AN:Okay! Thanks for the reveiws! I'm glad you're liking this story and if you keep on reading i'll keep posting! I have up to part 9 of this story but I'm giving them to you in moderations(Is that the word) SoI do have many parts andI will be posting regualry! And I've got to give props to my beta Flynn who is having so much fun betaing these chapters! So give her thnaks too! Okay so on with the new part!
Part 4: They meet again.
"Rory, are you sure you don't want to go to class? You've missed two days already." Paris said through Rory's door. After her wallowing session, Rory had gone to bed and hadn't come out of her room since. Paris would knock on the door and put coffee and food in front of it. But she had a feeling that Rory wasn't eating.
"No, I'm just going to stay here."
"Rory, you've got to eat something." Paris said. She hated to admit it, but she was really worried about her.
"I have."
"When was the last time you ate?" Rory didn't answer for a while. She knew she was thinking about it.
"Saturday."
"Rory, it's Wednesday!" Paris yelled. She heard her cell phone ring and continue to ring. Rory was going through her depressed stage. She wasn't eating and she wasn't taking calls. She wasn't even coming out of the room. Luckily, there was a bathroom in her room so that was a plus. The only thing she was consuming was coffee and Paris had a suspicion that wasn't very healthy. "When I get back, we are going out! You hear me! You owe me at least that much! I've been screening your calls for the last four days!" Paris grabbed her cell and books and walked out of their dorm room. She went over the coffee kiosk and ordered.
"Hey Paris, where's Rory? I haven't seen her in a while." Jeff the coffee kiosk guy asked her. Paris sighed. Rory had such an addiction to coffee that every kiosk guy and girl knew her and Paris personally and were on a first name basis and vice versa.
"She's feeling a bit under the weather. She got in a fight with her mother, and well, all things shot to hell. She hasn't left the room in three and a half days." She told him.
"Jeez, tell her I hope she feels better, we miss her at the coffee conferences." Paris smiled.
"I'll tell her. Hey, can you send a cup over to our dorm in about half an hour? Just knock really loud and say coffee and leave it in front of the door. She'll come and get it." Paris said. "Here's the money for it now."
"Yeah, I'll be sure to send it."
"Thanks, Jeff."
"Always a pleasure serving you ladies."
"I bet it is. It's 101." Jeff nodded and wrote it down.
"Branford, right?" Paris nodded.
"Thanks again." Jeff nodded and went to the next customer.
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Logan Huntzberger had never been one to eavesdrop, but when he picked up the name Rory, he began to listen to the conversation between the girl with sandy blonde hair in front of him and kiosk guy. According to the girl, who was named Paris, his wife-to-be was not feeling well and had not come out of her dorm room in three days. They were also sending coffee over in a half an hour to dorm 101 in Branford. He walked away and towards his own dorm. Colin and Finn would help him get her attention and hopefully out of her dorm.
He opened the door to find Finn and Colin playing on the X-box. Finn in only his boxers and sitting cross legged on the floor, while Colin was sitting on the couch in his khakis and polo shirt.
"Hey Logan." Colin said not looking up from the TV.
"Hey mate." Finn said in his Australian accent.
"Hey guys, I found my bride." They paused the game and looked up. Finn ran into his room and came out a few minutes later in jeans and a blue button down shirt. He hopped back into the living room putting on his shoe.
"Let's go meet her then." Finn said tying the laces. Logan shook his head.
"We can't."
"And why not?" Finn asked as he sat down next to Colin.
"She's been holed up in her room for three days. She not talking to anyone."
"How do you know?" Colin asked
"Her roommate was talking to the coffee kiosk guy."
"Eavesdropping?" Colin asked.
"Selective hearing." Logan responded. Colin snorted.
"Right."
"So, what are you going to do mate?"
"Well, I have to get in good with the roommate." Colin and Finn nodded in agreement.
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Paris walked over to her dorm room. She had left at three and it was now six. Rory had had three hours to get her ass out of bed and get ready for dinner. Just as she unlocked the door she felt a hand on her shoulder. She grabbed her mace she had in her bag and turned around with the mace in hand pointing the nozzle at the intruder.
"Whoa there." She looked up and saw that there were three guys standing there. One had brown hair that stuck up every which way and the other had brown hair as well, but it was combed back while the guy in the middle had blonde hair. She recognized him right away. She put the mace away and looked back up at the three men.
"Logan Huntzberger. What a pleasure to finally meet the man that's causing my best friend pain."
"Hey, that wasn't me, that was our families."
"No difference. What do you want?"
