Chapter 10
Arriving at their usual haunt, Rory found Paris in their regular booth.
"What's so important that we couldn't discuss it over the phone?" Paris asked, obviously agitated by Rory's slightly tardy arrival.
Wow! She just got straight to the point, Rory thought.
"Well, aren't you just Suzy Freakin' Sunshine tonight," she pointed out.
"For once, Doyle has the kids, and I'm supposed to meet someone in about two hours. So, if you could make it quick, I'd appreciate that," Paris revealed.
"You could have just said so, and we could have met a different night," Rory suggested.
"We're here now, so let's have it."
Rory tossed the envelope on the table in Paris's direction. She opened it and looked confused.
"Did you marry that Pete guy, or something?" she asked for clarification.
"Paul. His name was Paul, and no, I didn't. Take a closer look," Rory said.
When Paris got to the information, she nearly spat out the wine she'd been drinking.
"You married Huntz -"
"Don't say it," Rory hissed.
"What the hell, Rory? When did this happen, and why didn't you tell your best friend about it?" she asked in rapid succession. "I see what our friendship really means to you."
"Paris, I didn't even know and neither did he," she revealed.
"How could you not remember marrying someone?"
"Vegas and copious amounts of alcohol," she explained.
"The trip after your birthday?" Paris wondered.
"Yes."
She returned to perusing the papers in her hand.
"He wants an annulment? Does h know you're pregnant?" Paris asked.
"Yes, and yes," Rory answered.
He friend kept reading. She started feeling emotional, and the tears welled up in her eyes as she thought about her complicated situation. Fighting them off only lasted a short time, and she quickly wiped them away when they started streaming down her face faster. Paris noticed.
"You know I'm not good with the tears, Rory," she said.
"I just don't know what to do, especially after we spent the night together last night," Rory blurted out.
"Well, that was a stupid thing to do," Paris chastised.
"Was it? I mean, we are married..." Rory tried to justify her actions.
"Don't try to rationalize it. He wants to annul your marriage for some pampered Parisian princess," Paris replied.
"That did seem to be an issue last night or today," Rory countered.
"Then why are we meeting if you've made up your mind?" Paris questioned pointedly. "Because this seems like a big waste of time if you have."
"I just...I don't know what to do, Paris!"
"What does the list say?"
"Nothing," Rory said. "It didn't lean one way or the other."
"I think you've got to figure out what you want."
Duh, she thought. Paris has always hated Logan. I should have known better than to try to talk to her about this. I hope Logan gave Finn my number. I could really use his advice.
"Is there anything concerning in the papers?" Rory asked, changing the subject.
"No, it's all pretty standard except for the non-disclosure agreement, but that's understandable in his position," Paris answered.
"Ok, I just wanted to make sure there weren't any surprises," Rory stated and her phone started going off as did her friend's.
"My time's up, Rory. I don't want to keep my date waiting," she said. "How do I look?"
"Powerful and important," she replied.
"Exactly what I was going for!"
"Good luck," Rory stated. "Is it still ok if I crash at your place?"
"Yes, just don't forget to disable the alarm this time," Paris reminded.
"Thanks."
As her friend walked away, she saw a message pop up on her phone from a number she didn't recognize.
Finn: Hello, Love! Wonder if it's not too late to grab a drink.
Rory: Actually, that sounds perfect...minus the alcohol.
Finn: I'm at The Plaza. Come to the front desk and tell them your name. They'll escort you up to my room.
Rory: Am I your geisha for tonight?
The request struck her as odd but figured there had to be some rationale behind it.
Finn: You figured me out!
Rory: What's with all the cloak and dagger business?
Finn: Far too many women I 'know' downstairs tonight. I nearly got mauled in the lobby.
Rory: And you loved every minute of it.
Finn: So? It's more for your safety, Love.
Rory: I'll be there in about ten minutes.
Hurrying out the door, she hailed a cab for her destination. She was in no mood to walk, and the cool air chilled her more than normal. She was ecstatic to see her friend. They'd always had this connection that went beyond her friendships with Colin and Robert. Lately, she'd been missing him a great deal and looked forward to hanging out with him.
As promised, she arrived at his hotel about ten minutes later and followed his instructions. A few women started whispering to each other after eavesdropping and hearing her mention Finn's name. The women were quite loud. I guess he wasn't exaggerating, she thought. Rory paid them no mind as she followed the desk attendant to his room. It felt a little weird, but nothing was ever normal with these guys.
The elevator opened into his room, and Finn stood, waiting near the foyer.
"Thank you, George," he said.
"Have a good night, Sir, Ma'am," George replied with a slight nod.
"You, too," Rory called to him as he got back into the elevator.
She turned to her friend and immediately went into his arms without another word. His hugs were one of her favorite things and something she'd yearned for over the last few months. A feeling of relief swept over her knowing that one of her truest friends was back in her life. No matter what happens with Logan, I'm not making that mistake again, she silently vowed. Finn was the first to break the silence.
"So, anything new?" he asked knowingly.
