I didn't see her coming. If I had, I would have prepared for the storm that was coming for me.
September 2010
Rory Gilmore, or Lorelai Gilmore III, was regretting ever saying yes to attending this party. She should have known better than to believe whenever her grandmother said that the event would be a small one and would be over before she knew it. It never would. It would have a guest list of over 200 people. And somehow, everyone would know everyone in attendance along with knowing the details of each other's personal life's more extensively than the contests on the reality television shows that she and her mother loved to watch whenever she was back in Stars Hollow.
Rory sighed as she realized that Emily Gilmore had conned her yet again into attending a party like this, hoping to find a suitable boy when she very well knew that Rory didn't need that. Rory was hoping to have a mellow weekend in Connecticut. The daily stress of her job along with living in the city tired Rory out. And made her yearn for some quiet time in Stars Hollow to recover every now and then.
"Rory, why don't you go speak to that Andrew boy over there." Emily Gilmore said, gesturing towards one of the boys she had encouraged Rory to have a conversation with on previous events.
"Grandma, the only thing that Andrew boy and I have in common is our shared disgust for each other's choice of politics." Rory said, leaning towards her grandmother slightly and waving back at Andrew, who raised his hand to acknowledge Rory with his lips pursed.
"That is a bad place to start." Emily said, slightly disappointed.
"Leave the girl alone, Emily." Richard said, coming to stand next to them.
Emily turned to give Richard a look, and he added, "For a while at least. Let her get acquainted with a gentleman of her choice."
"But that's just it. You know I don't..." Rory protested.
Emily, effectively cutting her in between, said, "I love engagement parties. Don't you just love engagement party's Richard?" Emily said, clasping her hands together.
"I do." Richard agreed.
"There is just something about the celebration of love and coming together of two individuals that gets me misty-eyed. So romantic. And of course, the added bonus of throwing a lavish party never hurt anybody." Emily's eyes sparkled as she said that. "I wish I would get a chance to do that."
Rory rolled her eyes at that discreetly. She knew what her grandmother was implying, that since Lorelai didn't give her the pleasure of doing this, maybe Rory could. This was something she had heard many times before, in different tunes, of course.
"I am sure you will, Emily." Richard placed a hand on Rory's shoulder.
As soon as the waiter offered Rory champagne, she picked a flute up and brought it to her lips. She needed alcohol to get through the night. Lots of it.
At Least in her favor, the house hosting the engagement party tonight looked big enough to find a secluded corner without garnering any attention from anyone. Especially her grandmother.
Rory looked around the big house. She was in awe of the ceiling - looking so magical that she doubted it to have come straight out of Hogwarts. And as she thought that would be the highlight of the house, she couldn't believe her eyes when she saw a Velasquez hanging on the wall. Just hanging there in a home, with no need to buy a ticket to see it or stand in a line to witness its grandeur. Just hanging there where the residents of the said house could look at it first thing in the morning or the last thing at night. And as her eyes trailed around, she could see a Francisco Goya hanging on the other end, and she had to quickly keep a hand on her mouth to safely swallow her Champagne.
Magical house.
Rory saw her grandparents talking to one of their friends, and she knew that was her perfect opportunity to disappear for an hour at least. Rory navigated around the house with much difficulty until one stairway led her to what seemed like a small study. Rory was slightly shocked to see a study smaller than the master bedroom of most houses in a house this… grand. Usually, homes like these had libraries with books enough to fund a small community college.
Rory traced her finger on the binds of the books. There were several books she had read over the years here; there were some books here that she was on her Goodreads want-to-read list, and strangely, Rory had found at least three books that she had never heard of before, but they seemed very appealing to her. She took out one such book, and the more she read the book blurb, the more intensely she felt the need to start reading it then and there.
"No time like the present." Rory said to herself and sat down on one of the leather chairs adjacent to her, looking out the window. She didn't get around to reading much these days, with her days starting at 6 Am and ending at 11 at night on weekdays. The only time she had to read was actually on her very long commute every day.
