Chapter 4: When Two Doors Close

A/N: I'm going to be completely frank here, I cannot write smut, to embarrassed to try. Doesn't mean I won't allude to it though.

She barely had time to register his lips on hers but the moment she did lost all control she thought she had possessed. She watched the angel that had put up such a fight be disintegrated into nothingness as she took control of the kiss, turning them around placing his back on the elevator wall. She felt the earlier feelings of rejection melt away and she realized that this kiss was nothing at all like the first one and the first one had been enough to send her into a tail spin. This one was going to be the death of her, she was almost positive about it. And the moan that just was just emitted from his lips proved she wasn't alone in her thinking.

He pushed her off of him and himself off of the wall, not because he wanted the kiss to end, but because they were still in an elevator and he had just had every ounce of breath taken out of him. He didn't know what he expected when he followed her into the elevator, he had thought he was in store for a regular good night kiss, he had hoped for a kiss like last time, he was rewarded with one of the best make-outs he had ever had. He watched her as she tried to regain her breath, staring at the numbers on the elevators as they made their way to her floor. Finally, he spoke up. "I figured the night couldn't end without a good night kiss."

She finally tore her gaze away from the numbers and smirked at him as the elevator dinged, alerting them to the fact that they were finally at their destination. He was resigned to the fact that he was going back downstairs, she hadn't said anything, he had technically pushed her off, so now he had to go downstairs, grab a cab and then spend the evening replaying that amazing few minutes in his head. As he reached to press the button she finally spoke again, grabbing his tie and wrapping it around her hand. "I think we need to figure out who is buying breakfast tomorrow." She winked at him as she pulled him to her door and into the apartment.

RLRLRLRL

"Well, I guess that blindfold came in handy?" He said as he kissed her shoulder as they laid on her king-sized bed that felt filled for the first time since she had gotten it a few months ago.

"Definitely good to have around." She nodded in agreement as she smiled into his chest. She had her legs tangled up in his as she felt his fingers trace lines on her bare back.

"Always be—"

"Is this the part of the evening where you kick me out saying you have a really early morning tomorrow and you had a great time and you'll call me?" He said with a mocking tone and only a smidge of disappointment. "Because, I know you have a whole day of nothing planned, actually you said you had 3 days of nothing planned, and I'm pretty sure my ego can't take that rejection."

"Excuse me Huntzberger, didn't I say I expected breakfast in the morning? I'm sorry, you think I'm done with you yet? Unless you're some kind of work dork who has to leave to make sure you get home in time for a decent night's sleep to attend some awful board meeting tomorrow?" The questions had the same tone as his did, the mocking was very prevalent but underneath it the same disappointment. She had left to go into the kitchen as she said it, not to hide from the conversation but to focus on her original task. He followed her out, throwing on his boxers on the way.

He found her standing at her pantry searching for any kind of food. "Actually, I always try to book myself a light day after I come home from a trip if I can, and tomorrow I could. I wasn't exactly done with you yet either." He said as he wrapped his arms around her body and held her from behind. He nipped her ear at his last sentence.

"Well, now that we've reached a consensus that this night is no where near over at," she glanced over to the clock above the stove. "2:15 in the morning, I say we get some food."

"Not exactly where I was going with the 'night not being over' comment, but sure. Food sounds good. What do you have?" He looked into her refrigerator as he saw her pantry was bare. "My god, you eat a lot of takeout."

She just shrugged at his observation. "It's just easier, I'm usually at the office or working from home, plus Jameson was the cook in the family, not me and even then, he'd usually make dinner and leave me a plate to reheat. I just tend to eat more on the go."

"I do the same, I can't remember the last time I actually cooked."

She pointed to the pizza box as she grabbed a few water bottles and started the coffee maker. "That pizza should still be good if you'd like it?"

He nodded his head and she pointed to the cabinet with the plates as he started to reheat it.

Once they had their food and beverages they ate at the expansive kitchen island. "So, brothers, sisters, eccentric cousins?"

"You'd think we would have covered this the past two evenings out, huh?" She asked as she bit down on her pizza.

"Well, technically we're still on night two and I figured instead of focusing on how good your legs look I'd at least try to pretend to be a gentleman and make conversation."

"Fair point. I have a half-sister on my dad's side named Gigi, she is 14 so God help us all. And my mom and her husband have a little boy who is 6, which, God help my mother. Oh, and my mom's dog Paul Anka, my mom requests that I acknowledge him as my brother. What about you?"

"Just Honor."

"As in a judge? Is that one of the eccentric cousins?"

"She's definitely eccentric, but no, she's my sister. She has a husband named Josh, he's fine." He said the last part in a dry tone.

"Wow, what did the poor guy ever do to you?"

"Have you met someone and that, I'd have a better conversation with printer paper?"

