Chapter 136

March 5th, 2022

"I'm home!" Rory called out as she arrived back to Hartford, shutting the front door behind her. She'd gone to Stars Hollow last night to have dinner with her mom, but she'd seen how much her mom had needed her which had delayed her departure considerably. They'd made the dinner into a movie marathon - God Father I, II and III, and she'd ended up sleeping over. It was already near noon - it had been a little difficult getting away with first sleeping late and then Lorelai insisting on having breakfast at Luke's together.

"Hey," Logan greeted him, as he emerged from his study, having put his Saturday morning into good use. He wasn't mad, not at all - he knew Lorelai's situation was fragile and it was not like he didn't have Rory to himself for the rest of the weekend anyway considering Em was with Jess.

"Sorry it took so long…," Rory began to explain, but it were Logan's lips on hers that interrupted her as a greeting. "I slept like forever this morning, mom was even worse. And then we went over to Luke's. You know I've missed him too and it was good to see him in his element there… It was almost like nothing was wrong except the fact that they aren't living together. He even kissed her in passing, just like nothing was up," Rory continued to explain, sounding a little confused at her mother's and Luke's situation still, and slightly out of breath. "And then Jess walks in with Em, and then there was no escaping - we all ended up having breakfast together…," she added, explaining her late arrival.

"It's okay, I told you," Logan assured. But he couldn't help but to smile at her rambling.

"Is it really okay? I mean it was Jess and all…," Rory couldn't help but to double check.

"Yes!" Logan exclaimed with slight frustation in his tone. "You had breakfast with your mom, daughter and the father of your kid - of course it is okay," he added. He had to admit, he would've liked to have been there - be a part of that dynamic and form a new type of family, but he knew these things were bound to happen occasionally and he couldn't be that jealous boyfriend even if he might have felt something more along with the acceptance he was expressing.

Rory took off her coat and scarf and hung them to the rack in the foyer. Since her boots were a little snowy, she unzipped them right there as well.

"So I'll just need to shower, change and then… we'll go, okay?" Rory continued, still sounding like she was fretting over being so late getting back. She hadn't been a night away since they'd moved in together.

"Relax - there's plenty of time. I canceled our lunch reservation already, I figure you'd just eaten. But don't worry, our date is not going anywhere. The rest is not time specific," Logan explained.

"Still… I feel bad," Rory sighed, feeling guilty.

"Well don't," Logan assured again. "I went to puppy school this morning already, and I've got half the paperwork done for next week, so I'm really not complaining," Logan added, wanting her to know that this was okay.

From the moment the therapist had said it - essentially that they were walking on eggshells around each other in many ways - he'd begun to notice it too. It was easier to see it when Rory was doing it than when he did it. But it didn't mean he knew any better than to solve it. He didn't want to fight with her, the thought of picking a fight over something small still feeling too foreign, too insignificant to rock their boat. It felt like almost something entirely uncharacteristic to them by now. Part of the problem was that throughout their former relationship, from that serendipitous conference in Hamburg until New Hampshire, they hadn't had a single fight either. It was what they were used to - they were used to keeping things light and suppressing anything heavier. But honestly - right now, being so glad to have her back home, he couldn't even pinpoint there being anything heavy at all. And now, since they'd had their more painful talks several months ago they also knew how the other had hurt it wasn't a situation, accompanied by guilt, that either really wanted to experience again.

"So what did you guys learn today?" Rory asked about the puppy school, and headed upstairs.

"'Stay' is still a bit challenging, especially with distractions, but he's getting there. On about every third try," Logan said, laughingly, as he followed Rory upstairs, still aiming to go ahead with their plans for their date. Just going out for dinner wasn't what he was planning.

Despite having found good ways to distract himself without Rory last night and this morning, he couldn't deny that he'd missed her too. The big bed felt very empty without the warm body with the familiar feel and scent, next to him. Hence he was in a way following her upstairs like a puppy himself, even if it was just for the conversation to be haved while he waited for her to get ready, only really needing to change his sweatshirt to a sweater himself before they left.

"I guess because he's not distracted by noise is a good thing when learning some of these things in a group," Rory noted, reaching their bedroom door, and pushed the door open.

"Yeah, but other senses are definitely making up for it. Bright colors - blues and yellows, lights, vibrations. There was this moment when a door got pushed shut with a slam and he definitely jumped at the vibration, or maybe at the movement of the air even," Logan described, and took a casual position on the bed, leaning his back against the headboard, casually. They often hung out like this while the other was getting ready.

