this is my first Finnfic, so please be gentle.
Disclaimer: ASP and Universal own GG.
Chapter 1 – Start of Something Good
You never know when you're gonna meet someone
And your whole wide world, in a moment, comes undone
You're just walking around then suddenly
Everything that you thought that you knew about love is gone
You find out it's all been wrong
And all my scars don't seem to matter anymore
'Cause they led me here to you
I know that it's gonna take some time
I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind
That this might end up like it should
And I'm gonna say what I need to say
And hope to God that it don't scare you away
Don't want to be misunderstood
But I'm starting to believe that
This could be the start of something good
Rory is in Logan's arms, and he wants to keep his cool, keep it simple and carefree, but she looks amazing in that suit, and the look on her face tells him she's thinking something. God when isn't this amazing woman thinking about something?
"What?' He can't help himself but to pry.
"Why did you come?" She asks
She's not the kind of girl you just fuck around with. That he knows with such certainly that it scares him. She's the girl you lose your heart too and he's just not ready to do that. "Open Bar." He smiles, trying to distract her. Surely she's been witness to his carefree drinking enough to believe that.
"Quite a draw for a guy with an American Express Black card." She says and it surprises him to hear the irony in her voice and not the awe at which most girls view his relationship with money.
But then, she's not most girl. Keep it fun, Huntzberger, he says to himself again, "Live band, salad, butter pats,.."
"Logan," she interrupts but he keeps talking.
"Little bags of those Jordan almonds."
"Are you ever going to ask me out?" He smirks. She has no idea what she's asking of him.
"You flirt with me, you act like you like me a little. You show up here with a friend, not a date. I mean, aren't you, ever? You do like me right?"
"Oh, ok, umm." He hears her saying and realizes that she's beginning to back out of his arms. "Ok, I'll just umm, let you go back to your table, and I'll start burrowing directly into the ground."
That is the moment Logan regrets. He regrets it like it's the worst decision he's ever made in his life, which to him, it may very well be. He let her walk away thinking he was only flirting with her because that's what he did with good-looking girls. He let her walk away in the middle of Moon River and the song is like an echo in his mind of the biggest mistake he's ever made.
He did it out of what he thought was nobility. You know, doing the right thing, the greater good. She was a good girl. She was sheltered somewhat, and naive, and he was not ready to be that kind of a man yet. He was enjoying being the playboy with no responsibilities; because soon he would have more responsibility then he knew what to do with.
So he did nothing when she walked away embarrassed. Later he called her, told her he wanted to be friends, and he did mean that, but he had no idea what his continued insistence that he only wanted to be friends with her would mean now that he was having to sit on the sideline while she and her now boyfriend laugh at the table with him and Colin and Robert.
He eyes the happy couple from across the table and orders another round of drinks for the table. The couple recounted the "funny" story from their first Friday night dinner at Emily's as a couple. Watching the shocked reaction from the Gilmores as they tried to hide their confusion at the relationship because the boy was not exactly what they'd imagined for their granddaughter, and yet the breeding was magnificent.
Finn sat with his arm around Rory and the pride and happiness was clearer on his face then in all the years Logan has known him; he has never seen the Aussie happier in a relationship or in a relationship at all. No woman has been able to tie Finn down and yet Rory has done it without even trying.
It still felt surreal sometimes watching her with Finn. When Finn had asked about her at the poker game Logan was too busy trying to keep her out of his mind to really pay attention to the implication of what was being asked of him, and now he had to pay the price.
"Mate, I know this game is looking like Robert is going to take us all to the cleaners again, but can I ask a question?" Finn ventured during yet another losing hand.
"Sure, man."
"Rory…" he says slowly.
Logan rolls his eyes, and he knows his friends will it think it because he's annoyed to be talking about her, but it's really because he just wants to NOT talk about her. He's not the kind of guy that she needs.
"Ahh, things not all hugs and puppies with you two?" Robert asks as he picks up his newly dealt hand.
"There is no us, you guy. She's a friend."
"Have you ever had a girl that was just a friend, Logan?" Colin joins the conversation.
"Very funny." Logan laughs it off. "I mean, you know she's a sweet girl, but not really my type."
"Mate, I'm pretty sure a girl like Rory is everyone's type. She's smart, and funny, and sexy as hell. You sure you're not interested. You know the old saying my boy, mates before dates." Finn pats him on the back.
"Bro before hoe's." Colin adds.
Logan smiles at his friends. "She's not my girlfriend and after last night I'm not even sure she'll want to be friends, so there's no need to be all "One Tree Hill" here."
"What happened last night?" Robert asks as he wins yet another hand and MORE of Logan's money.
"She kind of took things the wrong way and thought I wanted to date her."
"Don't you?" Finn questions. "You flirt with her all the time, you call her Ace for Christ sake mate."
"I can't want to be friends with someone and not hook up with her?"
"NO." Finn, Colin and Robert all say unison.
"Gee, thanks guy." Logan smiles. He really just wants them to shut the hell up about her. He has to stop thinking about her. She not going to just want to hook up with him, and he knows once he gets started with her an occasional taste won't be enough because his friends are right, she is everyone type because she's a long haul girl. She Ms. Right, not Miss Right Now.
"Look, like I said there is no Ace… There is no Rory and I ok? We are just friend, at lest we I hope are, but that's beside the point ok. Now can we stop talking about some girl? I need a shot at winning my money back from Robert before I owe him my entire allowance for the year."
Right then and there the topic had been dropped, and Logan was relieved, but little did he know it would be the first step into his worst nightmare.
Not long after that conversation she and Logan had spoken at the Yale Daily News and she agreed to be friends. He was happier then he should be about having her as just a friend but he knew he was not right for her. He couldn't commit, and he sure as hell was not about to get into any relationship for as long as he possibly could because every girl he would bring home to mommy dearest and daddy would invoke talks of weddings and a life he didn't want.
