Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 10 – Romeo Returns
Those eyes…those icy blue eyes…they were so gorgeous. They had always been her weakness when it came to him. And right now, those gorgeous icy blue eyes were locked onto her, holding her captive. "Hey, Rory."
She stared at him, unable to speak or move.
"You look beautiful," he said still not taking his eyes off her.
"What…what the hell are you doing here?" she spat, quickly recovering from the initial shock of his surprise visit.
"Well…I wanted to see you," he began to explain as he took a few steps toward her. "I was hoping we could…talk. But it seems I came at a bad time. I'm so sorry to interrupt your lunch. Mr. and Mrs. Hayden," he said nodding to her parents, "it's nice to see you again. I apologize for the intrusion and for my dropping by unannounced, but I was in the neighborhood…"
"You were in the neighborhood?" interrupted a now angry Rory. "How exactly were you in the neighborhood? Last I checked Hartford's an ocean away from where you're supposed to be right now." Her anger was quickly becoming rage. She left Europe to put as much distance between the two of them as possible and she couldn't believe he was actually standing right there…in Connecticut…at her house. Rory felt Kevin's hand on her shoulder and she knew he meant it to be a comforting gesture, one that would hopefully help keep her temper from boiling over…at least while she was in front of her grandparents.
"Breath," whispered Kevin in her ear. Kevin sensed she was near her breaking point. There were very few occasions when Rory lost her cool and it almost scared Kevin to see how quickly she became enraged.
Taking a deep breath, Rory said as calmly as she could, "Now's not really a good time. I think you should leave."
"Nonsense, Rory," began Emily. She couldn't believe how rude her granddaughter was being to the handsome young gentleman. "Why don't you ask your friend to join us for lunch?"
"Grandma…"
"No, thank you," said Tristan giving Emily a charming smile. "I appreciate the offer and it's very gracious of you to ask, but I don't want to impose. Besides, it's been a long time since you've all seen Rory and I know how important family is to her. The last thing I want to do is interfere with your time together." His delivery was as smooth as cream, and Rory frowned as both of her grandmothers smiled, obviously very impressed with his charm and manners…not to mention his looks.
"I didn't catch your name, young man," said Francine.
Taking a few steps closer to the table, Tristan gave a slight bow before extending his hand to her, "Tristan DuGrey, Ma'am. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"DuGrey?" asked Richard suddenly very interested in the young man in front of him. "Are you any relation to Janlen DuGrey?"
"That's my grandfather, Sir," answered Tristan with a perfect society smile.
"Well, I've done business with Janlen for years. He's a fine man," declared Richard and Straub nodded in agreement.
"That he is."
"Rory, you have very good taste in friends. I approve," said a smiling Richard.
"A DuGrey?" cooed Emily. She and Francine shared a knowing smile and were obviously even more impressed. "How do you know our granddaughter?"
"We met in London. She and I were classmates, Ma'am."
"Oh please call me Emily," she said with a warm smile.
"Emily," he said taking her hand, "it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Will you be attending Yale in the fall, Tristan?" Emily asked. The matchmaker gleam in her eyes was unmistakable. "A DuGrey. What a fine match he would make for Rory," she thought to herself.
"No, I'm actually bound for Harvard."
"Harvard!" exclaimed Straub rising from his seat to shake Tristan's hand. "I'm Straub Hayden. This is my wife Francine. And you've already met Emily and Richard Gilmore. You're going to Harvard? That's a very fine school, young man. "
"So I've been told, Sir. And it's your alma mater if I'm not mistaken," replied Tristan with a smirk as he eagerly shook Judge Hayden's hand. It's not everyday you come face to face with the legendary Straub Hayden.
"Yes, it is, though I can't seem to get either of my grandchildren to enroll there," he said sending a pointed look at Rory.
Rory cringed as she watched the scene before her. "I can't believe this. He's doling out the charm and they're eating it up. Of course they like him. Who wouldn't like him? Tristan always was too damn charming for his own good." Rory took another deep breath and did her best to smile pleasantly at her grandfather. "Tristan," she said severely.
