AN: well aparently I don't know how to do one shots or this is just a lenghtier "one shot"? Lol. Either way - don't expect anything too long. Work is crazy right now and I don't dare to put any extra obligations on myself just now with already so much to do (and I know ithis is not supposed to be an obligation but it is an obligation to myself to want to finish what I start and I do enjoy this a lot more than my usual work right now so it's just too easy to slip and work on stories rather than my work stuff).

Huge thanks to all of your reviews and encouragements!

Chapter 2

"Wow, so you flew, overnight, from Indonesia and jumped straight into spring break?" Rory reflected, after listening to the group talk about their latest ventures for the better part of an hour. She stuck another bite of crab cake into her mouth.

"We like our adventures wild, don't we?" Finn replied and took a large sip of his scotch.

Part of the group chuckled in return, and Finn hungrily drowned three oysters next.

"That's… different," Rory nodded, tentatively.

Rory took a small sip of the Papa Doble Daiquiri, she'd allowed herself, being in Florida and all, knowing how Hemingway loved Daiquiris. This seemed like the place to do it - not some dodgy club. In part she hadn't wanted to be the only one not drinking, and clearly - no one was carding them at a fancy place like this. And at the same time she'd just wanted to ease some of the tension in her body left from earlier conflict that had happened in front of her eyes - relax and enjoy her evening, also feeling relieved to escape from Paris' company with fib that she'd run into some old friends. Paris' text in return had encouraged her to use protection, which had made her roll her eyes, clearly assuming she'd gone off with Sean which couldn't be further from the truth.

Colin went on to explain to Finn how they should still make a week of it - hit Vegas or Atlantic City next, and the guys no longer paid attention to her. The group consisted of the four guys, and two girls - Juliet and Stephanie, the two girls being in some type of relationships with Robert and Colin respectively. What the relationship was exactly, considering their bickering and humorous talk of potential husbands and wifes that didn't seem to be present at this table, Rory couldn't be sure.

"You don't sound impressed...," Logan made a honest observation, speaking solely to Rory. This was easy since he was sitting next to her, the table being quite close quarters since they'd added an extra chair to their table because of her.

Had he actually believed that she would've be impressed? - Rory pondered.

They'd ordered a whole table full of food, which Rory had already consumed generously, showing a much healthier appetite than her figure would've allowed to believe she had but at the same time trying to remain modest, because she really wouldn't have afford to eat like she and her mother normally did, still wanting to insist later on to pay for her share at least.

"It's just that last week I was studying for midterms and freezing my butt off, and you guys… while it seems you go to college, you sound smart and wealthy enough for that, I guess… you don't seem to have a care in the world," Rory explained, not wanting to outright say that their tales reminded her of the stories her mother had told her about the kind of kids she'd gone to high school with. The Mitsys and Alaistars with silver spoons in their mouths, trust funds, trashing apart five star hotels, owning sportscars by 16 and penthouses by 18, red carpets rolled out in front of them no matter whether it was Renbrook's preschool or Harvard. But despite being no-doubt privileged and a little spoiled, perhaps even a little out of touch with the real world, the group seemed friendly, they had rescued her from an uncomfortable confrontation and they'd generously invited her along for dinner, so she didn't want to be rude.

"We do go to college. The four of us just took the year off to go on this once-in-a-lifetime trip. It's something I've always wanted to do and Finn's dad had a boat we could use. And it's not like we don't have our problems, it's just when we're out like this we try to not think or talk about them," Logan explained.

Rory could tell Logan was intrigued by her. She clearly wasn't the kind of girl he'd expected to run into that night - not the flaky party girl, certainly. But she wasn't quite sure whether he would or wouldn't have preferred if she had been that type - after all the initial classic playbook flirting that she'd been subjected to so far, opening doors for her, gently grazing the small of her back when leading her and some talking at more intimate proximity when the guys were being loud, hinted at the fact that he too was really not a lot different from Sean in terms of what he was interested in. Logan just seemed to have a lot more tact and at least in theory knew the meaning of 'no' which had gotten him major brownie points earlier.

"That I understand. I mean I had a dream of backpacking through Europe with my mom after I graduated high school and I am so glad I did it," Rory replied. "It was incredible," Rory added and went on to talk about all the great places they'd been to and what they'd experienced.

"You went backpacking through Europe with your mother?" Logan reflected skeptically, after listening to her speak, the thought sounding so impossible to him.

"Yeah. But we don't really have a normal mother-daughter relationship either. She had me when she was 16 so, she's more like my best friend," Rory shared, feeling rather generous with information, the half a drink having already loosened her tongue. It wasn't the first time she'd had to explain her relationship with her mother to someone who didn't get it.

