Author Note: This is Logan's point of view as it dawns on him that he wants to be Rory's boyfriend beginning in 5.17 Pulp Friction. All characters belong to WB/Netflix, and title borrows from Friends.

Logan's inner thoughts in italics.

"And then I had to repeat it in front of the whole class. It was humiliating," Cassandra says.

Logan smiles at her before leaning in to kiss her cheek. She rewards him with a grin so wide her dimples show.

She's cute. I like her. I do.

"I'm sure it wasn't as bad as all that," he says. "I'm sure it was adorable. Very Elle Woods."

"I wish getting into Harvard Law was that easy," she replies.

"What... like it's hard?" he jokes, glancing away from her only to spy Rory and Lorelei across the street.

Oh shit.

"I'm impressed with how well you can quote that movie."

Logan doesn't hear her over the pounding of his heart.

Maybe she won't see me…

Nope. She definitely just looked over here.

Logan looks back over at Cassandra who has an expectant look on her face.

"Um, I'm sorry what did you say?"

"I was saying how well you know Legally Blonde."

Rory made me watch it, and she quoted every line to me.

He sneaks a peek at Rory again only to see her stalking away, Lorelei trailing behind her and shooting daggers his way. He watches them leave, his heart sinking.

Is she upset?

She shouldn't be upset. This is what I told her would happen. That I would see other girls. And she wanted me despite that.

And furthermore, this is what needs to happen. We were spending way too much time together. I mean, I left a ski trip with my friends to spend the week with her.

His thoughts are interrupted by the waiter dropping off their brunch.

"Yum. I love a frittata," Cassandra says. "So Colin told me…"

It was totally worth it though. We didn't put clothes on for four days.

Sex with Rory is a much better way to spend spring break than getting high and watching Finn climb in and out of the hot tub with whatever girl came back to the cabin.

I got a ton of reading done, and when we traded books, she actually gave me something I hadn't read before.

And she's so cute when she's reading. The little noises she makes. How wide her eyes get. And she's even cuter naked when-

"Logan? You okay over there?"

"What? Yes. I'm sorry. Um… So Colin will probably end up here for law school. His dad would never allow anything else... Is that what you asked?" Logan says.

Her brow furrows and Logan ignores her, tucking into his food. He manages to get through the rest of the meal, though he struggles to keep his mind on the girl in front of him.

"Do you want to go to a movie or something?" she finally asks him. "I'm free today."

"Uh… I actually have to run over to the Daily News. I have an article due. Can I catch up with you later?" he asks when the server brings back his credit card, squelching back guilt at his fib.

She nods quietly.

Logan gives her a quick peck on the lips. "I'll call you, okay?"

I know I'm being a dick, but I'm not going to feel right until I talk to Rory.

He finds her in the newsroom typing furiously. He takes a deep breath and heads her way. She glances up as he passes by, but does not speak to him.

Shit, she is upset.

"Well that's a look of great determination," he begins.

"Yes. I'm determined to finish this piece before my caffeine buzz wears off, and I have about thirty seconds left," she says tersely.

Definitely upset. Just ask her and get it over with.

"So…"

"So?" she prompts, still typing.

"Did I see you on State Street with…" your mom.

"Yeah."

Fuck.

"Rightttt. So you saw me on State Street with…" someone who wasn't you.

"Yep."

Okay. So how do I play this? Apologize? Antagonize?

"So…" I guess I'll just stall and let her talk first.

"So?"

That didn't work. She's not giving me any indications of how mad she is…

"Are we still good?" he asks, hating the desperation in his tone.

"Absolutely," she says, looking up with a smile.

She's not upset? "Really?"

"Logan, we both agreed. No strings attached. Remember?"

"I remember," he says incredulously. "I was just checking to see how well you remember."

"I remember perfectly," she says.

"Okay. That's good to hear." Is it though? "So…"

"Oh, we're not going to do the 'so' thing again, are we?" she teases.

Instantly his mood lightens. "No. Promise. No more 'so's.' Would you take an 'um'?" he quips.

"Depends. Where's it leading?" Rory asks.

Not sure. I hadn't planned this far.

"Um… Are you busy or do you feel like grabbing a cup of coffee?"

"Do you have the master key to a Starbucks or something?"

"Nah. I thought we'd just walk in and pay."

"Wow. Old school. Sure, let's go," she says.

That went easier than I anticipated. "Okay. Let's go," he grins.