Tristan studied the expression on her face. He knew that look. It was a bad look. "Again, I apologize for interrupting your lunch," he said addressing the entire group. Looking around, his gaze lingered on Logan for a moment before turning to face Rory. "I'm staying with my grandfather for a while. I'd really like to talk to you…please."
Rory looked away.
"Please, Rory," he begged. "I just want to talk…please. Just talk."
Refusing to look at him, she gestured toward the door, "You should go."
He nodded slowly. Tristan knew Rory well enough to recognize her stubborn face. She was not going to talk to him…at least not now. He knew, before he even flew to Connecticut, that this would be an uphill battle. Well…she knows he's in town and that he wants to talk. That had been his primary objective for the day. Now it was up to her. "Enjoy the rest of your lunch," he said with a humble smile to no one in particular.
"What a nice boy," said Straub as he turned to continue the conversation he and Richard were having before Tristan's unexpected arrival.
"And so handsome," gushed Francine. "Don't you think so, Rory?"
Rory looked at her grandmothers, both looked ready to marry her off to Tristan that second. Shaking her head in disgust, she mumbled an 'excuse me' and left the table.
Lorelai made a move to follow her, but Kevin stopped her. "I'll go. You babysit the grandparents." Lorelai nodded and Kevin ran after Rory.
Logan watched the previous scene silently. The look of horror on Rory's face when the Tristan guy walked in did not escape his notice…nor did he fail to notice the anger she was repressing. Logan was pretty sure that was the ex-boyfriend and an unfamiliar feeling crept its way into his gut. The whole time Tristan was there, glad-handling her grandparents, Logan was resisting the urge to knock his teeth in. Then Tristan looked at him. The jerk actually looked at him. Though he didn't know exactly what was behind that look, Logan knew there something there…and whatever it was, he didn't like it. He didn't like that guy. Pushing all these feelings aside, he got up from the table and headed for Rory's room. He knew she was hurting right now and no matter how he felt, he was going to be there for her. About halfway to Rory's room, he noticed Colin and Finn were following him.
The three found Kevin outside Rory's bedroom pleading with her to open the door. "Come on, Ror, let me in."
No answer.
He knocked louder. "Rory, please open the door."
Still no answer.
Kevin looked over at his friends and sighed. "I don't know what to do. She won't open the door. She's not even answering."
"Are you sure she's in there?" asked Colin.
"The door's locked. She has to be in there," answered Kevin.
"You want me to pick it?" asked Finn.
"That probably wouldn't go over too well," Colin pointed out.
Logan brushed passed Kevin and knocked. "Ace, it's Logan."
"I'm here too, Love," shouted Finn.
Logan gave him a look before continuing, "We're just worried. Please open the door, Ace."
No answer.
"I need to know you're ok. Please, Rory," he added his voice dripping with concern.
A faint shuffle could be heard behind the door and a few moments later it opened to reveal a Rory with very sad eyes. "I'm fine," she told them unconvincingly.
After one look at her face, Logan became completely unconcerned with who was around and opened his arms to her. Rory, not caring either, fell into his embrace. "Are you ok?" he whispered as he held her close.
"I will be. He just surprised me. That's all. I'll be fine," she mumbled into his chest. Rory instantly felt better just being in the comfort of Logan's arms. However, after a few seconds, she realized that she and Logan weren't alone. She reluctantly pulled away and looked at her brother, "I'm fine, Kevin. He just caught me off guard." She then proceeded to hug not only her brother, but Colin and Finn as well, hoping to draw suspicion away from how eagerly she fell into Logan arms. "You didn't all have to come up here. I'm ok."
"Of course we did, Love. Now, tell Finny who the blond boy was and why he has you so upset," said Finn as he steered her into her bedroom. The rest of the boys followed them in and Rory made herself comfortable on her bed. Finn plopped down next to her while Logan and Colin sat at her window seat, and Kevin at her vanity.
"That was Tristan," she said dropping her eyes. "Up until a few weeks ago, he was my boyfriend."
"You had a boyfriend?" asked a slightly outraged Finn. "Mate, did you know about this?" he demanded of Kevin. "How could you allow this? Why was I not informed?"