"Okay," Logan nodded, trying to wrap his head around it. "Colin, Finn and I are probably going to hit Europe this summer - now that our trip was cut short," Logan added.

"Yeah, because you sank Finn's dad's yacht," Rory reflected, her tone slipping as a little bit more condescending than she would've consciously chosen.

"I am sensing you don't like me much..." Logan suddenly surprised Rory.

"No, that's not it," Rory said with a sudden blush. "I'm sorry. I don't want to come off as this overly critical person. I'm far from perfect myself. And I am so grateful that you invited me. I just keep thinking that if I had been in your shoes I'd be so distraught, feeling guilty and…," Rory continued with a half a dozen other adjectives. "I just couldn't continue enjoying my time like this. So I guess all I am saying is that you come off a little privileged," Rory blabbered quickly. Clearly the drink was getting to her. And while she might have enjoyed questioning their habits, she did actually find him quite attractive, not doubt charming as well.

Logan smiled at her.

"I am privileged But that doesn't mean I can't have fun, can it?" Logan replied, seemingly enjoying the debate.

There was a burst of laughter from the rest of the table, the others having a whole other conversation.

"No..," Rory agreed.

"Then what's the problem?" Logan shrugged.

"No, there's no problem," Rory replied, and smiled weakly.

"Good," Logan smirked, and took a small bite of the nachos. He looked like he was a guy who was used to getting what he wanted.

Rory was already beginning to think that maybe she'd ruined this - maybe she was being too difficult. Party girls were supposed to be fun and carefree, not critical. Maybe she was even a hypocrite - it was not like she didn't have privilege in her life, even if it was mostly just at arm's reach not directly in her wallet.

"So, why were you in a bad mood earlier?" Rory decided to ask, not really knowing what one was supposed to talk about in this type of setting. It seemed that talking about college or families wasn't really topical, and she had already talked a little about her quirky little town and its characters earlier along with sharing her knowledge of movies and books through a couple of snappy references. It seemed to be some unwritten spring break rule that no exact locations, universities or majors were mentioned - almost as if it'd be a painful reminder of other, less fun, times.

Logan inhaled deeply, clearly not having wanted this topic brought up.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have… it's none of my business..," Rory said quickly.

"It's fine. I'll tell you. But maybe not here? Don't want to ruin everyone's mood. Mind if we go walk instead of hitting the club?" Logan replied, Finn having made it clear earlier he was still up for some dancing.

For a moment Rory hesitated - she wasn't supposed to go alone somewhere with a guy she'd just met - that's how things got out of hand. But at the same time she debated herself - wasn't that what she wanted? She wanted to experience spring break. She wanted to kiss, to make out and feel that swarm of butterflies she'd felt with Jess. She maybe even wanted to go beyond that if it felt right. She wasn't expecting to find love, a boyfriend or a prospective husband here. But she did want to get swept away in emotion and enjoy herself physically if she managed to shake her nervousness. There was no way that would happen with Paris around, would it? And considering all the guys she'd met during this trip so far - Logan seemed definitely the nicest - he certainly looked like he'd know what he was doing too.

"Okay," Rory replied, her tone remaining a little hesitant, which seemed to make Logan grin even wider.

In a short moment Logan waved over the waiter and discreetly handed him his credit card not even wanting to see the bill. She'd figured they had money - they looked like they had money - fancy watches and the Dior and Louis Vuitton bags the girls had , but she hadn't expected that kind of money for him to be throwing it around like this.

"So how much do I owe you?" Rory asked, suddenly recalling how she had wanted to at least offer to pay for her share.

Logan smiled, shook his head and said, "I told you, my treat. I invited you, remember?"

Rory was almost about to argue, feeling it would've been polite, but she was trying to think back to date etiquette, unsure if that was what it was, and how trying to remain too independent didn't really earn women a lot of points in the eyes of many guys. She wasn't yet sure if Logan was that kind of a guy, but she didn't want to drive him away either.

"Okay, if you insist..," Rory replied, conjuring up the flirtiest smile she'd made all night. She almost scolded herself for becoming that person. She just hoped she wasn't being nice and flirty because of the way they seemed to have money. She was overthinking it again.

Thankfully, Logan didn't seem to be paying much attention to her mannerism at that moment, and instead spoke to Finn, who was sitting next to him, about his plans, and Finn also glanced a look towards Rory which held some meaning. She wasn't sure what - but she felt like it was approving somehow, even if she wasn't sure what exactly he was approving of.

Rory said her goodbye's to the group and the two wandered out into the street, deciding to walk. Rory didn't dare to ask for their end destination, nor did she want to steer them towards the Sea Sprite, considering Paris might be back already. So she just went with it.

The first five minutes, Rory struggled to think of what to say, and other than the casual observations of something they saw, they were largely quiet. But there was definitely some of that pleasant tension in the air.

