Thank you jldp3 for lots of great editing in this story!
After all the fun and joy we had with the #GilmoreGirlsChristmasChallenge and several lovely ladies suggested it, I thought we should continue with spreading the love for Gilmore Girls fanfictions. Therefore I invite you to join the #NewYearsEveChallenge till the end of January to celebrate the end of 2017 with lots of great stories. Let's welcome the New Year with more great one-shots (or sequels of the Christmas one-shots).
If you want to join, just write a Gilmore Girl fanfiction one-shot (means only 1 chapter, you can write as many words as you want) which includes New Year's Eve and a happy ending. It's the season of hope and new beginnings and I know readers and authors who need lots of love and hope at the moment. Publish it till the end of January and of course you can also write several one-shots.
Share on FB and publish the story with the hashtag #NewYearsEveChallenge
I hope you like the idea as much as the Christmas concept. Feel free to share the idea for as many stories as possible. Thanks. ClaudiaCleland
Disclaimer: Most characters, settings and some dialogues are property of the creators of Gilmore Girls (GG). This story is not written to make money. I own nothing, just borrowing a bit for this fanfiction and adding my own ideas. I am not a native English speaker and I will try to do my best and have the best beta who helps me (thanks again for that Linda).
To end the year, I need to write a one-shot with one of my favorite pairings: Finn and Rory.
oooo
One-shot: New Year's Eve 2017/2018
The last year was a tough one for Rory. It was the year her grandfather died after a heart attack and she also lost her fiancé. It took her a lot of time to find a new love after Logan and she thought that, she and Mark were more than happy with each other. Mark proposed last Christmas after a three-year relationship and she gladly accepted. They shared their enthusiasm for journalism and they understood each other's crazy working hours.
Everything changed after he encountered his old high-school sweetheart Amber at last year's New Year's Eve party that they attended. At first Rory was oblivious to their increasing number of appointments together, but after several weeks Mark ended their engagement, shredding Rory's heart into a thousand little pieces. Before she was able to heal, Mark proposed to Amber and Rory was devastated. Mark and Rory had been friends first and because of this he felt it was necessary to send her an invitation for his wedding on New Year's Eve.
Rory kept looking at the invitation. Mark was a nice guy and he told her that he was sorry, but he lost his heart to someone else. It will hurt to see him marry Amber, but she wasn't ready to lose his friendship. She decided that she would go to that wedding. She was explaining to Katie, her colleague, about the wedding invitation and the challenge she faced if she attended the wedding.
"Rory, I think I have a solution for you. I just wrote an article about a male escort last month. He is so good looking and charming. Why don't you hire him?" Katie suggested.
"I don't know, won't I seem desperate?"
"No, how would anyone know that you hired him as your escort? Do you want to go alone? You might have fun too. It would show Mark that you have moved on and that you support his choice."
Rory thought about what her friend had said, Mark had moved on, he was happy. So, she needed to show him that she was happy and desirable to someone too. Katie gave her the email to the escort and Rory went home. For the next few weeks she exchanged emails with the mysterious escort. She explained to him why she had needed his services and they exchanged information to make their story believable.
A sparkling white blanket covers New York City, Rory gazes out the window of her cozy living room on this cold December day. The streets are nearly empty; she can see Central Park and watches as a mother with her child create snow angels on the ground. They seem so happy and Rory wants that feeling to return in her life.
Today is Mark's wedding day and the day that she will meet the mysterious escort. They had decided to meet at Oslo Coffee House on 75th St. It was a very public place and she felt safe here since she had been here many times. Rory never saw a picture of him, he wanted to stay anonymous in the article and the only thing Katie told her was that he was hot, and she wouldn't mind going out with him herself.
She wanted to look sexy, and desirable, so Katie took her to the PRONOVIAS FLAGSHIP store on 52nd St. She had tried on many dresses, but as soon as she put the blue dress on Katie said that she looked perfect. The dress was navy blue which made her blue eyes sparkle. It was a very sensual design that featured exquisite beading that ran down the length of the dress. It was a short dress that made her legs look longer and the sheer material sparkles which accentuated the curves of her body. She had purchased heels that were made of clear lucite but appeared to look like glass. Katie had convinced her to also purchase the silver satin beaded bag that had the same sparkles as her dress. Katie convinced Rory that she needed a winter coat and that the royal blue velveteen coat would look perfect at the church. She dressed carefully. Katie had come to her apartment to help her get ready. She knew how nervous she was and curled her hair for her in soft curls that flowed over her shoulders.