"Finn," warned Kevin, "let her talk."
"Sorry, Mate," said Finn. Turning his attention back to Rory, "We'll return to the subject of whether you are old enough to be dating later, Love. But for right now, please continue."
"We started dating last summer and things were great…really great actually. He's from Boston and going to Harvard. Things were fine when we both thought I was going to Harvard too…but when I decided to go to Yale, things kind of started to fall apart." Pausing for a moment to look up, she made eye contact with all the boys in the room letting her gaze linger on Logan for a moment longer than the rest. He gave her a reassuring smile and with a nod, urged her to continue. "He was angry. He was constantly questioning my decision. Then he started questioning me…and my commitment to him. We fought…a lot. I spent a lot of time trying to reassure him that I did want us to be together…that the decision to go to Yale had to do with me and my family…not him. He said he understood and we decided to try to make it work…try a long distance relationship. I mean New Haven isn't that far from Cambridge so I was willing to make it work. He said he was too…but things were different. We were always fighting…mostly about how committed I was to him and our relationship. No matter what I did or what I said…I couldn't convince him that I really wanted it to work." She paused again, taking a deep breath, trying to decide how much more she wanted to share.
"You're leaving something out," said Kevin. The siblings made eye contact and Kevin could see she was afraid to tell him something. "Whatever it is, Rory, you can tell me. You can tell me anything."
Rory was torn. She wanted this burden off her chest and normally she would have already told Kevin, but the break up happened so quickly. Then, they both got caught up with finals, then graduation, and now there was Logan to consider. He was sitting right there and as much as she wanted to climb into his lap and have his arms around her, she knew she couldn't…at least not right now. Plus, she didn't know how much of the truth she wanted Logan to know yet.
As if sensing her reluctance had something to do with him, Logan added in a gentle tone, "Yeah, Ace, you can tell us anything. No matter what it is, you can trust me…us," he corrected, "you can trust us."
"He wanted to have sex," she quickly blurted out catching all four boys of guard.
"WHAT!!!" they yelled in unison, all four instantly standing up.
"He wanted to have sex," she repeated a bit slower, "with me. And I…uh…I didn't think I was ready…and we fought about that too. It was part of the whole 'not being really committed to him' thing."
Kevin was breathing fire at this point. "Did he force you to..."
"NO!" shouted Rory before Kevin could even finish the thought. "No! No! No! Tristan would never…do anything like that."
Kevin breathed a sigh of relief. He was far from calm, but at least that fear was squashed. "So what happened?" he asked not really sure if he wanted to know the details of his little sister's sex life.
Careful not to look at Logan, she continued, "He kept bringing it up…the whole sex thing. It became a pretty big issue with us. Everything kind of came to a head a couple weeks before graduation. There was a party on his floor and somehow we ended up back in his room. And…when things got too…intense for me…I told him I wanted to stop." At this point she looked up, wanting to gage their expressions. Figuring it was too late to turn back now, Rory continued. "And he got mad…really mad. We fought. It was a pretty ugly fight and in the end, he broke up with me." She kept her eyes down, not having the strength to look into the eyes of anyone in that room. It was too embarrassing.
The room was silent, as all four boys seemed to be processing everything Rory had just told them. After what seemed like an eternity to Rory, a red faced and obviously angry Colin finally ended the silence. "He broke up with you because you wouldn't have sex with him?" he asked.
She nodded. "Basically."
"I'll kill him," declared a seething Kevin.
"No, Mate, I'll kill him," shouted Finn.
"No, I'll kill him," argued Colin.
"No one's going to kill him," Rory practically yelled. "It's over and I'm over it. I just want to forget it happened. I want to forget him and move on with my life," she said looking straight at Logan. He had yet to utter a word and Rory feared the worst. Logan had never been in a relationship…was reluctant to enter into one in the first place. They had been a couple for less than two hours and already her ex-boyfriend shows up. On top of that, they still had to find a way to tell her brother about their relationship and hide it from their families. "Please don't change your mind about us," she thought. "I don't think I could handle it if you changed your mind about us."