"I would like to see my future bride." Logan said with a smirk.
"Well, that's just too bad, isn't it? She isn't seeing anyone or taking any calls." Just then the door opened. Rory came out wearing jeans and a blue turtleneck bringing out the blue in her eyes and her hair swept up in a ponytail.
"Okay Paris, I'm up and ready to go, but I'm not promising to eat anything so you can't..." Rory trailed off as she made eye contact with Logan. She walked back into the dorm and slammed the door. Paris heard another door slam.
"Shit." Paris muttered. She opened the door and walked over to Rory's room. The three guys followed. "Rory, please open the door." Rory didn't answer, but she heard her crying on the other side. "Rory, please open the door. You need to get food. You need to get out."
"I need to be left alone!" Rory yelled back. Paris kicked the door, then went over to Logan, Colin and Finn.
"Thanks a lot! I finally got her out of that damn room and you messed everything up!" Paris yelled poking his chest. Logan sighed and went over to the door.
"Rory, can you please come out?" He heard her laugh bitterly
"Why? So you can give me my damn engagement ring?"
"Shit, I knew I forgot to bring something." Rory didn't say anything. "Come on, I'll buy you some coffee." He heard her get up and the door click and she came out. She had a sad look to her face.
"Just because you know my weakness doesn't mean I like you." She grabbed her cell phone from the coffee table.
"Your mom called twenty times, Rory. You should call her." Paris advised.
"And say what? 'Thank you oh so much for marrying me off, see you at the wedding?'"
"Rory."
"Paris, it's between me and her, just leave it alone."
"Fine. Come on, Invisible Bob. You and your cronies are treating me and Rory to dinner."
"Invisible Bob?" Colin asked. Logan shrugged. They followed the girls out, Finn happily besides them chatting. Rory didn't say much.
"We'll take my car if that's all right with you girls." Paris nodded and followed them to his black SUV. Rory stopped and frowned.
"What happened to the Jag?" She asked. Logan smirked.
"She already knows what kind of car I drive. How nice." Rory rolled her eyes as she got in and sat behind Logan who was in the driver's seat. "It's at my parents' house. I only drive that when I go over there." Logan started the car and drove off towards a restaurant.
"So you're Lorelai Leigh Gilmore the Third?" Finn asked. Rory nodded.
"My name is Finnigan Romestead, but my friends call me Finn. That is Colin Michaels. He's a real tight ass."
"Finn." Colin hissed.
"See what'd I tell ya. So Lorelai..."
"Rory." Rory interrupted him.
"What?"
"Rory, it's short for Lorelai." Finn frowned.
"How is Rory short for Lorelai?"
"It just is." Rory shrugged.
"Ok, so Rory. I hear you did quite a lot of yelling on Friday."
"Yes, well, I didn't take the news I received very well."
"Neither did Logan." Colin said.
"What?"
"Oh yeah. The way they told me was much more embarrassing than how they told you." Logan said
"I doubt it."
"They told me during my birthday party on my eighteenth birthday. Gave me the ring as a present. They told me in front of all my friends."
"I remember you turned red." Finn said.
"I ran away form home for a week and stayed with Colin. My parents say that I wrapped my head around it while I was gone, but let's face it, being told that you're being given away without a choice there's just no way you can 'wrap your mind around it.' Don't you think Ace?"
"Ace?" Rory raised an eyebrow.
"For ace reporter. I told you I read your articles."
"How cute, he had a nickname for her." Colin teased
"Shut it Colin." Logan parked in front of a small little café, him and Finn got out. Logan walked around and opened the door for Rory and Paris while Finn opened the door for Colin. They walked into the little cafe and were seated right away in comfortable little booth at the back.
"Order what you want. It's on me."
"I just want coffee." Rory said pushing the menu away.
"Eat Rory." Paris said pushing the menu back to her. Rory pushed it away again.
"Not hungry."
"Yeah, that's what you've been saying for the past three days." Rory rolled her eyes and was about to retort when her cell rang. She looked at the caller ID and sighed.
"Hello?"
"Hey Rory. I've been trying to call you for the past few days. Paris said you were sick."
"Yeah, I'm sick." Rory said lamely.
"Are you okay?"
"No, not really."
"I heard you and your mom got in a fight the other day."
"Where did you hear that?"
"Miss Patty, Babette, Kirk, Taylor, Andrew, Tom, even Michel and Sookie. Hell, the whole town knows you two got in a fight."
"Jeez, you make it sound like we're going at it."
"Taylor says he swore he saw Lorelai slap you."
