The dark blue pool made the water glistened invitingly, it's temperature being just a few degrees lower than the air. Finn was leaned up against the edge of the pool, his elbows propped outside the water, enjoying the shade he had had installed recently. He spent most of his days up here these days, the air conditioned living room having little appeal to him while entertaining any of his guests in this weather. It was almost like home.
Logan was teaching Finny how to float around the pool on a green pool noodle, that Finn had bought him, having gotten used to seeing them around his rooftop pool a lot these days. And Finn really didn't mind - it was the kind of company that demanded very little, yet seemed to fill his life with the bits he on occasion missed - a sense of family, his own, with numerous nieces and nephews, being back in Brisbane.
"That's it, hold on tight now and try to kick your feet," Logan advised Finny, pulling on one end of the noodle gently, allowing Finny some freedom to float while being ready to grab him if he needed help. Luckily with Finny around it was easy to forget the occurrences of the day before, simply having too much else to think about. Had he eaten? When was his nap time? Where were his clean clothes?
Another thing that had helped him distract himself had been going along to Rory's doctor's appointment that morning, now the visits being weekly. Things looked good - the girls were officially over the 34 week line, and their prospects even if they would arrive early had greatly improved. Rory's mood wasn't great, but as Dr. Norton had assured, that was very common amongst those expecting twins at this stage. The doctor had also noted some effacement, which meant that her body was really getting ready too. For this reason he'd made a note to emphasize that they should really be getting ready for action - the timeline being at most a couple of weeks, likely sooner. It was like living with a ticking time-bomb and Logan was reluctant to leave his phone anywhere far these days. He'd even kept the spare in his car just in case.
"Care to tell me what you were up to yesterday?" Finn asked suddenly, glancing briefly over to the stairway to make sure Gigi, who had gone to change into her swim clothes, couldn't hear them. Finn was rather protective of Rory, and while his loyalties were with Logan first and foremost, he liked to think he knew what was in his best interest too - and Rory was definitely in his best interest.
"I needed to go buy something without Rory knowing," Logan replied, continuing to instruct Finny. He probably would've even told Finn the truth, he actually felt like he needed to tell someone, but the next moment they could hear Gigi coming, her sliders clinking against the stairs.
Finn left it at that, Logan's reasoning sounding valid, though he didn't quite understand the need to take such caution in hiding it.
"This place is amazing, Finn! What a view!" Gigi exclaimed as she appeared to the rooftop patio and shed her see-through floral kimono on to one of the recliners. The two men really didn't stand a chance, their gazes drawn on automatic to the sunkissed body, that already had curves in all the right places, wearing just a pastel blue string bikini, before they corrected their momentary lapse. They were only human after all.
Gigi immersed herself in the water with an audible sigh, and swam a couple of breast strokes, gliding across the water, enjoying the feel of water on her skin. As she reached the furthest end of the pool from where guys were, she elegantly dived and flipped around underwater. She was self-evidently an experienced swimmer. She emerged from under the water several seconds later, allowing the water to push her blond shoulder length hair back.
Logan briefly glanced at Finn, still entertaining Finny at the same time, and with Finn's lingering gaze on Gigi, Logan was beginning to see the problem. Whatever this was - simple appreciation of the female body, friendship or something more - it was a dangerous game.
"Huh, I really needed this," Gigi exhaled.
"Well you look like you were born in the ocean, darling," Finn noted, commenting on her swimming skills. It was innocent enough, still it was positive attention, which was borderline appropriate all things considered.
"I can float, but I'm not fast," Gigi laughed, allowing herself to float like a starfish for a minute. Every now and then the teenager in her shone through - something she said, or some mannerism - but most of the time she really did sound and act beyond her real age, definitely feeling very confident in her body.
"You should teach Finny," Logan suggested.
"I'd say he's doing pretty good already for his age," Gigi noted, friendlily, and swam closer to the boy. "Aren't you Finny?" she added playfully, and pulled him along with the floating noodle, the boy letting out a giggle, and she continued to play with him for a little while, allowing Logan to also do a few laps. His knee was still a little sore, but the water was more of a relief than anything.