She laughed but then suddenly, "Oh! Yes! There's this guy down in the Politics section, Preston Welsh."

"He's less interesting than printer paper? I've read some of stuff, he seemed good."

"That's what is so crazy, he's an exceptionally good writer, I worked with him on the Obama trail, but it's like he saves all words for his writing."

"As his boss' boss' boss, I'm happy to hear that admittedly." He said with a smirk.

"Fair, but just if you're ever in the political section, have a caffeine boost before you head to his desk. But anyway, sorry, you were saying your sister is married? Is she older or younger than you are?"

"Older by about 3 years. They have 2 kids, they live in a perfect Hartford mansion, completely settled and happy." He almost appeared to go off into his own world.

She almost didn't broach the subject but the way he spoke, with a sense of longing, she felt it was probably best to get it out of the way. "Do you want that?"

Her question startled him out of his thoughts. "Want what?"

"The perfect mansion, the wife, 2.5 kids, the Hartford Life?" She was admittedly scared of his answer, not knowing how she wanted it to go. He was the first thing in her life that felt easy, and natural and exciting. But also, scary, and reckless, and exhilarating. It was two dates that they had been on, she wasn't wanting him to drop down on one knee and propose in the middle of her kitchen, but she did want to know that if he wanted that life, the Stepford life, this couldn't go much further, and she would have been sad to give that up. Yes, they could have gone to being friends, but after the chemistry they just displayed she had a feeling that would be much harder than it would have been just a few hours ago.

He took a long sigh not knowing the right answer to this question, so he decided to just be as honest as possible. "That life works great for a lot of people, my sister included. I don't know how my life would look 'settled.' I know that I crave a home base, and I had that for a while until it all blew up. I enjoyed the life of coming home to someone, or having someone come home to me, I enjoyed the safety of that, knowing you have someone there to catch you if you fall. But, I don't need someone who is content doing my bidding or feels like they have to put themselves into a box to only serve me. My ex, she claims she cheated because I worked a lot and she was tired of being a kept woman." He rolled his eyes and managed to catch Rory doing the same, she didn't see their shared reaction, but he did, and he couldn't help but smile. "I thought and still do think it was a false reason, or the way she justified it in her head. But it showed me that I need someone who can understand that." She shook her head in understanding. "So, did I pass?"

"As long as it was the truth, then yes."

"Well, what about you, you had the married life, do you see yourself down that path again?"

"If it's with the right person, it would be worth trying again. But the right person has to be willing to understand that my work, my goals, my dreams, are important. Not to the detriment of my life necessarily, but it is something I focus on and I don't make apologizes for it. He never cared that I worked, and if our issues would have been fixed by simply not putting in 80 hours a week at our respective jobs, then I bet we would have both cut back to work it out. It just wasn't the issue. I just can't be with someone who would, to use your wording from earlier, put me in a box." After a few beats of silence, she looked up at him. "So, did I pass?"

He smiled at her and nodded his head.

"Good. To be honest, I was scared you'd say you needed someone to be like my grandmother who lives for my grandfather, and while that is so sweet to watch, and it works for some people, it's just not for me. And my mom is on the opposite end of the spectrum, she'll put most things ahead of her romantic interests and she finally figured it out when I graduated college. I'm hoping to find a happy middle. But I was worried that if you were looking for that perfect society life than this," she gestured between the two of them and then in the vague direction of her bedroom, earning herself a smirk from Logan. "whatever this is between us, would have had to end tonight, which would be a damn shame." She wiggled her eyebrows at him. "I don't even know what this is, I just know that I don't expect anything serious right away, but I can't be in something if we want two completely different things. Does that make sense or am I scaring you off?

His hair was already messy and the hand he ran through it didn't help matters, except somehow it made him that much better looking. "You're making perfect sense, no scaring at all. I won't lie to you, this has been two great kind of dates, and an amazing night. I don't know what this is, but I'd like to continue it."

She grabbed the now empty dishes and set them in the sink and grabbed his hand while she walked backwards towards her room. "How about we 'continue this' in the bedroom?"

"Remember what we said about cheesy lines earlier? They work for you."

RLRLRLRL

Just a few short hours after they fell asleep Logan's phone alarm went off at 7:30 he begrudgingly shut it off as he wrapped Rory up in his arms when he heard her muffled voice.

"You know, I took a personal day to rest, and sleep in, if I would have known you were going to wake me up I don't know if I would have allowed you to sleep over." She looked up at him and he saw the joking glint in her eye.

"I think I made it well worth your while Miss Gilmore, plus at least you get to go back to sleep, I have to trudge myself down the street, shower, change and still go into work."

"That is a good point, I get to sleep, and relax, maybe even sit at a coffee shop and read something other than an article I need to proof."