"She didn't."
"I know. Lorelai is pretty beat up about it. Mopes around town and there's a rumor going around that she rarely goes to work anymore. You want to tell me what it was about?"
"Not really. It's between me her and whoever else was at my Grandparents' house on Friday."
"Oh."
"It's just now isn't a good time."
"Right." He let the subject drop, but Rory could tell he was upset that she wasn't planning on saying anything. "So, are you coming home this weekend or..."
"I don't think I'm going to go home for a while and if I do I think I'm going to stay at Lane's."
"You could always stay here."
"Yeah, I know, I just don't think that's best right now."
"Right, what with you and Lorelai and the town being small?"
"Yeah."
"So where are you?"
"Why?"
"I just hear music and people, so I'm just wondering."
"I'm out with Paris. She's treating me to dinner." She lied. She saw Logan raise an eyebrow and Paris shake her head.
'Tell him' Paris mouthed. Rory kicked her leg, Paris glared at her.
"Look, I got to go Dean. I'll talk to you later."
"Yeah. Talk to you later. Love you."
"Yeah, bye." Rory hung up and put the cell back in her purse.
"I'm going to take a wild guess and say it's the boyfriend." Logan said. Rory nodded. "Doesn't sound like a very loving relationship."
"You don't know anything about me, so don't start making assumptions." Rory hissed. Logan held up his hands in mock surrender.
"So, you haven't told him?" Colin asked
"No, I haven't." Rory said plainly. The waitress came and took their drink orders.
"Coffee all around please." Logan said. The waitress nodded and left to fill the orders.
"So, have all you decided what you're eating?" Logan asked changing the subject. The all answered their orders except for Rory who was tracing the intricate pattern on the tablecloth with her finger. "Ace?"
"Not eating."
"You should eat." Logan said.
"Not hungry, I'll eat tomorrow."
"Yeah, right." Paris snorted. Rory shot Paris a look. "I don't think coffee counts as food."
"It does in the Gilmore world."
"Yes, but in two months' time you will no longer be a Gilmore but a Huntzberger."
"Please, don't remind me."
"Oh burn." Colin said. Paris snorted.
"Apparently someone looks up to Michael Kelso." Paris said. Rory smiled and Colin glared
"Now Ace, I'm hurt. What's so bad about being a Huntzberger?" Rory shook her head and leaned back. All she wanted to do was crawl under her covers and never come back out.
"Nothing." She muttered. "I just wish it was my choice in becoming one." Seeing the sad look on Rory's face they decided to let the subject drop.
"So, are you eating anything love? Get a salad." Finn suggested. Rory laughed.
"Rory doesn't eat salads or any vegetables for that matter." Paris said. "Rory, get something small." Rory sighed and scanned the menu.
"Fine, I'll get the nachos." Rory sighed. Colin looked at her.
"That's a big plate." Colin said. Rory shrugged. The waitress came back and took their orders.
"I'll have the chicken wrap." Colin said.
"I'll have the same." Logan ordered.
"Right then, I'll have the double cheeseburger." Finn said.
"The nachos please." Rory voiced
"And I'll have the Caesar salad." Pairs said. They all gave the menus to the waitress as she left.
"A cheeseburger? I would have thought a rich boy like you Finn would like caviar and escargot." Paris said.
"We like to let loose every once in a while," Logan said. Rory smiled. Their food came a minute later and they all teased Rory about her hunger seeing as the plate that she ordered was much larger than the rest. They talked and laughed. Rory had laughed for the first time in four days. It felt good. She got to know Logan and his friends and he got to know her. If it was a good thing or a bad thing she didn't know.
"So, how did you two meet?" Logan asked bringing Rory out of her thoughts.
"Me and Paris?"
"Yes, you and Paris."
"We met at our sophomore year at Chilton."
"We hated each other, then became friends, then hated each other, then became friends."
"A love hate relationship." Rory said. Logan nodded. "What about you three?"
"Let's see, me and Colin have known each other since diapers. And we met Finn in the seventh grade when he transferred from some prep school in Australia."
"That's where the accent is from." Rory said.
"I'm exotic." Finn said wiggling his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.
"So is the Asian bird flu." Paris and Colin replied in unison.
"That was freaky." Rory laughed. Logan nodded in agreement. They all ate their food and chatted as if they had been friends for years. Oddly, Rory felt at ease with them. Like she could be herself. Rory smiled at the thought and dug into her nachos. After they had finished eating Rory leaned back and patted her stomach.
"I can't believe you actually ate all that." Colin said looking at the empty plate of nachos.
