AN: Thanks for all the reviews!

And Jess playing racquetball was intentional. remember Luke and that swim teacher - just as odd. I doubt he was at it alone, but that was all Rory knew, just like you.


Chapter 27

(Logan's POV)

October 23rd, 2021

"I told you it wouldn't be that bad," Honor commented, as the two emerged from the Huntzberger mansion, having been over for tea.

Logan rolled his eyes at his sister and shrugged his shoulders, both walking towards their vehicles.

Two weeks ago Logan had been completely certain he'd never step foot into that house, but Honor had her ways. By pleading on his sympathetic side and also offering to be his first investor, without any strings attached, she'd convinced him to at least come see their mother once.

He didn't need Honor to do that, not at this point. Ideally he preferred to do it without any Huntzberger family funding and was mostly aiming on getting things started using his own personal savings for now. But it was good to know his sister had his back - and certainly concerning more things than just the money - the tea having been a prime example.

But he'd agreed to do it this one time nonetheless - for Honor more than his mother. And in a way Logan did understand - it wasn't his mother's fault that she'd lost her husband of 40-something years. He didn't need to punish her for that, despite everything else.

It had been sort of a make-up tea for missing the funeral more than anything. And Logan really had gathered all his strength to say nothing directly personal, nothing about Odette or what had happened. He'd just stuck to an occasional remark on Mitchum or something vague about where he'd been or what he'd done in the meanwhile, Honor keeping up most of the conversation. But he'd made an appearance.

Shira was still upset, naturally, the scent of cigarette smoke inside the house being a new addition, and Logan was pretty sure Shira had definitely been on something as well, or she wouldn't have been so mellow about everything. But it was an appearance Honor had requested from him and that was what she'd gotten.

"So what now?" Honor asked but before Logan had a chance to respond, continued, "If you need a place to crash for a while, you know you're welcome to stay with us if you need."

Honor lived in Cornwall. The estate was beautiful, surrounded by a sizable estate with stables, pool and tennis courts, liking her privacy. She wasn't planning on moving to London, having arranged things to be taken over at the HPG locally, and attended meetings over conference calls. Logan didn't necessarily think that was wise, but he desparately tried to stay out of it.

While there were some smaller towns nearby where Honor lived, including those with privateschools that Honor's kids attended, Logan really wasn't after a hideout anymore.

"Thanks, but I'll be fine," Lodan assured, for a moment feeling like he was 25 again. "I just need to decide where I want to be," explained.

This was the difference - he wasn't 25 and fresh out of college anymore. He knew excatly what he needed to do to make what he had planned happen. He had meetings scheduled for the coming weeks - New York, Boston, Providence and New Haven to establish some first clients. He planned on attending a few Hackathons to add a few strong team members into the two contacts that had already shown interest in working with him. But it wasn't really the kind of thing one needed to have a real office for - for now he could be anywhere as long has he could travel.

Honor hugged her brother goodbye, and invited him over for dinner next weekend, still being a little concerned about him. Starting from scratch was hard, or so she could imagine it to be.

Logan got into his blue Volvo S80, which he'd bought used last week. It was his first used car ever, but he had his standards, not wanting to buy something he didn't trust or that lacked the conveniences he'd grown used to having. But it was his and while he didn't have a permanent place to stay, so far having been staying at Colin's, it did feel good to own something again. The other thing he owned, besides the clothes on his back and other necessities, was the company he'd put on the shelf years ago after he'd returned from California to the HPG, not thinking he'd need it again. But he sure was glad he'd kept it, having a decent credit score and some background to go on if one were to google it.

He drove off after his sister, feeling relieved this part of his weekend was over as the massive iron gates closed behind him. He drove through Hartford, the Huntzberger mansion being located on the outskirts of town, having a bit more acreage than the average estate around there, taking the I-84 to Boston.

But it was as he got to the sign, one pointing to central Hartford, and the other to Boston, he took the former not even really knowing what he was doing. He pulled over at a random vacant spot, just needing to understand what his plan was.

He didn't want to be pushy, he didn't want to lead her on or start just something. But he knew Rory was likely around - not wanting to assume of course, but he'd made the logical conclusion that she had a weekend without Em.

He'd also spoken to Finn briefly about what he knew about Rory dating Seth. But he really hadn't gotten much out of him except some teasing. Finn insisted that Rory had a right for her privacy and if he wanted to know he better go ask her himself.

But at the same time, as Rory had put it - it was new, and not too serious - maybe by not staying too far, his odds were better? He just didn't want to come off as clingy… He was desparate not to lose her friendship in the process.

But it was the jealousy aspect of this that got the better of him and he dialled her number. He couldn't just let Seth be the only option on her radar, not that he thought she'd have slim pickings - not at all.

"Logan?" Rory picked up after a couple of rings, sounding surprised.

