Author's Note:
Just a side note on something that surprised me… When I gave this story it's title, I knew one of the characters was going to use it in dialogue. My thoughts (up until I typed the text from the last chapter) were that Finn would speak those words, as he is usually the one with the sarcastic one-liners and quips. Part of me is still wondering if it should have been Finn, maybe somewhere else in the text, but it just seemed the perfect place for someone to say it (and I know better than to think Finn would be awake at 10:00 Am!) Just wondering if you readers out there had any opinions or thoughts on the subject? Now on to Chapter 6!
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Hello?
"Hey, it's Jace. I need to see you. It's important."
Oh, is everything okay? Are you alright? Is…is she-
"Yeah, everything is fine. Rory is…well, she's dealing. You know her; she has incredible compartmentalizing skills…Wow that was weird- actually admitting to myself that you all know her, and probably better than I do."
Wow, yeah. This is not the most ideal situation for all parties involved… So, you said you wanted to meet? What did you have in mind?
"Can I pick you up in fifteen minutes? I told Rory I need to go to the store to stock up on food seeing as we probably won't be leaving here very much. You know, in case she runs into-"
Yeah, I get it. You can pick me up at the end of the drive. Should I wear a cloak or something? This seems a little Poe.
"Okay, it's not even dark outside. If you feel the need to wear a cloak, don't blame Poe. I'll see you in fifteen.
You caught me…no cloak then. Nevermore. I'll be waiting, bye.
I ended the phone call and breathed a heavy sigh. To make my cover story legitimate, I had to head in the direction of a grocery store and, at least, come back with some frozen dinners or pies. Luckily, Steph's place wasn't too far from town, so I could 'kill two birds with one stone' by heading in that direction. I grabbed my purse and made my way downstairs. I was headed for the door, and turned back, only to announce my departure, "Okay, I will be back in a little while. Are you sure you don't want to just come along? You're going to have to come out eventually." I had to shout through the house (I'm sure the Gilmore's would disapprove of that) to ensure Rory could hear me while she was cooped up in the library. She hadn't surfaced from the room in nearly 36 hours. Naturally, there was a bathroom attached and Rory grabbed some snacks before 'Miss Havisham-ing' it her favorite room of the house. I had to find a way to get her out of here. When we would cross paths over the last three days, she put on a happy face, but I could see the heartbreak in her eyes, old and new. I was agonized to be part of the "new" heartbreak, and I had to make it up to my friend in whatever way I could.
There was a long pause before she spoke back, "No, this book is too enthralling! I can't believe it took me this long to start reading it! I've been missing out!"
I walked out the door without responding. Who knows if she was actually reading a book that good or if she just wanted a reason to stay inside? It didn't really matter now. I only invited her so she wouldn't get suspicious. I smiled at my cleverness as I rifled though my purse looking for my keys as I noticed the keys I had "borrowed" to ensure Rory didn't sneak away while I was out. I really didn't want to get caught in the act with tensions high already! When I found what I was looking for I made my way to the cute little car that belonged to me (and I rarely got to drive while cooped up on a bus), started the motor, and when speeding around the corner headed for Steph's. Thank God we had Lorelai and Luke drop off cars here in case we wanted to do some sightseeing of our own, minus "Jeeves."
This time the drive seemed to take hours, and I was even going ten over. When I finally began to follow the last curve before the correct driveway, only six minutes early, I saw exactly what I was hoping to. The figure before me looked concerned, and anxious to figure out what this "secret" meeting was all about. I stopped right in front of the drive and unlocked the door. "Nice ride. BMW M6, right? I didn't realize they made a convertible. You must be one hell-of-a reporter to buy a car like this."
"My grandparents bought it for me for my college graduation. I like power, okay?" We smiled at the banter. Maybe this wasn't going to be as difficult as I anticipated. "And listen to you, Mr. Huntzberger, is it? How many Porsche's has your daddy bought for you?"
Logan laughed, and then declared, "Okay, okay, truce…Even if you are a Cornell girl."He mumbled the last line as another joke, but I ignored him this time. There was a more pressing subject that needed to be hashed out. I sped toward town and we rode in silence until I stopped in front of the local market. "I thought the store was just a cover. You don't actually have to go to the place you came up with."
"It was a cover, but I figured I'd have to come back with food of some sort to stop any uncomfortable questions. We could talk here if you want, or there." I pointed to the café next-door.
"I could go for some coffee, my treat."
"Damn, how did you know I can't ever say 'no' to coffee? It's in the eyes, isn't it? You can see the desperation for caffeine." We walked into the café and chose a private location in the back of the room. Before he could ask what I wanted, I made my way to the counter to order my own drink. There was no way I wanted anyone to think we were on a date. We had enough issues already. Logan didn't argue and ordered after me. We still didn't speak while we waited for our drinks and the tension building between us was almost tangible. When I got my coffee, I made a b-line for the table. I had to prepare myself mentally for the conversation I was about to provoke.
