A Gala Affair
"My day way fun!" Reilly cried, "I didn't go to play care, I went to Sophie's wif Aunt Stephie"
"That's nice" Tristan said, ignoring her
"Oh, and a nice man came over. He wanted to play wif me. And he brought coffee for mommy" Reilly smiled, happy with herself for remembering. Tristan looked at Rory, quizzically. Reilly continued, "I think he was a doctor, 'cause when Aunt Stephie came in to ask mommy if I could come play with Sophie, mommy was lying on the couch with no shirt on, and the man was looking at her"
Tristan put down his fork and stared at Rory, waiting for an explanation, "Well?"
Rory's mind raced, "I was standing on top of one of the chairs, over by the window, trying to dust, you know its atrociously dirty up there, but the chair fell over, and I hurt my back. I just called, Steph, and she told me she had a chiropractor friend, so she sent him over and he massaged my face and did a few exercise and it was fine. Just to do the excersizes, I had to take off my shirt so it wouldn't inhibit movement, just procedure. I'm fine now" Rory gushed, a lie spouting from her mouth faster than she could comprehend what she was saying
Tristan looked sceptical, but he let it go, seeming satisfied. Dinner went on without further incedint, but Rory;s nerves were to frazzled to even think about eating.
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"Rory, check out your closet! We're going out tomorrow night!" Tristan said loudly when he waltzed in the door. It had been a week since Logan had shown up, but Rory hadn't heard from him since. She was beginning to think that it had been a fluke, just something to make them get over what once was. She was recovering, and growing accustomed again to the life she had led for three years, but she wasn't sure if she was up for facing Stephanie or any of her friends.
"Out? Like a party out?" Rory said uneasily
"Yeah, it's the annual Blue and Black Gala, I completely forgot about it, but I found the invite on my desk this morning"
"I'm not sure if I'm up for a party, my back still aches a little, and besides, what will we do about Reilly?" Rory tried to make an excuse
"Your back will be better, and even if it's not, I'm sure you will handle it perfectly. Reilly can stay with Sophie, I hear Colin recently hired a wonderful new sitter" Tristan assured her
"I don't know Tristan, galas have never been my thing" Rory couldn't think of anything to say
"Rory, please come. It's a huge event. Everyone who's anyone in New York will be there. You have to appear as my wife at this party, to present ourselves to the NYC society. It's protocol" Tristan said seriously
"Fine" Rory gave in. She knew there was no use even trying to argue with Tristan when it came to matters of society.
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"Rory, you look wonderful" Tristan said, admiring her dress for the first time, as they got out of the car and began to mount the steps to the colossal building where the gala was being held.
"Thanks" Rory's heart fluttered slightly at the compliment, but not in a romantic sort of way, just a flattered one. It was true though, she was gorgeous. Her black dress shone navy when the light hit it. It was just above knee length, made of plain silky material. It had v-neck and a halter top. It was completely backless, making Rory's skin look porcelain next to the black color. They entered the hall together, and were only slightly taken aback by the immense size of the room. It reminded Rory of the ballroom from Disney's version of Anastasia. She felt like a princess, elegantly gliding down the staircase that was wide enough for an elephant to walk down.
"Rory" Tristan said awkwardly, " I wanted to warn you, I heard that your brother, Finn, is in town. He might be at this party. I'm asking you, if he tries to talk to you, be civil, and forget that your family tried to force you to be like them, and then abandoned you"
Rory choked on his words. Clearly he doesn't remember the real story, the part where he's the villain, and my family is my side kicks. Rory thought disgustedly. "Sure, of course" Rory said sweetly
"Rory!" Stephanie screeched, "You promised details, but you never called!" Steph pouted
"Details on what?" Tristan asked, not missing a beat
"We we're planing on going shopping this weekend, and I told her she could pick where, but she never called to confirm anything" Stephanie lied easily, not even batting an eye
"Hey DuGrey" Colin said, neutrally greeting Tristan. Colin didn't hate Tristan, cause he was married to Rory who was Colin's wife's best friend, but he defiantly didn't like him, because Tristan was the guy that ruined it for Logan and Rory, who had know Colin first. Colin never showed any emotion when he spoke to Tristan
"McCrae" Tristan responded, equally bland
"Rory, you'll never guess who just walked in behind you" Stephanie starred up the stairs behind Rory
"Finn!" Rory cried, a surge of family love filled her at the sight of her brother
Finn spotted her right away. Though he wanted to hate her, alcohol made him forget the reason why, but she was his sister, so he couldn't help smiling. "Rory!" he quickly walked towards her
"God, it's so good to see you!" Rory felt her eyes water, "I have wanted to call you so many times" She said truthfully
"I didn't realize I missed you so much until now" Finn said, pulling her into a bear hug
"How's mom?" Rory whispered
"She gets by, not as much spark with you gone, but she's still Lorelai" Finn assured her. They looked at each other for a while in silence, though not an uncomfortable one.
