Rory smiled with relief as she hung the final Black "Bundaberg Rum" can from a string from the ceiling, stepping back to admire the masterful decorations she had pulled off.
"You did good kid. Is it just going to kill you that Logan will probably get all the credit for this?" Lorelai asked, putting her arm around her daughters waist.
"Oh, no…I suppose I'll be able to deal with it. As long as Finn knows the effort I've gone to, it's okay." Rory replied.
"Yeap…gonna eat you alive." Lorelai said, nudging Rory with her hip.
"Maybe a little. I guess I can forgive Logan because I know he'll do nothing but mope around for the 3 months Finn is gone." Rory sighed, flopping down onto the leather couch.
"It was nice of you and Logan to invite me, I haven't been to this kind of party…well…possibly ever." Lorelai said with a smile, sitting down beside Rory.
"Logan sure knows how to throw a shindig…and I sure know how to decorate…and everyone else sure knows how to drink, so it should be fun." Rory told her mother.
At that moment, the door to Rory and Logan's apartment swung open and Logan, Finn and Colin marched in, holding armfuls of bags, all full of booze. They dumped it on the counter, and looked around, obviously impressed.
"Love, it's like heaven." Finn said, swooping down and pecking Rory on the cheek with a quick kiss. "And my, my, my what have we here?" Finn said, giving Lorelai the once over.
"This is my MOTHER Finn, behave." Rory said, rising from her seat. "Lorelai Gilmore, Finn, Finn, the wonderful and alluring Lorelai Gilmore."
"Charmed!" Finn said, grabbing Lorelai's hand and kissing it, giving her a cheeky wink.
Lorelai gave Rory a smirk, which she returned with a roll of her eyes.
"You did excellent work Ace." Logan said, coming over to Rory and kissing her gently on the lips.
"I live to please." She smiled, putting her arms around Logan and pulling him close to her, her gorgeous engagement ring sparkling in the light.
"Urgh, vomit." Lorelai commented, earning herself a well earned kick from Rory. "Ouch."
"Now now girls. Don't fight over me." Said Finn from across the room, "It's a long night and I have plenty of time."
"Finn, don't kid yourself." Said Colin would was loading the fridge up with the recently purchased alcohol. "People are going to be arriving any minute you know, is there anything else we need to be doing?"
"I've got it all under control." Rory informed him.
- -
The party was going along great, everyone was agreeing that it was one of the best Logan had ever thrown. Rory was dealing well with the fact Logan was getting all the credit and was enjoying a drinking game with her mother.
"Everytime the girl Finn is talking to has a look of disgust on her face, we drink." Lorelai informed Rory, who smirked.
"We'll be passed out within the hour!" Rory chortled, but turned her attention across the room at Finn and a rather attractive brunette girl.
After a few minutes the girls had to stop as Rory felt herself becoming queasy, plus the girl finally managed to escape Finn and head back over to a group of her friends, and Finn wondered out onto the balcony.
"I'm going to use the bathroom." Lorelai informed Rory, stumbling slightly as she headed off across the room. Rory rose from her seat and followed Finn out onto the balcony. He was standing alone, holding a rather stupidly large cocktail glass and staring out at the rather amazing view.
"Hey." Rory said, coming up and standing beside him. He turned to look at her.
"It's my party. Which is a shame, because all the girls here already know me." Finn said, with a half smile.
"Obviously the don't know you that well, or they'd be throwing themselves all over you." Rory commented, in an attempt to make Finn feel better.
"Nice of you to say kitten, but not an all too convincing delivery." He replied, turning so his body was facing her. "I'm going to miss you guys."
"We'll miss you. Logan especially, he gets grumpy if he goes a week without you." Rory smiled, turning to face him now, looking into his brown eyes, which looked a lot sadder then she was used to.
"Come here kitten." He said, pulling her into a tight hug.
Rory and Finn's friendship had really grown in the last 2 years Rory had been finished college. After she had returned from her campaign trail, growing tired of the constant travel involved, she had settled herself in New York City, moving in with Finn, which seemed like an unlikely fit, but had ended up being the happiest time in her life.
