lifebloom

A strong urge to look the man (Kyle) over nearly takes hold. It takes a valiant effort of self control to remain cordial — Logan’s confidence (arrogance?) rears its head for a few moments and the only thing he can do is smile. “So the speed dating worked out, huh?” there’s a part that’s genuine, but another, deeper feeling that is far more primal. He’s reminded almost instantly that Leah has no obligation to him — he’s a friend. Logan smiles in response, almost as if to cement her story. After all, it’s not technically a lie. Whether Kyle sensed the atmosphere between the three of them or not, he still departed towards the bar and Logan was granted what he’d been looking for since the beginning — being alone. “Please,” he says after a short beat, eyes once again locked with her own. “I’m not that big of an asshole. The least I could do was potentially set him up with someone else for tonight.” He steps closer as his words drop, gaze wandering over each feature of her face deliberately and agonizingly slow. A hand anchors at her hip, head shifting forward until his lips rest just against the shell of her ear. “Especially if I’m stealing you away,” he whispers the words to her, breath hot against her skin.

“Kinda,” Leah nodded earnestly, forgetting entirely to keep up any sort of act. Or perhaps her subconscious made sure she didn’t. She wanted to be genuine, wanted there to be no pretense, but something about Logan made her feel like she ought to keep it up. Perhaps it was what she thought he wanted, or at least… that type of guy. She’d spent more time than she liked to admit recently mulling over just what kind of guy Logan was, and though she did a good job of denying it to herself, Leah knew deep down it was because some part of her had started caring. Funny, that. It seemed all one had to do was bend her over a car.

She’d barely had time to react – to Logan’s words, to the memory that flashed instinctively in her mind – before Logan’s touch made the mere impulse of her retort die at the back of her throat, squeezed into nonexistence by the quickening of her pulse. The smile on her lips was impossible to control, unsteadied only by the pleasant shiver that ran down her spine as Logan’s breath danced around the curve of her ear. His touch, his proximity, awakened memories of similar sensations on other parts of her body, and it took a lot of willpower for Leah to clear her mind of them. Gently she put a hand on his chest, the better to edge him back. But only a little. Only enough that their eyes could meet. “A bit presumptuous of you to assume I’m gonna abandon my date like that,” she half-teased, eyes not leaving his as she tried her hardest to hide how fast her heart was beating. It was weird – from afar, it was difficult to look at him, but up close like that… Leah couldn’t stop.

“Uh-huh,” he nods, eyes locked on her. There’s a sly sort of smile twitching at the corner of his lips, one that says he hopes she plays along. And she does, much to his muted and controlled enthusiasm. He enjoys this, though it might kill him to admit as such. “And what if I was just trying to give you a compliment?” he replies, though his steps take him just a little bit closer to her, almost to prove her point. He might be, maybe, trying to get in her pants again. But that wasn’t something Logan saw as a bad thing. And, truthfully, she did have a great ass, stellar sex aside.

A shrug shifts his shoulder, light and calm. “M’gettin’ there. It’ll certainly come sooner rather than later. Cars are the one thing people don’t want to tinker with if they don’t know what they’re doing. After all, a Honda isn’t a kitchen sink.” He laughs next, a hardy, chest shaking thing. “Does the Colorado wilderness sound more appealing than a city in Colorado?” Logan asks in return, knowing full well he hadn’t answered the question. “A city girl, eh? I’ve always wanted to visit, if I’m being honest. I’ve heard good things. Did you like it there?”

Instinctively, Leah wanted to take a step back. She didn’t know if the shop was entirely deserted, and she knew that the closer Logan got, the less self-restraint she’d have; but rather than making entirely sure, she let a cursory glance be what made her stay put. Oddly enough, she trusted him, trusted that he wouldn’t try and bend her over a car when there were other people around. Trusted him to only do that when they were alone. It was an amusing realization, to say the least. “Well, you can multi-task,” Leah grinned with a sturdy nod, as if to say she believed in him. And she did, kind of. At least in that regard.  The grin on her lips simmered down momentarily, a sincere smile taking its place. “Not everyone owns their own shop,” she offered. “I’d say you’re already flourishing.” Then she let out a chuckle. “I could see you in the Colorado wilderness,” Leah nodded, tilting her head to the side as though she were painting the picture for herself, Logan the central object. “Lumberjacking away outside a cottage... or maybe you’re the living in an abandoned cave type?” Some of the amusement vanished from her face at the topic of Seattle, but she kept her energy up nonetheless. “Born and bred. You ever see one of us in the wild?” she joked. “I did, though, yeah,” she added, more sincerely. “It’s... home.”

