"Will you do something for me?" a shy, quiet voice said from the doorway.
He didn't know that she was there. She wasn't supposed to be back this early; usually a date lasted longer than two hours. He was planning on hearing her come home sometime in the morning, after a night of restless sleep on his part, wondering what she was doing and what was being done to her. He never expected to see her standing in his doorway, still in her date clothes, at 9:00 pm. He also never expected to see that particular look in her eyes, the one that was constantly in his when he was around her. The look made his heart skip a beat and his throat become dry. His eyes were glued to hers as he got up from his bed and made his way to the door. She had her arms wrapped around her middle and her legs crossed, a smile forming on her pink lips as he advanced. He stopped in front of her, allowing her eyes to travel down his unclad chest. As her gaze once again met his, a lump formed in his throat as he saw the sharp glint of desire that ran through her eyes.
He cleared his throat and managed to force out, "What do you need?"
She gave him a small smile and stepped into the room, moving past his nearly naked figure. She mindlessly walked around the room, looking around her, and then made it to the bed, and sat on the edge. He still stood in the doorway, his back now to the hall, his eyes following her movements. He stared at her as she sat down and watched as yet again her eyes transversed his body. He cleared his throat and stepped from the doorway, his eyes glued to hers.
She hadn't been like this for years, never had he seen the vulnerability that shone from her eyes as they stared at each other; this was new. She usually had her shield up, never letting anyone in or showing any emotion. She hadn't always been like that. Before all you'd have to do was look into her piercing blue eyes and you could see the entire range of her emotions. Now all you saw was a hardness. It had been like that for a long time, ever since her breakup with her fiancé, so seeing her emotions so clearly as he watched her on his bed, surprised and scared him. He didn't know how to deal with this side of her; it hade been too long since he had last seen it.
The day of the breakup was when the hardness came. She didn't scream, or throw a tantrum, or break or hit anything; she didn't even cry. She just let herself turn cold and impassive, the hardness enveloping her being. She stood there seeing her fiancé's and best friend's naked bodies lying entangled on their bed. She didn't make a noise, just watched as they screamed, moaned and finally realized that they weren't alone anymore, after their climaxes had subsided. She just stood in the doorway, ramrod straight, her eyes glued to the bed, whose occupants were now scrambling to get dressed. Her fiancé's scantily clad body making its way into her line of vision, interrupting her fixed gaze on the empty bed. Her cold, hard eyes flicked up to his sad, imploring ones. The words falling from his still moistened lips fell onto deaf ears; she heard nothing, she chose to not hear anything. She didn't want apologies or excuses; she didn't want anything from him anymore. And when that realization hit, she spun on her heals, and calmly walked out of the apartment, out of his life, and into a new one, shrugging off the hands that tried to stop her.
He followed her, trying to get her to stop and listen to him, not caring that he was only dressed in boxers. He grabbed her again, gripping her arms tightly, hard enough to bruise. She couldn't shake him off this time, so she stopped and turned to face him, her expression unreadable. She once again blocked out his voice, and just stood there looking at him, showing nothing. She could tell that he was pleading to her, apologizing, trying to make it all better, but she wouldn't let him. She didn't want him, his pleading, his apologizing, she wanted absolutely nothing to do with him. He saw this in the cold, hard gaze that settled on his own, and he got scared. He broke down, crumpled to the floor, wrapping his arms around her waist, crying into her stomach. She recoiled from his touch, prying his arms off of her, and taking hasty steps away from him. Her eyes, even after seeing this particular person break down, were still stone, not a single emotion present.
She looked down into his flowing eyes, and then down at her left hand; the symbol of his supposed love binding her ring finger. She slid the ring down, conscious that he was watching her movements. She took a step toward him and said in a strong, unwavering voice, "Goodbye Logan," as she dropped the ring onto the stones. She turned on her heel, her head held high, and walked off, once again tuning out the cries that came from the crumpled figure on the ground.
Now she sat there, on his bed, staring into his eyes, letting him know with a single look soul piercing look, what she wanted. He sat down beside her, letting the mattress absorb his weight, never breaking eye contact. She slid closer to him, close enough to have her thigh pressed against his. His breath caught as the irrepressible flames that always consumed him when they touched, coursed through his body. She inched her body closer, turning so as to be facing him, her chest brushing against his arm. His eyes were questioning as she leaned into him, pressing herself more firmly against him.
"Rory?" he asked, feeling foolish as his voice quivered.
"Shh," she whispered, laying a finger against his lips. "Will you do something for me?" she asked again, her voice once again a whisper. Her cerulean eyes pleading with his own for an answer, the answer she wants to hear.
"Anything," he whispers back, "anything,"
She smiles, moving her finger from his lips, and says, "Kiss me."
His head starts spinning, his eyes go wide, and his throat completely dry. "Wha….what? What did you say?"
"Kiss me," she says again, her tongue darting out of her lips to moisten them.
"Why?" he questions, scared to know the answer, hoping against hope that it is the same reason to why at all times he wants to kiss her.
"Why!" she replies incredulously, " why!" She pushes away from him, and gets off of the bed. "Because I want you to. That's why. When I was on that date tonight with Jeremy, all I could think of was you; what you were doing, what you were thinking about; if you were thinking about me as. My thoughts were all centered on you! You, and only you. I have absolutely no idea what Jeremy and I talked about for the time we were out; I didn't pay any attention to him. I was a horrible date because you occupied every inch of my mind. I don't know why I didn't realize it before. I mean it is so obvious. Every single thing points to it; my nervousness around you; the yearning I feel for your touch; my lack of attention on dates; the fact that I can't go a day without seeing you. It's all there, and I can't believe I've been so blind to have not seen it before!" She paced back and forth in front of the bed, gesturing wildly with her arms, not allowing anytime to meet his eye.