"You know, don't you?"
"A little bird told me," he explained.
"Logan," she replied.
"I'm the only one he told about that, and everyone else knows you're married," he elaborated further.
"Wow," she stated sarcastically. "Is nothing sacred?"
"It's just us, Love," Finn's words tried to comfort her. "it's not some random Schmoes on the street."
"I know," she relented. There wasn't much that was unknown amongst the group of friends.
"What are you going to do?" he asked almost as bluntly as Paris earlier in the evening. When it came to serious subjects, Finn rarely tiptoed around with Rory. Honesty had been a core component of the foundation in their relationship. Still, she hadn't been prepared to dive right into such serious subjects immediately.
"Honestly, I don't know. This whole baby thing really complicates everything. Sleeping together didn't do anything to help either. All of these are just confusing me," she admitted.
"What about the list?" he probed.
"You already knew we slept together?"
"NO, I mean, yes," he answered. "Don't be mad, Love."
"I'm not," Rory said with a soft smile.
"So, what did the list say?"
"It gave no clear answer. That's never happened! Damn, list!" she lamented. "We're supposed to meet tomorrow to 'talk'. I don't think that's going to happen. We met last night with the same intention, and it basically turned into a date that didn't end until morning. I even tried to talk to Paris."
"I'm guessing that didn't go well."
"Not really," she replied. "You're my only hope!"
"No pressure," he chuckled.
Without warning, emotions overcame Rory.
"Love, I'm so sorry," he apologized and pulled her into his arms. Settling in his arms, she breathed him in as she felt herself calming down.
"No, it's not your fault, Finn. It's Logan's," she assured him.
"What did he do?" he asked jumping into protective mode. His mind started racing thinking of scenarios where his friend could have hurt Rory.
"This," she said flatly as she pointed to her slight bump.
"Oh," he sighed in relief. He was afraid that Logan wasn't telling him the whole story.
"What am I going to do, Finn?" she asked quietly.
"What do you want to do?" he countered.
"Part of me didn't want to leave him in the first place, and the other part knows I'll never fit into his world. At least, not like I'm expected," she admitted.
"You're always made an amazing team," he added.
"Has he said anything to you?" she asked hopefully and quickly realized the err of her question. "No, I'm sorry. I don't want to put you in the middle of this."
"Just talk to him about this like you planned," he suggested. "Then, we can talk."
"Ok," she replied with a slight smile.
"Where are you staying tonight?" he wondered, changing the subject. "It's far too late for you to catch the train back."
"I was planning on staying at Paris's."
"Plans have changed. You're staying here, I insist," he declared.
"I'm perfectly fine going back to her place," she refuted.
He shot her the look that said to stop arguing.
"Ok, I give," she conceded and quickly texted Paris. She didn't expect to hear back since her friend had a date.
Paris: I figured since you weren't here. Be careful, Rory.
Rory: Ok, Mom, but I'm not spending the night with Logan.
By the time Rory had brought her attention back to Finn, he'd already prepared for a mini Kath and Kim marathon. She was the only one of his friends who'd watch the Australian comedy with him and appreciated it on the same level.
"And we're all set," he said. "Don't worry, the food is on its way!"
Although she loved the show, especially watching with Finn, she found herself very distracted by her predicament. She wasn't sure if she could wait until the next morning to talk to Logan. Finn noticed Rory staring at her phone very intently. He watched as she typed messages, only to delete them.
"What's going on, Love?" he asked softly. "You love this show and haven't laughed at a single joke."
"I'm sorry, Finn. I just can't concentrate. I have to know how he feels," she replied sounding almost desperate.
"I think you know how he feels, Rory," he asserted. "He loves you."
"But does he want me, no, I mean us in his life?" she wondered.
"Yes, he does. He talked about not going through with the annulment," Finn admitted.
"Really?" she perked up a little. "But how? I mean, won't his dad try to stop him? Well, maybe not Mitchum but definitely Shira. She'd had it out for me since the beginning."
At this point, Finn knew his distraction plan had failed miserably. He didn't want to get into the middle of this mess, but he was in up to his neck. He wanted to help them stop skirting around the obvious issue of their attraction and compatibility.
"I think you've got to acknowledge there's more to this situation, and we're forgetting there's a third person involved..." Finn's voice trailed off.
They finished his thought at the same time.
"The baby," Rory said.
"Odette," he finished.
"Wow, I can't believe I hadn't really thought about that," she confessed. "I don't even know her. She's still just a name to me."
A short time later, Rory seemed to calm down and settled in to watch the show. Before long, she was laughing while Finn played the role of the distracted friend. He had no idea how all of this was going to fit into his own life and possible relationship with Marie. Would she suddenly become Team Odette and toss me to the wayside? he wondered. He hadn't even noticed that Rory became unusually quiet until a few episodes later. She'd fallen asleep on him and looked almost angelic. It felt odd that she'd wrapped her arm around him even though she'd done it a million times before with no effect. This time, however, he felt different and couldn't figure out why.