Okay, no need to panic, Rory kept saying to herself. This is normal. This is empowering.
She was sure she has read it somewhere in a woman magazine while she was on the way to Hamburg. According to the article, there is nothing wrong with eating alone in the restaurant. From time to time, you need to treat yourself in a nice restaurant, wear your best dress and enjoy the best moment with yourself. Discover the true you. Be comfortable in your own skin. All that crap.
She really wishes her mom could join her in her trip so they could have fun just like the old times. But her mom is busy running the inn, as usual. And it's been too long since last time she had a holiday.
With her career going nowhere and being a nomad for quite some time now, chasing insignificant scoop here and there, she need this trip. She feels like she has been stuck in reverse. She needs to refresh. And so here she is, pitifully eating party platter alone in a bar, wearing the only dress left on her suitcase that is not dirty and pretend to be busy with anything on her hands so she doesn't look awkward being alone.
She might be 30 years old now, but she is still timid and awkward most of the time. Everything is much easier back then, when she always has a good book to bury her face in and to shield her away from awkwardness. Ah, another joy of reading books. Nowadays, people are not really into books anymore. They are too busy checking everything with their smartphones, which actually too small to function as shield of awkwardness. That's the very reason she owns 3 phones: two iPhone 4 and one BlackBerry. Just in case if one is missing and another one runs out of battery. She needs a protection. Especially in a foreign city which language she doesn't understand but still very exciting.
However, all of her stupid phone is running out of battery now since she used it extensively to take picture of her tour earlier today in Miniatur Wunderland. She feels like a tacky tourist, but whatever. This is her time to have fun and to enjoy.
Speaking of which, where is that waiter? She swears it has been almost 20 minutes now and she had finished reading the menu back and forth including the cover for three times.
She quickly throws a glance to find that waiter but her eyes staggered into a very familiar figure in the table in front of hers. Her jaw dropped and a squeal almost escaped from her lips.
There he is, sitting just few feet away from her, accompanied by a very drunk man and upset-looking but mind-blowingly hot girl. Why, of course when talking about this particular person, it is very rare to find him without hot girls on his side. His hair is darker and not as messy as she remembered, but still have a spark of gold here and there. His cute and boyish looks is now replaced by a slightly weary face with overgrown stubbles around his jawline. He definitely needs to shave. But it is clear that the boy has become the man.
He seems to wear a formal attire but not so formal now since his blouse is untucked from his pants and his tie is hanging loosely on his collar. Rory heard him laugh with that husky voice of him and she feels like she is getting a panic attack.
For a moment she seriously considers to run from the bar. But as she glances wildly, there is no way she could rise from her seat without him noticing. Maybe if she just be really quiet all the time and put the menu in front of her face?
"Ma'am, here's your party platter. Enjoy!" The damn waiter came at the wrong time and dropping a huge plate in front of her, a bowl of French fries and a big cup of coffee.
"Uh, thanks." she mumbles as quiet as she possibly can.
This is silly. She is a grown-up career woman and she don't understand why she feels so nervous for meeting her ex-boyfriend.
For God sake, pull your shits together, Gilmore! She told herself angrily. You're not in high school and you have met with President Obama for couple of times now, there is no need to panic over meeting Logan Huntzberger.
He is just a normal guy. Granted, this is the guy whose marriage proposal she rejected 8 years ago. He also happens to own the largest publishing company and listed as the one of the most influential businessman under 30 in Times magazine. So what? It's not like he won Nobel prize or something. He is just…
Her mind goes completely blank when their gaze locked across the table.