Living with Finn had brought Logan back into her life, and made her realise just how much she had missed him during their time apart. And just 3 months ago, Logan had asked Rory to marry him again, and this time she had accepted, and moved out of her and Finn's place, and into Logan's amazing penthouse apartment in lower Manhattan.
"You have no idea how much you mean to me." Finn informed her, holding her close, placing his chin on top of her head, she closed her eyes and breathed in his smell, he smelled just the same as he always did, and it made her feel incredibly sad.
"I know. I'm great." Rory joked, as their embrace finally ended.
"You are." Finn said, looking deep into her eyes. Rory looked back, feeling slightly uncomfortable, she saw something in Finn's eyes that she'd never seen before. He took a step towards her and she furrowed her brow, not quite understanding what was happening.
"Finn…I-" She began, but he placed a finger up to her lips.
"I want to say this, before I go… I know there isn't much point to it. I know I'll probably regret it. But, I'm an honest person, that's who I am. I'm not the smartest, or the nicest, or the funniest-"
"-You're pretty damn funny though." Rory added, making Finn smirk with pride for a moment.
"I have feelings for you Rory. Feelings I shouldn't have because you're one of my best friends. Because, you belong to one of my other best friends. And mostly because you don't feel that way about me. But I want you to know. I'm not going away to Australia for 3 months for business. I'm going because I can't breath with you around me. I'm going because I need to think, I need time to come to terms with the fact you're going to spend the rest of your life with Logan. Come to terms with the fact, I'm going to be standing up on that alter with you when you get married, but not standing where I want to be. I have to come to terms with it, so I can be happy for you, and for Logan. Because I love you both." Finn sighed after this speech leaving Rory standing completely speechless before him.
"You never said anything." Rory finally said after a long silence. She walked over to the balcony door and closed it gently so no one could see them. "Why now?"
"I'm not sure. Could have something to do with this bad boy." He said, holding up his large cocktail glass, before drinking deeply from it.
Rory walked up and stood close to him, reaching up and taking either side of his collar in her tiny hands, she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him gently on the mouth, such a sweet gentle innocent kiss that lasted only a few seconds before she released him.
"I'm sorry you're hurting." She whispered, he lent down again resting his forehead on hers.
"What…what exactly was that?" Finn questioned, his eyes closed. He could feel her sweet breath against his lips.
"A good-bye kiss. A I'll miss you kiss. An I'm sorry kiss." Rory said, so quietly he could barely hear her.
The door to the balcony swung open and Rory and Finn turned to see Lorelai standing in the doorway, looking a little confused at what she was seeing.
"I was wondering where you got to." Lorelai said to Rory, before her eyes turned on Finn.
"Well, I should get another drink." Finn said, walking past Lorelai and back into the party.
"Why do I feel like I just walked in on something?" Lorelai said, looking at her daughter questioningly.
"It was nothing. Finn and I were just saying a proper goodbye, in case we didn't get another chance." Rory informed her mother.
"Okay…well…" Lorelai said, not sounding fully convince, "Logan's inside looking for you, and might I say, he's quite intoxicated."
"Well, it's a big event, I knew he'd go all out." Rory said with a small shrug, before her and Lorelai went inside.
- - -
"Rory." Logan moaned, the party was drawing to a close and the only people left now were passed out in various places around the apartment.
"Yeah babe?" She asked, turning her head to look at him, they were sitting, or more flopped on the couch. Finn was passed out in the chair across from them, and Colin was lying topless and passed out on the floor with some girl Rory didn't know.
"I love you so much." He told her, she turned her eyes to blurrily look at him. "You have no idea how sad I was without you in my life. You're so good."
"I love you too Logan." She replied, putting her arms sloppily around his shoulders and pulling him to her, kissing him deeply. "Come on, lets go to bed." She smiled at him suggestively.
"Ohhh…" Logan grinned back, getting the hint. "Lets go to bed indeed." He said, his speech slurred. They both rose and Rory glanced at Finn as they headed towards their bedroom, she saw his eyes quickly snap shut when she looked at him and felt a small pang of guilt, but then brushed it aside and pulled Logan into the bedroom, slamming the door behind them.