11. Honesty

Rory had to go to the bathroom with the hope of shaking off the weird feelings Logan had caused by just dancing with her. They had danced through three songs and her stomach seemed to be in knots, and her cheeks were really flushed. She tried to distract herself by checking if her make-up had needed any touchups. She looked at herself closely in the mirror and wondered if maybe putting some more powder would hide the blush that had seemed to be the permanent hue of her face since she had been in Logan's arms dancing. She hoped that when she excused herself from Logan that he had not noticed that she was all flustered and in a panic to get away. She didn't know why dancing with Logan had made her body temperature to rise and her heart to pound so rapidly. While Rory hated to admit that a part of her really enjoyed being in Logan's arms, she liked the sensations that she felt by being in Logan's arms. She tried to justify her reactions to Logan by mentally pointing to the weather – the heat outside the Mansion made her body temperature rise. She also tried to justify her reactions by pointing to her breakup with Jess – that it was psychologically natural for her to have rebound feelings. She tried to think of those reasons, yet she knew, deep in her, those were not the reasons. She knew that they could not be together – she did not need to do a pro/con list to know that the cons would out-weigh the pros: he was not a commitment guy; he would be gone for year, sailing around the world; and, most of all, he was probably not interested in her.

"Are you all right, Rory?" Rory was grateful that Paris's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes, I'm just a little tired with all the dancing and being in heels and all." Rory laughed.

"Really? Because you seem red… I hope it's not because of Huntzberger." Paris emphasized the name Huntzberger with a bit of a sneer.

"No, it's not because of Logan. I think my Grandmother's make-up artist put too much blush. Paris, you could try talking nicely about Logan. He's a good guy."

"Not according to his reputation. You know… he had been kicked out of six boarding schools. One time for sinking the Headmaster's car into a lake and yet he was still accepted at Yale. Not to mention all the girls he goes through during a single week. I hope you're not planning on being one of those girls… I saw how close you two were dancing outside."

"No, Paris, I'm aware of those things, and Logan's not a saint but he is at least honest about who he is which more than I can say about a lot of people…" Rory really didn't understand why it bothered her so much when people said bad things about Logan.

"Well, be careful… I was reading about the downfall of valedictorians and falling for someone like Huntzberger can lead to you having a nervous breakdown or doing drugs."

Rory could tell that Paris was simply trying to cover up her jealousy, so she decided to be easy on her. "Paris, calm down, Logan and I are not dating, and I'm not one of those girls who has her whole life centered on guys that would lead to breakdowns or drug use."

"None of the guys you dated, so far. I hope you don't expect to change him. I know it happened in the case of Warren Beatty and Annette Banning… but, that's very rare."

"Again, Logan and I are not dating and one of my mother's lessons was that I can't change a guy… and besides, I'm not Logan's type to begin with." Rory was surprised by how sad she was when she uttered that sentence.

"Well, good! Because I hate for you to lose focus. I need you to keep my competitive spirit alive. You're the only worthwhile competition I've had." Paris said sincerely. As much as she hated admitting it, Rory was the one who had pushed her to work harder at school and to run for Student Body President.

"Glad to know, Paris," Rory said as Paris went back to the ballroom. Rory took one final breath and went back to Logan. She would try to hide whatever weird feelings she had towards Logan. Her conversation with Paris had assured her even more that she and Logan could not be more than friends.

*********

"Thanks for the ride home," Rory said as the black limo stopped in front of Rory's house, a little bit after midnight.

Logan was thankful that he was still able to converse with Rory despite the weird sensations that he had been feeling since early that evening. "You sure… you don't want to go to Madeline's? After all, if there's one thing I learned about you, Ace… any event with you is an adventure." Logan joked. A part of him was relieved that the evening was coming to an end because the more time he spent with her, the more effort he had to exert to stop himself from reaching out to kiss her. He felt that relief would only come when he was home taking a cold shower.

"Well, I'm a little tired… plus I think I had enough drama with parties this year, "Rory laughed.

Logan laughed along with her. He was suddenly aware of his close proximity to Rory in the limo. He wanted to move a little closer to Rory but a part of him did not want to. He was so conflicted that he was at a lost.

"I'm glad things are happier than the last time we were in this drive way." Logan remembered the night they had met and how much had changed since then.

"Yeah, it seems so… I'm so much happier than I was then, and it wasn't that long ago." Rory smiled at Logan.

He smiled back at her and reached for her hand, and he was surprised to feel the same surge of electricity he felt when they first shook hands outside Kyle's house just a little more than a fortnight ago. Logan was as conflicted as Rory was.

"Thanks, Logan, I think I had the best prom a girl could ever have. I didn't once feel the need to cry in the bathroom which I hear often happens at proms. Although, I did get lectured by Paris…" She laughed.

"Oh! Ace, I'm so sorry. What did she say?" For the brief time he met Paris, she scared him with her threatening glare.

"A lecture about you. Apparently, you could cause my mental breakdown." Rory chuckled.

"How can I cause you a mental breakdown?"

"I don't know. According to her 'research' most valedictorians who fall for guys like you had mental breakdowns or ended using drugs. Paris thinks I'm intoxicated by your charm and I will expect you to change or something. What she said was ridiculous… I've had problems with guys but no guy has ever gotten in the way of my health or something…"

"So, you admit I have charm?" Logan smirked at her.

"Don't flatter yourself, Logan. Don't you have any modesty?" Rory rolled her eyes.

"Nope, I only state the truth… I'm an honest man, and you should be more confident about yourself. I mean… you're smart, beautiful and driven. You should brag more about that…." Logan said looking intently at her.

Rory suddenly felt his face to be dangerously close to her. "Logan, that's such an unoriginal line…"

"That wasn't a line, Rory. I was just being straightforward again." Logan looked at her seriously. Rory looked at him closely and how well her hand fitted in his hand just like how well she fitted in his arms while dancing. She was just amazed on how she could physically fit with someone who was so wrong for her. She gazed at his luminous brown eyes and his soft lips. She couldn't restrain herself anymore. She tentatively brushed her lips against his, and Logan momentarily abandoned his caution and responded to the contact by kissing her back. He put the fingers of one hand through her soft hair and then he cupped her cheek with the other hand. He had never experienced a kiss that was so sweet in his entire life.

Rory felt that she was in heaven – she had never experienced a sweet and passionate kiss before. It felt so right and yet so wrong, and then she felt herself return back to reality. Her mind was telling her that she should not kiss Logan.

"Logan, I'm sorry." Rory softly said with tears in her eyes.

"Rory," Logan said tenderly, hoping that she didn't regret their kiss.

"I have to go." She got out of the car with tears streaming down her face. She couldn't believe that she had let her emotions get the better of her.

Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, guys. I really appreciate those who take the time and write me thoughtful reviews. Please keep it up.