Chapter 3.
Coffee and Brad Pitt
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
"Hey Sunshine," Cecilio chimed as Rory made her way into the prep area of the diner. "Good Morning?" He asked when she came into full view.
"Ugh not now Cecilio I haven't had any coffee yet. My machine broke this morning and trust me it wasn't pretty when I took a big swig of hot water." She uttered defeated.
"You didn't notice that it wasn't, say a coffee brown colour." He asked bemused.
"Please, Cecilio I don't function without coffee, I wouldn't even notice if I ate paper instead of toast."
"Would you happen to forget to change into your work clothes if you didn't have your coffee?" He asked.
"Well probably as I said I don't function wel…wait why?" He rolled his eyes down to her pants. Following his gaze she looked down. "Oh my God! I forgot to change." She yelled. "Great" she groaned.
"What's all the commotion back here?" Leah walked in from the front taking in Rory standing in her purple rubber duckie pj bottoms. "Rory, I think you got your days mixed up pyjama day is next Thursday." She stated in mock seriousness trying hard not laugh.
"My coffee machine broke." Was all she responded with knowing that Leah knew her necessity for the brown elixir of life.
"Oh dear well go get changed and come back when your decent. Don't worry now, this happens to the best of us." She said sympathetically. "Oh take some coffee before you go." Rory groaned walking over and downing a cup of coffee before walking back to her bike.
"Hey Sunshine." Cecilio chimed as Rory re-entered the prep room.
"Please Cecilio not again; I'm not wearing PJ's anymore."
"I wasn't going to say anything." He smiled innocently.
"Right and I'm Michelle Kwan." He laughed.
"Ah Rory you're here and dressed." Leah came into the kitchen smiling delightedly. "There's a guy asking for you at table 2."
"What? Who is it?" she exclaimed.
"I don't know blonde hair, medium build, Brad Pittish the early years."
"Oh no." She groaned.
"Why's that?" Cecilio and Leah chimed.
"I met him last night at the pub, he says I owe him a story 'cause well I kind of told him I would if he would tell me his story." She muttered.
"And you ran before you told him yours. But how'd he know you worked here?" She asked intrigued by where this was going.
"I told him." Rory groaned again.
"You like this guy." Leah said plainly.
"What? No!"
"You told him you work here you wanted to see him again on some level."
"No I did not it slipped out I regretted it the minute I said it." She denied adamantly not wanting to even go down that road.
"Okay?" Leah smiled slightly. "Well you can take table two. Mmkay."
"But Leah you said…"
"Rory you know how I hate table two I have to inch around the ketchup table and you know how much I hate doing that."
"But, but…"
"No Cecilio agrees with me he says it's bad for his health 'cause I bitch about it so much."
"It's true." Cecilio nodded emphatically.
"Fine I'm not getting out of this am I?" She sighed frustrated.
Leah smiled shaking her head vehemently. "Seriously Rory you haven't been out with anyone since you've been here and that guy out there is genuinely interested in you. Just go have fun, laugh, God knows you deserve it."
Rory just shook her head taking a breath before pushing through the swinging doors. There weren't very many people today, an elderly couple ate brunch at a window table and a traveller sat sipping coffee in the corner and of course Lance sat at his regular table, and there in the chair at the other window was Logan. He was staring out the window and she had time to look him over, he wore dusty blue pants, well fitted tee, and spiked blonde hair. Leah was right he definitely was good looking; she wasn't one to base a relationship or opinion on looks but…No! She shook her head she didn't want a relationship with this guy she wanted him to go away. She turned on her heel ready to go back to Leah feigning sickness. She made it to the doorway when he noticed her.
"Rory." She groaned at her name coming from his lips. She debated whether to turn around or keep going.
"Rory?" She kept going walking past Leah, past Cecilio and out the door grabbing her helmet and jacket. She couldn't deal with this situation she couldn't be reminded of what and who she had run away from. It was all too much. On some level she knew she didn't have to tell him anything, knew she could have just laughed the whole thing off, but for the time being all she could think about was getting away far, far away from him and that.