"I'm really not this boring usually," Rory said apologetically.

"I don't think you're boring. But I am sensing you're nervous?" Logan made a fair guess.

"I am...," Rory admitted, looking down, feeling her face grow blotchy right then. Thankfully it was dark.

"Well you don't have to be...," Logan shrugged, his hand tucked into his pockets.

Rory shrugged, not really knowing how to turn her physical reaction off.

"So you asked, what I was upset about?" Logan said, filling his promise to share.

"Yeah, the way you said that to Sean… it sounded pretty bad," Rory replied, revealing that she'd actually known the guy's name.

"It was just my dad. He keeps telling me to get my act together, stop hanging out with my friends saying he'll make sure I won't soon have time to spend with them if we keep this up," Logan began. "He found out about the cost of us sinking that yacht. My sister wired me the money for the Indonesian Coast Guard so we wouldn't get in trouble, and apparently nature conservation is no joke around there either. So it ended up being a lot more costly than I or him assumed. So naturally, he was mad when he found out. Made a bunch of threats. And I mean I don't even care if he takes it out of my trust fund or something… it's way worse if he goes after my time. I was supposed to have until I graduate, you see..," Logan explained, speaking surprisingly candidly.

"What happens after you graduate?" Rory asked.

"I start working for the family company, do what my dad does and has been doing for the past 30 years - 60 hours a week. Board meetings, business travel... acquisitions, paperwork, corporate events…," Logan said with disgust

Rory wondered if he was always that open with the people he'd just met, or whether there was something about her or her questions, sincerity maybe even, that made him open up like this.

"You know, fun stuff like that," Logan added, sarcastically.

"What does the company do?" Rory asked.

"You really don't know who I am, don't you?" Logan asked, sounding a little surprised. He hadn't introduced himself by his full name, nor had she seen any documents or ID-s, but he had almost assumed being used to it. At least on the East Coast he had frequented papers and magazines for the better part of the last decade, though mostly just in family pictures or when he'd screwed up, half intentionally, and 'brought shame to the family name' as his grandfather had called it.

"Does it matter?" Rory shrugged in return, no longer really requiring his answer on her former question. She wasn't expecting this to be something more - the chances of them ever seeing each other after this night were slim - people from all over the country were here in Florida right now.

"I hope it doesn't," Logan replied.

Rory shook her head, indicating it didn't. What mattered to her was the impression she'd gotten from him - that he was trustworthy and overall a decent guy. Her gut feeling must account for something, even after a single drink, shouldn't it?

"So essentially you're on the conveyor belt," Rory concluded. "Let me guess, all of your family has gone to the same great schools, colleges and you have this destined future to become some big shot CEO?" Rory suggested.

"You do know me, it seems!" Logan chuckled bitter-sweetly.

"I just know families like that. Last year when I was applying to colleges I went to have lunch with a family who was just like that… It just made me appreciate the fact that my mom has never forced anything on me. I might have been one of those families had she not left home at 17 and not built a different life for us on her own," Rory shared.

"It's rare for people to know that they're lucky for something like that," Logan said, there being a compliment in there somewhere.

Rory didn't really know what to say to that, so she just smiled.

They moved on to walk the beach, taking their shoes off and carrying them in their hands, almost entirely naturally initiating some physical contact, as Rory nearly stumbled into a sand hole, someone had dug to build a sand castle that was by now torn down, and Logan grabbed her elbow to keep her upright.

"You know, my friend and I, we came here to do spring break because we felt like we weren't living the college experience fully. So we lounged by the pool, watched people hit each-other with giant q-tips," Rory began to explain, causing Logan to laugh at her word choice. Rory was now holding onto Logan's arm, cosily, as they walked, feeling a lot more comfortable - at the very least she didn't want to break that contact, in fear or ruining things. Her eyes sparkled, and she appreciated the way he looked at her - definitely not minding the close proximity, so she fought her instinct to escape and stayed close.

"Paris even did a banana eating contest, though she perhaps didn't get the meaning behind it," Rory chuckled. "We ate junk food, I drank, a little at least.., I met a couple of cute guys. Though one of them turned out to be a jerk," she added, referring to Sean.

"I hope the other one is less of a jerk?" Logan smirked.

"The other one has been a perfect gentleman so far. A little cocky though," Rory teased.

Logan let his head fall back as he laughed.

"But that's sort of what's missing from that list of mine..," Rory added, not believing she'd said that. She wasn't used to flirting like this, not with the sole intention being to get someone into bed with her.

At that thought Logan slipped his hand around her waist, pulling her close. His neck stretched out and his lips were on hers within milliseconds, the imaginary fountain pen crossing off another spring break experience from Rory's mental list.