smokin' | louigan

fifty-four

louise tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she scrubbed at a small spot of....well, she couldn't really tell, it was between old ketchup or burger grease. either way, it was being incredibly stubborn, even after three sprays of ultra-brand bleach. she asked her dad for one of his spatulas to try and scrape the d*mn thing off but he refused due to the 'sanctity of the kitchen utensil,' whatever that's supposed to mean. louise had just rolled her eyes and walked away at that, the usual for her as her dad's words grew weirder with his age.

he hated when she said that to his face. she thought it was the funniest thing.

she was able to sneak an old fork out from behind the bar and began scraping at it before her mother came over and grabbed it from her, the pitch of her voice never wavering as she yelled as politely as she could in front of the customers.

again, louise just rolled her eyes and walked away.

now she was behind the counter, refilling a few napkin dispensers when the bell above the door gave a small ring. she risked a short glance up and met the cool gaze of logan. she smiled widely and put the dispenser back down, nodding to him as he walked over and took a seat in front of her.

"logan, what is on your face?" she squinted at the streaks on his jaw.

"nice to see you too, four ears," he smirked, running a hand through his hair. it had grown out, beginning to fall over his forehead. she sighed and grabbed the dishcloth from her waist apron, passing it to him.

"is that dirt?" she asked. he nodded and grabbed the metal napkin dispenser, using the warped reflection to begin wiping at his skin.

"yeah probably, cynthia's got me workin' in the community garden," she nodded along as he continued speaking, grabbing a cup from beneath the counter and filling it with some ice water from a pitcher nearby. he was complaining about one of the members whose sh*tty kids thought it would be a good idea to walk all over the other plots. "i'm tellin' you louise," he took a sip of the water after a small 'thanks', "i thought i was gonna have to clean up more than tossed dirt after the fight that almost broke out. these people really care about their d*mn peonies." louise leaned over the counter, leveling her face a good few inches from logan.

"sounds absolutely unbearable," she whispered darkly. he smirked,

"oh, it's the worst." they shared a swift kiss as the kitchen door opened behind louise. she moved away and grabbed a few glasses to polish, snatching her dishcloth from his hands. logan had grabbed a menu, hiding half his face as he kept a strong gaze on louise, holding in a laugh as she sighed at her mother's banter. when linda walked away, louise turned back to the man, or rather menu in front of her.

"bush, you want something to eat?" he peeked over the menu, eyes moving wildly from side-to-side, smiling when louise chuckled at his antics.

"is it on the house?" he asked with a smirk. she shook her head,

"now that my dad's back in the kitchen, no. but if you come back after close..." she trailed off, biting her lip to hide the smile threatening to form.

"it's a date," he got up, "wish i could stay to eat, but i'm sure i'll get something later on." he laughed as louise chased him out of the joint.

~

louise had told her parents she'd close the restaurant that night, much to their surprise. it almost turned into a yelling match between her and linda before bob got them in separate rooms. as he shut the grill off for the night, he looked out the hatch into the dining area. louise was already cleaning tables, a small, almost indistinguishable smile on her face. she had some headphones in, tapping her foot to a beat as she wiped down the seats.

he had never seen his daughter so productive, and didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. he decided it was probably some of both and, on his way out and upstairs, gave her the keys and a small kiss on the forehead. she gave him a wide smile, one that he hadn't seen in a while, and continued cleaning. no smart remark, no joke, just a smile. slightly unnerved, he went to ask but found her already onto another table, engrossed in her music and task. he smiled once more and continued out.

as soon as the apartment entrance door closed, logan was slipping into the restaurant, ready to scare the h*ll out of louise but found her ready for his attack. at the last second, before he could grab her from behind, she immediately turned and squirted ketchup all over his clean white shirt.

"louise, it's me, logan!" she laughed,

"i know, this is just so much fun!" louise smirked devilishly at the dark scowl on his face. he pulled at the ends of his shirt, staring down at the ribbons of ketchup beginning, if not already, staining his clothing.

"you owe me a new shirt, belcher."

"you owe me a worthy dance partner, bush." he gasped in shock,

"woah louise, that was a low freaking blow!" they made their way to the counter, sitting next to each other. louise turned to face him, logan just turned his head toward her, keeping his body forward in an act of mock anger.

"chill out, logan."

"i have no idea what you're talking about, 'cause i'm as cool as a cucumber right now." she buried her face in her hands.

"not only are you a bad dancer, you're absolutely hopeless too!"

"alright, you know what? you probably rigged that whole dance thing anyway," she went to protest but he interrupted, "you only know how to use your hips, and somehow that gets you the title of champion? gimme a break!"

"hey, what about my back flip?!"

"mediocre, anyone can do that."

"oh really?" she jumped off her stool and gestured to the open space of floor, "by all means, show me your moves." he looked over his shoulder at her in a bit of shock. she had a smirk on her face, knowing he'd walked himself right into that corner of debate.

"whatever. besides, i'd hardly call that a battle, and the crowd was there for the music. they're not dance experts." she went up behind him, wrapping an arm around his waist as the other came over her chest.

"oh, logan. i just feel so bad for you, that you can't handle losing one freaking contest. and i thought i was competitive." he shrugged her off, refraining a smile at her laughs. she pretended to wipe a tear from her eye as logan sighed, turning in his seat. he pulled her close and her laughs died down into the smallest of smiles. her hands rested on his upper arms.

he leaned down, pressing his forehead onto hers. she stepped closer, chests almost touching, and her hands trailed up to the back of his neck, playing with the small blond curls.

"we need to talk," he whispered solemnly, closing his eyes against the torrent of emotion in louise's. even through her tough exterior, the more-than-serious front she's always been able to put up, all of her feelings were expressed through her eyes. even with his own closed, he could picture the emotions now, feel them tangibly, taste them on his tongue.

"yeah, i think we do too."

———

hey y'all.

tryna get back onto a regular update schedule, fingers crossed.

peace and love,

sxbjective