A part of him, a very small part, feels bad for the other man. Mostly because Logan has every intention of steering Leah away. It’s not jealously that fuels the decision (he refuses to believe, or admit, as such) it’s just plane gravity. And who was he to argue with that? “A hell of one, yeah,” he nods, eyes never straying from her own. A moment passes before a cordial streak shifts through him and he turns his attention, briefly, to the other. “I’m Logan,” the mechanic holds out his hand before chuckling. “For sure. They’re complex things even though they don’t look it. Just here to make sure no one burns the place down.” A pause, “How about some drinks?” He pulls out some money and hands it over to Kyle, “The bartender on the left’ll treat you right if you tell her you’re an LAFC fan.”

Though that same tension from before crept back into the air, crawled through atoms and molecules almost too weak to support it, Leah couldn’t take her eyes off Logan’s this time. If she did, she’d have to acknowledge Kyle standing by her side, and while a pang of guilt echoed through her gut, she found that she simply didn’t want to do that. Until, of course, Logan himself forced her to. She stepped aside when they shook hands and introduced themselves, positioning herself almost between them, rather than next to Kyle. “This is Kyle,” she said as they shook hands, her voice dipping into professionalism out of habit. “He’s my date.” She cast a glance at Logan, unafraid to admit it in front of him. “Logan’s a–,” Leah started as she glanced back at Kyle, and though she didn’t like it, she couldn’t help the minuscule pause that came over her as she searched for the right word, “–friend.” A cheerful albeit reassuring expression came over her when Kyle glanced at her. “And you don’t have to get us drinks if you don’t want to,” she said, very carefully avoiding looking at Logan. Without being able to stop herself, Leah added, “But I… would like a drink, actually. A drink would be nice.” And with a good-natured smile from Kyle, Leah found herself alone with Logan. Feeling the weight of that tension again, it took her moment before she could look at him. “Do you really know that bartender, or is he going to get yelled at for no reason?”

Logan let loose an amused chuckle, shaking his head. “Nah, I don’t believe you. You’re just tying to be modest.” Head tilts just so, eyeing her suspiciously. “The sun might not shine out of it, but it is a great ass. One of the best I’ve seen.” One of the best he’s bent over, too, but that goes unsaid. There’s a streak of crassness he fights and for a moment he doesn’t quite know why. Maybe it has something to do with the smugness that consumes him when she can’t hold his gaze. Maybe it’s the arrogance of being able to fluster her somewhat. All things he usually wouldn’t care much about.

“Oh, well thank you,” a hand shifts to his chest and he bows his head slightly, conceding to her forgiveness. “Now that I’m forgiven for not being a rich surgeon I can tap into my full potential of being a mechanic.” It’s a lighthearted joke with here that might have been a bitter retort to anyone else. There’s a pause for a moment, his eyes taking in every inch of her, before he answers. “Colorado,” it’s simple with no elaboration and Logan pauses once more. He shouldn’t be curious, he shouldn’t ask, and yet he does, returning the question. “What about you?” It’s a dangerous game to play, he knows it. Because sooner or later it won’t be a game at all. And the stakes and information will be much higher.

“Modest about being a good person?” Leah shot back with amusement. Though more words had tickled the tip of her tongue, they promptly died there as Logan complimented her ass, taking her very much off guard. She recovered quickly, although unable to hide the flustered grin on her lips as she narrowed her eyes at him. “Hmm, don’t believe you,” Leah jokingly threw his words back into his face. “Sounds like you’re just trying to get into my pants. Again.” The sensations of that particular occasion forced themselves back into Leah’s mind, and once more she found it difficult to keep her eyes on Logan.

— for @lifebloom​.

After the wild ride that was speed-dating, Logan made his way to the beach, readying himself for the relaxing events of the lantern lighting. While he didn’t have any real plan, he certainly wasn’t ready to see a familiar blonde wade through the crowd with an unfamiliar guy next to her. Something white hot streaks through his stomach, something that makes Logan stand up a bit straighter and head towards the pair. “Hey,” he uses the word as both a greeting and an introduction, shifting his gaze slowly from Leah and then to the other man, before returning back to her. “Come to light a lantern?”

Though Leah had been entirely prepared to leave the speed-dating without any tangible results – in fact, she’d more or less expected it – meeting Kyle and getting along with him had been a pleasant surprise. The second the awkwardness had vanished from their conversation, the two had launched into a discussion about their favorite tv-shows, and from there, things just sort of progressed. Their similar views on Stranger Things was nothing compared to a single, solitary “Hey”, though. The second Leah locked eyes with Logan (of all people), the conversation Leah and Kyle between died down, her mind wiped entirely clean of anything having to do with her date. “Hey!” she greeted Logan, narrowing her eyes to try and hide the excitement in her smile. “Well, if we hadn’t it’d be one hell of a coincidence,” Leah teased lightly, folding her arms across her chest. “I didn’t take you for the lantern-lighting type. There a lantern or two that needs fixing?”