Rory was still wearing her yesterday's work clothes - a sleek pair of black jeans and a black Ann Taylor tweed military jacket which looked a little like something her grandmother would've worn, but apparently this was trendy these days and worked well enough in the Chilton setting. She cast the jacket onto a hanger that hung on the closet door handle, exposing the simple white sleeveless camp shirt underneath.

"Talked to my sister a bit last night," Logan said, knowing he'd need to keep up a casual conservation not to get completely swept up by her effortless beauty as she stirpped. There was just something about those arms, her neck, that curve of her back… that always was so captivating to him. But he didn't want to come off as needy at this point. She has enough on her mind coming from her mother's - he thought, believing there'd be plenty of moments for them later in the day.

"Yeah? What did she say, how's she doing?" Rory inquired, continuing to casually undress, making Logan even more enchanted by her. The way she slipped out of her jeans, and continued onwards into the bathroom, leaving the door open, and threw the rest of the clothes from her body into the laundry basket - first unbuttoning the shirt, then unhooking her champagne-colored bra, then slipping off the matching mesh panties - one of her favorites, and even her socks. Even the motion of taking off her socks was sexy - was that even possible?

Logan needed to clear his voice for a moment before he responded, his sister being very far from his thoughts at that point.

"Um… she's good. She's flying to London again next week. I am actually quite admiring how she's managing at dividing herself. She either has a much better sense of boundaries, splitting herself between her family and work than neither me or dad had, or she's just way more efficient," Logan described. He then heard Rory turn the shower on, knowing she wouldn't really be able to hear him anymore, hence he stopped talking. He was feeling less guilty for having Honor do his job, and it seemed Honor was feeling less lost too. Maybe she truly was the family jewel that had been overlooked all these years.

The shower was out of his line of sight, so he could only really imagine Rory's naked body with water dripping down it, her hands soaping herself. Hell - he would've gladly joined her, except after one not too terribly successful attempt they'd agreed that this particular shower wasn't ideal for naughty shower sex. Last time they'd both ended up laughing more than enjoying themselves and with a couple of bruises on top of everything.

Logan didn't do much while he waited - just quickly scanned through his newsfeed, and after a while got up to pick himself a sweater to wear. The dark gray merino V-neck would do. Rory didn't shower long - Logan could already hear her getting out just as he was taking off his sweatshirt.

"Where are we going anyways?" Rory inquired, realizing it was probably silly to ask him even as he'd probably not tell her anyways. But she was hoping he'd see the usefulness of the information as it'd reflect in what she was going to wear, how much makeup she was going to put on, how she'd do her hair and overall in how much time getting ready would take.

"Not far," Logan replied, stepping into the doorway for a moment, having briefly sniffed his t-shirt and had decided to change it. "It's casual, I promise," he added, and pulled the t-shirt off his back by its neck, and stepped inside the bathroom to throw it in the laundry basket.

Rory had by then wrapped a bath towel around her body, but it wasn't really the long kind, just barely hiding her ass, and was now combing her wet hair.

"Nothing athletic I hope?" Rory asked, but her eyes were definitely resting on Logan's bare and muscular upper body, as he passed her, her thoughts already trailing from what she was supposed to do next to something else entirely. She'd combed her hair for what seemed like the 10th time, twice as many as truly necessary with detangling hairbrush she was using.

"No, not today. Though I did consider it," Logan replied, assuringly, touching her bare shoulders briefly as he looked over her shoulder, meeting her eyes in the mirror. "There's this trampoline place in Naskart, but I figured that'd be something Em would enjoy as well," he explained one of the options he'd considered.

Rory shrugged, remaining tentative, but something happened as Logan pulled back. She felt a deep reluctance at the loss of his touch, even if the touch had been rather innocent. She felt sharply as the heat emitting form his body distanced from her, the cool air already feeling chilly against her damp skin.

She turned, and grabbed his wrist - telling him to wait, wordlessly. A weak tug off his hand, she pulled him back and kissed him. It wasn't hasty, or too gentle - just that right intensity that showed how much she'd missed him, clarifying the incredible mutual draw.

Logan's hands wrapped around her waist in an instant, appreciating the initiation.