She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She did look desirable, and sexy but in an understated way. "Are you sure I look ok?" she asked Katie.
"Yes you look, beautiful and I am sure that you will be dancing all night long," Katie replied.
She slipped on her royal blue velvet coat with the high collar and called a cab. She arrived at the coffee house ten minutes before the scheduled time. The bell on the door jingled, and she nervously fidgeted with the latte cup in front of her.
She looks up wondering if it is him, but her heart stops when she sees a familiar smile and he is walking towards her.
"Hello love," he greets her as his blue eyes glitter with mischief, he places a soft kiss on her right cheek.
"Finn! What are you doing here?"
She peers at her watch to check the time. The escort should be here any minute and the last time she saw Finn must be more than 5 years ago. What are the chances that he would walk into the coffee shop? He looks so good with his one or two-day stubbles on his chin. He always looked so confident with his playful smile. He still was in great shape she thought as she looked at his trim muscular chest. He was dressed in a tailor-made dark blue suit with a light-blue shirt. The top two buttons were left opened exposing the skin of his collarbone. He looked so sexy.
"Well," he smirks with a twinkle in his eyes, "It seems that you are my date today."
"A date? You're the… you're the…" Her cheeks blush a scarlet red.
"Yes, I'm your escort for today, darling," he chuckles. He softly takes her hand in his and kisses the back of her hand.
She was sweet, kind and more innocent than other women her age. He smiles remembering how naive she is.
"But, Finn, you are a very rich guy, why are you doing this?" She asks, still skeptical. Perhaps Katie is playing a game with her.
"Thanks love. I know, I'm rich and incredibly good looking," he smirks, wiggling his eyebrows enjoying the confused expression on her face.
"But why?" she asked him confused.
"One very drunk evening in Vegas, I lost a bet to Robert. The bet was I had to be an escort for the night in Vegas. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to continue to do it. It is fun to pick out the most beautiful and intelligent women in Society who needs an escort and let them pay for a night with me. No one would ever admit that I was their escort and they're always happy that I accompanied them to some very boring parties," he explains gently.
Usually he receives a photograph of his dates and more information about them. This time he felt sad when he read about this young lady who lost her grandfather and her fiancé in one year, so he agreed to this date on New Year's Eve. As a rule, he generally never accepts a date for a wedding, since often the lady becomes too emotional at these events. He had no idea that it was Rory when he read it, and he was glad now that he accepted this date.
She feels embarrassed that she had to hire an escort, but this situation, knowing Finn as well made her feel uncomfortable. She looked at his cute smile and felt her neck and face become warm from the blush that she knew was appearing on her skin. She looked away trying to avoid his eye contact.
Seeing that she is uncomfortable he tells her, "No worries, love, nobody knows that I'm an escort except your colleague at the Times. I'm still a serious businessman and nobody will find out you're not madly in love with me tonight."
Finn always had a soft spot for Rory and he missed her a lot when she left after she declined Logan's proposal. He hoped they would stay friends, but she never answered one of his messages after Logan disappeared to Palo Alto.
Rory sat there quietly wondering if she should go to the wedding alone or go with Finn.
Finn was glad when he walked in and saw her there, realizing that she had hired him.
His eyes twinkle and he devilishly joke, "Come on, love, you already paid for me."
At this point, she blushes again. She paid for a night with Finn, playboy extraordinaire who used to constantly exclaim that he is god's-gift-to-women at Yale. He told her that the amount would cover everything. Did she pay to have sex with Finn too?
He tried to lighten the mood, but instead she became more embarrassed.
Finn leans in tenderly saying, "Rory, I was joking. We don't have to go on this date if you are embarrassed. I won't take your money."
She's shocked. Why doesn't he want to go out with her? Or even have sex with her? Isn't she beautiful enough for him?
He curiously watches her emotions change from embarrassment, to surprise, to anger.
"Are you kidding me?" She states. "I paid for an escort and now I'm not good enough for you?"
He softly smiles, how could she think she's not good enough? She is better than all his other dates he has had this year.
Rory misinterprets his grin and becomes angrier.
