AN: Switching to Logan's POV for this chapter to add some versatility.

Happy Holidays to everybody!


Chapter 24

October 16th, 2021

The group had spent the past few hours talking, largely speaking of nothing of importance but making fun of each other, you know, the usual elaborate banter that Finn tended to get into after his third drink and that others simply followed.

Logan was fairly sober however, having not even finished his first scotch, having nursed it lengthily. It was for that reason he'd remained fairly quiet for this discussion, simply being glad to be around his friends again. Odette had never liked the bunch much, their presence hadn't been favored at their place in London. While at first he'd found ways to catch up and meet up when he was in the States, little by little those had become more scarce because he just didn't feel like he'd be good company.

They guys had teased Logan on his less-alcohol policy a bit too, and he'd expected it. It wasn't bullying or peer-pressure as such, and for him it wasn't a problem as such - it wasn't like he had an actual drinking problem. And while he had enjoyed a few drinks now and again, and also that evening - the amount that seemed to do it for him was quite small these days. What he was doing was similar to someone trying to lose weight and watching his calories. Except calories weren't his problem either, he just wanted to think straight and stop numbing whatever he felt. He'd done that for too long.

He was actually regretting having drank when he'd been at Rory's, thinking back. Maybe he would've actually admitted to how often he'd thought about her for all these years if he'd thought more clearly? Maybe he couldn've actually said something more than just the apology he'd mastered, something more substantial?

The majority of the group were a few drinks ahead of him, certainly, Rory included, the drinks having loosened her tongue considerably. But Rory was always a fun drunk, her expressions getting quirkier, but at the same time more elaborate while she also got more brave and outspoken. She also got naughtier, but not all the guys in this group knew that. She was definitely an intriguing sight to observe like this.

"I actually have a little announcement to make," Robert interrupted their previous conversation topic of their recent business travels. Logan had sensed he'd been meaning to bring something up before a couple of times, but had gotten either cold feet or simply interrupted by one of the other guys. In that sense he'd always been perhaps the most perspective one of the group even if he did think so himself.

"Oh, wait...don't tell me..," Finn said, doing the psychic routine by doing rounds at his temples with his fingers, making a humming sound. "Nope - too drunk for that," he admitted and laughed.

"I'm inviting all of you over to Chicago in August," Robert announced. Chicago was where he lived and worked these days. Financial auditing. But he was management, hence able to leave the duller parts to his employees.

"We'll happily come, but what's the occasion?" Colin inquired.

"There doesn't have to be an occasion, does there?" Logan pitched in, feeling like they all just needed quality time together.

"It might involve tuxes," Robert admitted, sheepishly.

It was beginning to make sense to Logan already. After all, in the light of Logan's divorce he could understand why Robert might have felt it was not a topic that would exactly be welcomed. Colin was also one to make cases against marriages throughout his jokes, so it did make sense.

"You didn't!?" Finn exclaimed, being a few steps behind.

Rory just raised her eyebrows at him, looking surprised and curious.

"Yup, I'm getting married. Zoe finally wore me down with all of her hinting," Robert confessed. "August 20th, you'll get your save the day cards or whatever in the mail…," he added. "And Logan, I'm going to need an address sooner rather than later," Robert said to Logan.

Logan nodded, not really having a concrete idea yet where he would be living. So far he was just staying in Colin's guest room until he figured out what he wanted. He essentially only really needed some apartment with a decent internet connection but he was not looking to tie himself to any particular location yet, unsure how his startup idea would take off. He also didn't particularly want to move too far from Rory either, even though he wasn't sure if there was any hope for him. He didn't want to come off as pitiful by factoring in a fantasy.

"Well, congratulations," Logan decided to say first, and raised his glass, realizing he needed to snap out of it. And Robert probably needed to him to suggest to him that he wasn't making a mistake.

His eyes lingered on Rory again. She'd never been married - Jess and her hadn't married. She seemed such a different person these days - she was a mother. Seeing her with Em was something else, showing a very different side of her. It was a gorgeous sight.

Maybe the day with Rory hadn't been the best idea, giving him all kinds of ideas concerning her?

The rest of the group followed his lead, Logan's thoughts having been elsewhere already.

"Look at you! Only reaching wife number one at your age, and no illegitimate children in sight!" Rory exclaimed and laughed, recalling the one date her and Robert had once had.

"Not that I know of," Robert replied, chuckling, feeling noticeably relieved at the other's reaction.

"What about you?" Colin asked Rory suddenly.

"Well there was Jess, Em's dad…for a while," Rory replied with some hesitance in her tone.