Not hearing a word she said, Kevin continued his rant. "I can't believe that punk had the nerve to show up here after what he did! What kind of guy breaks up with his girlfriend because she won't have sex with him? And then he has the nerve to show up at her house? My house…he was in my house…harassing my sister! I'll kill him," he shouted moving towards the door. "The DuGrey house is on Chestnut Street right?"
"Yeah I think so," answered Finn. "It's the one with big guest house in the back. I shagged a feisty red headed waitress back there during a terribly boring Christmas party."
"You think you'd be able to recognize it?"
"Yeah, Mate, lets go."
"You're not going anywhere," shouted Rory as she ran ahead to block their exit, "least of all over to the DuGreys. This is my problem and I'm handling it. I don't want you getting into trouble because of me and I don't need you fighting my battles for me." She barricaded the door with her body, determined not to let Kevin out of that room until he swore not to go near Tristan. "I appreciate your concern, I really do, but please don't get involved. Please, Kevin, calm down."
"He hurt you," Kevin stated simply.
"Yeah," she admitted.
"How can you expect me not to want to hurt him?"
"Wanting to hurt him is one thing…actually driving over to the DuGreys to beat up Tristan is another thing. I'm asking you to leave it alone. I'm ok. I really am," she said trying to calm her brother. "I admit, seeing him on the patio was a surprise and that's why I reacted the way I did. I wasn't expecting to see him, but I'm fine now. I'm better than fine. I swear I'm over it. I've totally moved on, Kevin."
Kevin took a deep breath, "If he comes near this house again…"
"You'll let me handle it," she said sternly. "I'm 18 years-old, Kevin. I'm not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself," she told him. Kevin didn't look satisfied so she added, "But if I ever feel like I can't, I promise I'll come to you for help…ok."
"You promise?"
She nodded.
"Fine," he reluctantly agreed. Kevin was far from calm, but he didn't want to upset Rory anymore than Tristan's visit already had. So for now, he let the matter drop. He was glad Rory confided in him. He was also glad she seemed to have calmed down…and she was definitely more rational. "We'll talk about this more later," he stated in a tone that left no room for argument. "But right now, one of us should get back downstairs. I don't think even Mom and her legendary ability to ramble can stall the grandparents for this long."
Rory smiled at that comment. "You guys go. I'll be down in a minute. I just want to fix the face," she said with a small smile.
"Sure, Ror. Take your time," said her brother. Kevin exited the room first, followed closely by Finn and Colin. Logan stayed where he was and got up only when he was sure Kevin, Colin, and Finn were far enough away. He kept his eyes on Rory as he walked toward her. Without sating a word, Logan cupped her face with both hands and brought his lips to meet hers. Immediately, the kiss was intensely passionate. Logan's tongue swept into her mouth, ravaging every bit of it. Then, as he quickly as it began, it ended. Logan pulled away from her, turned around, and walked out of the room closing the door behind him.
Rory stood there for several minutes completely paralyzed. "What the hell was that? Was that good bye? Was he kissing me goodbye? Is it over? Why didn't he say anything? That didn't really feel like a goodbye kiss, but it could've been. This is Logan I'm dealing with after all. He's so damn unpredictable. I can never figure out what he's thinking or what he's going to do next." Groaning in frustration, Rory dropped her face into her hands and breathed deeply. "How did this day get so messed up? It started off so perfect. Now, I don't know what's going on. Tristan is in Hartford and Logan…does he still want to be my boyfriend?" Not knowing what else to do, Rory reapplied her lip gloss and headed back downstairs.
She found her grandparents engaged in a lively conversation about an upcoming DAR event. Emily and Francine were boring Lorelai with details of the flower arrangements when Rory returned taking a seat next to her mother. "You ok kid?" asked Lorelai in a whisper.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Do you want to talk?"
"Yeah, but not now. I need to process a few things…clear my head."
"Well, I'm here if you need me."
"Thanks, Mom," she said leaning her head on Lorelai's shoulder.
"Oh, Rory," interrupted Emily, "we need to discuss some details about your DAR induction."
