Rory had left after the announcement appeared in the papers. Packing up her life, she had boarded the plane and not looked back, whether for herself or for him, she wasn't sure. Maybe everything would have been different if she had stayed but she couldn't take that chance, couldn't risk it all on a variable that would change at any minute.
Logan had thought of her often at first, her face consuming his thoughts and dreams. He had not loved her, for at the time he thought himself incapable of love. There was something about her, some nameless quality that had allured him and kept him trapped, forever immersed in her. There was no word of her leaving and, as he had vowed to stay away from her, it was weeks before he had found out that she had gone. Surprisingly, it was his new wife that had informed him of her departure; hand on her rounded stomach, victorious smirk on her meticulously made-up face.
Marie had reason to be victorious; for everyone knew that her husband didn't love her, didn't respect her and would forever look upon her with disdain. With her competition gone, maybe his heart would change and he would see her as an equal, as someone to cherish, as he had seen Rory She had known that he had been involved with someone else when she had informed him of his impending fatherhood, had known that he genuinely cared for his girlfriend. She had also known that he was an honorable man who would do his duty to his unborn child and its mother by marrying her. So it was with joy in Marie's heart that she gleefully announced Rory's departure to her husband and she reveled in the fact that he was now completely hers.
And that was it, the last Logan had heard of her, not the last time he thought of her but soon even his memories became hazy and his dreams became no more than fleeting thoughts that were soon brushed aside. She had disappeared from their social circles and as her grandparents had taken to avoiding him, he had no knowledge to where she had gone. It took a lot of sleepless nights for him to realize that it was probably best for both of them, not to mention his wife and child that she had left.
It was years later that he saw her again. There was a party at the country club, an opportunity for business men to show off their wives that they worked late nights to avoid and their children who were raised by people who were paid to do such things. Logan was no different, arriving with his arm wrapped around his wife who he had been cheating on the night before; trailed by his son, whose soccer game he had missed two days ago due to "more important things". He had been standing in a group of his old college friends, catching up with people who he had once been inseparable with before real life got in the way, when he saw her.
She looked the same and yet different, there was an air of maturity that wasn't there when he had known her. Her dress was simple; classic, black and knee length but somehow she made it look like it was unique. He hadn't thought about her in years, so it came as a surprise when he felt something akin to regret. For the first time in ages, he wondered what would have happened if everything hadn't become so messed up between the two of them.
A wineglass in her hand, Rory leaned against the wall, casually surveying the party through veiled eyes. She smiled faintly at something a woman in a blue dress was telling her before grinning and straightening, only to stagger back slightly as a blonde blur hit her stomach. His stomach tightened when he saw a man walk up to her, placing a kiss on her temple and an affectionate arm around the child who was still attached to her waist.
It was then that his friends noticed his object of scrutiny. "Hey, isn't that-?"
"Yup". Logan took a large swallow of the drink that he was holding ignoring the lessons of decorum that told him that to do so was impolite.
"I haven't seen her in years. I wonder how she's doing."
He made a noncommittal noise, wishing that they would change the topic. Before he could bring up the impact of forestry on the global economy, her name had been yelled across the room and Rory looked up from the man that she had been immersed in, turning in their direction. When she saw who had called her, she murmured something to the people she was with, making them laugh, and ambled over to where the group was convened.
It took her awhile to make her way across the room, as she was frequently stopped by party-goers faking interest in her general well-being. By the time she approached the group, Logan's wife had arrived, wrapping a possessive hand around his arm.
"Well, well, well, the gangs all here." The words were light and the smile on her face took away any thought that Rory had meant them to be insulting.
She exchanged handshakes and hugs with everyone she knew, and was dutifully introduced to those she did not, as was custom. The conversation flowed from there and she seemed content to just listen to them talk, occasionally throwing out an idea or opinion but mostly stayed silent. This was until the conversation became focused upon her and what she had been up to.
"So I hear you graduated from Oxford?" This came from Logan's wife, who was smiling sweetly; pretending that she hadn't rejoiced when she found out that her husband's ex had been leaving the continent.
Just as Rory had been acknowledging the question to be true, a small blonde girl had wandered over to the group and was tugging at the bottom of her dress.
"Mum," her quiet voice had a slight English accent, proving that Rory had stayed in England even after graduating college. "I'm tired. When are we going to go?"
Rory smiled fondly at her daughter, smoothing a hand over her blonde head before replying with, "Soon, I promise."
Logan stared at the little girl wondering why she looked so familiar. His wife had stiffened at her arrival, cluing him on to the fact that there was something that he didn't know. He absolutely hated to be left out of the loop. It was then that he realized that the girl, who had called his ex "mum", had to be the same age as his young son. The implications of his line of thought hit him like a ton of bricks and he took another long swallow of his drink, frowning when he realized that his glass was empty. He signaled to a passing waiter to bring him another one.
Rory looked up from her quiet conversation with her daughter and realized that everyone was staring at her, questions on their lips.
"This is my daughter, Rai. Rai, these are some of my friends from when I lived here."
The young girl, Rai, smiled shyly and murmured something incoherently. The group looked fondly at the timid girl who gripped her mother's hand so tightly. It was then that the blond man from before arrived, holding a baby wrapped in a blue bundle in his arms.
"Daddy!" Rai squealed, letting go of her mother's hand and gripping her father's leg. The man carefully transferred the baby to Rory and placed a hand on his daughter's shoulders.
"Hey kiddo," he grinned, showing perfect teeth that matched his already perfect appearance. He leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on his wife's cheek.
His wife grinned up at him, her whole face lighting up, as she carefully held the precious bundle in her arms. For a brief moment, Logan wondered if Rory had ever looked at him like that, like he was her entire world. He quickly dismissed the notion, realized that even she had, it scarcely mattered now.
"This is my husband, Tristan," Rory motioned to the man standing beside her, who smiled distractedly, obviously enthralled with his young daughter who was whispering in his ear. "And this handsome boy is our son, Hayden."
She pulled back the blanket a little, revealing a baby boy with brilliant blue eyes, and blond hair like his father. He blinked up at the people watching him, before yawning and closing his eyes. The women cooed and gazed enviously at the baby's mother, who appeared to have it all; beauty, a devoted husband, beautiful children and money.
Rory grinned and blushed at the compliments, accepting them graciously, before making her excuses, claiming that they were tired and needed a good night's sleep before dealing with Tristan's parents in the morning. The people gathered laughed appreciatively, identifying with problematic in-laws and parents, and said their good-byes, promising to keep in-touch.
Logan knew that this would be the last time he saw Rory, knew that she wouldn't keep in touch, and he wanted her to know that if he had had a choice, and had known about his daughter before marrying Marie, he would have chosen to be with Rory. He wondered if she had known about Rai when he married another woman, when she had left all those years ago. As he watched his daughter in nothing but blood, cling on to another man who she called "daddy", he knew that it didn't matter as there was no going back.
Maybe everything would have been different, or maybe everything would be the same; different wife, different child, same life. He hadn't loved her and maybe he never would have, or maybe they had been soul mates in the making, destined to be together. Whatever the outcome would have been, life moved on and time went by.
Logan wrapped an arm around his wife, plastering a smile on his face. Tomorrow nothing would change; there was no visible sign that his world has just gotten turned completely upside-down for in truth, it hadn't. He would go back to being a workaholic, with too much to do to spend time with his family. Tonight was a just look into what he could have had and who he could have been but then the quick glimpse was over and cold, hard reality had emerged once more.