Chapter 4:

Logan silently followed Hugo out of the restaurant to their new dinner destination. Once they made it out onto the street he let out a sigh. I was definitely not prepared for that. All he could think was who was that guy? How long had she been seeing him? Were they serious? Shit, were they married? No, they couldn't be married because he would have heard about that one. Unable to keep the questions in any longer, he blurted, "So who was that guy? She's not married, is she?"

Not really sure how to answer, or if it was even his place to answer, Hugo stood there contemplating. Finally he spoke up, "look, why don't we hold this conversation until we're sitting down, preferably with some food and alcohol in front of us."

Logan nodded his assent. Alcohol was definitely going to be necessary tonight, especially since he feared the information his friend was going to relay to him. Once inside the restaurant and seated, he quickly ordered a scotch neat, and told the waiter to keep them coming not caring if that was the best drink to accompany Thai food. He had a feeling he wasn't going to taste much of the food anyway.

Hugo was caught off guard by the degree to which Logan seemed disturbed by seeing Rory again. He knew it would be a shock but this exceeded his thoughts on the subject. He was stalling because he really didn't want to get involved in the middle of what would surely become the Rory/Logan saga. "Okay, so I'm not going to go into full details here or anything, because it is not my place. And honestly I don't want to get in middle of what is likely to become a big "thing" between the two of you." He sighed and then proceeded to tell Logan as little as possible but enough to quell Logan's oncoming freak-out. "Look, I don't know the specifics, but I can tell you without a doubt Rory is not married and has never been married. If you want more details on her personal life, you are going to have to go directly to the source. I don't talk about your personal life with her, so I won't talk about hers with you."

"Really? You've never once talked to her about me?"

"She's asked, and I've refused to give information. Has she talked about you and I've listened? Sure. But anything outside of that, I've stayed out of it and plan to continue. So if you want to talk, I'll listen, but I'm not divulging anything that is going to drag me into the middle of whatever it is you two have going or will have going as soon as you come face to face and start working together."

"Well if you're not going to help me out here with some information, I'd rather just forget the whole thing. I'm not going to sit here and talk "feelings" because my ex-girlfriend may or may not be seriously involved with someone else after all this time that we've spent apart. I was married, remember, so it's not like I have any right to be pissed off or jealous that she's with someone."

"You're right, you don't. But that doesn't mean that you aren't pissed as hell right now that I won't spill because you are so jealous of what is going on back at that restaurant."

"Shut up."

"Well put. And to think that I pay you to for your way with words…maybe we should renegotiate your fee per article."

"Okay, smartass, let's order and talk shop. So when is this company shindig that you have planned and where is it? And basically the main question is will Mitchum be there?"

"Saturday, 9:00, and as far as I know the Dark Lord will not be appearing. Your lovely ex, however, will definitely be there." He added that last part just to get a reaction, and he was rewarded with a glare.

"You've made your point. No more talk of Rory. But I do have to admit it was good seeing her. And it is good to be back on the East Coast. I missed the non-stop action and movement that is inherent in the city. California, while great at first, lost its charm; it was too laid back and not…real, if that makes sense. Eh, listen to me. I sound like a schmuck. Give me my next assignment so I can cut the bullshit and get back to what I'm good at."

"No problem. There are actually a few things that I need covered, so you can take your pick before I pass them off on others. So politics, economy, or special interests?"

"I'll take what's behind door number 2, Monty."

RLRLRLRLRLRLRL

Rory had put all of her focus on work in the days leading up to the company party that she was required to attend. Every now and then, though, images of her time with Logan made its way into her head wreaking havoc on her story and her piece of mind. Stupid Andrew putting all those thoughts in her head… So what if she hadn't had a serious relationship since Logan. It's not like she had been pining for him since her graduation day.

These were the thoughts that were still plaguing her on the Saturday of Hugo's party. She knew that she would see him, but she wasn't sure what to expect. Would he initiate conversation with her? Would he talk to her at all? Should she try to talk to him first? No, definitely not…Rory was not up for that one. But she couldn't help but think about the re-meet and the working together in the same building. She was on the lookout for him in the office, hoping to get the awkward meeting out of the way so they wouldn't be subjected to society during their first meeting since the rejection.

Rory was meticulous in preparing for the night. She found the perfect dress for the occasion, something that would hopefully cause Logan to stare and maybe even drool a bit. Of course once Andrew saw the dress, she couldn't get rid of his stupid smirk or the "I told you so" look.

"What?"

"Nothing. I thought you said that you didn't want to start anything with him again, has something changed? Are the 'what ifs' killing you so you decided you had to get his attention using your feminine wiles?"

"What the hell are you talking about? Nothing has changed, I don't want to start anything with him, and I don't even want to see him tonight."

"Uh huh. I don't buy it. Why the new knockout dress? It's not like he's seen any of your dresses that you have stashed in your closet, did you really need to buy something new for this? And something so sexy at that?"