"My what?" asked a very surprised Rory.
"Your induction into the DAR, Dear. You are of age now and…"
"Grandma, I don't think the DAR is really my thing."
"Not your thing?" Emily asked snidely. "What exactly does that mean? Not your thing? Of course it's your thing. You are my granddaughter and you will take your proper place in society."
"Mom," interjected Lorelai, "Rory should have a say in whether or not she joins the DAR. If she doesn't want to, she shouldn't have to. It should be her decision not…"
"Oh, Lorelai, please. Of course she wants to join. Don't you, Rory?"
"Well, actually…."
"Hey, Rory," interrupted Kevin. "I think me and the guys are going to head out." Logan, Colin, and Finn were standing behind him.
"Oh, ok," she said getting out of her seat, very grateful for the distraction. "I'll walk you to the door."
"Thanks for having us over, Lorelai," said Logan as he bent down to kiss her cheek. Colin and Finn expressed their thanks as well and repeated Logan's gesture, Finn more enthusiastically than was actually appropriate. After saying goodbyes to the elder Gilmores and Haydens, Kevin, Logan, Colin and Finn followed Rory to the door.
"Thanks for coming, guys," she said. "Kevin, are you coming home tonight?"
"No, Logan and I need to get up early tomorrow to pack up the room. Plus, I want to enjoy my last night at the dorm."
"Say hi to 'Shower Stacey' for me," she kidded.
"Cute," he deadpanned. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said hugging her tightly. "Call me tonight if you want to talk."
"I'll be fine," she assured him. "Plus, I don't want to interrupt any of your 'last night at the dorm' plans," she added with a disgusted expression.
Kevin shook his head but chuckled lightly, "Just call if you need anything."
"I will," she promised him. Turning to Colin, and Finn she hugged them both briefly, and thanked them again for coming.
"It's good to have you home, Love," said Finn. "And now that classes are over, we can have all sorts of fun."
"I'm looking forward to it, Finn."
She then turned to Logan, and hugged him as casually as possible. "Don't lock your door tonight," he whispered in her ear.
Rory pulled back and gave a slight nod to let him know she heard him. She stood by the door and watched them climb into their perspective sports cars and drive away. Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked back to the patio trying to mentally prepare herself for the torturous discussion on the DAR Emily Gilmore was no doubt ready to engage her in.
The rest of the afternoon passed very slowly. At times, it almost seemed as if time was moving backwards. Later that evening, Rory lay on her bed waiting for Logan's arrival. It was nearly midnight and she had been waiting since eleven. "Where is he?" she asked herself. "Why isn't he here yet? Maybe he forgot? Oh God what if he doesn't come?" She looked over at the fuzzy clock next to her bed. She'd lost count of how many times she'd looked at a clock that evening. It was 12:03. Grabbing a book off the shelf, she attempted to distract herself by reading. However, the silence of her room was deafening and her fuzzy clock seemed to be mocking her. "Ok…I'm going to give him until 12:30 and that's it," she promised herself. At 12:37, she put her book down and started to pace. "This is getting ridiculous. Where the hell is he? Should I call him?" she wondered. She picked up her cell phone, but dropped it almost immediately. "No…I'm not calling." By 12:54, Rory had had enough. She brushed her teeth, got into her pajamas, and climbed into bed. Pushing all thoughts of Logan Huntzberger out of her mind, she let her body relax and eventually, she fell asleep.
Rory didn't know how long she slept, but she was awakened by a hand gently stroking her face. She didn't have to open her eyes to know it was Logan. He began tracing her lips and as she instinctively turned toward him, she lightly kissed his fingers. "You're late," she whispered in a throaty voice.
Logan smiled and leaned down to place a light kiss on her lips, "Sorry."
Rory finally opened her eyes to see him sitting over her, smirking. "Why are you late?" she demanded with a playful smirk of her own. The anger she felt earlier had completely disappeared the moment he kissed her. She was so happy to see him.