Finn was similarly a fish in water, having spent most of his teenage years surfing - hence the rooftop pool being somewhat of a necessity for him in the first place.
"Last summer, my mom took me to St. Malo, I swear the water was exactly this color," Gigi described, appreciatively.
"I don't think I've been there," Logan pondered, adding, "I have been to Cote d'Azur a bunch of times." He had - a few times with the guys, and then with Celeste.
"The Riviera is nice but I'm more of a fan of the Portugese beaches - better waves," Finn commented, sounding a little surperior.
"You surf?" Gigi asked, letting herself float while she held onto the edge of the pool.
"Only until I'm noodled," Finn chuckled, being quite proud of his skills.
They continued to talk about their best beach holidays for a while, all three of them having quite a lot of experience when it came to traveling. To Logan Gigi really was a whole lot more like Celeste in that sense than Rory. For Rory work had always been a priority until recently, and this wasn't particularly something they'd gotten around to discussing in great detail. Logan couldn't help but to wonder a little, how Rory would've turned out if she had in fact grown up within the elder Gilmore's household or with her father. Would she even be the person he loved today? It was funny how sometimes seemingly unfortunate courses of events, childhood struggles, had the best outcome.
After a while, Logan emerged from the water with Finny, planning on going to change his wet swim diaper against a dry one, first allowing the kid to dry off nude a little while in one of the recliners. It was difficult to get him to stay still without a food or drink in his hands, thankfully blueberries were his favourite and Finn had brought up a whole bowl of them. In between the blueberries Logan attempted to feed the kid some cheese sticks, just to make sure he wouldn't be cranky from hunger half an hour later.
In passing he observed the dynamic in the pool, and while there was nothing specific, the two indeed seemed to have a lot to talk about. He definitely needed to talk to Finn. Then again he kept thinking, that perhaps it was better that she was flirting with Finn, not some random guy who they didn't trust? Could flirting perhaps be just completely harmless?
After another half an hour, Finny had wanted to climb into Logan's lap, his head resting on his chest, facing outwards. Clearly he was dead tired, and Logan was fairly certain the kid might actually fall asleep like that, but as he couldn't really see his eyes, he wasn't sure what state he was in at that moment. Hence, he simply stayed still.
Finn joined him on the recliner, positioned just enough in the sunshine so his face was still under the shade and closed his eyes for a moment. Gigi headed downstairs to change, saying something about not liking to wait while his swimwear dried off, and Logan just knew he needed to mention the elephant in the room.
"Is it just me or is she being a little flirty with you?" Logan asked, keeping his voice low.
"What? An old-scarecrow like me?" he chuckled.
"I just got a weird vibe from her, I don't know," Logan replied.
"What is she 17-18?" Finn asked.
"16," Logan corrected him.
"Ah...," Finn sighed, clearly not having really paid that much attention to know her real age. As Gigi had mentioned going to college next year, he'd assumed she was older. "Well I'm not that daft to burn my fingers with something like that, believe me," Finn replied. He'd had his share of near-misses, and when he had dated someone a little younger, back in the day when he was younger too, he'd even made a habit out of asking for ID.
"Good. It's just... you know, teenagers and their crushes... Tone the compliments down a notch or something," Logan advised, not wanting to sound like he though Finn needed his instructions.
Finn really didn't have much chance to respond, hearing the clinking of the stairway again, this time Gigi emerging in the striped cami top and matching shorts she'd come in with. Exposing as much skin as possible in this weather was understandable, but on occasion it was a little excessive.
"I think Finny's out," she noted, Logan having not realized the kid was asleep already. Clearly the swimming had been effective.