"Everyone knows that you can't be seen in the same outfit twice at any of these types of functions. So I needed a new dress, big deal…And I definitely did not pick this out with the intention of starting things with Logan again."

"Maybe not, but admit it, you totally want him to see you in that dress and regret the day you broke things off. You want him to want you. There is a small part of you that wants him to drool when he sees you so that he knows exactly what he missed out on."

"You are quite possibly the oddest, most delusional person I know. And that is saying a lot considering the town I grew up in. This dress has nothing to do with Logan. It has everything to do with me wanting to feel confident. Plus I really did need a new dress, and I liked this one; it's all blue and pretty and the saleswoman said it looked great on me. Granted she probably just wanted to make a sale, but she sounded sincere and I thought it looked good. It does, right? Look good, I mean. It's not too much? Oh God, I look like a ho, don't I? It's too much. You can tell me."

"Rory, relax. You look great. You know you look great. And Logan isn't going to be able to take his eyes off you." She could hear the humor in his voice as he added the last comment.

Finally she admitted, "so maybe it wouldn't suck if he drooled a little…" When she saw the sparkle in Andrew's eyes, she quickly added, "but that doesn't mean that I want him back. It just means that it would be nice to see his reaction is all, and it would be nice if he still appreciated...um, the view."

He chuckled softly and kissed her forehead. "He'd have to be blind not to appreciate the view. I really hope that tonight isn't too awkward, and my offer still stands to go with you. We could totally make him jealous."

"I go back to my previous statement about you being odd. You are pushing me toward another man. We are sleeping together, yes? Are you looking to end this so soon?"

"Nah. I'll leave that up to you. We've had this discussion before, several times this week, in fact. It's time to let it go. The sooner you realize what you want out of life, the sooner you realize that it is not me and you're going to kick me to the curb. It would be hard, but I'd live. You're my best friend, kid. I just want you happy, and I know that while I make you happy, I don't make you happy. So I'm just letting you know that I will bow out gracefully when the time comes. And then I will probably hit on all of your female friends…"

"Dork."

"…just letting you know in advance. Now finish getting ready, you have a party to go to, and a blonde to make drool."

RLRLRLRLRLRLRL

She checked her lipstick one more time before leaving the ladies' room and heading back out to the party to avoid and keep an eye out for Logan. Not paying attention she collided with someone, spilling the contents of her handbag on the floor. "Umph…sorry about that, I wasn't watching where I was going."

"Well I'd say this'd count as a cute meet if we hadn't already met."

Knowing that voice anywhere, she finally looked up at the human wall that she ran in to. "Logan?"

"Ah, come on Ace, it's only been five years. Are you telling me you've forgotten me already? I'm crushed." He carried on with this line of banter with more confidence than he actually felt.

Rory just looked at him, not sure how to answer the question. Was that supposed to be a jab at her for declining his proposal? Did he think that she would move on and forget who he was and their life together? And why did he have to call her Ace? That was below the belt. She wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Now she realized why this preeminent meeting was so nerve-wracking. She really couldn't do this now. How could he make light of what they'd had? Rory began to look around for the nearest exit, or maybe she could just duck back inside the ladies' room.

At the look on her face, he realized his blunder right away. This was just as awkward for her as it was to him, but he reverted back to being an ass. "Look, sorry, I didn't mean that…it sounded a lot more carefree and non-asshole-ish in my head. But by the look on your face, I'm going to go to say that I missed the mark."

Rory still did not speak. The longer she remained silent the more uncomfortable Logan got. Finally she spoke, "Don't worry about it. It's just a shock seeing you again. I mean I knew that you would be here, but knowing and seeing are completely different, right? And here you are, it's like you haven't changed at all, except obviously you have. I mean it's been five years, right? I've changed too. See, look at my hair, that's different. And you, you're tanner and blonder, which I guess makes sense because you live in California and there's all that sun there and you were always an outdoorsy, beachy, kind of guy. Well, except, I guess that you don't live there anymore, so maybe you'll become a little paler, but don't worry pale is the new tan, or so I've been told. And are you going to stop me anytime soon or are you going to let me talk like an idiot for another ten minutes?"

A third of the way through her rant, memories of them together and her ranting about some random topic for minutes on end flashed in his mind. Happiness, guilt, and sadness swept over him all at once. He snapped out of it when she asked her question. "Well, I do miss the Gilmore rants, you and your mom are legendary. It felt like old times."

He said that last part a little wistfully, but Rory was too wrapped up in her own feelings that she missed it. They both spent the next few seconds trying to collect themselves. This was even more awkward than they had both anticipated. Thankfully, they were spared when Hugo found them.

"So I see you two have found each other." That was a loaded statement if ever there was one.

A/N: So here is the next installment. Let me know your thoughts or criticisms.