Chapter 1: Prologue

What if when Rory left the boys in New Hampshire in A Year in the Life, the only person that she said goodbye to was Logan and only pretended to say goodbye to Colin, Finn and Robert.

When Rory got back to Stars Hollow, she thought that she might have been pregnant, but it turned out that it was just a false alarm. After Luke and Lorelai's wedding, Rory spent the week that they were gone on their honeymoon to track down all of her boxes and have them shipped to her apartment in Queens. Jess had been really helpful during that week. She had even enlisted Colin and Finn to fetch her boxes that Logan had been storing for her. Logan wasn't happy that they were helping her, but he understood.

She told Taylor that she would be working at the gazette one day a week but that she needed a job that would actually pay something. Of course, Taylor being Taylor was reluctant at first, but he eventually caved like he always does.

When Luke and Lorelai came back from their honeymoon, Rory was all set to move. Colin, Finn, Robert and Jess were there to help move all the furniture and then Lorelai and Stephanie were there to help move all of the boxes. Lorelai had to admit that Rory's Queens apartment was much better than her Brooklyn apartment. And it was definitely better than the apartment that she shared with Paris during her senior year at Yale.

Colin decided to hang around with Rory after everyone left and headed home. He ordered them a pizza.

Rory POV

"Thanks for hanging out Colin." I said.

"It's no problem. Just so you know, Logan doesn't know that Finn, Robert and I are still in contact with you." Colin said.

"Thanks for not telling him. I mean I know that I shouldn't have asked but…it's the way that it has to be."

"I know Ror. He doesn't love her."

"I know but he made his choice." I said, grabbing another slice of pizza. "Colin, it's time for me to really move on with my life. Logan's always been this little piece in my heart that I could always count on." I reached for the bottle of tequila that was sitting on my coffee table. "But I need to stop letting him be that person. He can't be that person anymore." I said, taking a drink.

"I can't blame you, Ror. I get it, I do. And you're right. You do have to move on. So, what's your next move?" Colin asked me.

"I have no idea. I mean I'm working on my novel, and I've got articles here and there. But that's about it. I mean I was so wrapped up in my Vegas agreement with Logan that I kept forgetting about a boyfriend that I had. And the more that I got wrapped up with Logan the more I forgot about Paul to the point that the day of Mom and Luke's wedding he texted me and broke up with me." I said.

Colin grabbed the bottle from me and took a drink. "I'm sorry Ror. But I do agree that you made the right choice letting him go. I'm just glad that you didn't let the rest of us go."

"I was just glad that you and Finn understood what I was doing and read between the lines. It was hard enough to let him go. I couldn't lose you guys too. You know?" I asked.

"I know." Colin said. We sat there and stared at each for a minute. "Ror, I have a confession to make and I probably shouldn't tell you this without Finn being here." Colin said, as I took the bottle back away.

I took a drink. "Just tell me." I said.

"Okay, so around the time that Logan and Odette's engagement was announced, Finn and I went to visit him. We took him out and tried to talk some sense into him. I mean it's us, so of course we knew about the two of you. We tried to tell him that he needed to break off the engagement. He told us that he couldn't do that because it would go against his father's dynastic plan. So, then Finn brought up to him what was going to happen with the two of you when he got married. He was silent." I took another drink. "His only response was that he couldn't let you go."

I took another drink. "He was going to keep me as his mistress wasn't, he?" I asked.

I looked over at Colin and he nodded. "Yeah Ror. I'm sorry." He said.

"It's not your fault. I'm the one that was stupid. I should have known that it was never going to work out." I said.

Colin and I drank a little more before I decided that I needed to crash. I looked over at him and the next thing I know I blurted out, "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"Sure, thing Ror." Colin said.

"Thanks." I said, leaning over and kissing Colin on his cheek. Or at least that was what it was supposed to be. Instead of me kissing Colin's cheek he turned his head and our lips touched. I couldn't believe it. I had kissed Colin. Logan's best friend. What did this even mean? When I pulled back, I couldn't help but stare at him. "What was that?" I asked.

"A kiss." Colin said.

"I know that, but it was supposed to be on your cheek." I said.

"I know." He said.

I stood up and walked to my kitchen. I needed coffee and I needed it now. I heard Colin follow me. "You know." I started making a pot of coffee.

"Rory, please don't over think this."

"I don't over think things." I said, causing Colin to raise an eyebrow at me. "Okay maybe I do. But Colin what am I supposed to think about this." I turned back to the coffee to wait on it to finish.

"I just want to be someone that you can count on." Colin said. He grabbed my hand and turned me toward him. "Rory, you deserve someone who won't put you second. You deserve someone who wants to put you first."

Wow. I couldn't believe that Colin was saying all of these things about me. But what he was saying was the truth. For years I had known that Logan was in a relationship with the French Heiress named Odette, but it wasn't until things started get hard in Stars Hollow that I started to try to cling to him, but Colin was right I did deserve better. But could Colin be that person that I could rely on? "Yes, but your Logan's best friend." I said.

"I may be his best friend, but that doesn't matter right now. What matters right now is you." He said.