11. Action Works
"No…freaking…way," laughter broke up the words.
Rory turned away from the mantel where she was putting up yet another picture of Asher Fleming to give her best friend a half felt glare. The look did nothing to the perky Asian girl who was laying on the couch giggling. "I see nothing funny here."
"You don't think it's funny that you had to go to the other side of the world to meet this Logan guy when you could have very well met in class or a college mixer?" Lane asked, still smiling at her friend's luck. She knew that Rory was already seeing this as a crisis, but she also remembered the look on Rory's face when she had first talked about this guy; him being so close brought infinite possibilities for her dear friend, whether she saw it or not.
"I don't go to college mixers," Rory answered, heading to her room to get more candles.
"You really should," Lane called out. "Expand your horizons and what not."
"You sound like Lorelai," Rory said, coming out of her room armed with candles.
Lane got up and took some of the candles out of her hands, placing them in some of the nooks and crannies of the common room. "Lorelai is right. So, what exactly is all this for?"
"For Professor Asher Fleming's wake."
Lane wrinkled her nose slightly. "Asher Fleming was Paris'..."
"Boyfriend."
"Got to admit, Paris is definitely interesting," Lane said, sitting back down. "How is she taking it?"
"Hard… she loved him," Rory said, sympathy for her friend lining her voice as she looked at one of the pictures of the deceased teacher. Paris had to say goodbye to a man she loved; Rory could not even begin to comprehend how that would feel. "But she's Paris so she's being strong and active like always."
"Sad."
"Yeah, so anyway, she wants to give him a wake and here we are."
"You think it will help her?" Lane asked, also feeling for the girl. They were only acquaintances, barely knowing each other through Rory, but pain was pain and she knew the prickly girl had to be hurting.
"I hope so."
Rory motioned to the phone as it started to ring as she moved around some of the framed pictures. "Get that, please."
Lane got up and picked up the phone, smiling at the voice on the phone. "It's Lorelai."
Rory walked over to the phone and pressed the speaker phone button, greeting her mother.
"Daughter of mine," Lorelai's voice excitedly filled the room.
"Someone's happy," Rory commented, sharing amused looks with Lane. "Guess the date with Luke went well."
"It should've, seeing as she came down this morning to the diner in a beautiful flannel outfit, sans pants," Lane said, grinning when Rory stared at her in disbelief and Lorelai groaned through the line.
"Talk," Rory commanded playfully, knowing that her mother was really busting at the seams to share.
Together, Lane and Rory listened to Lorelai recount her date, starting from the momentary awkwardness at the door, to meeting Maisy and Buddy at Sniffy's Tavern. She went on a small tangent when she talked about the Sniffy story, after getting her back on track, Lorelai continued by telling them about the horoscope, leaving both Rory and Lane gushing.
"That's so sweet, Luke really is a softie," Lane sighed. "Don't tell him I said that, he might fire me."
Lorelai laughed, agreeing she wouldn't and continued with her story, only stopping once it got to the part of her staying the night and Rory interrupted.
"That's enough, Mom, we're happy for you but we don't want to picture Luke naked," Rory said quickly, looking at Lane for support, who nodded her head vigorously.
"Fine," Lorelai said through the phone; both girls could practically hear her pout. "By the way, your grandmother has been calling, a lot, I might add."
"Why?"
"To drive me crazy, of course!" Lorelai exclaimed.
"Mom."
Lorelai sighed at Rory's disapproving tone. "She's bored… Dad's been leaving at night from the pool house a lot and she just has to share."
"This is hard for her," Rory explained, feeling bad for her grandparents.
"I don't know what she thought this separation by the pool house would be like, but did she really think it would be easy?" Lorelai asked, annoyed at her parents but also feeling just as bad as Rory for them. "Anyway, forget that, what's it like being back at Yale? Anything interesting going on?"
Lane raised an eyebrow at Rory, waiting for her to answer her mother.
"Umm, no, not much, fixing the dorm, getting ready for classes, preparing a wake for Professor Fleming,"
Rory answered, turning her back to Lane.