"No, I said, I'll see to it when I get back in the city." Logan Huntzberger was stopped in his tracks to see what looked like a party guest sitting in his study. Very comfortably with her legs tucked under her and his blanket on her laps. "I'll call you later."
"Excuse me. Can I help you?" Logan Huntzberger asked. Highly amused to see the girl in front of him biting her lip, her eyebrows drawn together, reading with so much concentration that even him calling out to her could not pull her attention away from the book she was reading.
What is she reading? Logan looked over to see the title of the book. Ahh.
"So I assume that you like the book?" Logan asked after admiring her concentration for a few more seconds.
Rory jumped slightly in the chair and placed her hand on her chest. "You scared me."
"I scared you?" Logan asked, with his lips curling into a smile he couldn't stop. The girl not only had her reading skills in her favor but also her beauty. "I am sorry. I am Logan Huntzberger. Very glad to meet you." Logan introduced himself, extending his arm forward, anxiously waiting for the woman in front of him to introduce herself.
"Likewise." Rory said with a slight nod and went back to reading her book.
Logan widened his eyes at her response and stopped a chuckle from escaping. He couldn't believe that this gorgeous woman sitting in his study was reading a book instead of attending the engagement party she was here for with how she was dressed and, on top of all - was ignoring Logan Huntzberger.
Logan observed her for a second longer and said finally, "You don't like me. You don't know me, but you don't like me."
"I know you." Rory said, turning the page of the book.
"You do?" Logan asked, his forehead creased in confusion.
Strange, If I had ever met her, I would definitely remember her.
Logan got a little stiff. Maybe he did know her in a way he knew countless other women that momentarily caught his very fleeting attention.
"Don't worry. I don't know you like that." Rory said with a small laugh.
"Why are you turning red then?" Logan thought out loud.
"I am not!" Rory scrunched up her nose, getting defensive immediately.
"I am sorry! You looked like you were." Logan apologized immediately but was more than intrigued by this unnamed woman. He didn't know anyone could blush so profusely at the slight innuendos and get defensive at their sexuality within seconds.
"Well! I wasn't." Rory said, crossing her arms in front of her. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"What am I doing here?" Logan asked, gesturing to his study. But obviously, the girl in front of him didn't know that.
"Yeah, don't you have a party to attend downstairs?" Rory asked.
"I could ask you the same thing." Logan quipped back. He had no intention of leaving this very entertaining conversation to schmooze the investors downstairs or make small talk with the others in attendance. It was bad enough that his friends were not in town for his thing, and he had to bear his sort of thing on his own.
"I hate these dense parties. I can't stand them." Rory said.
"Why come then?" Logan asked, making himself comfortably on his desk facing Rory.
"My grandmother implies in a thousand different ways that if I don't attend now, no one will remember our family name in the Hartford circle a few decades later." Rory said, mimicking her grandmother.
"And, your grandparents are…?" Logan tried to bait her.
"Nice try."
"So… why don't you like these parties? There is an open bar. Live band, salad, butter pats, Little knit bags full of all those Jordan almonds." Logan said, getting breathless, but at least the girl in front of him was smiling a little.
"And perverts." Rory added.
"Perverts?" Logan asked, thinking he didn't catch that quite right.
"Yes!"
"Among all these people? Claiming to be the best of the class in their expensive clothes and Ivy League educations?" Logan asked, trying to keep a straight face. He already had some knowledge of what she was saying in hushed tones about a certain senator that ran in the same circle as them. But he was having tremendous fun in hearing her talk, so he wasn't going to stop her.
"You wouldn't believe the type of people I have encountered at parties like these. Last time there was a man almost my grandfather's age." Rory said in disgust and continued, "Who thought I was some random woman attending a party and not the granddaughter of a very respectable family of the G…" Rory stopped from giving herself away, "of one of the families from this circle and tried to ask me if I would give my p… underwear to him."
Thank god, it wasn't Finn.
"You mean your panties?" Logan asked, trying to rile her up again to see the blush.