"We made an agreement and you have no right to back out. Perhaps you should pay to spend the night with me!"
"You're making me feel cheap, love," he says in a very deep voice as he dramatically places a hand over his heart.
She looks gorgeous, he thinks, when she is angry, as he gazes into her sparkling blue eyes. He squashes down the desire to kiss her bright pink cheeks. He knows that his thought is inappropriate, but he wonders if she thought about having sex with him. He's no man-whore, but suddenly he had a strong desire to sleep with her, to hold her, to love her.
"No worries Rory. Perhaps we should leave now so that we arrive at the wedding on time? Unless you no longer wish to go with me?" He tells her biting his lip hoping that she still wanted to keep their date
He remembers her email and she sounded so sad, he wants her to be happy again. Maybe he can be the one to make her happy on this date.
Looking at him she smiles, "All right Finn, let's go."
Maybe a night with the fun-loving, spontaneous crazy Australian that she knew from Yale could cheer her up. He stands up and pulling out her chair he guides her out of the coffee shop with his hand on the center of her back.
Rory and Finn walked into the church. He placed his hand in the middle of her back as he guided her into an empty pew in the back of the church. She was feeling very melancholy and when the bridal march played, she squeezed his hand. Finn understands that she does feel happy for Mark her friend, but he can sense her heart was breaking. He sees that she has tears running down her cheek and he hands her several tissues for her to use. He gently places his arm around her waist pulling her closer to him. Usually on such dates, he has never shown any signs of affection but for Rory it is different. The ceremony is short, and he pulls her closer to him as the bride and groom walk back down the aisle and out the door.
When they arrived at the reception, Finn helped her remove her coat. He is stunned at how beautiful and ravishing she looks. He hands their coats to the coat check lady and puts the receipt into his suit pocket. Leaning down he whispers in her ear, "Rory you look so beautiful. I am so happy that you emailed me to escort you to this wedding tonight."
Looking up at him she smiled shyly. "Thank you, Finn."
Putting his arm around her waist he escorts her into the ballroom where the reception was being held. They found their table and they sat down. When the waitress came by he ordered them both a drink, champagne cocktail for her and a Macallan neat for himself. Finn is the perfect gentleman during the five-course dinner. He makes polite conversation with the other guests at their table and manages to lighten her mood when he tells her what he has been doing these last five years since they had last seen each other. He enjoys her company and her witty responses, reminding him of the bantering that they all did when they were together at Yale.
Rory soon forgets about the bride and groom. She is enjoying Finn's company and wonders why she never did respond to his messages so long ago
The tables were cleared, and the band begins to play. The Bride and Groom take their first dance and Finn puts his arm around her chair. She leans back and smiles up at him. The MC then directs the guest to join the Bride and Groom on the dance floor. Finn takes Rory's hand and escorts her to the dancefloor.
Holding her in his arms he whispers in her ear, "You look stunning tonight, love,"
His warm breath tickles her neck and she begins to blush.
"You have always been such a sweet-talker, Finn," she responds as she shivers from the warmth of his breath on her neck. Her body begins to stir with a feeling she hasn't had in a long time.
"Look around, love, I have the most gorgeous date tonight," he smiles softly as they sway to the slow music.
Blushing again she hides her face in his chest, inhaling the unique masculine scent of Finn, scotch, and cigarettes, which is thrilling new and simultaneously familiar. Hypnotized with his scent, his twinkling blue eyes and their closeness, Rory almost forgets that she hired him for tonight.
Finn however, wants to stop time. The wedding is serene, and he admires the natural flower arrangements. He likes the simplicity of this wedding; the bride and groom were here to celebrate the joy of their union without spending too much money on the decorations.
Looking at the bride and groom, Mark and Amber, Finn realizes that they appear to be a great couple. Finn understands why Rory wanted to stay in their lives as friends. He understood that they didn't want to hurt the other, but sometimes Karma is a bitch and in this case, someone was hurt and that was Rory.
Dancing with Rory and holding her in his arms feels very natural to him. Finn has never felt like this before and in a way, he is a little unsettled by this feeling. She fits perfect in his embrace and he wonders if fate brought them together this time of the year where you think about your past and you make wishes for your future.
