Chapter 99
December 31st, 2021
Queen Victoria had come a long way in its quality even if the bones of the place were roughly the same. The drag queen on top of one of the dancing tables looked incredible, the only thing hinting at his Y chromosome being the full lengh auburn beard he was pulling off without hesitance. The makeup was fenomenal, the knotted blue minidress making most of the women in the club envy their curves as the performer danced to RuPaul's Super Queen Remix.
"There they are!" Rory noticed, raised from her seat at a VIP table in the corner, and waved towards Paris and Finn who'd just walked in. There had been some tragic traffic accident on I-95 which had left the two stuck in traffic for a while. And with a quick detour to get changed at the hotel Finn had booked for the two in exchange for Paris driving him, they'd only made it to the club around 10 PM.
"There you are, love," Finn walked up with open arms, and gave Rory a slightly provocative closed mouthed kiss on her lips in greeting. Their little miscommunication which had ended up with Rory kissing him and finding they had zero chemistry, had left them both physically a lot more relaxed and goofy, knowing there was no line to cross by accident anymore.
Logan coughed, making his presence known, but not too seriously. Logan hugged Finn himself, greeting him with friendly back-patting. Logan was actually doing a little better personally - a sense of security with Rory together with the knowledge that he'd soon get a chance to tackle both his issues and distract himself with his puppy, having given him something else to focus on.
"I'm so happy you could make it," Rory continued to hug Paris. Paris was the queen of embracing minimalism in what she wore, the modestly embellished slit sleeve sheath dress with a fairly narrow collar being a prime example how one could look hot without showing too much.
"I could've done without the four hours in traffic, but I'm here now, so what the hell," Paris replied, downplaying how glad she actually was to be here. There was apprehensiveness too, naturally, and Rory could already tell how she was looking around the room, looking for Tristan.
Rory had gone with a Tadashi Shoji black sleeveless dress which also exposed her clavicle, appearing held back yet inherently sexy. It didn't hurt to feel Logan's arm slipping around her waist at that moment.
The newcomers got an introductory round with Lane and Zach, who were already cuddled into the back-most corner of the booth, the single Long Island Island ice tea having already turned Lane into someone she usually was not. But she seemed happy in her pleasant buzz.
They were just about to take the seats, as Tristian returned from the bathroom, and Rory could already sense Paris' heart thump in her ears in fear of this interaction. She'd pep-talked Paris into doing this at first, believing truly that she just needed to shed the former embarrassment by interacting with him like an adult.
"My, my - Paris Geller," Tristan exhaled, and without asking wrapped his arms around Paris for a true haven't-seen-you-in-ages hug, as if they'd been best friends in the past.
"Hi," Paris mumbled, having not expected such a warm greeting. But it definitely broke down some barrier of awkwardness between them.
"Come on, let's get some snacks and drinks, shall we?" Rory encouraged, suggesting everyone sit and chat, and continued to introduce Finn and Tristan, while Logan called over the waitress, who was dressed as Cher.
It had been a strange hour and a half talking to Tristian for Rory, in this type of setting no-less, but she hadn't been alone, and that had eliminated that ancient tension between them too. She wasn't here for him and Tristian didn't seem to be interested in her that way either, and even if at times his gaze had appreciated her looks a second too long. Either way it were Logan's whispers and little touches that did wonders for her self-esteem.
They got their drinks and while Paris talked to Tristian, mostly discussing what either had done in their lives since they'd last seen each other, Rory and Logan chatted with Finn.
"This place hasn't changed much," Rory exclaimed, casually reminiscing how it felt like a trip back in time with some newer music.
"You've been here before, darling!?" Finn inquired, not quite picturing this being Rory's go-to venue.
"Like twenty years ago," Rory laughed, rolling her eyes. It was a great feeling to have all of her friends together like this, even if Colin and Robert hadn't been able to make it.
"You do surprise me," Finn laughed. "Really - what were you - 10?" he added as a compliment, making Logan once again brush his thumb up and down her lower rib, which was a little ticklish to be honest, but cute nonetheless. Logan knew Finn was harmless, but Finn was definitely in a flirtatious mood tonight, these moods of his being very familiar to Logan.
Rory brushed it off playfully, and took a sip of her scotch.
"Wouldn't have quite gathered this was your scene back in high school," Tristan noted, overhearing her.
"It was my mother's bachelorette party. She made up this elaborate lie that I was some international supermodel to get me in and everything," Rory explained, finding it rather entertaining. "Even my grandmother came," she added.
"Well you very well could've been," Logan added, as the waitress, dressed as a Joan Crawford impersonator brough over a tray of snacks.
"Oh please," Rory laughed. At least three of the men around the table would have argued with that, but that wasn't the goal of the evening.