She sped through the streets tears streaming down her cheeks, she realized she was running again and hated it she revved higher following the road she knew so well. An hour later she collapsed beside her bike on the cool grass. She sat in the same spot she sat so often to read and think. She had found it the first she week she had decided to stay in Woodgrove; a beautiful little look out point that gave a view of the small town and the surrounding area. She loved it here it was serene and fantastical and it was hers.
> > > > > > > > > > > > > >
Leah was preparing a salad when Rory ran past her and out the door. "Rory?" Leah called out to her. "Rory!" She ran out the door Rory had gone through and watched as her motorcycle peeled out of the parking lot. Leah shook her head she knew why Rory had left her life behind her, knew she hated talking about it but why had she run off like that? She didn't need to talk about it. Rory usually joked things like this off and even though Leah didn't think it healthy to do so she had to respect that decision. It must have been that guy.
"What was that about?" Cecilio asked as Leah walked back into the kitchen.
"Seems like she's running again."
"She's best at that." Cecilio sighed.
"Ya." Leah said softly. "I'm going to talk to that guy, see what his story is maybe he can shed some light on this." She shrugged.
Leah walked into the dining room with a mug of coffee and placed it in front of the young man before sitting across from him.
"Hey Kid. I'm Leah owner of the lovely establishment."
Logan looked up to see an older woman sit across from him she wore a white button down shirt and jeans covered by a white chef's apron her blonde frizzy hair was tied up in a messy bun, silver wisps escaping its hold. "Nice to meet you. I'm Logan. Thanks for the coffee." He held up the steaming mug of coffee.
"No problem. I thought I'd bring leverage for how much I'm about to pry into your life."
"Pry?" he asked questioningly.
"Well ya hmm… I got the cliff notes of you and Rory last night and then you show up here and Rory hightails it like the roadrunner."
"Wow, I made a great impression huh?" He asked downcast.
"I wouldn't take it personal sweetie, Rory had a well recent break-up let's say. She tries so hard to keep it buried but I think something about you made those memories surface again and she can't or won't handle it." She looked over at the young man staring into his coffee mug, he looked up and she looked into his hazel eyes.
"We talked a bit, I mean last night. She coerced me into telling her why I was travelling along the number one. I gave her my story, rich dad wants only son to run newspaper, only son wants nothing to do with it so he runs. Wow I can't believe I'm talking about myself in third person to a woman I don't even know." He said giving her a half-hearted smile. Leah nodded seeing how this could've affected Rory. "I didn't mean to scare her off like that, and to be fair I gave her fair warning about my miserable story, but her charming smile and wit just pulled it out of me." He chuckled.
"I know that feeling. She conned her way into a job and living arrangements from me with that charming smile and grim determination." She shared in his laugh.
She breathed in deep wondering if she should tell him Rory's real reason for running. She looked back at the guy sitting across from him he had the same look Rory had when she came to this town, a longing for a chance to get away and start new.
"Logan Right?" he nodded his head. "You seem like a genuine kid, the fact that you braved this small town and Lance to stay here and wait for Rory gives you some credence so I'm going to let you in on something about Rory that she'll either kill me for or thank me…"
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
Logan drove through town looking for the road Leah had told him to turn up; he found it a couple blocks ahead and followed the road higher and higher up the mountainside.
He saw her bike first then her lying beside it staring up at the blue sky. He hoped she wouldn't run again, he understood why she did it, hell he had done it himself. He grabbed the food Leah had given him and stepped out of his BMW…
> > > > > > > > > > > > >
Okay I wanted to end this chapter there, next up is Logan and Rory's talk or lack thereof?
I also want to say thank-you soo soo much for everyone's reviews they're awesome.
All right hope you liked it and thanxs for reading.