This is what works. The banter. The back and forth. As cute as Cassandra is… and Juliana… and Lisa… I can't do this with them.

She trails behind him, causing him to reach back for her hand. Her smile brightens, and he knows his face is glowing too. He leads her out of the building to the parking lot.

"So what was your article about?" he asks.

"I had to review another play. Doyle has had a really hard time finding someone to cover the arts. They're boring, but someone has to do it," she says.

"Invite me to the next one. I'll go with you. I guarantee you won't be bored."

"That would never work," she says, slipping into the front seat of his Porsche.

He closes her door, then rounds the car to the driver side. "Why not?" he asks buckling in.

She stares at him pointedly. "You would never let me work."

"Not true. I have the utmost respect for your journalistic endeavors."

"Okay. We're in a dark, quiet auditorium for two hours. The only entertainment is a student production of The Vagina Monologues-"

"You're right," he interrupts her. "I can't be in the dark with you and behave. I would be tempted to… well, I'd be tempted to do this," he says pulling her in to kiss her.

She reaches her hand to the back of his head pulling him closer. His tongue slides into her mouth. After a heated minute, she pulls ways and whispers "And if you did that, I'd want to do this." Her mouth dips lower, placing kisses along his jaw line.

His breath hitches. "And if you did that, I'd tell you it was time to get out of there."

She looks into his eyes, lust all over her face.

"Still want coffee?" she whispers.

"Nope."

He puts the car in reverse and heads back to his dorm where they can be alone.

The sex is great, and everything feels normal until Rory hops out of bed and begins to pull her clothes back on.

"Where are you going?" he asks, not wanting to admit that he'd decided that snuggling with her was one of his favorite activities.

"I just need to go to the bathroom."

"Oh... Wait. Check the closet," he says.

Her eyes narrow, but she turns to his closet and opens the door slowly.

Hanging there is a dressing gown he had purchased for her last week. The satin was butter soft, and the color reminded him of the dress he had chosen for her for the Life and Death Brigade event.

She looks so pretty in blue.

"Spring Break was easy, but Lanny might be here at any time, so..." he trails off.

She pivots back toward him, her expression unreadable, before methodically buttoning up her jeans.

Huh. I was sure she would like this as much as the dress.

"Actually, I have stuff to do. I should go," she says, sitting down on the bed to pull on her shoes. "Call me later?"

What just happened here?

He grabs her hand to stop her. "Wait. We're good, right?"

"Yep. I'll see ya," she says flippantly, closing his bedroom door behind her.

That was weird.

And normally I love when a girl leaves before it gets awkward, but we didn't even have any time to catch up, or... I wanted to tell her that I finally started The Twilight Zone.

Whatever, she said we're fine.

But he can't shake the feeling that they had hit a turning point today. And he wasn't sure which way he wanted to turn.

Colin and Finn show up later that night, looking to play cards, perfectly meeting his need for distraction. Lanny orders a pizza while everyone settles in.

"Robert's coming too," Colin says.

"Why?" Logan whines.

"Because it's easy to take his money," Colin says.

Logan sighs and pours a bourbon. "Who else needs a drink?"

"Come on. He's not that bad," Lanny says.

Logan rolls his eyes and drains his glass.

Four bourbons later, Logan is feeling good. He has forgotten about Robert, about the awkwardness with Rory, about the bad date with Cassandra. He is winning, and the alcohol has pushed all of the other noise to the back of his mind.

On cue, Robert enters his dorm. "Logan, I want to talk to you about Rory," he says, sitting down at the card table. "Deal me in."

"Who's Rory?" asks Finn.

"What about her?" Logan says.

"I just ran into her at the student center. I'm going to take her to Finn's party tomorrow."

What the fuck?

"Like a date?" Colin asks, shifting his eyes to Logan.

"Yeah. I was surprised you hadn't already asked her. But she said yes, so… I guess that's that," Robert says.

Suddenly everyone is looking at him. His inebriation has slowed his response time, but he recognizes the need to save face quickly.

"I… already have a date. You can take Rory. That's fine," he lies, his insides boiling.

"Who's Rory?" Finn asks again.

"Who are you taking?" Colin asks suspiciously.

"None of your business, man. Deal the cards."

The room goes quiet again as each of them studies their hands.

She's going out with Robert? Robert? Jackass Robert whose sole purpose in life is trying to one-up me. He only asked her to get under my skin.

And now I have to find a date for tomorrow. I was going to fly solo. Colin needs some help in the girl department, and I could stand some new faces too. None of the girls I've gone out with lately are distracting me from her.