Logan kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed with her. Rory moved aside, making room for him under the covers. He pulled her close and she lay on top of him, happily snuggled into his chest. Once the two were comfortable, he began, "I meant to be here a lot sooner, but the boys decided to blow off some steam. We all kind of needed it…especially Kevin. That meant going to the pub where we spent several hours plotting the death of one Tristan DuGrey." Logan cringed a bit when he said Tristan's name. "And then we spent a few more hours trying to figure out how to make sure no other evil male lays a hand on you...ever. Finn suggested constructing a tower of some sort," he added dryly. "I didn't really participate in that part of the discussion. I figured it would be pretty hypocritical if I did," he said as he tightened his arms around her.
Rory smiled and snuggled deeper into his chest. "I'm glad you're here."
"Me too, Ace." Logan kissed her head and breathed her in. All afternoon, he had been dreaming about holding her again. It still shocked him how incredible it felt to have her in his arms.
"I was worried you changed your mind…about us," she stated bluntly.
"What?" he asked genuinely surprised. "Why would you think that?"
"I don't know. You didn't say anything. You just kissed me and walked out. I thought it might have been your way of saying goodbye."
"No, of course not. I'm sorry. I never meant to make you feel that way. I wanted to talk to you, but obviously, I couldn't. And I just wanted to kiss you. I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize. You never have to apologize for kissing me," she added as she looked up and kissed his chin. "I was confused…and now I just feel silly. My mind was just all jumbled. I didn't know what to think…and I just…I'm sorry. I should've had more faith you."
"It's ok."
"I was going to tell you…everything. I really was," she confessed.
"About you and Tristan? Why you really broke up?"
"Yeah…I was just…a little embarrassed about the whole thing. But I swear I was going to tell you everything. I just wanted to wait a little while, maybe after we'd been together for…I don't know, a day. And I swear I had no idea he was just going to show up here."
"I kind of figured that, Ace. You really don't have much of a poker face," he kidded trying to lighten the mood.
"What's wrong with my face?" she asked picking up on his playful tone.
"Nothing," he answered smirking down at her. "Your face is absolutely perfect. Your eyes are perfect." He kissed her eyelids. "Your nose is perfect." He kissed the tip of her nose. "Your mouth is beyond perfect." He kissed her lips, playfully nibbling the bottom lip. "Your face is perfect, Ace. I love your face," he whispered affectionately.
She smiled shyly at him, the blush that rose to her cheeks was obvious despite the darkness of the room. "Well…you've got really great hair," she told him.
"Yeah? Thank you." He kissed her lips again, this time sweeping his tongue into her mouth. She moaned as he deepened the kiss, moving her body so it was level with his. Eager to take control of the situation, Logan flipped them over so he was lying on top of her. He continued to kiss her, letting his hands roam from her face, down her neck, to her shoulders, coming to a rest at her waist, where the gap between her tank top and pajama bottoms granted him access to exposed skin. He loved how smooth and soft her skin felt and couldn't help but wonder if she was that smooth and soft all over.
"The door?" she murmured between kisses.
"I locked it," he responded, barely getting the works out as he continued to feverishly kiss her mouth. Logan's hands wandered higher on her torso, pushing her tank top up, and exposing more skin.
Rory loved the way his hands felt on her body. She knew she should try to slow things down. They were moving into dangerous territory, the two of them alone in her bed in the middle of the night, but she couldn't bring herself to do it…she couldn't bring herself to pull away from him. She felt his hands move higher and higher on her torso, stopping suddenly right below her breasts. She was surprised, and frankly a little upset, that he stopped. She didn't want to stop. She didn't want him to stop…not yet. Deciding a little encouragement was in order, Rory reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it up slowly, letting her hands graze over his newly exposed skin. Pushing him away slightly, she pulled the shirt off over his head and began kissing his neck and chest.
Logan felt himself instantly get hard. This was not why he came here tonight. He wanted the two of them to talk. However, as Rory's mouth continued to attack his neck and chest, talking became less and less of a priority. Before all the blood officially left his brain to inhabit other parts of his body, Logan painfully pulled himself away.
"Logan," whimpered Rory, "what's wrong?"
"Nothing," he said through clenched teeth as he sat up with his back against the headboard.