"But seriously - Emily Gilmore came here?" Logan had a hard time believing it and it led to a whole other topic on their time in Nantucket and their wedding plans.
They ate, drank and danced, as well as anyone could, simply letting loose for one evening that most of them were - away from their kids and other obligations. One didn't get opportunities like this too often. Paris and Tristan actually found a few colleagues in common, which wasn't a huge surprise considering their experience in the medical profession, and he ended up actually complimenting Paris on the clever choice of field, putting her best assets into good use. There was a lot he didn't know about her either - like how she'd been left without her family's money for several years until she got her trust fund for one.
What Rory hadn't quite expected, but perhaps should've, was that Logan and Tristan had actually quite a significant things in common too. While both had some benefits from their family's name and money, both had by now mostly estranged from them, even if Tristan was right now living with his mother, who'd divorced his father, again, helping her out due to her medical condition. In that sense she was way more grateful, than weirded out by Logan's and Tristan's friendship.
They greeted the New Year with a bottle of Bollinger, it being Logan's first alcoholic drink of the night. Logan and Rory kissed, each of their kisses turning so easily into something more deliberate, almost making them want to slip out and head home, but this wasn't just about them - feeling a little like the hosts of this evening, who'd planned this. They were happy together, even if some thing still required some polishing.
They didn't even notice how Tristan had found someone new from the crowd to clink his glasses with and Paris and Finn clinked theirs, smiling in a friendly manner. It had become clear during the group's conversation that they'd had quite a bit of chance to talk during the drive over, it having been a pleasant distraction for Paris from the fear of seeing Tristan. Seeing Tristian had indeed helped Pris - he was no longer intimidating, no longer something to look up to, but just a guy. Just a guy who used to be a big deal in high school. And she was no longer the angry dork - rather a cut-throat businesswoman who didn't bother hiding what she thought.
After they'd finished their drinks they climbed out of the bar onto the street to be greeted by a refreshingly cool winter air.
Finn had organized a limo to take them to the whisky pub that offered a chance to play pool and poker, and the driver already waited for them out front. Rory wanted to follow through even despite already feeling a little sleepy.
"Our carriage awaits," Finn exhaled jollily, appearing pleasantly intoxicated. He opened the door himself, excusing the driver, and gestured for Lane, Zach, Tristan and Paris to step in with a bow. It was just a millisecond before Rory was about to step in, when her phone rang, distracting her.
"Hold on," Rory said, taking a step back as she saw it was her mother. Logan got in the limo ahead of her, but Finn remained outside, wanting to be the perfect gentleman.
"Rory, where are you?" Lorelai said, speaking urgently.
"I'm in Hartford, just about to head over to Parkville," Rory replied, her voice showing some signs of intoxication too.
"Right, you're out, I forgot," Lorelai replied, sounding disheartened. Her background sounded like she was driving. There was also that little hint in her voice that made Rory suspicious - this wasn't really like her.
"What's wrong?" Rory asked with some urgency, and Logan noticed it too. This made Logan climb back out, sensing something was up.
"It's Luke… I don't know… he just got really weird, he sort of trashed our kitchen. He's never been violent like that...," Lorelai explained, sounding scared. There were of course a few occasions - the time he'd hit Christopher, but these were better left unmentioned.
"Did he hurt you? Oh, my god. You have to call the cops!" Rory asked, not really believing what she was hearing. This definitely sobered her almost instantly.
"I'm fine, a little raddled… can't say the same for the kitchen," Lorelai said, trying to joke about it. But she didn't sound fine.
"Where are you? What happened?" Rory inquired, her voice sounding panicky to Logan.
"I'm driving to Harford, I thought about going to the inn but we're fully booked, even the potting shed is full of fold-up chairs," Lorelai blabbered.
"Go to my place, I'll meet you there," Rory instructed.
"Alright, I'll see you soon," Lorelai added, beginning to experience a drop from the adrenaline rush and was sobbing now.
"Oh my god…," Rory turned, shaking her head. "Luke trashed our kitchen, it sounded like he got pretty violent. Mom's driving over to my place, she sounded pretty upset. I have to meet her there," Rory spoke, clearly shaken a little herself.
Rory still couldn't believe this was actually happening. This was Luke. The man who had been nothing but loving and kind all these years, despite his rough interior and some less than ideal choises of words. He didn't drink much, he wasn't violent as far as Rory knew.
"Is she okay? Should I call the cops?" Logan asked, flipping the on the action mode switch in his head.
"She said she was fine, but she didn't sound fine," Rory replied, shaking her head in disbelief.
It was safe to say the evening was through for the two of them, and they bid the rest fare well along with apologies. Though the other's lost some of their partying mood too after hearing what had happened. Either way, it was not a good start to the New Year.
AN: Please do review and tell me what you think. I'm in need of encouragement. Thanks to all of you who do almost every time!
