my turn. His eyes were still closed; the shadows making his face look even more attractive in the night.

I leaned forward, moving slowly, the gap still pretty large between us. But I was almost there, and I kept on moving, not giving up, until the gap was closed. And then my lips were on his, my eyes closing while his opened wide, then eventually closing again in the twilight.

Maybe my life was like the light. At first I had been in the darkness, groping blindly in the dark, until my hands took hold of someone else. Then, he slowly moved, bit by bit, into my life, bringing the brightness with him, until my entire world was lit in multicolored wonder.

But that was to ponder for later. For now, I would just revel in the moment as we kissed, under the twilight, pinkies still joined.


A/N: And here it ends. Sorry, I decided to post this instead of updating my story. That'll be for next week. But how was it? Don't be afraid to press that purple button down there!

-xXKirariXx