Rory hopped out of her cab in front of Rich Man's Shoe. A gust of wind stole the sailor's cap from atop her head and she chased it down the sidewalk.
"Well, this would be a meet cute if we hadn't met already Ace!"
Rory locked eyes with the intriguing hazel -eyed blond who took the liberty of adjusting the cap on her head.
"No worse for the wear darling. Well, everything looks ship shape out here Logan, so bring her aboard after the two of you are done drooling over one another."
"Please shut your porthole Finn," Logan smiled, offering his hand to whisk Rory inside.
"Um, so, do you often celebrate Hump Day? Wednesdays? I mean, sure, it's as good as any other day of the week to unwind, but I usually have, in fact I do have quite a lot of reading left to do before the weekend comes, and…"
"Whoa whoa, shiver me timbers, let's get a drink from Captain Morgan first, and by Morgan, I mean my already soused pal Finn Morgan whom you just met. If you don't imbibe you'll have to swab the deck."
Logan and Rory sailed through the entrance straight into a scene from South Pacific. Several couples were performing a choreographed number, screaming the lyrics to Bloody Mary WHILE DRINKING bloody marys.
Palm fronds brushed at her legs as they pushed their way to the bar.
"Down the hatch!" Rory, Logan, and several others assembled at the bar grabbed a shot glass and took orders from that exotic Finn fellow. Where am I anyway? This doesn't look a thing like it does during the day when I grab a take out burger. Who knew there were so many seaworthy people on campus? I wonder how many Sailor Moons are here tonight? Wow, I see Captain Ahab, Nemo, Davy Jones, 2 more Jack Sparrows but Finn is hands down the best looking, one Bluto…
"Ace? What's the story with you and Marty? Are you together? I mean, I didn't have him bartend tonight and you arrived single, so…"
"We are friends. We hang out a lot, watch Duck Soup. It's platonic."
"I don't know if that is true. I could never be platonic friends with you. I mean, you are beautiful, you belong on the prow of a ship," he stated, matter-of-factly, sipping from one side of his mouth and sheepishly grinning from the other side.
Rory blushed so deeply she could feel her cheeks burning. His flattery was making her uncomfortable. His eyes were making her feel bashful.
"Logan, dance with me and save me from Finn's sword," a tall, leggy slutty mermaid (barely a mermaid considering she barely wore enough clothing to imply she even was a mermaid) yanked Logan into the middle of the room, dancing provocatively to Frankie Ford's 'Sea Cruise.'
As she watched them writhe around the ersatz dance floor, Rory grew jealous of the little almost naked mermaid. Snapping her out of her thoughts was Finn, who steered the two of them out to the floor and who immediately swung Rory around, dipping her, and bringing her back so close to his face that she felt hypnotized by his sparkling ocean blue eyes. I'm drunk. The floor feels like a moving ship on choppy seas. I need to sit.
Rory broke contact with the lanky Finn, and found an abandoned stool in the corner. I need coffee.
"Hello, I don't think we've met. My name is Robert. And you are?"
"Rory. Rory Gilmore."
"Well hello Rory Rory Gilmore. Who gave you permission to come aboard this starlit night? Was it Mark? Benjamin? Colin?"
"No, it was Logan. Do you know Logan Huntzberger?"
"That Huntzberger has quite the eye. Yes, I know Logan, known him since prep school. A cad if you ask me, but a fun loving one nonetheless. Do you eat dinner on Fridays, and if so, would you like to have dinner with me? There will be less sea shanties of course, but I cannot promise a lack of sea turtles, sea shells or sea..."
"MEN! Right Bobert? C'mon, last number of the evening and we need equal lines!" Finn commanded.
Rory felt like she was in a cartoon. Everyone was so animated in their movements and speech, she couldn't believe this was a celebration of a random Wednesday. She laughed deeply at the sight before her now, rows of her peers dressed as a wide array of nautical characters, improvising an electric slide to Billy Ocean's 'Carribean Queen.' Logan was definitely the captain of this eccentric ship.
"Oh my gosh, it's 1:15! I have Chaucer yet to read, and I'm tired, and, is there sand in my shoes?"
"Hey Ace, no worries. I'll walk you back to your dorm right now. Here's your purse, and wait, is this a book in here? You brought the book Master and Commander with you? What page did you end on? I can quiz you."
"I didn't read it tonight, how could I with the endless sea shanties, dance numbers, mixed drinks? I always carry a book with me. Don't be offended, Billy Budd."
"Does that make you or Finn Claggart? How'd you know my character?"
"I noticed the belt buckle inscribed with 'Bellipotent.' Did anyone here guess what that stood for?"
"So I stand in the presence of a reader. Good to know. Now let's get you safely home so you don't turn into a sea urchin."
"Aye aye sailor!" Rory was swept up in the dopey happy vibe of the evening. She was still drunk, but at least she was not passed out and the floor felt solid now. Still couldn't understand the sand crunching around in her shoes.
The walk was relatively quiet, as Logan assumed that drunk Rory was focusing on the task at hand – home. She couldn't find her keys , so Logan took her purse and tried to fish around for the keyring.
"RORY! Where have you been? You never answered my calls. Huntzberger, what are you doing at our door? Explain yourself!"
"Hey Paris, fine evening, no? I was walking our girl home from a hump day party and…"
"I hope everyone you encountered was properly sterilized and it was an STD-free evening. I'll take it from here JFK junior. I'm sure you have some bimbette on deck, so run along now I'll put 'our girl' to bed so she doesn't need a forensics exam before the dawn."
"You are a scary woman, Paris Gellar."
"She knows krav maga…" Rory whimpered, fading fast as Logan grabbed her waist to prop her up."
"Well, don't just stand there, bring her inside Richie Rich."
"I got ya Ace, only a few more steps and you can drift off into spinny sleep. She should drink a full glass of water and take an aspirin before her head hits the pillow."
"I'll be sure to do just that Dr. Zhivago. Not a word of this to anyone on the paper."
"Paris, you know me and how often I show my face, there's no one to tell. Goodnight."
"Well? Let yourself out. No kisses from sleeping beauty and I don't want herpes."
"Paris, does the teen sex task force know about you?" and he left the dorm room, pleased with his interaction with Rory, and proud that he wasn't beaten up by Paris.
"Honestly Gilmore, what do you see in that trust fund Dennis the Menace?"
"He's sweet."
"So what, are you two dating now? I've heard he's just a playboy."
"Easy Paris, we are friends. That's it."
"Well, he certainly wasn't looking at you like a Care Bears companion. You're too drunk to reason with right now, here, drink this water, swallow this pill and get some sleep. We'll dissect this in the morning."
"Looking forward to it Paris. Thanks. Goodnight."