"To tell you the truth, I was starving."
"Yeah, not eating for four days will do that to you." Paris said. Rory rolled her eyes and took a sip of her fifth cup of coffee. Her phone rang again. She looked at the caller ID and sighed in relief that it wasn't Dean. Instead of answering it she handed the phone to Paris who took it willingly and left the table. Paris walked to a secluded area of the restaurant and answered the phone.
"Hello?" She heard a sigh on the other end and now knew why Rory had handed her the phone.
"Hi Paris."
"Hi Lorelai."
"She's still not talking to me, huh?"
"No, I'm sorry, Lorelai."
"No, that's okay. I just wish she would let me explain. Is she still in her room?"
"No, Logan Huntzberger appeared with two of his friends and I conned him into taking me and Rory out to dinner."
"So she ate?"
"It took a while to convince her, but she ate a plate of nachos and at least five cups of coffee."
"That's my daughter. Well, tell her I called and…"
"To call you back?"
"Yeah, even though it's pointless. Tell her I'd love to have lunch with her at the inn on Friday."
"Yeah, I relay the message back to her."
"Thanks Paris, I know you must be getting tired of all this."
"She's my friend. She been there for me during all my crap. I should be there for hers." She heard Lorelai laugh.
"So, are they getting along?" Paris looked back at the table knowing fully well who Lorelai was talking about. She saw Logan and Rory laugh at something Finn had said and Logan lean into to whisper something in her ear making her laugh.
"Yeah, she is. I think if this didn't happen she would have picked him for herself."
"Good. I'll talk to you later Paris."
"Yeah. Bye Lorelai."
"Bye." Paris hung up the phone and walked back to the table. She handed Rory the phone.
"I know you don't want to know, but she wants to have lunch with you on Friday at the inn." Rory nodded and put the phone back in her purse, not saying a word to anyone about who it was.
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Logan walked Rory back to her dorm. Finn and Colin had gone back to their own dorm to continue a game they had been playing before leaving and Paris went to the newspaper office to pick up some information she needed for her article.
"Thanks Logan." Rory said. Logan turned to her.
"For what?"
"For getting me out of my room, for feeding me and for dealing with all my drama."
"Hey, I'm in this agreement too. It takes two to get married." Rory smiled.
"Yeah, I know, just thanks for being there."
"So you like me?"
"No, I'm just thanking you. I barely know you, Logan."
"You like me."
"You're cocky."
"I know. And you like it." He said his arm going around her shoulders. She casually shrugged it off. This didn't go unnoticed by Logan.
"I'll admit you're tolerable." She said.
"That's a start."
"I still don't agree with this whole situation Logan."
"I know, neither do I."
"What did you do?"
"When?"
"When you found out."
"Like I said, I stayed at Colin's for a week."
"Yeah and did what?"
"Yelled, ranted, threw stuff. Colin had a lot of broken stuff in that room by the time I left. Paper weights, windows. After that, I just surrounded myself with friends. I remember Stephanie took me out to lunch every Saturday and teased me every time we passed a wedding place or a house for sale."
"Stephanie?" Rory asked.
"She's a friend that me and Colin have known since we were three." Rory nodded. "What did you do? I mean I know about the whole room thing."
"I yelled, which you were present for, and cried a lot, slept at my friend Lane's house, then wallowed with Paris, Ben and Jerry and holed up in my room for four days."
"Ben and Jerry?"
"The ice cream."
"Ahh. Got it." Rory nodded. "So are you going to go see your mom?" Rory looked up at him.
"That came out of nowhere."
"Sorry, it just seems like you have a good relationship with your mom and it's a pity that something like this gets in the way of it."
"Something like this. She arranged my marriage!" Rory yelled running a hand through her hair. "Yeah, we had a good relationship, but god she could have at least told me so I could have expected it, but instead she leaves it until the last minute. She's had five years! Five years Logan! At one point in time we must have been talking about marriage or something to which she could have told me!" Logan put his hands on her shoulders to calm her down.
"Hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get you upset." Rory sighed and shook her head.
"I think that was just waiting to come out. Not your fault."
"Look, I got to get going. If I leave Colin and Finn alone too long, they're bound to burn the place down. I'll see you around?" Rory nodded.
"I'll be the one in the white dress." She muttered before turning and walking the rest of the way to her dorm. Logan sighed and turned walking the way to his dorm. He was glad he got to go out with her and meet her friend and she got to meet his. She still didn't deserve this crap but the i's were doted and the t's crossed. There was nothing either of them could do to get out of it.