"Hey," Logan exhaled, feeling stupid, having called without anything clever thought out to say or something to suggest.

"What do I owe the pleasure?" Rory replied, sounding rather formal.

"I was just driving through Hartford. I wondered if you were busy," he explained, with all honesty, his mind quickly thinking of options he should suggest. He didn't just want to invite himself over - that would suggest he'd have things to say, concrete things. He'd just eaten, so an early dinner really didn't sound like a good plan though he knew Rory could probably have a bite nonetheless.

"Well, I'm home. I was just reading my sister's college application to be honest," Rory disclosed.

Logan mostly just felt relief at that point - at least she wasn't out with Seth. Though she probably wouldn't have answered hat that been the case.

"Really? That's got to be an interesting take on the college admission experience, or I don't know maybe you do this kind of thing all the time now," he discussed, buying himself some time to think what he wanted to suggest.

"Well - she's pretty good, she can write. But I'm not sure if the social media effects on human psychology is really what I would've chosen. Or know how to help her with. I'm not really sure what to tell her..," Rory explained, setting effortlessly into a discussion on what college essays should be like. Rory had the theory down, and she was very certain she could write one hell of an essay herself now, but this wasn't her admission, and she knew that colleges valued originality. She read hundreds of essays each year, so she certainly knew what was good and what was not - but it was also pretty hard to impress her by now. But she wasn't the one sitting at the admissions committee.

Logan listened, simply enjoying the sound of her voice, and added his own two cents every now an again, nearly ten minutes going by in a flash.

"Where are you anyways?" Rory suddenly asked.

"Norfeldt Little League Field," Logan admitted, reading out a sign on his right, knowing that the green space was less than half a mile from her house.

Rory let out a little smug chuckle at that. It was a chuckle of recognition - the recognition of Logan being up to something, and he could tell.

"Well, it certainly seems to be becoming a weekly thing, but you could come over, help me decide what to suggest Gigi, or I don't know, we could go somewhere maybe" Rory offered casually.

"I'll be there in 10," Logan said, knowing better than to arrive empty handed, already looking up the nearest bakery, which thankfully wasn't far.

Logan arrived, with a bag of danishes and coffee, feeling a lot better about this than he had before making the call.

"So what brings you to town?" Rory asked, after the initial greetings - a quick half hug as it now seemed to be the comfortable thing to do.

"Believe it or not - my mother," Logan explained.

"Really?" Rory raised her eyebrows, not believing her ears.

"Honor made me. But she was right. She may be a piece of work, but she's still grieving," he explained, and followed Rory to the couch where she'd been sitting with her laptop this time.

He loved how she was so comfortable around him, and he was around her - at least physically. Just in some simple lounge wear - leggings and a sweatshirt this time. It reminded him of the time they'd lived together, or even when she'd just hung around his bachelor pad in London - just working together but alone, in the same space, shooting ideas around like it was the most natural thing in the world. It was so tempting to just slip into that life again, forcing him to calm himself not to just ruin things by saying the wrong thing.

"I guess I get that," Rory replied, biting into the cherry danish, appreciatively.

Logan was well aware that Shira wasn't Rory's favorite person but he appreciated her ability to be understanding about things like that. He'd seen her do it a number of times.

They hung out for a while, doing exactly what Rory had suggested - both reading and reviewing what G had written. It was such a dorky thing to be doing on a Saturday, but boy had he missed it. Logan treated it with the same constructive criticism he'd often offered Rory when she'd asked, years ago - but that dynamic still seemed to work.

"She's going to have hard time choosing which one of these suggestions to take or leave," Rory added, having typed up a list of bullet points for G to go on. As a teacher Rory couldn't and shouldn't just write the thing for her - her sister needed to take the critique and put it into good use herself. That was a skill she would need in college.

"Where is she applying anyways?" Logan asked.

"Yale," Rory replied, smugly, feeling a proud of the fact. "But also Columbia, MIT, some others. She wanted to be a pscychology major. G had sent over in fact not just one but several essays, but this one that they'd worked on she was planning on submitting to several in various forms as the assignments were not that far off.

"You should let Finn know if she gets in, make her life interesting," Logan hinted, smilingly, and Rory certainly already knew what he was speaking of. It was funny how he only really remembered those LDB events clearly that Rory had been a part of, the rest having become a blur.

"I really should," she agreed and smiled in return.

Logan was dying to poke her a little about the Seth issue - maybe ask if it had developed anywhere, but Logan couldn't think of a good way to not sound jealous or pushy. In part it was that he really hadn't needed to put his charm skills into use much these past years. Sure, there had been a few casual acquaintances that had helped him blow off some steam during his travels, but it was nothing like the freshman version of him.

"So - you want to go somewhere or…? Rory began, after she'd closed her laptop. "Or are you still trying to stay under the radar around here?" she asked.