Tristan glared shiftily at Finn, "I forgot to lock the car, be right back" he excused himself
"One second, I have to take this call" Clin also excused himself, answering his buzzing phone, and walking towards the door
"You never gave me details Rory, Logan visited, and what exactly happened?" Stephanie continued as if Finn weren't standing right beside them
"Please tell luv, he won't utter a word to me. Completely silent. If I even say your name he goes all blank and distant" Finn joined the conversation
Rory looked at Finn, "You are in touch with Logan?"
"He's my roommate, continue the story please!" Finn said quickly
"Nothing happened. I just told him that nothing could change, that it would be better if we didn't see each other, not even as friends" Rory said, not looking either of them in the eye
"Do you believe that?" Stephanie asked seriously
"Sadly, yes, I can't change how my life turned out" Rory said sadly. Finn and Stephanie, instead of arguing, were silent.
Suddenly Finn said, "Did you sleep with him?"
The question caught Rory off guard. She had expected it, but not from Finn. Finn had been close to killing Logan when he found out that Rory was dating him all those years ago, what was Finn thinking now? "Um no, I didn't" She answered uncomfortably
"But she was close" Stephanie turned her attention to Finn, "I walked in on them. They were on the couch, and clothes were beginning to get sparse, if you know what I mean"
"After three years Rory? You still love him?" Finn asked
"Well... I..." Rory stammered, "I really don't know. I think I do, I don't think I ever stopped, or I ever will" she said truthfully
"Aww" Stephanie smiled
"The thing that really got me, was that he is Reilly's father" Rory said, her eyes clouding over
"Well, we figured that much, unless you we're cheating on him at the time" Finn said, sarcastically
"No, that's not what I mean. I mean, he really was her father. He acted like a father should act. When she asked him to play with her, he didn't say 'not now' and dismiss her like Tristan, he said 'sure' like a real father would. He actually cares, and he hasn't even been there to see her grow all these years. It seems so wrong. But he was the perfect father"
"That's so sweet" Stephanie cooed
"God, and all this without a drink in my hand" Finn said, disturbed by the girl talk
Rory laughed, "Let's hit the bar"
"Mind if I join?" A familiar voice behind them asked. All three of them turned around to face the soft chocolate eyes of one Logan Huntzberger
"Oh good, you showed" Finn said, patting him on the back in greeting
"Sorry, I didn't really get to say hi last week, you and Rory we're... kinda busy. So here it is properly, hi, wow, it's been a while" Stephanie said, smiling
"Yeah, it has. Great to see you. I assume Colin is here someplace" Logan said to his old friend
"He had to take a call, and DuGrey is god knows where, he didn't seem happy when we ran into Finn" Stephanie informed him
Logan turned to Rory, "Hey Ace, you look fabulous. Are you going to at least say hi to me?"
"Hi Logan" She said, still finding it hard to control the quaver in her voice, "Logan I..." Rory was cut off by Stephanie
"Look out, husband alert" Stephanie said, nodding in the direction of the stairs, where Tristan had reappeared, and was glancing around looking for them. Logan took a few steps back, melting into the crowd
"Oh there you are" Tristan said, walking up to them, not noticing Logan, who stood only a few feet away
Stephanie's mind went to work, "Tristan, I was wondering, you're in the insurance business, right?"
Tristan automatically went into work mode, "Yes, do you need assistance?"
"Yeah, my house might have termites, but I think our statement might have a fault, because for some reason, the men at the agency refuse to pay the repairs. I know, we have the money to pay for the repairs, but I would really like to know where the loophole is, and how to get a better statement" Stephanie said, motioning to Rory.
