Jilted (closed)

[heartofcourage]

"That seems to be everyone's mission lately." Blythe said as she relaxed in her seat with her glass of wine. "Part of me wants to hide away because it's a little embarrassing, but another part of me knows that people just want me to smile and be the girl that I used to be. I suppose a nice balance in all of this is alright."

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan took a long, slow sip of wine, emptying the glass and placing it on the table.

Then he looked at Blythe for a few moments in contemplative silence, mulling over what he wanted to say next.

"I say you prove them wrong," he suddenly announced, leaning forward in his seat. "Forget about what everyone else wants and just live for yourself."

Logan shifted his seat closer to the table, evidently believing his own rhetoric.

"They expect you to be sad but they want you to be happy," he continued. "I think you should just do what pleases you for a while. Don't let him control how you feel. You're in Venice - become a hedonist for a few days!"

Logan sat back in his seat again, pleased with his suggestion, but still interested to see Blythe's response. The beauteous brunette clearly wanted to please others, but perhaps a healthy dose of short term selfishness was in order.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, perhaps not a hedonist. I would still like to keep myself and my reputation in one piece. However, indulging while I am here might not be such a bad idea. Rich foods, good wines, desserts. That sounds like the loveliest of times to me." Evie said with a smile towards Logan, relaxing in the warm sunshine with a belly full of food and a brain slightly clouded by red wine.

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan chuckled at Blythe's response.

"Do all of your indulgences involve eating and drinking?" he teased her gently. "Venice has much more to offer than that, and I look forward to you letting me be your guide for as long as you can tolerate me!"

He let out another chuckle, thoroughly enjoying his time with the brunette beauty sitting opposite him.

Logan knew he would need to handle business the following day, but for the time being, he was making the most of the day with his new travel companion. And unless jetlag set in, he hoped they'd spend more time together as the day continued.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Food and drink are the two most indulgent things that I know. I'm a girl with simple tastes, Logan. It doesn't take much to impress me." Blythe admitted, laughing at the look that she was given. "A nice home cooked meal and a bottle of wine are all that I really need. I don't have use for fancy clothes or jewelry."

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan grinned further. The more he got to know Blythe, the more he liked her.

"Then perhaps I should cook you a meal during your stay in Venice," he quipped, though he was half serious.

Logan pouted himself a new glass of wine and, without even asking, topped up Blythe's glass at the same time.

"You're a woman of simple tastes," he stated. "That's what you're saying, I know. I think you'll find plenty to indulge in here in Venice. We should get you to a glass blower and a lace maker while you're here."

Logan swirled his glass, then took a long, slow sip.

"More tourist traps," he added with a playful wink.

 

[heartofcourage]

"And what would I do at a glass blowers or a lace makers?" Blythe asked as he topped off her glass of wine. "They would be nice little reminders of this trip, certainly. I think I want to see the sights first. All that Venice might have to offer me and perhaps a few cities beyond the city as well."

 

[KiwiD82]

"You'd buy expensive souvenirs, of course!" Logan said, chuckling at the idea. "Venice is famous for its glass and its lace."

Logan took a sip of his wine, not taking any notice of time passing. He felt like he could sit there with Blythe for days without noticing.

The mention of other cities made him sit up.

"Verona is only an hour away. When my business is completed, we can go there. A road trip is a great way to get to know someone better."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You want to get to know me better?" Blythe asked, looking at him with a slightly startled expression on her features. "I mean, I guess we should consider ourselves friends now. I cried on your shoulder, after all."

Being friends with Logan definitely sounded like something that Blythe wanted. She liked him and he made her smile when everything seemed dark. He genuinely seemed interested in seeing that she was taken care of in every possible way.

"And I might be looking for some cheaper souvenirs. I need to think about the future, right?" She asked with a small laugh.

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan burst out laughing at Blythe's response.

"Don't sound so surprised," he chuckled as he placed his glass down on the table and continued talking. "You're beautiful, intelligent, and clearly very caring. Who wouldn't want to get to know you better?"

The more Logan knew Blythe, the less he could fathom how she had been jilted. She deserved so much better and, if it were up to him, he'd ensure she got it.

"If I can afford your lunch bill, I'm sure I can stretch the budget to include a few souvenirs."

Logan's smile was warm and genuine. Her ex-fiancée had done enough damage - going broke on her would-be honeymoon simply wasn't going to be something Logan would let happen.

 

[heartofcourage]

"And you know that I would refuse." Blythe countered, secretly a little thrilled that someone wanted to take care of her like he did. "You're a nice guy, Logan, but I'm not here with you for your money. I sincerely hope that you know that."

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan nodded in response to Blythe's comments. There was nothing she needed to do to convince him of her sincerity, but he appreciated her willingness to attempt to do so.

"I know," he smiled. "I trust you, Blythe."

It was true. The pair had barely met, but he'd already comforted her and wiped away her tears. That had an effect of deepening their connection from the outset.

 

[heartofcourage]

Once their wine was finished and the bill paid, Blythe was content to walk beside Logan as he showed her around the city. She was content simply spending quiet moments with him. It was like he had been at her side for a very long time and they hadn't been strangers just a day before. Fate had a funny way of making things happen when least expected.

 

[KiwiD82]

Blythe probably didn't realise how comfortable it was to spend time with her, but Logan was keenly aware of that.