As Logan was seated, he looked at me as if he had a thousand questions, but he couldn't decide where to start. "So…for five dollars, this better be the best coffee I've ever ha-"
"Why did you go running after Rory when you saw her leave the room?" Well, I guess we were going to jump right into it. I thought I would have prepped him before sending him in to roast.
Logan was taken aback. He wasn't expecting my loaded question anymore than I had anticipated blurting it out. "Uh…I don't know. Reflex I guess."
"Logan, that wasn't reflex. I saw the way you looked after her. You were hopeful, then shocked. I'm sure I wasn't the only person in the room to notice. Parker was just as confused as I was."
"Don't talk about Parker…" He tangled his hands in his, already messy, hair, let out a long, deep sigh, and spoke to the table, "I thought she was coming to look for me. I thought her and Steph and made arrangements for her to come and…I don't know, talk or something." He looked up at me through his eyelashes, clearly ashamed of being so desperate.
"She's heartbroken to ya know? Since the day I met her. I got used to it, but it is still hard to look at her when she has a memory about you or worse when I say something to trigger the memory. I made her go out that night because I was tired of her not doing anything adventurous or, when she did come out, drinking herself into depression rather than drinking for fun. I can't even count the amount of restless nights she's had over you." He raised his head up, and continued to watch me as I recounted the conversation I'd had with Rory three days ago and told him about the times when I knew she had someone on her mind. "She'd talk to Lorelai about it when days would get really hard, but she reassured Rory that she was a bright girl and always knew what decisions were best for her. A few days or a week would pass where she'd start to relax, but then that look came back thanks to some moronic thing I would say or do, and she would enter the downward spiral again…Does this make any sense to you?"
Logan took a minute to check his composure before he spoke, "Well, yeah. I mean, we were together for a long time and the breakup was pretty abrupt. You don't think it's understandable?"
Logan, why did you go running after Rory when you saw her leave the room?" He was a Yale graduate for crying-out-loud. Surely he had the intelligence to put this riddle together.
"I told you, I thought she was looking for me and-"
"You thought she was looking for you? Or you wanted her to be looking for you? They are two completely different ideas, my friend."
"I guess maybe it was both. I was definitely convinced that that's why she came in, but when she took off, I was hoping that was why."
"Please don't make me ask you again…I know you have the answer in that blonde head of yours. Don't make all the jokes about us true…You went after Rory because…?"
Logan's stare was so difficult to sit though. His gaze was powerful enough for me to, nearly, forget why I had brought him here, but it was tortured on top of it. "…because I couldn't bear for her to walk out of my life again. Yeah, I did the 'technical' walking away before, but I didn't think I could live through losing her again even though I didn't have her."
"Yet…" That one word was enough to ignite the life into Logan's eyes again. Crap, it's probably best if I don't stare at him directly. "Logan, there is no doubt in my mind that Rory is as in love with you now as she was the day she saw you in a hospital bed after nearly killing yourself in Costa Rica, and probably more than that still. You want her in your life; she is desperately in love with you. I don't see any other solution to this other than you walking back into her life."
"You're forgetting something. She made it very clear to me that I was not the man she wanted to marry. I don't see how any of this is relevant with that fact standing over us."
"Logan, seriously- stop being the martyr and wake up! Rory didn't say no to you, she said no to the timing. How could the person who knows her almost as well as her mother, expect Rory "I-analyze-everything-with-a-Pro/Con-List" Gilmore to make an over-night decision about the rest of her life? You forced her to say no. She thinks you wanted her to say no so that you didn't have to worry about dealing with distance again. It would be semi-logical for your relationship to end after a rejection like that instead of your being insecure."
"That's ludicrous!"
"Well, to someone who didn't get to explain their point of view before the love of her life stormed off, it could seem that way, don't you think?"
"Jace I… I love her; more than my pride, more than the 'family name,' and more than the heartache of any rejection. Does she…I mean, did she say anything about wanting to let go of what happened and starting where we left off?"
"Rory keeps her thoughts bottled like Christina Aguilera. If you are going to make this happen, it won't be rectified with coffee carts or notes from her mother. She needs to see and feel it from you Logan. You're the only one that can convince her that what happened before can be fixed."
"You're right. And I'll do anything…how do I start? I need to talk to her, to see her. Ugh, she won't agree to that…"
"Relax Watson, I have a plan…"
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Thoughts? Questions? Comments? You know what to do! I hope this is still exciting for you all to read!