Rory placed one knee on either side of him, straddling his lap, and began kissing him again. Logan, not having the strength to resist, eagerly responded, kissing her passionately and pulling her closer until her core was intimately pressed against his growing erection. When Rory, began to grind against him, it took all of Logan's strength to pull away. "Ace, we need to slow down," he said as he tried to regain control of his breath. "I didn't come here for this."
Rory cocked an eyebrow at him. "Really?"
He laughed at the expression on her face. "Not that I'm complaining or anything. But I came here tonight so you and I could talk about some things…like what you told us earlier today."
Rory knew this was coming. Still, she was hoping to be able to distract him for a bit longer. "You want to talk about Tristan."
"Yeah…but first can we agree this is the one and only time we discuss an ex-boyfriend of yours while we're in bed?"
"Sure," she answered with a nod and a slight smile.
"Good. Now where were we?"
Rory took a deep breath before she began again, "I was about to tell you everything that happened between me and Tristan."
"I don't know that I want to hear everything, Ace."
"You know what I mean," she said with an embarrassed grin. "I left out a few parts when we talked at your place last night," she admitted.
"You mean the part where he broke up with you because you wouldn't have sex with him?"
"Yeah, that part."
"That's a pretty big part," he whispered.
"I know…and I wanted to tell you, but…it was humiliating. It still is."
"Don't ever be afraid or embarrassed to tell me anything, Ace."
She nodded.
"So you two never…"
"No," she answered quickly before he could even finish asking.
Logan was incredibly relieved at that response. "Have you ever…"
"No."
"So you're still a…"
"Yeah," she answered dropping her eyes.
"Ok."
"Is that bad?" she asked shyly.
"Is it bad that you're a virgin? Of course not," he answered without hesitation, although to be honest, it made him a bit uncomfortable. The girls he normally 'dated' were always pretty experienced. He preferred it that way, less risk of them forming any sort of emotional attachment. To him, sex had always been purely about physical enjoyment. However, his relationship with Rory was more than just physical. He was already emotionally attached and they hadn't even had sex yet…and considering she was still a virgin, they probably wouldn't be having sex any time in the near future. While the prospect of a sexless existence should have been daunting to Logan, a guy who was used having sex on a regular basis, it wasn't…far from it. In fact, he was relieved…happy even…that she was still a virgin. It was comforting to know that no one had ever been that close to her.
"Are you sure? Cause it looks like it bothers you."
"It doesn't bother me," he began, "at least not in the way you're probably thinking."
"What am I thinking?" she challenged.
"You think it bothers me because I want to have sex right now."
"And you don't?"
"No." All right that wasn't entirely true.
Rory gave him an incredulous look.
Logan smiled and said, "Ok let me rephrase that. Would I like to have sex with you? Yes. Do I expect to have sex with you right this very second? No. Am I annoyed or upset that I'm not having sex with you at this very second? No."
"Really?"
"Cross my heart, Ace. I'm not going to lie. Sex is great and I love it as much as the next red-blooded male. But if sex were all I was interested in, I would've picked up a random girl at the pub tonight. And I didn't. Because when it comes to you, it's not just about sex."
"No?"
"No. I really love just being with you. You're smart and really easy to talk to. You make me laugh…and you're pretty nice to look at," he added with his trademark smirk. "Besides, considering this relationship thing is new to me, it's probably better that we take things a bit slower," he said as he took her right hand and laced their fingers together.
"So you don't mind waiting?"
"For you…I don't mind at all," he told her as he stared into her eyes. "And if your jerk of an ex-boyfriend was a real man, he wouldn't have minded waiting either," he added not being able to resist throwing an insult Tristan's way.
"Logan…"
"I'm serious, Rory. I hate what he did to you."
"Me too."
"I hate that he's here."
"Me too."
"A jerk like that doesn't deserve someone as great as you."
"Thanks."
"You know that's not how I feel right?"
"I know."
"I would never push you to do anything you weren't ready for."
"I know," she said pulling him into a hug. "And I appreciate it, but it's different with you."
"What do you mean?"