"I'm all in," he says, pushing his chips into the center.

"I call," Robert challenges. "Two pair. Queens over eights. What do you got Huntz?"

Irritated, Logan throws his bluff down on the table. "I'm going to the pub."

Logan wakes up the next morning and glances down at the girl beside him. He'd run into Whitney at Rich Man's Shoe, and they'd had enough fun to make him forget why he stopped seeing her last year.

Alcohol softens her shrillness.

Thank God we didn't do anything more than kiss. I can't have her getting attached again. She was really hard to shake loose.

And now that I know-

Forget it. Sex is not any different just because it's different with Rory.

I was just too drunk and too tired, and there's no other explanation. None.

He rolls out of bed and heads into his kitchenette for coffee. Whitney joins him a few minutes later, finding her purse on the counter and pulling it over her shoulder.

"So last night was fun," she says.

"Um-hmm," he agrees. "You want some?" he asks, motioning to the coffee pot.

"No, thanks. I'm gonna sneak out of here before anyone sees me," she says with a sly grin. "But I'm coming to Finn's party tonight, so maybe I'll see you there."

"Cool."

He follows her to the door, and the solution hits him. "Actually, let me pick you up. We can go to the party together."

She smiles widely and nods before slipping out.

Looks like I'll have to drink a lot again tonight…

Logan continues to drink as Whitney and Josie gossip beside him.

It's like neither of them actually have anything interesting to say. Why can't they talk about real things? I bet they've never seen The Office. Or read The Sound and the Fury.

God. Stop it. Whitney is cute and she's doesn't expect anything from me, and that's all I should care about. That's what twenty-two year olds are supposed to care about.

He watches Finn move effortlessly through his party, flirting with everyone in his path.

I only get to be young once. As soon as I graduate, Mom will be all over me about settling down, so I can't waste time with that now. Colin committed to Stephanie, and it broke him. He still can't interact with other girls without sounding like an idiot.

Josie gets up to head to the bar, leaving Whitney and Logan alone. She leans in, intertwining their fingers, and placing her chin on his shoulder. He smiles awkwardly at her, delving into the far corners of his brain to remember something he found interesting about her. In his peripheral vision he sees Rory and Robert walking in, effectively ending all thoughts of Whitney.

Gogo's school girl uniform. Leave it to Rory to find a way to make me think about sex when everyone else looks like violence.

Unsure of what else to do, he grabs Whitney's hand, determined to confront the elephant in the room. "Let's get a drink," he says pulling her towards his friends.

"Well, well, well. The gang's all here," he booms, greeting Colin with the biggest grin he can muster. "Robert. Good to see you."

Nothing to see here. I couldn't care less that you brought Rory. Or that she looks adorable. Or that my date can only talk about other people.

"Hello, Logan."

He finally looks her way. "Rory, I like the costume."

"I like yours too," she replies evenly.

"This is Whitney. Whitney- Robert, Rory. You know Colin," Logan says.

"Hi."

Colin speaks to Whitney, but Logan can't take his eyes off of Rory. She is determinedly not looking back, and it infuriates him.

"So, good party, huh?" Logan pushes.

"Seems like it," Robert says.

Rory chimes in. "Music's cool."

"Very cool," Logan agrees. "Well, we're just heading over to the bar. Can we get you two anything?"

"No," Robert says, putting his arm on the small of Rory's back. "We're just gonna take a look around."

"Okay. We'll catch you later."

"Sounds good," Rory says before walking off with Robert.

Logan's insides are churning. What the fuck is happening here?

He sulks at the bar for the next half hour, pounding scotch, ignoring Whitney, and getting more and more pissed off.

She's just gonna show up at my best friend's party with the biggest douchebag I know? And she expects me to take it? Fuck that.

The second Robert leaves her alone, Logan heads her way, determined to tell her off.

"Ace. Having a good time?" he asks. Draw her in, then take her out.

"I am."

"Good. That's good. Me too. I'm having a good time, too." I love watching you with that asshole. Love it.

"Good."

"Yes, it is good." He drains his high ball, the ice cubes clanging the glass. "So I didn't know you knew Robert."

"I met him at the Life and Death Brigade gathering. And the poker game," she says.

"Oh. Right, right." Places you were with me. "Well he must have made quite an impression."

"He just asked me out, is all," she says, refusing to take the bait.

"Sure."

New tactic. Warn her away from him.

"He's kind of a jerk."

