A/N: Settle people! I'm typing as fast as I can! Here's another update, perhaps not quite on time, but I want this FanFic to be well-written and entertaining. It's no good if it's just pages and pages of absurdity :) Anyway, this one is maybe not as exciting or as long as I'd have liked it to have been, but don't worry, it's gonna get heated soon... okay I'll stop : Enjoy this latest piece...
--Pride and True--
Chapter VIII: The Logical Song
She clutched the steering wheel tightly and stared ahead, driving as best she could despite her worries of his capacity to distract her. Fortunately he had not said much since their departure for home. It did seem odd though, that a feeling within her lingered. One she only got around him.
"I think that brandy your Grandfather gave me is starting to kick in," Logan mumbled, breaking her train of thought.
"Just drink more water," she replied, pointing to the glove box.
He looked at her momentarily.
"Don't," she said, feeling his gaze, "don't look at me".
"Why not?" he asked, opening the glove box and withdrawing a small bottle of 'mountain spring' water.
"I'm trying to drive," she answered, "and with you looking at me, it makes me- it makes me nervous".
He nodded, narrowing his brow slightly, but resigned himself from saying anything and instead opened the bottle of water, sculling a mouthful.
The pair sat in silence for a moment. The street-lights flashed quickly through the windshield, occasionally illuminating the car. She watched him out of the corner of her eye, only briefly, every so often.
"Am I allowed to talk?" he questioned, starring out the window mindlessly.
Rory breathed heavily, "of course you can talk- just don't- I'm not in the mood for an argument".
"We had good fun arguing back at your Grandparents'," he pointed out, smirking somewhat.
"You had good fun stirring," she retorted, straightening herself in an attempt to become more comfortable.
"Oh come on," he whined, "we had good fun!"
"Well-" she began, "I guess we did- I guess it wasn't as bad as it could have been," she replied softly, refusing to admit to even herself, that she truly enjoyed his company throughout the night.
"So it wouldn't entirely be out of the question if we were to, perhaps," he proposed, "if we were to perhaps do this again sometime?"
"Go to my Grandparents' again?" Rory teased, "haven't you had enough of them already?"
"I am kinda going to see your Grandfather on Thursday for a round of 'hit a small ball into a hole' with Luke... but that's beside the point," he answered, "I meant that I'd really quite like it, if you were to join me, say, for a little adventure".
Rory withheld her response and attempted to quickly make inroads into what she thought he actually meant.
"You did invite me into your world," he continued, "I'd like to show you a bit of mine".
She refused to look at him, "and what does your world entail, exactly?"
"Oh, this and that..." he trailed off.
"No," she persisted, "I wanna know what I'm jumping into here".
"I thought you learnt your lesson, Ace," he sighed, "obviously I'm going to have to show you the light".
"What are you talking about?" Rory snapped.
"You took a chance tonight - clearly, it seems, quite a big one - in taking me to this dinner, and here you are, not fifteen minutes after the whole thing, doubting yourself," he explained.
She remained silent.
"Sometimes, to get what you truly want, you have to take a few crazy risks," he continued, "the high rollers don't bet in tens and twenties".
"Are you a chronic gambler?" she interjected, "that's two major gambling references in the past few days".
"No," he chuckled, "it's just an easier way of putting things in perspective".
Once again, she remained quiet, starring ahead and driving carefully.
"Can't you even- can't you just do? Must there be a logical reason behind everything?" he probed, smirking at her in his distinctive manner.
"Oh, I'm sorry for being curious about the details- for wanting logical reasons," Rory spat sardonically.
"You seemed like that type when I met you," Logan answered, taking another swig from the bottle.
"What type?" she breathed, glaring at him momentarily.
"Oh," he yawned, "you know... the logical type".
"The logical type?" she repeated, entirely confused.
Logan smiled blissfully, "yeah Rory, the logical type... the kind that always hang back, analysing things to the nth degree. You- you're particularly familiar with the territory, I'm sure".
"I am not!" she squealed, "I'm adventurous, I'm outgoing".
"When did you last go on an adventure outside?" he mocked, still smiling.
"Yesterday- and the... promenading... running..." she mumbled incoherently.
"No, no," he jumped, "when did you last go outside for an adventure?"
Rory sat, driving with increasing bother, "you shut up".
He laughed, not at her, but in a victorious manner; enjoying the spirit of the moment, "I can't believe how easy it's become to get at you".
"You haven't 'got' to me," she retorted sharply.
"...yet," he added, smiling.
She shook her head, defeated, but refusing to fight an otherwise, uphill battle against his fortified resolve. She pulled the car into the parking lot from which they had once left, only hours beforehand.
Logan finished the bottle of water and shoved it back into the glove box, "thanks Ace, you're always prepared, like the 'Scouts'... I like that in a girl," he spoke, smiling and awaiting her inevitable witty response.
Rory bit her lip and rolled her eyes, groaning slightly as she turned her car into a parking spot.
He stepped out of the car as shut the engine off, "this is a better spot than last time," he grinned.
"Yeah," she agreed passively, "I guess".
"Perk up Rory," he said in good spirits, across the top of the car, "you should be happy- I had a really good time tonight".
She glanced over toward him, locking the car in the same action, "I'm glad".
"No, really," he continued, "I- this was good... it was smashing fun".
Rory had no trouble masking her optimism as he was, "is this the part where you tell me you'll call me tomorrow, but in reality, won't?"
"No," he laughed, "this is the part where I walk you home".
"But-" she stammered, "I thought I took you out, therefore I should walk you home".
"Oh my parents won't mind," he teased, "come on, I'll walk you back".
She rounded the bonnet of the car and rejoined him, walking casually out of the car park toward her room.
"You have a nice family, Ace," he spoke up, fishing his hands into his pockets.
"Than-" she stopped, mid-sentence, realising she had a few questions of her own to ask about his family.
"What?" he questioned, noticing her abrupt pause.
"Oh, I just- no... thanks- thank you, I love my family, even if they can be a tad awkward at times," she spoke truthfully, "thank you for coping with the whole thing so well... and for causing such strife".
"No problem," he replied, smirking, "I won't charge extra for you".
She giggled, looking down toward the ground.
"That's more like it," he teased, nudging her slightly.
The pair continued to walk in the direction of Rory's room, into the courtyard and across from one of the more prominent faculties. Her room was but only a short walk across a small grassy lawn.
"Do you usually have burly, rather questionable looking figures, hanging around the front of your room late at night?" he asked.
"No," she retorted, looking up at him and smiling.
"Then who's that?" he asked, nodding in the direction of a figure outside her door.
The smile flooded from her face as she cast her gaze toward her room and squinted slightly, swallowing upon recognising who it was.
A/N: Oh noes! Evil cliffhanger of doom! Oh well... I guess I'll just never update again (sigh). I kid, this next one will be up sooner than you think!