After 4 years Rory and Logan meet at a Hair Salon in the middle of the night in Greenwich Village. Will this chance meeting reunite the pair or tear them further apart? What secrets do they hold and can they overcome them?
Disclaimer: Still just borrowing them because it is too fun not to. Chapters and title were inspired by songs but this is not a song fic. Don't own the song titles either, again just inspiration.
Touch of Midnight
Chapter 1 - Walking After Midnight
Rory knew she should be more careful, that walking the streets of New York at midnight was probably not the best idea, but the sweltering August heat had driven her to it. She stayed to streets she knew would be busy and made a point of stopping in a local store to buy water talking to the cashier about the terrible heat and enjoying the air conditioned venue for just a little while. The girl told her there was a beauty salon in Greenwich and that could be a good place to chill, maybe get her nails done. Rory liked that idea; she never had time in the day to get her hair and nails done. She thanked the girl and headed out towards the address provided for Night Hawks, now that she had a place to be she felt safer. After a few blocks she turned and entered the boutique ringing the bell as she opened the door.
"Welcome to Night Hawks, take a seat, someone will be with you shortly." The woman said while she was standing behind a blond man finishing his cut.
Another woman emerged from the back room, "What can I do for you?" She queried Rory.
"I was hoping to get my hair and nails done, it's been a while. I wish I would have known about you guys sooner, you fit my schedule better." She replied with a chuckle standing and setting the magazine she had picked up down.
The man sitting in the chair froze and the stylist working with him noticed and whispered to him. "Hey, you alright, you look like you've seen a ghost."
"I have, that is my ex-girlfriends voice, and I'd know it anywhere. Is she a pretty brunette with striking blue eyes?" He asked in a hushed tone.
"That fits her to a tee, cute build too." She replied blocking him from view as Rory was led to the back for a shampoo. "Do you need to be elsewhere? I can put this on your tab." She chuckled, like he needed a tab, he owned the place.
"Nah, I want to see what she does when she sees me. We haven't seen each other or spoken in years. Last she heard I was headed for California, and she would never guess I am an owner of a hair salon among other things." He chuckled. "At least I know I look good." He winked at her and she blushed at his teasing.
"Logan, you sure know how to flirt, too bad I know you don't mean it." She replied and finished his style then removed the cape and brushed him off. He was standing away from the chair when Rory returned from her shampoo.
Her blue eyes went wide. "Logan, is that you? What, it's been years, you look...WOW." She impulsively went to him and hugged him tightly.
He was taken aback by her warm response. He had expected her to rant, yell, and tell him to drop dead, anything but this. He tentatively returned the hug. He gazed at her deep blue eyes as they were pulling apart.
"Hey Ace, long time." He said and they pulled apart as the stylist pulled her to the chair.
He gestured to the chair beside hers, "Mind if I sit?"
"No, by all means if you have a moment I would love to catch up. What are you doing here?" She stared at him in wonder.
"Here, getting a haircut" He winked, "I actually live not far from here; I have a loft in SoHo. How about you?"
"It was terribly hot in my apartment; I live in the Chelsea District, not swanky, you know more historic, I even have a tub in my kitchen that is covered by a door to act as a table. I heard about this place from a cashier at the local market. How have you been, what have you been up to? How are Finn, Colin, well just everybody, except Robert, I know what he's up to."
Logan quirked his brow, "How do you still know Robert? I find that hard to believe. I would have figured you and Finn, but Robert? Pray tell."
"My grandma set me up with him on a blind date a few months back, he is still an insufferable bore. I can't believe she did that to me. After he left the dinner she actually apologized. It was awful; now do I get my news?" She looked at him with her puppy dog eyes.
Logan looked at her and felt something familiar in his heart, the loss, "Actually I've been pretty great, I own several little shops here in Greenwich and they do quite well. Finn is running the family hotels and Colin married Stephanie, you know he's a lawyer and well; she is a counselor at a local women's shelter. I'll have to give you her number; I know she'd love to see you again. She's 6 months pregnant, their second."
"Wow, Stephanie is a mom; I bet she is good at it. She always had such a bubbly personality. What happened to California?" She inquired as the stylist turned the chair to adjust the cut.
"California, it's still there, I sold my interest in the company when I decided it wasn't what I wanted and I moved here when Sarah, the one that was cutting my hair when you came in, approached me for startup funds to open a nighttime hair salon for people who worked nights or like you just needed something to do. I liked the idea and through her I met some other entrepreneurs who were idea strong and cash poor. It's working well for all of us. I just recently bought a small publishing house from Philadelphia, they are branching out and I was happy to help. I guess my new partner never mentioned me?"
She looked at him with puzzlement," I know your new partner?"
"He is your kind of cousin, Jess." He smirked.
"Wow, you are the Rich Uncle Pennybags that is moving him back to New York, I just can't believe it. This after the first time you met and you hated him so much we broke up the first time." She sighed and the stylist clicked her tongue. "No wonder he wouldn't tell me your name, I would never have believed him."
"Now Ace, you know me, I am a generous fellow. Actually I like having multiple diverse investments, trust me they are better than the stock market right now. It's a win win, they get capitol and I get returns on my investments. A much smarter use of my money in the current economy, don't you think?" He looked at her expectantly.
"No, you're absolutely right. It's just good business. Invest in small business in good districts and collect the return. Smart, but then you always were." She smiled at him. The stylist indicted that she was ready to blow dry so the conversation was put on hold.
She decided to forgo the nails tonight in favor of joining him for a coffee, he still knew her weakness. He paid for her cut and his and they walked out to find a coffee house. That was one thing about New York, there would be a coffee house open. They headed towards Café Orlin and ordered coffee and biscotti. The conversation flowed easily and they both regretted they had to be somewhere else the next few days. They compared calendars and she in frustration just added his to hers and hers to his for faster exchange of information. They found they would both be in Hartford in two weeks' time for the DAR's premiere Charity event, it was oddly perfect, they both needed a date and they only needed to make an appearance, an hour tops, then they could escape for a decent dinner elsewhere and see where that would take them.
He dropped her at her apartment and headed for home. He had found her again, and with any luck, this time would turn out better.
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*Rich Uncle Penny Bags is the name of the Monopoly mascot; I don't own that either; just tossing his name around pop culture as a reference.