"How's Paris?"
"She's been better."
"I bet," Lorelai said concerned. "Okay, Babe, I'll talk to you later. Bye, Lane."
"Bye, Lorelai," Lane called out. She waited for Rory to turn around to continue, "Any reason why you still haven't told Lorelai about Logan?"
"I'm not ready to explain Logan to her."
Lane sighed, nodding her head slowly. "I should go, we've got band practice. That is, if Zach can disentangle himself from his groupies."
Rory let out an automatic smile at Lane's disgusted attitude. "Meow!"
"Ugh, I know!" Lane groaned as she got up to pace. "I hear myself, but I can't stop the cattiness from coming out. I snap at him and his bimbos, but of course, he's clueless, he's Zach!"
"You should just get it over with and tell him, do something about it."
Lane gave Rory a knowing look, a mocking grin on her face. "My, that's just sound advice."
Rory scoffed softly, ignoring the teasing tone her friend used with her. "You got nothing to lose."
"Except my band, my roommates, my dignity."
"Lane…"
"I know, I know," Lane started raising her hand to stop the lecture she could feel coming on. "Nothing to lose, I could tell him, see where it goes, if anywhere. I'm going now."
Rory opened the door for her. "Call me later."
"You got it."
xxx
Stephanie gawked down at him, hands on hips, scowl on face, completely annoyed. He was lying back on his bed; all he wore was one of his many cargo pants that seemed to have, at the very least, twenty pockets, a seashell necklace that she'd gotten for him over the summer, and a smirk, nothing else. Any other time she would be secretly enjoying his naked chest, the same way she had done all summer; today, however, she just stared at him in disbelief, not sexual awareness.
"You called me over to gossip about some mystery girl of Logan's. Newsflash, Logan has many girls… the line to get to him is longer than the one to Space Mountain."
"This one was different, at least his reaction to her was," Finn coolly responded, allowing his smile to grow as he remembered her words. "Why? What did you think I called you over for?"
Stephanie rolled her eyes at his suggestive tone. "I should know better than to try to have a conversation with you, I'm out of here."
Finn was off his bed and in front of her before she knew it. Trapping her between the door and him, he stared her down. One of his hands came to rest against the door next to her head while the other grasped her waist. "Don't go."
"You know, for a man that spends most of his hours drinking, you are unexpectedly stealthy," Stephanie teased, trying to overlook the heat that radiated off his body.
Other than a teasing smirk of his own, the only answer she got was his lips grazing the spot below her ear. Going excruciatingly slow, he placed small warm kisses down her neck before settling at her collarbone, nipping at the delicate soft skin he found.
"Don't you dare leave a hickey," she whispered, tilting her head to give him more access, her voice taking a husky quality that always made Finn grin and, honestly, made all his blood pool south.
"You're no fun," the words brushed over her lips.
"That's the rumor," she whispered before crushing her mouth to his.
xxx
"You know we've got events to plan."
"Yes, yes, I know, Colin," Logan agreed, a bit irritated as he opened the door to their dorm. "New school year, parties, events, grand assembly number one-hundred and something, give it a rest, Master of Ceremonies."
"Wow, someone's irritable," Colin pointed out, heading for the mini bar.
"Sorry," Logan apologized. "Didn't sleep well last night."
"Thinking of a brunette girl?"
Logan groaned. "Colin."
Colin rolled his eyes at the sound his friend made, handing him a drink. "You are going to tell us eventually about this girl, right?"
"Yeah, eventually."
"Good enough," Colin said, raising his glass in salute. "Well, speaking of sleep, let's check in on our indolent friend."
Walking over to Finn's bedroom, he pounded on the wooden door. "It's four in the afternoon, Finn, get your ass out of bed already."
Logan chuckled as Colin continued yelling and hitting the door. It really was the only way to wake up their friend during the sun hours. Taking a sip of his drink, he waited for the tirade that would come the second a sleepy Finn opened the door. He didn't have to wait long as a flushed, tousled Finn pried opened the door angrily.
"What!" shouted an annoyed Finn who was only in his underwear.
