AN: Thanks for all the reviews! I'll put a longer AN up at my blog today. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 7

"Hey Ace." Logan smiled, inwardly trying to decide how to play this hand.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him again, standing up and folding her arms in front of herself.

"I came to surprise you. Since you couldn't spend the summer with us in Australia, I figured we would come to see you here, in Tree Hill." Logan lied, hoping she would believe it. 'After all, it isn't a complete lie. Seeing me must be a surprise to her, and she wouldn't go to Australia. No, it's not a lie… I'm just not telling her my true intentions.'

Rory glared at him. "Outside. Now." She grabbed his arm and he followed her outside.

Once they were outside on the sidewalk she dropped his arm.

"How dare you?" She seethed.

"What?"

"How dare you? What part of my summers with Lucas being special to me don't you seem to understand?" At the moment she was beyond angry. She truly wasn't sure how to respond.

Logan clenched his fist and had to control himself to stop from screaming. "He's just a friend, Rory, I'm your boyfriend. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Rory stared at him in shock. All niceties were thrown out with his words, 'he's just a friend.'

She tried to control her breathing. Narrowing her eyes she stuck her finger out at him, poking him in the chest. "Get. This. Strait. He is my best friend. The best friend I've ever had. He means more to me than any boyfriend ever will. I've broken up with guys before because they couldn't handle my relationship with Lucas. I am not afraid to do it again. If you want to keep being a jealous ass, then you will lose me. Got it?" She gritted out, her voice becoming slightly louder with each word spoken until she was almost screaming.

Logan's jaw had stopped in the midst of her rant. "You would seriously break up with me for him?"

"YES! And I wouldn't even think twice about it! Now go home!" With that, she started to move back into the café.

Logan quickly grabbed her arm and stopped her from leaving him alone on the sidewalk. "Look, this isn't fair of you!"

Rory stood there, looking at him in shock. "Not fair of me? God! I told you I wanted to spend the summer with Lucas. Not everything is about you. I am so sick of your spoiled rich boy attitude. You think everything in the world is owed to you just because you're going to be a rich and famous journalist. I'm sick of it!" She yelled at him, letting pent up emotions out. Things had gone unsaid for way to long.

Logan knew as he was being yelled at that unless he did something quick, he was going to lose her for good. "Ace, wait! Look, I feel I have reason to be the way I am. You're going to be a great journalist someday, too. Now I'm sorry if my being here bother's you. But I don't want to leave. I just want to spend a little time with you this summer." He pleaded, looking her in the eyes.

She sighed. She really, really wanted time alone with Lucas, but she knew Logan would interfere, yet she was sick of arguing with him. "Logan, this is the only uninterrupted time I get with Lucas each year."

"I won't interfere. I promise. Please, what do you say?"

"You promise you won't interfere?" She asked dubiously, not sure if she should really trust him. 'Perhaps this is a way to test him. If he doesn't interfere then I can trust him…'

"Cross my heart, but if you don't mind, I'd rather not die, or stick anything in my eye." He teased, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. He knew he had her okay for now.

"Fine. But if you get in the way I'm sending you packing." She warned him they walked back inside.

"Don't worry. It won't happen." He promised, kissing her lightly.

He sighed with relief as they walked back inside. Everything would be okay now. He would be there for the summer with Rory and Lucas, and if anything started to happed, he would put a stop to it. He wasn't going to lose her. Not to her mother or his parent's, and certainly not to this Lucas guy. 'It'll be ok now…'

-GG-

From across the street two girls watched the scene unfold in interest.

"Oh! I didn't know Rory was here!" Brooke said, turning to Peyton.

"Yeah, but who's he? He's hot."

They watched as Rory and the guy argued, and then seemed to come to a resolution. Their eyes widened as they saw the guy wrap his arm around her, and then kiss her.

"Lucas isn't gonna like this…" Brooke mused aloud.

"I wonder how long he's going to be here?"

"If it's for this summer, then it will make things much more interesting." Brooke said, pulling Peyton along. "Come on; let's go see what's happening!"

-GG-

Inside the café the table was silent as they watched the couple on the sidewalk duke it out.

"So what are you guys doing here?" Nathan asked Colin and Finn, finally breaking the silence.

Colin spoke up. "Logan cares a great deal for Rory. He wanted to spend time with her this summer."

Lucas glared. "Summer's are my and Rory's time together. Everyone knows that."

Finn shrugged. "Things change."

The guys were silent again, watching out the window. As Logan wrapped his arm around Rory and then kissed her, Lucas clenched his jaw. This didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the guys.

Colin and Finn shared a glance, and nodded slightly. The came to a silent agreement that it was for the best that they stayed here for the summer, whether it wrecked their plans or not. If the scene at the airport hadn't been evidence enough, then the look on Lucas' face clearly showed that more was going on with Rory and Lucas than they let on. Whether they both realized it yet or not.

-GG-

Rory walked over to the table where the guys were sitting, with Logan following closely behind her.

"Lucas, can I talk to you?" She asked him, motioning outside.

He nodded and stood up, following her, but not before giving Logan a death glare.

"What's going on Ror?" He asked once they were outside.

She sighed, looking up at him. "Well, Logan wants to spend time together this summer, too… and he's going to be staying here."

Lucas stared at her. 'Did she just say? No… of course she didn't. She knows how much summers mean to me. To both of us. She wouldn't- would she?' Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. "What? But summers are just for us. They always have been. No matter who we were dating."

Rory bit her lip. "I know, but he's already here. And he promised he won't interfere. He won't! I won't let him. If he starts to interfere or cause problems for us, then I'll send him away. I promise. I already told him that. This doesn't change anything."

Lucas shrugged. "As long as he doesn't interfere." Was all he said. Inside, a thousand thoughts were running rampant. He knew the other guy would do or say something to interfere. He just couldn't believe Rory was allowing it. 'This changes more than she knows…'

"Look, I'm not really hungry anymore." He told her, glancing inside. "I think I'm going to head back to the house." He dropped a quick kiss to her forehead and quickly walked away.

"Lucas, wait!" She yelled, watching as he hurried away. She felt so conflicted. She didn't want to lose her best friend.

She was about to walk into the café when Brooke and Peyton came up to her.

"Hey Rory!" Peyton said, giving her a hug.

"We didn't know you were here for the summer." Brooke said, also giving her a hug.

"Yeah." Rory replied, shrugging.

"What's wrong?" Brooke asked her, concerned.

Rory looked inside at the guys watching with interest. "Can we get out of here? I'll tell you everything; I just don't want to be around them right now."

"Come on, let's go." Peyton told her as she wrapped an arm around Rory's shoulders and led her away from the café, leaving the limo boys and Nathan alone inside of Karen's.