He enjoys his role as an escort. Reflecting, it feels like a strange Life and Death Brigade stunt. No one would ever think that a successful businessman like himself would enjoy playing this role. He is a thirty-something-year-old bachelor, but with her in his arms he thinks that it would be nice to settle down. Yes, to settle down with her. To hold her again whenever he wants too.
As they continue to dance, he lays his cheek on the top of her head as she rests her head on his shoulder. His thoughts continue about a relationship with her. She is the first girl who he would ever consider having a committed relationship with. Is it possible that he is having strong feelings for her? Could he be in love with her? This was not a feeling that he let himself feel. He had one rule to stay uncommitted, unattached. Holding her in his arm made him want to change this feeling
"What a pity," she quietly whispers in his chest.
He tenderly lifts her chin and gets lost in her ocean blue eyes. "Why so?"
Rory's eyes make him melt. His heart starts to beat faster than before. He tucks some lose hair behind her ear, and begins to softly play with her hair.
She wants to run her fingers through his hair, to caress his cheek. She should feel embarrassed that he heard her whispering, but the warmth of his gaze gives her the confidence to confess her thoughts.
"I thought what a pity it is that this isn't a real date," she sighs. She looks to see if there is pity in his eyes, but instead she sees his affection.
Bending his head close to her, their lips barely apart, he murmurs huskily, "We changed our agreement after I declined your money and I'm still here. Sounds like a real date for me."
Finn gently caresses her cheek. His view wanders from her now stormy clouded eyes to her inviting lips. He absentmindedly wets his lips, thinking how he wanted those lips on his. Her lips look darker and fuller after she nervously bites them. Finn's eyes deepen to an amazing dark shade of blue.
Rory leans in and she feels his breath against her lips, too afraid to make the first move to kiss him. The fact that she wants to kiss him is an understatement.
He groans in anticipation, pressing his forehead against hers while she pulls him in. Her hot breath on his lips makes his heart stop for a beat.
"Love," his voice sounds rough, almost like a growl.
She brings her hands up to his chest, feeling the strong muscles even through his thin shirt. His muscles flex underneath her touch.
To the other wedding guests on the dance floor, they look at the young couple that appear to be deep in love.
Mark whispers to his bride, "I'm glad Rory found someone. I feel bad that I had to break up with her this year. But I knew that I couldn't go through with my commitment to her when I am unfortunately in love with you."
Amber softly smiles and teases him playfully, "Unfortunately? Nothing you should tell your bride on her wedding day."
"You know what I meant, sweetheart. I asked her to marry me but soon after that I found you for a second time. I don't want to lose her as a good friend, but I'm glad that she found love again. She deserves to be happy too."
"I understand you Mark. I'm also glad for her, she's such a great girl and Finn seems like a nice guy."
Finn and Rory are oblivious to their surroundings and the gazes of the bridal couple. They're lost in each other's embrace. The wedding guests begin to watch the Times Square Ball drop on the large TV screens that were set up around the ballroom.
As the wedding guests are counting down to the start of the year 2018, Finn finally cups Rory's face.
Time seems to stop for a millisecond as his lips touch hers and make her knees weak. She feels his lips touch hers softly, before he gently sucks on her lips. His lips are caressing hers.
Her lips feel soft against his as they take turns playing with the others before she's bold enough. She traces his lower lip with her tongue again, then she nibbles slightly on it and begs for entrance.
Finn feels her tongue exploring his mouth as his tongue darts out to meet hers. This kiss makes his blood heat up. She tastes like coffee and candy.
The kiss begins slowly and tender, both taking their time, before the kiss becomes heated.
Their pulses are racing as their tongues dance to their own rhythm while their bodies sway to the music of the wedding band.
He could get addicted to her sweet taste and wants to kiss her forever, but he feels their need for oxygen. With one last nibble on her lips he finishes their first kiss, hoping for many more in the New Year. His lips are aching to feel her lips all over again.
Relishing the moment, she groans slightly as she feels his erection pressed against her thigh while they continue dancing. She couldn't stop the smile that spreads across her face even as she feels her own blood-pressure rise. She wants to savor this unique moment.
Letting her feel his desire for her, he leans his head down and whispers huskily in her ear, "Do you feel what you do to me?"
Both are thinking about the New Year with each other.
Both are thinking that 2018 will be better and naughtier than 2017.
Happy New Year!