"Do you want to hear the rest of it or not?" Rory asked with a stern expression.
Logan laughed at her sudden shift of tones and her speaking a mile-a-minute rant.
She is fascinating.
"So, what did you tell him?" Logan asked, waiting anxiously for her to tell the whole story.
"I put in the Map to the nearest Victoria's Secret on his phone." Rory said animatedly, "And I told him that they would take excellent care of his… needs." Rory said with a smug look on her face. "Sometimes, when I have had enough, I think about writing an article about these sort of people for work. Unspeakable acts veiled under the shine and sparkle of society." Rory said the title spreading her hands in front of her.
Write for work?
Logan was surprised that she was into journalism. If she was into journalism along with being one of the members of this circle, surely he must have heard about her before? Possibly even met her before?
"But I am afraid if I do so. My grandmother will have me quartered before the sunset's the same day that paper would come out." Rory laughed. When she looked at Logan, she found him looking at her intently. Probably trying to figure out if he knew her from somewhere, Rory asked, "You never told me, what are you doing here?"
"This is my study." Logan said, smirking at Rory being thrown off again, "There is a way for my room through there."
"That seems oddly inconvenient." Rory mumbled, shifting on the couch uncomfortably.
"There is one that opens from outside as well." Logan offered.
"Right, Right. I should go." Rory said, getting up.
"No, no. Please stay here. I wouldn't want you getting caught by your grandparents. I assume you are hiding from them here?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, I am." Rory replied.
"I hope you wouldn't mind me here with you just for a little bit longer. You see, my mother has made it her life's mission to find my future wife tonight." Logan said, rolling his eyes.
"Good luck to her, trying to get that done." Rory said sarcastically.
"Ouch, just when I thought you didn't have a mean bone in your body." Logan mocked, hurt.
"There are way too many clothes on me for you to judge my body." Rory said and immediately slapped her hand on her mouth. Horrified with what she had just said. She had no idea where it came from. Maybe it was some sort of after-effect of sitting in an enclosed room with Logan Hunsberger. She couldn't deny he did look extremely handsome.
On the other hand, Logan was having the time of his life while laughing, holding his stomach. "Say the word, Ace. And we can rectify that."
"I..Sorry. Didn't mean to… say it like that. I didn't mean to say it anyway. Maybe I have had wayyy too much Champagne tonight." Rory said, quickly getting up.
"Hey, that's okay." Logan said, trying to calm her. He gripped the desk he was sitting on tighter to stop his hands from wanting to hold her and calm her down. He wasn't ready to part with her just yet.
Rory turned her head to find a watch, "Oh no, I have been here for over an hour. My grandmother must be blowing a fuse looking for me."
"You have been just reading here for over an hour?" Logan asked, trying to stop this blue-eyed brunette from leaving.
"Yeah, I lose track of time while reading more often than I would like to admit. No, I admit it shamelessly. " Rory said, still a little hurried. She extended her hand to give back to Logan the book she was reading, "This really kept me company, so thanks."
"Keep it." Logan said, shrugging his shoulders.
"No, I can't." Rory said, shaking her head.
"I have already read it. It's of no use to me now." Logan stopped at Rory's gasp and then continued, "Whereas, you are only a few pages in. So take it."
"You can return it next time we run into each other at one of these dense parties." Logan said with a smile.
Rory made a quick list in her head and then said, "Okay. Thanks."
Logan called out behind her as she was just about to leave the room, "I never got your name."
"You never asked me directly." Rory said holding Logan's gaze and then closed the door quickly. She took a moment to fall back against the closed door and took in everything that just happened. Did she really flirt with Logan Huntzberger? But she couldn't do that. She wasn't one of those people.
Rory started walking back towards the ground floor before Logan could open the door and find her blushing like a teenager.
Author's note - This is an AU. I know you all will have lots of questions so please ask away. What do you think of the title and the epigraph? This is my first time writing them so… please tell me what do you think?
Rate and Review!
I will post an update to my other story within this week.