As he started to get up and put the clothes on for his walk of shame he suddenly stopped. "What are you doing this evening?"

"Bravo marathon, wine, popcorn, sweatpants."

"Wow, hot." He deadpanned. "Got a white hat to go with that gladiator evening there Ace?"

"You know, it's not nice to make fun of someone's plans. What do you have going on? Working, followed by a quick snack at your desk, then more work?"

"Well I was going to invite you out with me and the boys tonight, but since someone is being mean maybe I should rethink my offer."

"You don't have to do that Logan."

"Do what?"

"Invite me out along with you for a boy's night. I'm sure you would have much more fun without me and you just had to deal with me for almost 12 straight hours."

"Yes, and I want to spend this evening with you too. Come on, one night and then I'll leave you to your quiet weekend. Plus, you have the whole day to rest up."

"I'm not sure. I'll think about it though." She answered distractedly as she watched him put on his slacks, even wrinkled and a mess they still hugged certain attributes of his perfectly. He turned around and caught her mid-stare.

"You know, my ass will be at the bar too tonight." She blushed at his call out but quickly shook her head. "Listen, I'll be here at 8 to pick you up, sound good?"

"Whoever said I was going?" She challenged him as she walked him to the door, but she knew she would be going. How could she not?

RLRLRL

That evening at 7:20 she was standing in front of her closet when she decided to pull in the big guns and Facetime her mom. "Hey sweets! What's going on? Oh, your hair looks pretty and great makeup job. Let me guess, fashion advice needed?"

"Please!" Rory pleaded as she held up a deep purple dress that hit mid-thigh and had short sleeves on it with a V-neck, it was nice, definitely good for a club, but she just wasn't sure.

"I will help you under one condition."

"I can't babysit this weekend or next."

"Not my condition but I'll keep that in mind for your next emergency. No, my condition is that you tell me why you need advice."

"I'm going to a bar with some friends." Rory tried to be evasive, even turning the camera to show off her closet instead of her face.

"Rory, you've been going to bars for years and successfully dressing yourself for even longer, so who is the guy?"

"There is no guy."

"Rory, come on, who is the guy."

Rory groaned and told her the story about Logan, from the first time they saw each other in years, to the past almost 24 hours including the heavier conversation they had. She left out the particularly vivid details though to preserve some sanctity.

"Wow kid, I'm surprised I'm just now hearing about this."

"Well, I have been so busy lately that I just hadn't taken stop to think clearly. I probably would have been at that office until midnight or later if Logan hadn't made me stop and actually enjoy the evening."

"I'm already liking this kid more and more."

"He seems like a good guy mom, he was a good guy back in college but now he's just more focused and I don't know, I don't know what it could be, but it will be fun to see-"

"Oh, oh pick that one! That one!" Lorelei quickly interrupted.

"What, this red one?" Rory held up a dress just like the purple dress from earlier.

"Yes! It will look great on you, perfect for date night and for making an impression on his friends, plus if you guys feel like dancing it's a good dress for that too as it won't be to tight that you're suffocating. Pair it with some dark blue pumps and you'll be great."

"Thank you so much, mom!"

"You're welcome, and kid, it doesn't have to lead anywhere serious, and it is okay to have fun, remember that okay?"

"I will." She hung up the phone and shimmied into the dress and shoes, just as she was throwing on a red lip stain she heard the door bell ring. When she answered the door, she couldn't help but gawk, gone were the wrinkled clothes from this morning, now he was in a red, small plaid pattern buttoned down with the sleeves rolled up and blue slacks that matched his tie which was hanging loosely around his neck. Without thinking she let out a breath. "Damn, Huntzberger you look good."

His head shot up at her words and he sent her a charming smile as he raked his eyes over her body and he took off his tie. "Nothing compared to you, holy shit."

"Flattery will get you everywhere my friend." She smiled as he grabbed her waist and kissed her in the doorway.

"Ah, I think I'm more than just a friend, don't you think Ace?"

"Good point. Come in for a minute, I just have to grab something."

He walked in behind her as she was gathering her clutch for the evening, he set his tie down on the living room end table.

"Ready to go?" She asked him as she walked out of the kitchen holding her small bag.

"Whenever you are."

"I'm ready." She went to follow him out of her apartment as he went to grab the tie she grabbed his hand to stop him. "Don't worry, just grab it when you leave tomorrow." She winked at him and then used the hand that was still holding his and led them out of the apartment. Bringing a groaning Logan with her into the elevator. Just like last night he had backed her into a wall and kissed her deeply before pulling away and bringing his lips to her ear.

"That wasn't very nice Ace. Game on." And he ran his finger up her thigh while barely nipping at her ear until the elevator doors opened and he walked off, leaving a very flustered Rory standing shock still for a few seconds until she hastily made her way into the lobby and off to the evening with his friends.