"Excuse me?"

"Robert. He's kind of a jerk. Have you noticed he's kind of a jerk?"

"Nope."

But that smile betrays her. She knows he's a total dipshit.

"Huh," he says, clinking his ice again. She knows. "Night's young. Okay, come on."

He takes her by the hand, dragging her to the corner despite her protests.

"You look great," he says turning her against the wall, kissing her before she even knows it's coming. Her hands automatically thread through his hair as she gives in to him.

"Logan, stop," she says, pushing him away and glancing back over her shoulder.

Pull it together, Huntzberger. Hands to yourself. I just need to charm her enough to remind her that she likes me, not Robert.

"Right. So how've you been?" He's unsure of his next move, but he knows he can't let her walk away.

"I've been fine."

"Good. School's good?" Geez. I sound like her grandmother.

"School's hard," she says through gritted teeth.

"Well, it's supposed to be hard. It's grooming you for life." He can't resist her eyes, going in for another kiss. "Making you an upstanding citizen."

She finally kisses him back. "God-fearing Christian," she smirks.

"Habitual recycler." The kiss is deeper, closer. The familiar energy surges through his body.

Then abruptly, she pushes him away. "We can't do this here, Logan."

Thank God.

"You're right. Let's go," he says.

"Go where?"

"Your place. My place. Let's take a train to New York, spend the night in the Plaza." Literally anywhere that I can be alone with you.

"We can't just leave," she protests. "We have dates."

Fucking Christ.

In a rare moment of total honestly, he admits "I don't like this."

"Like what?"

"You here… with Robert."

"You're here with Whitney!" she says.

"I know." But only because-

"So what's the problem?"

She's going to make me admit it.

"The problem is you're here with Robert, and it's bothering me, and I don't like that it's bothering me."

"Sorry. Do you want us to leave?"

"No! I want us to leave. You and me."

"I can't do that," she says.

"Oh, you want to spend the rest of the night with Robert instead of me?"

"I came here with Robert."

"So dump Robert. I hate Robert." Fucking asshole.

"He's your friend."

"So what? I still hate him!" He can't keep the desperation out of his voice.

"Logan, you're the one who said-"

"I know what I said!" God, if I had known she was going to throw it all back in my face…

"Okay, then. I have to go. I have a date. Enjoy the rest of the party."

His eyes follow her across the room where she accepts a drink from Robert, who smirks at him. He takes a couple of measured breaths before heading back to the bartender. As he waits for his drink, he watches them. Robert's hand is on her hip, and she laughs at something he says.

If she kisses him in front of me…

Rory glances over her shoulder and locks eyes with him. He is silently imploring her to forget Robert. To come back to him.

But instead, she whispers into Robert's ear, and they begin saying their goodbyes. Dejected, he watches them leave the party. He swivels back to the bar and begins another drink. When Whitney approaches him, he can't even be bothered to acknowledge her.

"You are such an asshole, Logan."

He shrugs because he knows she's not wrong, but right now he doesn't care. He has to leave this party before he embarrasses himself further. On the way, Colin stops him.

"Are you okay? You're being weird. And we all saw you with Rory. Not a good look, man."

He rolls his eyes in response. "Actually, Whitney is really pissed at me. I'm fairly certain she's done with me for the night. Can you make sure she gets home okay?"

Colin's eyes narrow. "You want me to take your date home?"

"Yeah. I just... I can't do this tonight. I'll talk to you later."

He heads out and walks back toward the dorms. In his drunken stupor, he tries and fails to analyze what had come over him tonight. Why was I so jealous? Because it was Robert? But I guess I got this jealous about Marty a few weeks ago...

I never act like this. What is it about her?

Before he has realized it, he has wandered to Branford.

Great. Now I'm not only jealous, but I'm a stalker.

Through her window, he can see her reading in the bed. He can't stop himself; he knocks on the panes.

When she glances up, her eyes widen. She opens the window, and he tries to disarm her with his smile.

"What are you doing here, Logan?"

"I don't even know," he admits. "I just need to tell you that… I'm sorry I acted like such an ass."

Her face softens. "Do you want to come in?"

"I shouldn't. I'm really drunk." I cannot be trusted in my words or actions right now. As he backs away from the window, he smiles at her. "I'll call you tomorrow."

He stumbles home and drops his silk robe onto the floor before falling into bed. The ceiling swirls for a moment before he closes his eyes and passes out.

A/N: Thank you to dudeamanda for the prompt.