The pair moved at a casual pace down angled alleyways, over bridges, and alongside canals.* Logan knew parts of Venice fairly well, but he knew that one of the best things to do on the city was to deliberately get lost.

Such experiences were best shared.

As he and Blythe entered another piazza, Logan pulled out his cellphone.

"Before I forget," he said casually, "I should get your number so I can find you after tomorrow's meeting."

He created a new contact, then offered the phone to Blythe to fill in her details.

It was all rather presumptive on his part, but it felt natural in her company.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Smooth." Blythe said with a grin as she took Logan's phone and entered in her details. "You could have come right out and asked me for my phone number if you really wanted to know. You did just spend a couple of hours with my phone."

She looked up at him after she had entered in her phone number, a grin on her lips before she casually handed him the phone back. He was a good guy, one that she was having fun with. However, she had to remember that her heart had just been broken in the worst way possible and she needed to be cautious, especially with people that she had just met.

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan let out a surprised laugh at Blythe's immediate response, and he could feel the warmth in his cheeks as he blushed slightly.

"Are you saying I didn't need to wine and dine you to get your number?" he grinned while blatantly feigning disappointment. "What a waste of money!"

He was still grinning as she handed back his phone.

"Now, a quick photo for your contact, if you don't mind," he said, lifting the phone up as a camera. "Because I have so many women in my contacts, you see."

He chuckled at the suggestion as he waited for the beautiful brunette's response.

"Strike your best Blythe Danner pose," he added with a cheeky grin. "It'll help me remember your name."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, the wine and food was a nice bonus." Blythe said as he insisted that he needed to take a photo of her for his contacts. "Somehow I highly doubt that you are overrun with women."

Instead of striking a pose like he wanted, she stuck out her tongue at him, trying her hardest to not grin as he teased her about her name.

 

[KiwiD82]

"So a bit of food and drink is all it took to get you on my side, huh," Logan teased, before laughing out loud as Blythe stuck out her tongue for the photo.

That, he imagined, must have been a glimpse into Blythe's true personality: carefree, playful, witty. To think that her fiancée had taken such a gentle heart and broken it angered Logan, but he gave nothing away.

When Blythe voiced her doubts of Logan's supposed womanising, he acted shocked and offended.

"I'll have you know," he playfully offered her a reproof, making a show of checking his phone to remind himself of her name, "Blythe, that I have phone numbers from many women...like my mother, for example."

 

[heartofcourage]

"She might be one of them, but I'm sure that there are others." Blythe said with a smiled towards Logan as he talked about the entries in his phone. "You're a good looking man. I'm sure that you have women that have shown their interest in you."

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan felt himself blush when Blythe spoke of other women. While it was true that he had been with his fair share, he wasn't one to kiss and tell.

"I've...dated," he admitted cautiously, a slight smirk across his face.

He couldn't criticise Blythe for asking. He'd heard so much about her heartbreak, that it was only reasonable of her to broach the subject.

"I'm single right now, but if you really think I'm handsome, maybe I should look for someone to spend time with?"

He grinned at the thought, but in truth he would have been more than happy to look no further than the piazza where they now stood.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Maybe you should. However, I might be the wrong person to give relationship advice right now." Blythe said with a shrug of her shoulders as they leisurely walked through the piazza. "When things were good, they were very good. When things went bad, I never thought that my heart would hurt like it does right now. You would never treat a woman like that."

She knew in her heart that Logan was an honorable man. He had gone above and beyond the call of duty in making her feel better about the entire situation. She couldn't have done any of this without his help.

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan didn't say anything when Blythe suggested she shouldn't be offering relationship advice. It would have been too easy to offend her by laughing or even by simply agreeing with her.

Logan actually thought it was more a reflection on the fool who had broken Blythe's heart than on Blythe herself.

Even so, he let her comment sit until she was prepared to say more, which - thankfully - didn't take long.

"I can only imagine the pain you're in," he spoke quietly.

He was sympathetic to her break up - he'd had relationships end, too - but that it happened on her wedding day still angered him.

"And you're right - I'd never do that to you."

Logan was suddenly aware that he may have said too much. He hadn't meant to personalise that statement but he couldn't take his words back after the fact.

 

[heartofcourage]

Blythe was quiet for a moment as Logan expressed his condolences. She glanced towards him as he promised that he would never do that to her. She knew that he was saying that to make her feel better, but it was jarring to hear. She didn't know if she could handle another relationship so soon after having her heart shattered, but if she could, Logan would be the man to prove it to her.

"Let's go get some gellato." She said out of the blue, giving him a smile as she took his hand. "I'm sure that you know the best place to go get it."

 

[KiwiD82]

Logan was surprised by the sudden change of topic, but he didn't protest. It was obviously uncomfortable for Blythe to recount what had happened, and he felt guilty for having personalised his previous comment.

But her smile, however forced, drew him in and he was glad to have her hand in his as she suggested they get some gelato.

It was an opportunity to focus on the future instead of the past as he gently led Blythe away from the piazza and down another Venetian alley.

"Well," he spoke in an animated tone, a cheeky grin forming across his face as he exaggerated his expertise, "Florence is where you need to go for the best gelato, but I'm sure we can find something palatable here in Venice."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Maybe one day I'll make it to Florence. Maybe not this trip, but some day." Blythe said as he told her that the best gelato to be had was in Florence. "When I'm more successful and secure at work I can afford to do more things. It might take me some time, but I definitely want to travel more."