Logan positioned the boy on a spare recliner, well in the shade and used a dry towel to cover him slightly, then texted Rory a picture of him, getting a smiley face in return. At least for now his bases were covered - all kids safe, him and Rory too - and out here by the pool like this it was much easier to forget the nasty feeling he still had in his gut - the fear and the distrust of the outside world that had lingered.
Celeste and Jess had returned to Brooklyn for the last time with the purpose of finishing their move later in the week, having left Evie at Liz's for two nights and aiming to get the rest of their belongings packed and ready to go. There really wasn't much left, all of their things needed for actually staying at the house were already gone, and this meant they were staying with Rory and Logan, hoping to go out on one of those nights at least, the prospect definitely having some appeal for both of them. However, besides having fun and hanging out with Rory, there were other things they needed to get done.
Jess and Celeste now stood at a used car lot in Canarsie, Celeste having refused to get a new car for just her occasional outings. Jess was on board, while there were some risks with used cars, he always thought it was a waste of money to get something brand new that would lose a chunk of its value the minute it drove out of the lot. After all he too drove a fairly well-aged car which had earned him well for more than a decade. But what he did want was her to get something decent sized - not one of those tiny micro cars, he knew she liked and that Paris was full of.
"This was the one I was looking at online," Jess said as he gestured towards the 2016 orange Nissan Murano.
"Yeah, but these SUV-s are gas guzzlers, I mean I don't mind the color nor the interior, but… I don't know," she pondered.
"Okay," Jess sighed, continuing to walk on. He wasn't crazy about SUV-s himself, but technically it made sense to have something that was a little bit sturdied in the winter, compared to his fairly low BMW. He headed for the next car on his list, a Volkswagen Tiguan, but while it ticked all of the boxes it wasn't the look he appreciated much.
"What about this one?" Celeste called him over.
Jess was slightly surprised by her choice of a dark grey, slightly angry looking, Mazda 3 hatchback. It was definitely better than the Renault or Fiat she seemed to have a thing for normally.
"It's not gigantic, but the hatchback seems to give some more space in the back, and I mean Evie's not going to be small forever, it's not like I need to think about heaving the large stroller with me on most days," she explained. "Besides, this has all-wheel drive, and I kind of like the leather interior," Celeste added. Somehow their recent talk had made her think more and more about the positive of 'the baby years being over', as Jess had put it - and that really did mean that she had a chance at gaining some identity that went beyond being a mother.
"It's a little pricier though," Jess noted.
Celeste shrugged, her recent finding of Park Slope's prices having gone up, having made her feel a little bit more confident about their financials. If they needed to, they could always sell it. She couldn't deny that inside of her there was still that woman that appreciated a bit of luxury, feeling the desire to splurge a little - maybe this could be it?
"Alright, I'll go ask if we can take it for a test drive," he added, taking her driver's licence with him.
Jess had done a number of test drives with Celeste since the last time she'd driven alone, and it had boosted her confidence greatly. Sure, she still chose the smaller roads where possible, but at least she was mobile when needed.
Celeste and Jess had gone out that night, nothing fancy - just a neighbourhood restaurant and some dancing afterwards. After all they'd had some reason to celebrate - the move, the car, a certain goodbye to the city among other things - and while they'd certainly be back a lot - new things awaited. Celeste had gone as far as having one glass of wine, approved by her doctor by now, and as she'd really been without alcohol for nearly half a year now, she really hadn't needed much more for it to allow her to relax and enjoy the evening without having to completely restrict herself. Jess, on the other hand, had had a little too much to drink - Celeste in fact had assured him that she'd bring him back home safe and sound, if he did, feeling like he needed to really let loose. Jess was now sleeping off his hangover, Celeste having left him an ibuprofen and a tall glass of orange juice on his night stand before they went to bed.
Celeste herself woke well rested, and as she had her own goodbyes to say to the city - she'd decided she wanted to move her legs, which were slightly sore from dancing last night, in a different way. She'd miss running in the city.