Colin looked Finn up and down, stopping his gaze at his friend's chest where there were a few red marks, bite marks. "Who you got in there, Finn?"
"No one," Finn answered quickly, a red tint making its way to his cheeks.
Logan grinned at the reaction, sharing a look with Colin. They could already guess who might be in the room. "Then you found a new way to molest yourself, Finn?"
Finn gave them both a dirty look, ready to answer back when the small blonde pushed him aside to get out of his room.
Fixing her slightly disheveled clothes, Stephanie raised her head up and gave them a breezy smile, making her way to the door. Hand on knob, she turned to them, addressing them all the while staring Finn down until he shifted in place. "Like Finn said, I'm no one. Later, boys."
She was out the door before any one of them could stop her. Colin and Logan turned their gazes to their friend, waiting for him to say something; all they got out of Finn was a roll of the eyes and a slammed door.
"My God, he's an idiot," Colin said, shaking his head as he sat next to Logan.
"Love makes men stupid," Logan answered, frowning at his words. "God, that was maudlin."
"You think?" Colin asked, laughing. "I just hate that he's hurting Stephanie and himself for no reason."
"He has a reason, a stupid one, but it's his reason. They may fool around, but Finn still thinks Steph belongs to you."
Colin scoffed at the comment. "Stephanie and I were a million years ago."
"But you loved her," Logan pointed out.
"I still do, but not like that. I want her happy, and if Finn got his shit together, she could be happy, he could happy, and you and I wouldn't have to put up with their freaking drama. Do you have any idea how annoying they were this summer… flirting, fighting, and mooning over each other? All summer I had a beer in one hand and an aspirin bottle in the other."
"That might have to do more with the beer than them," Logan joked.
"No, it was them," Colin assured him. "I felt like weighing anchor and leaving them stranded on one of the islands."
"That would have been fun," Logan said, getting up. "I'm going to lie down. If you guys are really coming to the wake with me, I'm leaving at seven."
"Wouldn't miss it."
xxx
What should have been a somber affair was a cross between a weird poetry club and the beginnings of a kegger. No one seemed to realize that they were attending a wake for a dead professor.
"Well, this is a party."
Rory quickly turned around, sighing in relief. "Marty, thank God, this is a disaster. People seem to think it's exactly that, a party."
"And Paris…?"
"Paris… bless her, is Paris and hasn't caught on," Rory said. Looking around for her roommate, she found her in a corner giving away copies of Asher Fleming's book to their oblivious guests.
"She might catch on soon," Marty said, pointing to the two men carrying a keg.
"No," Rory moaned pitifully.
"I'm on it," Marty said, walking away.
"Thank you," Rory called out. "This is bad, this is so very bad."
"Well, it's not a rave destined to go down in party history, but it has its potential."
Rory went still at the voice. It amazed her how being around him always fit the most lovesick clichés. People didn't really get goose bumps and racing hearts at the sound of someone's voice, did they?
Turning around slowly, she gave him a tiny smile. He was different now. Yesterday he had been surprised, caught off guard. Today, however, he was cool, collected Logan, his eyes giving away nothing, a smirk firmly in place. He wasn't giving an inch and obviously thought now was the time to have their little tête-à-tête.
"Hello."
"Hello," Logan echoed. "Ready for that conversation."
"Logan, this is a memorial of sorts," Rory explained, to which Logan and the guys standing behind him nodded.
"It's quite the party," said the taller one wearing sunglasses with an accent.
"Rory, Finn," Logan said, pointing at the guy who was grinning at her, before pointing at the other one that seemed to have walked out of a J. Crew magazine. "And this is Colin, guys this is Rory."
"I'd call you beautiful, darling, but Logan already glared at me before for calling you hot," Finn said stepping forward, taking her hand before she could stop him and kissing it. "But you really are stunning."
"Finn…"
"Finn, drop the girl's hand before Logan has a coronary," Colin interrupted, stepping around his friends, he stuck out his hand to the girl. "Colin McCrae, we are just dying to know all about you. Logan's not giving away anything."