She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Well…it's just that…um…"
"What?"
"It's nothing," she said changing her mind.
"No. What did you mean it's different with me?"
She looked down at their clasped hands. Rory had made huge strides in her shyness especially when it came to talking about sex, but right now, she couldn't help but be embarrassed. "Well…Tristan and I dated for almost a year."
"I know that."
"And even though we didn't have sex…" she paused to look at him. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"
"I think so," he said slowly.
"Um…even though we didn't have sex…we did do other…stuff."
Logan cringed at that admission. "Yeah…I kind of figured as much."
"Yeah well…um…no matter what we were doing, it was never…out of control."
"I don't understand," he told her.
"When I'm with you, it's like my body takes over and I completely forget about everything else. I never felt that way with Tristan…or with anyone. Everything feels different when I'm with you—more passionate, more intense, more uninhibited, just…more. When I was with Tristan, I was always waiting for a reason to say yes and we were together for almost a year. You and I haven't even been together for a whole day, but when I'm with you, I'm looking for a reason to say no."
Logan couldn't help but smile at that. "I know what you mean, Ace."
"You do?"
"Not caring where I am? Having no control over my body? Yeah, I know exactly what that's like," he said as he kissed the pulse point on her neck.
"Yeah? Than why are you always pulling away when I'm kissing you?" she asked in a teasing voice.
"I only do that when we're in close proximity to one of your relatives who would castrate me if we got caught."
Rory giggled, "Kevin wouldn't castrate you."
"No. He would kill me. Christopher would castrate me."
"Yeah…he probably would." Giggling at the look on his face, she added, "Don't worry. I'll protect you. I'd never let them castrate or kill you."
"No?"
"I like you the way you are," she whispered seductively as she repositioned herself on his lap and started kissing his neck. Logan groaned as he tilted his head back giving her better access to his neck. When Rory began placing small kisses on his bare chest, Logan felt an overwhelming need to take control. He pulled her toward him, grabbed hold of her tiny frame and laid her down on the bed. Leaning over, he kissed her mouth, then her neck, and was about to move further south when he felt his phone vibrate in his front pocket.
"Is that you or a cell phone?" Rory asked playfully.
He laughed as he pulled his phone out and replied, "It's my cell."
"Bummer…here I thought I may have found a boyfriend with a vibrating…"
"Hello?" Logan answered his phone still laughing, effectively cutting her off.
"Logan? What are you laughing at?"
"Kevin, hi." Logan got up and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. Being on top of Rory while talking to Kevin just felt too weird.
"I just tried calling the room. You said you were staying in tonight. Where are you?"
"I thought you were spending the night with Stacey," he responded deliberately not answering the question.
"I am, but she has some friends over and I thought you might like to join the party. Colin and Finn are already on their way. There are a couple of blonds here that are just your type."
Logan cringed. "I'm not really in the mood for a party tonight, Kev. Thanks anyway."
"What? Why not? Just get off your ass and come over."
"I already have plans for the night, but thanks. I'll see tomorrow," he said eager to get off the phone.
"Plans huh?" asked Kevin. "Are you with these 'plans' right now?"
"Yeah, kind of."
Kevin laughed out loud. "I should've known. Anyone I know?"
"I don't know…maybe," Logan answered as he stared into Rory's amused face. She found his level of discomfort hilarious.
"All right I'll see you tomorrow. Around 11?"
"Yeah, that sounds good."
"Ok. Have fun with your 'plans,' Logan," said a laughing Kevin.
"Bye," he said as he snapped his phone shut. Logan looked over at Rory's laughing face.
"Why must you answer the phone when he calls?" she asked.
He shrugged.
"Can we please agree that that was the last time you answer a phone call from my brother while we're bed?"
"Agreed, Ace."
"Ok. Now where were we?" she asked pulling him toward her.
Logan pushed her on her back and climbed on top of her. "Right about here, Ace?" he whispered as he began gently nibbling on her ear. Rory giggled and she wrapped her arms around him.
Logan reveled in the moment. He was determined to enjoy the rest of his time with her tonight. Because tomorrow, he had to face Kevin.