"Well now that I've seen my mother, I don't think it's a big deal anymore," Logan replied.

"We could go to the Cine - I doubt there'll be many people you know around the campus," Rory suggested a movie theater at Trinity College, she'd found. It played an alternative program compared to the more mainstream movie theaters.

Logan certainly wasn't going to object to that. It almost felt like a date-like setting, truth be told - and he took what he could, knowing he needed to be cautious with her.

"Sure, what else am I going to do with my evening," Rory said, sounding for a moment a little off.

Logan wasn't sure why that was - was it the date like feeling she was getting too, or was it rather that he'd interfered with whatever she had had planned, even if that was just sitting at home. He knew she loved that too. Was she just being polite, not wanting to send him on his way?

"We don't have to if you don't want to...," Logan said, as Rory rose from the couch. "I can just be on my way back to Boston. I know I sort of crashed on you out of the blue," Logan added, apologetically.

"It's not that," Rory replied. "I guess I just… it's not something I am proud to admit that I have no plans on my weekend off," she added. Sure, she always found something to keep herself entertained - read something, order in, do the laundry, prepare for the working week, watch a movie or even go hang out with mom or Lane. She could give her dating app another go but she just didn't feel up to it.

"Well - neither had I, and now we both do," Logan said, deciding to not inquire about Seth for the moment. Clearly it wasn't that serious or else she wouldn't have been alone on a Saturday, surely - he thought.

Rory raised the corner of her mouth, appreciating he'd said that.

"I'll just go change," she suggested, leaving Logan to look at her walk upstairs.

Damn, how he was tempted just to follow her - like he'd done so many times in the past. Just grab her hand and kiss her. But he swallowed those thoughts, needing to keep his head straight.

The place hadn't been far - and they'd watched the movie 'The Big Sick', a romantic indie flick about a relationship with cultural differences, providing the two with something to whisper about for commentary in the half-empty movie theater.

"So you're still staying with Colin, I gather," Rory asked Logan as they walked along a street, looking for a bite to eat, after the movie had ended. She'd changed into a simple pair of jeans, definitely not something she wouldn've worn for a real date.

"For now. Though I should really rather look for something of my own. Colin has Rosie this weekend so I kind of feel like I'm on the way, you know. I just haven't decided where I want to move," Logan shared.

"But doesn't that depend on the startup?" Rory asked, not really knowing in great detail how those things worked these days.

"Well yeah, but it's not a location specific thing though - good connections don't hurt, but anything on the East Coast pretty much works for the time being. I just don't want to get something and put a lot of effort into fixing some place up. You know - furnishing it and all that stuff," Logan admitted. He wasn't in the position to just throw money in the wind to have someone do these things for him this time - he felt his money had better uses, having already splurged a little on the car.

Rory was quiet, unusually so, and Logan noticed.

"What?" Logan asked.

"If you want I have a few places in town, they're not that busy during this time of year anyways," Rory said, not sound too sure of herself.

Had she really just offered him a place to stay in?

She continued to explain how she had rental apartments, which Logan found quite amusing as he'd stayed in an airbnb when he'd first been in town too, just not in one of Rory's.

Rory explained that she could essentially offer him a place for just the price of maintaining it - which was a very good deal, the only question really was whether he wanted to have this type of a business transaction between them. It'd be an especially poor setup if he did do something and she ended up turning him down.

But he did realize that by being around here more, there'd be a lot of hope for evenings like this. Even if it was just the friendly kind.

"It really wouldn't be too much trouble?" Logan asked, as they reached a place that sold falafels, stopping right outside.

"You wouldn't even deal with me - so it'd be no trouble for me at all," Rory replied, generously.

"That's too bad," Logan smirked, unable to hold back a line that dealing with her would've been the good part of it.

"Logan," Rory punched his shoulder playfully, hardly hitting him with any force at all.

There was a moment. Her eyes looking down and then back up at him.

"Can I be honest with you about something?" Logan asked, as the two stood there, feeling he just needed to say something.

"Of course," Rory urged innocently.

"While I left that life because of myself - I wanted to be free of all those things that didn't make me happy. I think the path I chose…. You know, to do this on my own, the way that I did and to do it here - I always kept thinking what you'd think of my choices, whether you'd approve," Logan confessed.

"Well I do approve..," Rory replied hesitantly after a moment of thought. "But it's not around me you should be making your choices. Number one should you, right?" she added, it sounding like she'd said something similar way too many times.

"I know, but I also know that I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested," Logan confessed, simply needing to put it out there. "I know this isn't something you take lightly, and I don't blame you. But I just need you to know where I stand - before you offer me one of your apartments or before things get more serious with you and Seth, or anyone - I just need you to know that. I'd do anything to have a chance, Rory," Logan pleaded, not caring that he was in the middle of a street. It had just needed to come out.