"Hi," Rory hummed, the closeness - his scent, the firmness of his grasp doing all sorts of things to her mind already, leaving her pleasantly hazed after the kiss ended.

"You know we won't get out of here in a while this way, right?" Logan said. He was far from wanting to pull the brakes, but she needed to know that every second he held her there, like that, just imagining her without that towel of hers, the taste of her… the feel of her… he would have trouble stopping.

As a response Rory kissed him again - the kiss had a little less intensity to it, but it was even more sensual, letting her tongue work its magic. Soft, warm and very inviting.

Logan tugged slightly at her towel, letting it drop onto their feet by stepping half a step backwards. He could feel her rapidly cooling body against his stomach and chest, pulling her back flush up against him. Her body felt so fragile like that, yet elegant at the same time, and he let his hands explore freely.

"You know, you're the only person I've ever known to make taking your socks off look hot," Logan murmured, wanting her to know he'd been thinking about her, about this, earlier.

"Maybe I should teach a course," Rory giggled, as Logan's lips were already on her neck, quickly shedding all traces of the earlier chilliness as her heart began to pump faster. She'd definitely wondered what his thoughts had been as she'd undressed - it wasn't that it was the first time she'd undressed in front of him had turned into something more, but it was still nice to know she'd been noticed - that the short time of living together hadn't at least made her dull to him.

The belt buckle of Logan's jeans felt still cool against her abdomen, but there was something sexy about its roughness, compared to her delicate skin. The feeling was especially notable as Logan pushed her hips against the vanity, his hands already gripping her thighs with intensity, fingers digging into her flesh - as if somehow he could fuck her through his jeans by sheer will.

But they didn't hurry, even if the intensity of their moves could've implied that.

Rory kissed his lips again, enjoying the slight lingering taste of coffee on his tongue, the taste and feel of him mixing in with his intoxicating scent. It was her turn to drink him in and she nuzzled into his neck, as his hands caressed her waist and breasts, taking their time.

Rory traced the wolf tattoo on his chest, looking up into his eyes and smiled gently.

Logan looked too, observing her. It was as if she wanted to say something, but no words were coming. His hand wrapped into her damp hair, and he was just about to kiss her again, when she finally opened her mouth, stopping him.

"Logan...," she began. "I know what I said… that I wasn't going to track dates or put all this pressure on us, but with the app… I just… couldn't help it. And I'm sorry, if it's not something you want to know… but since in New Hampshire I never told you..., even if I just fell back into what we always did… I believe this time you deserve to do this with equal awareness as me," Rory said, her other hand massaging the nape of his neck gently.

"What?" Logan replied, his mind having been a little hazed. No wonder, his blood was definitely not keen on sticking around his brain at that moment.

"I haven't done a test or anything, but if the app is right in any capacity, I might just be ovulating," Rory replied, hesitating a little. She wanted him to have a final say - that it really could be now. She hadn't admitted to it, and even though the topic had been discussed time and time again, there had been this tiny fear in her that he'd discover he wasn't ready, much like Finn had contemplated a mere week ago.

Logan's smile was broad, and instead of giving her anything to solidify her doubts, he picked her up by her thighs and carried her back to their bedroom, causing Rory to yelp at his move. But the determinedness in his smile and very distinct hunger in his eyes was intoxicating and she smiled as she bit her lip not really knowing how to be. Sure they'd joked about this, even played with this thought as they'd had sex before. But it hadn't ever been this conscious, this aware… this honest.


AN: I know it's not really like me to stop just before the actions turn steamy, but I just felt this felt done this point. Sorry if it was dissapointing in that sense... If I feel like I might write it out in detail I might put it onto my literotica site (GG_smut).

Also, where I am from it's customary to always take your shoes off when coming home. I know this isn't the same in the US, but somehow in this story... I just can't imagine Rory marching upstairs in her (muddy, snowy) winter boots.. (having the visual of that gorgeous house in my mind, possibly having nice carpets (not a full carpet floor) in the rooms etc) it just doesn't fit in my head.. so I hope it's at least understandable under certain situations.

Another thing I am struggling writing is the fight - so if you have suggestions on it, they are welcome. Like the details of it, the small fight that might lead onto something bigger. What do you think the underlying issue is (I have my share of ideas, but what is in your opinion the thing that needs to come out the most, that hasn't until now). Lets kick this writing block's ass.