Logan wondered why that was. They had already talked about it, and Rory had certainly made it sound like he hadn't been a very good boyfriend, but he did wonder whether perhaps the story wasn't as open and shut as she'd made it sound last week.

"And nothing since?" Colin inquired, sounding like he found it hard to believe. It had come up that she'd been living alone with Em for the past two years.

Logan couldn't deny that there were signs of aging in Rory, there were in him too - but she still had that understated elegance about her. Any man would've been lucky to be with her. Time could never take her humour and intelligence away either. If anything he could imagine having a kid being a factor that might hinder her dating life somewhat, though he couldn't really imagine why it would. Em was amazing, the only possible downside seemingly being the ex in the picture. But surely it was better than there was one, just for the sake of the child, than none. Logan tried to steer his thinking back to the actual discussion, not letting it wander.

Logan wasn't sure if Colin was asking this intentionally or not, but in a way Logan was glad he was. He knew the minute he himself would've asked that question, Rory would've made her conclusions about his intentions. Or perhaps he just couldn't hide them well enough.

He wasn't ready for her to make a statement for him or against him because he was pretty sure at this point the answer would be a 'no'. He knew he had hurt her, he couldn't risk doing that again. He could only do anything about him and her if he was absolutely certain he wouldn't hurt her by taking off because of his job, his ability to communicate or anything in his past.

"Just dating a little," Rory shrugged. But the way her body language betrayed her, the scotch having wiped away some of that filter, made it sound like she was a little giddy about it. Like she was hiding something.

Logan hadn't expected her to be a nun, but it did sting a little. He almost wished it didn't, as he had no claim whatsoever over her, not after everything.

Logan noticed an interesting exchange of glances between Rory and Finn, but surely that wasn't something topical - perhaps just something Rory had told Finn about?

"What? Anyone we know?" Finn asked, surprising Logan, sounding like he'd sensed something in Rorys tone too.

The four guys were now all waiting expectantly for her response.

"I've just been out a few times with him, it's nothing serious..," Rory explained, blushing a little.

Logan's heart sank a little.

"But it's Seth, Seth Norman," she revealed, looking at Logan and then Finn and then Logan again, as if worrying about their reaction.

She had every right to be worried.

"Seth?!" the men exclaimed in chorus.

"What? Potato-landing Seth?" Finn continued, sounding confused and a little repulsed.

"He's not that geeky guy anymore! Sure - he's a professor, but he looks a lot more handsome," Rory tried to defend the guy, not sounding too convincing.

Logan certainly found it very hard to believe someone like Seth could get a girl like Rory and that someone like Rory could actually like someone like him. It just didn't make any sense to him, but he also knew that he wasn't thinking entirely rationally.

"I got to see that," Colin chuckled, and pulled out his phone.

"Hey, don't be mean!" Rory scolded him. She seemed to take it as a laugh, not as something offending to her, thankfully.

Logan just tried to keep his mouth shut. He couldn't have an opinion on this. He had no right to have an opinion on this. It stung a lot more now, way-way worse.

Soon enough Colin was showing around a few newer photos of Seth he'd found online. The guy looked okay-ish, Logan thought, but like a b-lister at best. Rory could do so much better than that! - Logan wanted to exclaim.

"He's alright," Finn commented, and Logan sensed this was again something between the two. It was like Finn knew something that he didn't - like he was trying his best to not put the guy down and be supportive of this. Logan almost felt betrayed, but he knew there had to be more to it, making a mental note to ask about it.

Logan wanted to add that they had known the guy back in college quite well, he hadn't always been just the brains behind their stunts, but he had things in his past too that weren't all that pretty. It was probably no deal breaker - but still, they had intel, one could say. Surely she didn't know everything about him if it had just been a few dates. Logan tried to focus on the latter - it was just a few dates, nothing serious - like she'd said.

"He's okay, I guess - but you could do better than that, Rory," Colin spit out without holding back, saying what Logan and a lot of the other guys were probably thinking too.

Logan cast a look at the guys, as if telling them to cool it, meeting the eyes of some of them.

"Hey, you don't know him!" Rory defended him. But still - perhaps it was the alcohol speaking, but she sounded like she was kind of flattered by Colin's input.

Rory, however, replied Colin with an blunt attack instead, "What about you?" Rory asked, as if trying to prove a point of some sort.

"Oh you know me," Colin began, continuing along the lines of describing the two women he'd been seeing casually the past few months.

Thankfully, it was Finn who changed topics next, deciding they needed a lighter subject.