As the small kitchen corner they had in their 5th floor apartment contained nothing else than a carton of orange juice and a pack of pop tarts, per Rory's instructions, Celeste headed downstairs to the kitchen to grab a quick bite before heading off for a jog herself. They'd agreed, that the kitchen with it's content was free to use for everybody.
"Hey, you're up early!" Celeste noted as she saw Logan sitting at the kitchen table, nursing his cup of coffee. Logan was still an early riser, now he was just missing his morning routine - hitting the streets alone not seeming like his favourite prospect.
"Morning," he replied. "I could say the same for you. Didn't you guys go out last night?" he inquired.
"We did, I just woke and couldn't get back to sleep anymore. Besides Jess probably has a bit of a hangover, so I'll just let him sleep," Celeste replied. She was wearing a pair of length burgundy running tights and a white simple tank-top on top of her blue sports bra, her sunglasses propped up to her head for now.
"Right," he replied, as he watched her grab a quick bite to eat.
Celeste could see something was off about him, but she couldn't quite place it. He seemed quiet somehow, thoughtful and while it could really just be the time of day, he was used to seeing Logan somewhat more 'ready for action' in the mornings.
"You feel like coming on a round with me or are you not running today?" Celeste asked and took another sip of water.
Logan hesitated. When they'd lived with Celeste in her townhouse just a few blocks from here, they'd done this a lot. They were good running partners, their pace more-or-less matching, and it had been a good chance for them to talk. He didn't particularly feel like it, but he knew that other than staring at his coffee cup and probably just thinking himself crazy, he really didn't have anything better to do unless he dared to peek inside his work inbox, which he'd wanted to avoid for at least a few more weeks. Besides, he knew that he needed to push past his fears and not alternate from the activities he was used to doing - he wanted his confidence back and he wanted to stay fit, didn't he? And he knew that once the babies came - all exercise would soon lose it's priority. And he really didn't want to be one of those people who just got a treadmill which soon became the contents of one of their guest bedrooms.
"Okay, fine," he said, trying to hide he sigh behind that. It was probably the most reluctant run he had ever gone on. He headed upstairs to change, and it really didn't take him more than five minutes, until he was back downstairs. His knee wasn't really an issue anymore, just a surface scratch, and it wasn't a problem for running as such. He only took his watch this time - the extra caution of leaving the key items home, having become his obsession in the past week.
It had rained in the night, the asphalt still wet along with a few puddles, and it added a certain excitement to the run - having to plan each step with some strategy not to get their sneakers wet.
"You have a specific way you want to go or…?" Celeste asked.
"No, you lead," Logan replied. This is what they'd done often - taking turns deciding where to go. It gave the other one time to just follow, not having to think so much.
"Alright," she replied, and made a few sprinting steps left towards Chelsea. Logan should've known - she liked those streets, and with the recent events, he really didn't mind, taking them further away from the area he now feared. They took the stairs up to the High Line that had just opened and down again, the stairs mixing it up a little, and then headed towards the piers.
"This is what I'll miss," Celeste said at some point. "The water, the exercise. Each time I try to go on a jog in Stars Hollow I feel like I'm being watched," she said.
"That's because you probably are," Logan laughed, appreciating her company as a distraction. He tried to stop his mind from glancing at every person around him with suspicion, every dark hoodie looking like a potential threat. At the same time, he liked the fact that they were out an hour later than he usually was, which meant there were more people around.
"Yeah, you're right," she laughed. "But it's kind of sweet, the people have been nice to me," he added.
"Good, you deserve it," Logan replied.
"I really wish you could come and visit already. The place is really cool, it's like a mixture of the loft Jess had in Philly and my first townhouse - a little modest in some aspects, but I swear I don't even mind anymore," she added. She was pretty proud of herself actually - having gotten adjusted to a completely different standard of living and actually not minding. They were just things - it was the people that made the home. She'd come a long way from the 16h arrondissement private school raised society wife she was brought up to become.
"We will," Logan assured, his eyes still looking at people's hands, the memory of the blade of the knife flashing in front of his eyes.