Rory got the message. She faded back into the crowd, unnoticed by Tristan, who was obsessed by interrogating Stephanie about her insurance problems. Rory silently grabbed Logan's hand and led him back through the crowd, away from Tristan and the others. Thank god for Stephanie, her mind was always on overdrive, she could make up a lie to suit any situation on the spur of the moment. Rory pulled Logan out into the hall and into the first room she saw, which happened to be the supply closet. He carefully shut the door behind them, but she noticed that he did not turn on the light.
"So, want to tell my why we are hiding in a dark, cramped, closet?" Logan asked, smirking
"Shh, keep your voice down. Can you turn on the light?" Rory whispered
"Well if we are hiding, which I think we are, then the light under the door frame would just draw attention to ourselves" Logan explained
"Fine. Logan, we need to talk" Rory said
"I didn't know closet were mandatory for friendly conversations" Logan said, trying to move so a broom handle didn't impale him
"Logan, please, cut the funny remarks" Rory sounded tired, the years without real love had taken their toll on her, "We need to talk about us"
"We do" He said, knowing what she ment, "I love you Rory. I was in pretty bad shape when you left. I drank so much, even Finn was alarmed. But I never was with a girl, which was the strange thing. I thought alcohol would turn my playboy ways back on, but every time I looked at a girl, I could only see how imperfect she was compared to you. Then Finn showed me a newspaper article, that acclaimed Tristan as one of the New York tycoons. I looked you up, came over, we had a great time, and then I don't know what happened"
"I asked you to leave" She said quietly, slightly taken aback by his speech
"And I listened to you, but I was invited to this Gala, so I came. I'll admit, I did hope that I would see you here. If you don't want to see me, that's fine. Maybe that refusal is the push I need to move on. I don't know anymore Ace, please, tell me what you want me to do" Logan looked into her eyes, the warm chocolate color melting her heart as it did every time
"I want you to kiss me" Rory's mind spoke before she even realized it
Logan looked stunned for a moment, but his million dollar smile swept across his face when he saw she was telling the truth. He grabbed her and pushed her up against the wall of the closet, their lips locked. He knew he wanted her, he wanted her to be his, but if he couldn't have that, he was going to make the most of what he could get. She traced his lips with her tongue, before it found its way inside his mouth. His hands held he up against the wall, but his fingers traced her curves. Her feet still touched the ground, she wasn't sure how far she was willing to go, wasn't sure if she should wrap her legs around his waist. Her hands moved from his neck, where she ran them through his hair, to his front, making them the only thing that separated the two bodies. They were close. When their lips separated to catch their breath, Rory could feel his against her cheek. His forehead rested on hers, the pair of them panting.
"Do you want me to go?" Logan asked, breathing heavily
Rory almost laughed. That was what he had asked her all those years ago, the first time he had slept with her. "No, don't ever go,don't give me time to change my mind"
He smiled again. They moved back through the closet, till Rory was comfortably pressed against the closet door. Logan barely realized that Rory's hands had felt their way up his shirt, and had removed it from his body. She ran her fingers all over his chest, becoming acquainted with it again, remembering every detail of him. Once, years ago, she knew him so well, she could have probably drawn every inch of his from memory. Logan's hands worked their way down her back, locating the zipper to her dress. He undid it, and her dress cascaded to the floor. Rory stood in nothing but her underwear, being held quite tightly against a door, her lips locked on that of a man who was not her husband, and she couldn't care less.
Logan asked again, "Do you want me to go?"
"No. I love you Logan" Rory replied. Not waiting for an answer, her lips crashed onto his, while her fingers roamed his chest, and down towards his pants
"Where the fuck is she?" A loud voice said from the hall
"Um, I really don't know, maybe she forgot something in the car" another voice said, defiantly Stephanie
"No, she didn't bring anything. Search these rooms, I want to talk to her" Tristan boomed. Logan and Rory stood silent, their bodies still pressed against each other and the door, waiting for the handle to click and the door to open, waiting for Tristan to find his practically naked wife pressed against the wall by her ex-boyfriend.
Sorry, this will probably be the last update for a long time, probably for about six weeks. Review!