But having her there, still by his side, still talking to him and laughing with him made things easier. He didn't want to lose her from his life completely because if he was being totally honest, now, at lest with himself, he knew when he wanted to settle down it was going be with her. He knew it almost instantly when he told her to call him Master and Commander because she had matched him every tit for tat that day and the banter awoke something in him he'd never felt before. Unlucky for him was that since he had not staked a claim on her his friends saw exactly what he did and before he knew it, he was celebrating Finn's birthday with Whitney on his arm and it took everything in him to not kill Robert for bringing her there. Even though she looked amazing in her catholic schoolgirl skirt.
He had watched her laugh and smile all night with Robert. ROBERT! Sure he was technically one of his friends, but the guy was jerk and they barely tolerated him. Finally when Whitney had taken off to talk to one of her friends he couldn't stop himself from trying to get her attention.
"Hey Ace, having a good time?"
"I am, thanks."
"Good, that's good. " He was trying so hard to keep himself in check. He hasn't really thought about the fact that she would ever date someone, let alone someone he knew. "I'm having a good time too."
She looked him like she was so confused. He knew he was being weird but he couldn't help it.
"Good" she said.
"Yes, it is good. So, I didn't know you even knew Robert." It had been bothering him. He knew that Robert was at the poker game with him and the guys when they had briefly talked about her but when the hell did he meet her?
"I met him at the Life and Death Brigade thing."
Fuck. Why Robert and really… come on. "OH, Right, right, well you must have made quite an impression"
"He just asked me out is all." She really has no idea how amazing she is.
Maybe he can nip this in the bud. I mean, she has to have seen what Robert is really like after spending all night talking to him. "Sure. He's kind of a jerk."
"Excuse me?"
" Robert, he's kind of a jerk. Haven't you noticed he's kind of a jerk?"
"Nope."
Seriously? This guy is a douche and she's not even going to acknowledge it? Maybe she actually likes him. "Huh, nights young."
At that moment he takes a sip of his drink to distract himself. He just wants to reach across the table, take her hand, and pull her away with him to some dark corner, or you know, another state; anywhere away from her date. Instead he did what he knew he should do. He wished her a fun night and went back to fucking Whitney. Who dresses as a pregnant girl for a party, it not sexy at all but at lest she would leave with him and take his mind off the other brunette and her date for a few hours.
He should have realized what was going on with himself right then and there, and let his friends know that Ace was off the table. But no, he kept it to himself and when he never saw her and Robert together again he though the worst was past.
The worst? He had to laugh at the predicament he was in now, because little did he know but when he was feeling so very grateful that she wasn't with Robert, someone else had swooped in, and that guy knew how to treat a girl and instead of dragging her along to some goofy party with all his goofy guy friends, he was wining and dinning her, and spending time just talking to her and getting to know her strange little town of Stars Hallows and when Finn said he wanted to bring his girlfriend along on a group trip out of town Logan had no idea that he was about to lose any chance he'd thought he'd one day have with Rory.
"Finn wants to bring a girl?" Robert asks suprised.
"I really thought you were gay." Colin muses
"Who is this girl?" Logan asks, "And why are we just hearing about her? I don't think in all the years I've known you, you've ever called someone your girlfriend before."
"Because mate, I've never wanted to before. But I didn't really expect this to go where it's gone when I first asked her out. Lord knows I'm definitely not the guy that girl's fall all over, but I figured I'd give it a shot. I thought maybe a couple of dates.."
"You'd get her into bed and boom your done." Robert says.
"No." Finn says surprising everyone. "I figured she'd get tired of me but I had to at lest try you know."
Logan is surprised to hear something like this from his friend; in fact it's only at this moment that Logan notices that his friend is unusually sober, and has in fact been rarely drunk the last few months.
"Is that why my gin bottle is still full? "Logan laughed.
"Why yes, dear sirs, it is. Drinking has definitely become secondary to my love."
"Love?" Logan questions. "You got it bad don't you?"
"If I do say so myself." Finn said.
"Well I say the more the merrier. Stephanie and her friends are already packing for the weekend. Bring her along."
Finn nods with a smile and grabs his phone and texts this mystery girl.
The weekend is going to be pick up city for the rest of the guys. Palm Springs, on spring break is a right of passage. One the guys have hunted at every year since their senior year of high school. Fun, Sun, the beach and alcohol and pussy, it's great way to blow off some steam.
From the corner of his eye he notices his Ace, and gently chides himself for calling her "his" before wondering out loud to the group if they should invite her.
Robert, still looking at Rory like he's got a shot speaks first. "I say invite her. I bet she looks good in a bikini."
She had stopped to talk to a friend before finishing and turns to the group of guys. She walks right past Logan before he can say hello and right into the comfort of Finn's waiting arm, draped comfortable around her neck he leans down for a quick kiss and says, "I believe she's already going."
"So, it's cool if I tag along?" she asks.
The guys all try not to look too shocked, none of them succeeding. "Guess you hadn't told them yet?" she smiles up a Finn and Logan wants to throw up. It wasn't a joke. He could see it in Finn's smile and in hers. They were together, and happy and, as hard as it was for Logan to admit to himself, the looked in love.
Everyone knows life has it's ups and downs
One day you're on top of the world
Then one day you're the clown
Well, I've been both enough to know
That you don't wanna get in the way when it's working out
The way that it is right now
You see my heart, I wear it on my sleeve
'Cause I just can't hide it anymore
I know that it's gonna take some time
I've got to admit that the thought has crossed my mind
That this might end up like it should
And I'm gonna say what I need to say
And hope to God that it don't scare you away
I don't want to be misunderstood
But I'm starting to believe that
This could be the start