An amused grin slipped across his lips at her retort, eyes watching her with a fair bit of intrigue. She says it jokingly but there’s something about her — Leah wants to help, help, help. There’s a selflessness to her that is… confusing to Logan. But also extremely endearing. Oftentimes he didn’t much care about the people he found himself with, either in a bed or otherwise. But Leah. Here Logan was, unable to keep his eyes off her, finding it increasingly arousing when she couldn’t directly return the eye contact.

“You wanted to help,” he nods, as if testing the words, before he sat back a bit on the hood. “Anyone or anything. There’re aren’t meany people like that in the world.” There’s a softness to his words. An adoration that he can’t help but let slip. He would know, anyways. She was one of the first good people he’d met in a while.

An eyebrow lifts, “a surgeon?” The suggestion is outlandish and Logan cannot help but laugh. “You gotta go to school for that. And school is money. Nah. I work better through trial and error and somethin’ tells me that wouldn’t fly in an operating room.” He shrugged, “Besides. I fix a car or a bike and I’m kinda helping fix people. At least make their day a bit better.”

Logan’s head cocks to the side as he watches her turn away, grin spreading. There’s something about her — something he can’t (or maybe won’t) put his finger on. For a moment he’s caught there, staring, before he realizes he is and blinks, looking away and readjusting himself against the hood of the car. He shrugs at her question, “Dunno. Not really, I guess. Never thought I’d do much of anything.” Only because he’d never had anyone to tell he could be something. “Anything with a motor. And maybe other things. Mostly mechanic.” Realizing she’s done most of the questioning and that he’s, surprisingly, somewhat okay with that, Logan lifts his chin to her. “What about you?”

“Oh, yeah, it was my life’s dream to be someone’s assistant,” Leah joked, a small grin playing on her lips. There was something between them, a tension that made it difficult to look him directly in the face. Although, was it really that odd? It wasn’t that long ago that he’d had her bent over one of these (someone’s) car, the cold of the steel a contrast to the pounding heat between her legs. The mere memory made her avert her gaze, eyes scanning the car that separated them; the details were plenty, and though her eyes wandered over them, her mind was too preoccupied to take note of them. “I never really wanted to be anything,” she said earnestly, looking back up at Logan. “I guess I just wanted to see where the world needed me and go from there.” Little did she know it’d land her in this situation. But that was the beauty of life, wasn’t it? The unpredictability. The thought almost made her laugh. “So why are you fixing mechanical things and not… people? Why aren’t you a… world renowned surgeon?”

His head tilts to the side briefly, smirk spreading across his lips. Her surprise was unexpected. The sincerity more so. “I did,” he answered with a nod. “It wasn’t. Either of them. But it was worth it. And it was fun.” Logan straightened slightly, arms moving to cross over his chest. “Needed a change of scenery,” he replied. “And I was always pretty good with my hands.” The smirk on his lips grows, eyes darkening briefly. “Fixing things is what I’m good at.”

The curiosity in her face turned into sheer slyness at his comment; Leah tried to temper the smile on her lips, reflexively turning away from him as though to not give him the satisfaction of seeing his effect on her in its full glory. She turned back fairly quickly, however, caught off guard by her reflex to turn away in the first place – it didn’t make any sense. There weren’t any feelings she needed to protect. So why was her first instinct to act like it? Leah cleared her throat. “Is this what you wanted to do when you were a kid?” she asked, strolling back toward him until she could comfortably rest her hip against the hood of the car that separated them. “Fixing things? Cars, especially?”

It’s certainly not the answer he’s expecting. There’s a small amount of apprehension to her presences, but Logan convinces himself that that’s just him being paranoid. Not everyone you encounter wants to screw you over. In both the figurative and literal sense. There are good people in the world. The mechanic had just met practically zero of them. “I did,” he affirms with a small nod of his head, eyes continuing to track her. There’s something about her — the way she walks? Her posture? Her voice? (Everything) that has his undivided attention at all times. “Worked my way through a few states to get here. Once I had I’d saved up enough to get it off the ground.”

Surprise flitted across Leah’s face, her strut coming to a halt as she turned to look at Logan. The reservation in her face gave way for sincerity, her posture slacking a bit. “You worked your way here to start a business? That couldn’t have been cheap,” she said, slightly impressed. It took some kind of drive to make that happen, and Leah couldn’t help but wonder where that came from. And slightly admire it. “Or easy.” She tilted her head to the side, eyes curious as they studied him. “What made you do it?”

Logan pulls away from the hood, hands messy and covered in grease. “It is,” he returns, eyes wandering over her slowly. He’s been caught off guard and for a brief moment, Logan cannot get a very private image from out of his head. “Do you need some work done?” the question comes next as he wipes his hands clean with a rag he’s slung over his shoulder. “On your car?” Straightening, his eyes run over her face until he locks with her gaze, “Or are you here for something else?”