Rory stood at a loss with Logan's friends, a little overwhelmed by their attention. It was also a little weird for her, knowing things about them when they knew nothing. She gave Logan a questioning look, his only response was an aggravated sigh. He really hadn't told his friends anything about them. Logan had always talked about his friends as his family; it truly surprised her that after the encounter they had witnessed he hadn't explained.
"Hi."
"Rory and I need to talk, boys," Logan said, stepping in front of them, his hand seeking hers. So used to it, Rory intertwined her fingers with his. The action was not lost on any of them.
"Gotcha," Finn said, swinging his arm over Colin's shoulder. "We'll mingle."
"Logan, we can't do this here," Rory said, watching his friends walk away.
"I agree," Logan said looking around. "Where's your room?"
Rory sighed, knowing she couldn't get out of this, she pointed to the door on the left. She wasn't surprised when he started pulling her to it.
"Logan, I can't just leave, I have to make sure nothing happens," Rory complained, the excuse sounding lame even to her own ear. She figured he agreed, if the look he gave her was anything to go by.
"Boys," Logan yelled to his friends. "Make sure no one breaks anything."
Finn stared at him with a blank expression while Colin looked at him amused.
"Let me rephrase… Colin, make sure Finn doesn't break anything."
Rory watched, amused at the way Colin nodded his head agreeing while Finn gave both his friends a fake hurtful look, with full pout and all. She allowed Logan to usher her into her room. She faced the bed not looking at him, the click of her lock sounding louder than it should. Turning around, she saw the way Logan leaned against the door like a human shield. "I'm not going to run away, Logan, you don't have to barricade us in."
"You sure about that?" Logan asked, no hurt this time, just curiosity.
Rory ignored the question. It was liable to start them off on the wrong foot. "I like your friends. Well, better than yesterday anyway. They were exactly like you told me."
"They have their moments. I know you got upset about the comments they made to your friend. They speak before they think sometimes, but they're harmless."
"You didn't tell them about me."
"I wasn't sure what to say," Logan answered honestly. "And I wanted to keep you to myself."
"Logan…"
"I missed you," Logan interrupted. "I thought you should know. Did you miss me?"
"Of course, I've missed you, Logan," Rory said quickly, surprised that he even had to ask.
"We need to talk about things, Rory."
"I don't know what to say," Rory admitted quietly.
"Neither do I," Logan said looking at the floor.
They both stayed quiet, looking at each other, neither being able to utter another word. The short distance between them seemed to grow with every silent second that passed. Slowly, Logan straightened up from the door, taking a step forward. "My father says when you can't talk, take action."
"What…"
Her question was muffled, in seconds he had closed the gap between them, his mouth taking hers. Her hand came to his chest, her initial reaction to stop him, but as his hand made its way to her hair, her own hands took on a life of their own and instead of pushing him away, they gripped his shirt, pulling him closer. His kiss deepened, his lips parting to take her bottom lip in between his, sucking on it softly, and all Rory wanted to do was get closer still, crawl into him if she could. He nipped lightly on her lip, causing Rory to gasp, an opportunity that Logan took full advance of, sinking his tongue into her, exploring very inch of her mouth at an agonizingly slow pace. Only when their lungs began to burn at the lack of oxygen did he allow the kiss to break, and Rory whimpered at the loss of contact.
"Action works so much better for us," he whispered, leading her back.
Rory allowed him to move her, for the moment forgetting that they shouldn't be doing this, that things were different now, or the fact that there were at least thirty people on the other side of the door. Nothing mattered as they dropped on to her bed.
"Don't you think?" he whispered the words in her ear, his lips closing in on her earlobe.
He didn't expect a verbal answer and he didn't get one. All he got was breathy moan and a firm grip on his hair keeping him in place. Grinning, Logan continued to kiss her.
Yes, action worked so much better for them.
A/N: Let me know what you guys think of Stephanie and Finn, I have a deep fascination with Finn, could be that Tanc is hot as hell and his accent gave me tingles. Love hearing from you guys, so throw me a line. Enjoy!