"Rory calm down," he implored, "you aren't making any sense. What is so obvious? What have you been so blind about?" He got up from the bed, advancing on her, trying to make her stop her pacing.
"You mean you don't know!" she exclaimed, finally stopping dead in her tracks, her eyes searching his for honesty.
"I swear. I have no idea what you're talking about. What is the matter? Is something wrong? Has something happened? Are you --"
"I love you!" she screamed, interrupting his questions.
He was shocked. Had he really heard her say that? Was she really in love with him? "Wh—wh—what?" he stuttered, trying to make sense of what she exclaimed.
She hugged her arms to her body, trying to stop the shaking that has taken over her. "I am in love with you," she said again, this time meeting his eye.
"You…you love…you love me?" he questioned, hoping to God that he had heard her right.
"Yes. I love you," she said again, softly this time.
He made no reply, his mind unable to make a comprehensive sentence. His eyes were glued to her down turned head, silently willing it to lift up.
As the silence continued to stretch, her mind raced with reasons as to why he hadn't made any reply. Was he in shock? Was he disgusted? Did he not love her? Did he not think of her in that way? A million thoughts raced through her mind, all falling away as she felt his arms encase her in a hug. She gasped at the contact, and slowly lifted her head to meet his gaze. Once again a gasp made its way through her lips, this time at the emotion she saw so clearly shining from his eyes. He brought his head down to hers, resting his forehead against hers, and staring into her azure gaze.
"I love you too Rory, so much, you have no idea." His voice was husky, emotion dripping from every word.
Rory squealed in delight, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "You do? Truly?" she asked, not believing her ears, thinking that she heard only what she wanted to.
He pulled her tighter into his embrace, and stared down into her upturned gaze.
"I am in love with you, Rory Gilmore. I can't remember a time when I haven't been so. You mean the world to me, and I can't think of life without you." He smiled at her, giving truth to his words.
Her heart beat wildly in her chest, as the words he said sunk in. He loved her! He was in love with her! Her, Rory Gilmore. She couldn't believe it. She was happy, no, more than happy, ecstatic.
She tightened her grip on his, pulling him even closer to herself. "You truly mean that?" she asked, wanting to make she he knew what he was saying, not wanting to have to go through another Logan debacle.
He looked at the doubt in her eyes and cursed Logan for what he did to her. "I love you Rory, with all my heart. Nothing is ever going to change that. I've loved you for too long to give it up."
"How long?"
"When did we meet?" he asked in return.
"About 4 years ago," she replied.
"About 3 and a half years," he stated, answering her question.
"3 and a half years!" she exclaimed as she pushed on his chest, "why didn't you say anything before?"
"I couldn't. I didn't want to risk losing your friendship by telling you. I didn't know if you felt the same way and I don't think I would have been able to hear you tell me that you didn't."
"You watched me with Logan. You watched me spend 2 and a half years with your best friend, even though you loved me?"
"You were happy Rory. More than anything I wanted you to be happy, and I knew that at the time Logan made you so. I didn't want to jeopardize your happiness."
Rory looked into his eyes and saw the blatant sincerity in them. "Thank you for that," she said, as she once again wrapped her arms around him.
"It's the least I could do for the girl I love."
Rory lifted her head, and looked into his eyes, "I never thought that I'd feel this way again after what happened between me and Logan. I didn't want to feel this way again, I didn't want to be able to get hurt again. So I didn't allow myself to, instead I locked away all of my emotions, never letting them out. But somehow you managed to get them, and I am so happy that you did." She smiled at him, tightening her hold.
"I am too, so happy," he whispered as he stared into her blue depths.
Rory smiled contentedly, and placed her head onto his shoulder. They both just stood there, locked in each others' arms, paying no attention to the passing time, only to the feelings evoked by their embrace.
After several minutes of comfortable silence Rory lifted her head from his chest, and looked at his face.
"Will you do something for me?" she asked for the third time that night.
He turned his head to gaze into her eyes. "Will you do something for me?" he retorted, a smile playing about his lips.
Rory returned the smile and said, "Anything."
He leaned down and placed his lips next to her ear, grazing it with his lips as he whispered, "Be my girlfriend."
The shivers Rory felt at the feel of his lips on her ear were nothing compared to those she felt when he said those three words. She turned her head and met his gaze. "Yes," she whispered back, "I'd love to."
He picked her up off of the floor and spun her around, eliciting another squeal of delight from her. He finally set her down, and instantly fused his mouth onto hers. His hands were at her hips, hers in his hair. The kiss was filled with passion, fueled by both persons equally. It ended too soon for Rory's taste, which was apparent from the whimper which escaped her lips at the cease of contact. Her eyes slowly opened and focused on him.
"Are you sure this is what you want, Rory? You really do love me?" he asked nervously, looking at her with uncertainty.
Rory smiled warmly at him and then pulled him down for another soul wrenching kiss.
"There's nothing I want more, Finn," she gasped, after breaking off the kiss, "I am 100 positive. I love you. I love you. I love you!"
A huge grin broke out on Finn's face. He pulled her with him to the bed, gently laying her back down on it, after taking off her jacket and shoes.
"I love you Rory," he said as he climbed in beside her, wrapping his arms around her waist, bringing her back to his chest.
"I love you too Finn," she murmured as she felt a kiss being placed on the neck, "I love you so much."
And she soon fell asleep, finding comfort in the arms of the man she loved, the only man able to tear down her shield.