"And we'll probably have space for you to stay as well, if we get around to renovating the chief's house in the back yard. Nothing huge, but it has three rooms. The kitchen is pretty worthless so we'll probably just turn it into storage, maybe add a fridge and coffee maker for convenience," she added.
"If you need help getting it fixed, just tell me, okay? I'd be happy to pitch in," Logan offered. It was similar to what they were offering them at their place, but he knew that with all their expenses right now and Jess' change of jobs, they were probably stretched pretty thinner than usual.
"We'll see," she smiled. The more and more she spent on the house, the less she felt like it was a severe financial risk. She knew that if it came to it, she could just sell their Brooklyn house. And the firehouse itself was also a pretty good investment, come to think of it, once it was fixed up - she was seeing its potential more and more each day.
"Any news on the career front?" Logan asked, as they continued to jog.
"It's alright - event planning isn't my dream job, but it's something - I make people happy on their special day," she replied with a shrug. "And Jess' trunk is full of my books, I'll give you a copy later if you want," she added. Jess had gone to pick up five boxes of it for her at the Truncheon, which were for her to distribute, most of them going to reviewers across the country.
"Of course I want one," he replied, slightly offendedly that she would even consider that he didn't want one.
They continued onwards to the Hudson yards, passing a few early morning tourist groups.
"I've kind of missed this," Logan admitted, after some minutes of silence, passing through an area full of people.
Celeste raised her eyebrows at him, briefly.
"Just, you know - having company to run like this," he added with a friendly smile.
"Aw.. have you grown all softy on me?" Celeste chuckled, teasingly. She could see that in that sense she was lucky - she and Jess did run together on occasion - but Rory had never been that person, and wasn't going to be. No matter how well they matched otherwise, there were things they were never going to be doing together, and maybe Logan was feeling a little lonely on occasion, especially now that Rory was on bedrest - and in the next months would probably be not too mobile either.
Logan simply smiled back at her. They did have a lot of history - and she was a dear friend. And having her around his family, had been a great support for all of them, and probably vice-versa too. He too was a little nostalgic to see them move.
"You want to turn back?" he asked, as they approached the cruise terminal, which was not as nice for jogging.
"Nah, not yet," she replied, pushing forward.
"Since when are you the ultra runner?" Logan chuckled, beginning to feel a little less secure as they approached a part of the Greenway that was more secluded, with more trees. He was used to running that part before, when they lived in their penthouse, but now - he was rethinking a lot of it.
"Since my meds are making it impossible to lose weight," she sighed, exaggerating a little. She had lost a decent amount, but it took a fair amount of effort to maintain it.
"You look great," Logan replied. Sure she was a little rounder, but it suited her, and it wasn't like the impossible standards of the high society world applied to her anymore. She'd broken free.
"Yeah, I look like this because I take any opportunity I can to work out," Celeste replied, continuing onwards.
It was then Logan saw a group of young men standing around and chatting, and he couldn't help it. He could feel fear rising in his stomach and his throat tighten. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears now. He just couldn't take it - the axiety was too much.
"Lets just head back, okay?" Logan suggested, barely managing to get any words out, and turned around, not waiting for a reply.
It all happened very fast, nearly catching Celeste off guard.
"Since when does Logan Huntzberger take the short route," Celeste teased, calling after him, and followed him feeling slightly puzzled.
Logan hurried his step, giving Celeste a bit of a sprint, and finally stopping by pier 84. He hadn't quite realized how long he'd sprinted. He was out of breath, his hands now leaned againt his knees. The sprint had been too much for him, and for Celeste too, who had remained a good 30 feet behind him.
"What…the hell… was…. that?" Celeste panted.
Logan looked at her then, and he could see in her face that she was looking for an explanation. It wasn't like him. She knew something was up. Feeling so utterly sick of pretending he was fine - he relented.
"Sorry," he breathed heavily. "Come on, I need to tell you something," he admitted, leading her towards an empty bench a bit further ahead, away from the crowds.