"SHHHHHH!" I insisted as I unlocked the door to the apartment I shared with my boyfriend. After all, Logan had just been in a terrible accident and he did need his rest. Colin and Steph were giggling about something, who knew what. Everything was foreplay with those two. Finn was singing what sounded suspiciously like "Mandy" at the top of his lungs. I had agreed to let them all come over today because they hadn't seen Logan in almost three weeks. I was trying to get him to recuperate from the Life and Death Brigade stunt and I knew he would push himself too hard if they were around. But lately, he had been so depressed. So I sought them out. There they were at the pub just like always. It didn't take much to urge them to come over.
Logan looked up from the TV when we walked through the door, a sparkle I had missed came back into his eyes. "Don't get up!" I scolded as he reached for his cane. "They can come to you."
Finn ran over to the bed and jumped on my side missing Logan's bad leg by inches. I winced, but didn't say anything. I was not going to be the mom today. Steph and Colin pulled chairs over to the bed and they all chatted happily, catching up on the past few weeks. I walked into the kitchen to make everyone iced tea.
As I turned around from the fridge, I saw Steph leaning against the counter smiling back at me. "So, you two seem better," she said smirking.
"What do you mean" I asked. Yes, Logan and I were better. We had spoken about a lot of things since the accident that neither one of us would bring up prior. I found out that Logan was jealous of Jess. Insanely jealous of Jess. He knew that Jess held a special place in my heart because he was the guy I felt was unfinished. It was like I still felt that I could fix Jess, fix all of his problems. That was what I was supposed to do. Stupid maybe, but it was how I felt. Logan realized that even though he was in this committed relationship with me, I was still waiting for him to bail and go back to his old ways. He tried to assure me that it would never happen. Rory, I love you he said. Although we still have trust issues, we're working on them now rather than ignoring them. He tells me about his past, including his childhood now instead of hiding it. Do you know he never told me anything about his childhood? I never thought about it, but that didn't make me feel secure, like he didn't trust me with his past because he didn't want to get close. I promised never to see Jess again. I realized that if it was the choice between Logan and Jess, I'd choose Logan every time.
"Rory," Steph brought me out of my thoughts. "Did you see the way his face lit up when you walked in the door?"
Truth is, I did notice it. I notice it every time. It still melts my heart. "We just realized something's aren't worth fighting over," I replied with a shrug. "Now come on, make yourself useful," I said gesturing to the two glasses of iced tea I couldn't grab.
"You're not getting off that easy," she whispered in my ear when she joined the rest of the group. I just laughed. We both know that we will have a movie night and I will spill everything, and she will give me all of the dirt on Colin and his inability to commit. We will consume insane amounts of junk food and feel really sick the next morning.
"Rory, love, this tea isn't from Long Island is it?" Finn asked.
"No Finn, non alcoholic I'm afraid." Finn made a gesture like he had been stabbed in the heart.
"Man, you don't need anymore. I can smell you from here," Logan teased his friend. And so the banter continued for another couple of hours until Logan's eyes began to droop and I was forced to be the mom again.
"Alright, everyone out," I stood up and started ushering them out the door. Everyone groaned except Logan who gave me a small smirk before saying goodbye to his friends.
"You're a mean mommy!" Colin pouted as the threesome mad their way to the door.
"Colin, I promise, you and Finn can come back and play Friday, but right now Logan needs to rest," I smiled at him. Colin hugged me. "Thanks, we've been worried about him," he said.
"Anytime you want to come, you're welcome. I just wanted him to get a little better before he felt like he had to entertain," I replied.
"You're good for him, Ror," he said and walked out the door.
"Call me about movies," Steph said.
"Rory, love, try to get some good liquor in the house next time?" Finn said as he left.
As I closed the door, I chuckled. Logan really had good friends. Eccentric, wild, sometimes immature, but loyal to a fault. He was lucky to have them.
I noticed Logan looking at me as I walked over to our bed. His eyes looked mischievous and he had the famous Huntzberger grin on his face. "What?" I asked.
"How do you know exactly what I need?" he asked breaking into a grin.
"It's a gift," I replied. "So, good surprise? I was worried you weren't up to it yet, but you seemed so down lately that I knew you needed something to cheer you up so I was trying to think of something…" I knew I was babbling.
Logan grabbed my waist and pulled me down onto his lap. His lips came crashing down on mine in a way that always seemed to knock the air right out of my lungs. I wrapped my arms around his neck and intensified our kiss by gently seeking his tongue with mine. When we parted, I knew I was flushed, but he was still grinning. "You were babbling," he said, his voice now husky. "Thank you, Ace. For everything," he said. I gently rolled over him so that I wouldn't hurt him and lay down. He turned off the light and rolled over wrapping his arms around me. It only took five minutes for his breathing to steady; I knew he was asleep. I finally closed my eyes and let sleep consume me too.