Logan was staring out of his office window.
A new office again.
The light was so strong, too strong for his liking. He was not a California lover. Plus his state of mind preferred the gloom right now.
L.A. turned out to be just like any other paper he's been to in the last couple of years. He settled into the same old routine, felt tired, uninterested, unaffected again.
And he couldn't stop thinking about her.
He closed his eyes and saw those incredible blue eyes, saw the hurt in them, the expression she wore the last time he saw her. He saw her whenever he closed his eyes. He had trouble sleeping, the quiet in his hotel room seemed to hurt his ears and it left him alone with this weird feeling wedging his chest.
He kept thinking about what happened, over and over again.
He traced the happenings of those two weeks back to the smallest detail. He still didn't have a grip on it. It seemed as though he was under a spell, time during those two weeks seemed to pass so fast, yet so much happened. And every memory about her, well, it was just indefinable. The pictures, conversations, interactions in his mind's memory seemed to change every time he recalled them. And they were pouring into his thought even if he didn't want to think about them.
He wasn't sure what to think anymore. He realized that she never could have plotted anything, never would have used him.
Intentionally.
But he also knew that she had a certain power over him. He didn't know how or why. All he knew was that he wasn't himself when he was there with her. He wasn't in charge of his desires, emotions, feelings. And everything he did was influenced by her in one way or another.
Being away from there, from her, was like going through withdrawal, at least it hurt like it. He was hoping the hurt would subside and clarity would set in.
He hasn't talked to her since he left. He wouldn't have known what to say, how to explain himself.
She probably hated him now. Not just for leaving her like that, but for leaving everything behind.
He wasn't like that, he didn't like to leave unfinished business behind. But that conversation with his father made him realize he was not in control of his own actions when it came to making decisions.
He took a deep breath. And tried to imagine how it's all gonna turn out. How his life is going to get back onto the same track it's been on.
Then it suddenly hit him.
He didn't want that. He didn't want to go back to that life.
Up to this point he thought that meeting her put him in a trance, a dreamlike state.
But maybe it just woke him up.
Maybe it made him see what was important to him.
Because that's how it felt. That after years of indifference, something was important to him, something made him feel things. Hurt and angst and desire and need and love.
Did it really matter that having this experience changed him? Changed his priorities? Made him see things differently?
He knew the answer already.
He turned around and stormed out of his office.
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The Huntzberger residence was quiet as Mitchum finally sat down in his favorite armchair. It was past midnight, but he still wanted to look over some documents.
The past week had been hectic. He'd forgotten how much work merging a paper really was. For the past couple of years he let Logan and some younger employees take over conducting these operations and he resigned to overseeing everything.
He was more than surprised at what had happened with Logan. He was usually fast, efficient, and didn't bother not making any friends when he introduced the changes that were needed to be made to conduct a successful merge.
This time he noticed he was hesitant, not as thorough, but he also seemed to be more enthusiastic, more determined. He didn't realize what the reason was until he went there to see it himself.
He never in his wildest dreams would have thought it would turn out to be a girl.
He knew Logan and his womanizing ways. He was approaching 35 but never even thought of settling down. He always had some company, for longer or shorter periods of times, but it wasn't a companion. It was passing time.
He's never seen any girl with such an effect on his son and in such short time.
He wondered what it was about her. He only saw a quiet, yet determined girl. Sure she was strong willed. And pretty. And intelligent. And a terrific writer.
Mitchum had to agree with his son on that one. She was indeed going to be a loss for this paper, but Mitchum thought keeping her in the editor position would have been a mistake. She did a good enough job but she approached the task from an emotional direction. She had a hard time saying no to her staff, a hard time making decisions that would have hurt others. And she was desperately trying to do as much as possible, waste all her time and energy on perfecting every single article, fixing things, helping. She had a writer's mind.
Probably because she was a writer.
She didn't have that reserved and authoritative demeanor that an editor needed to have.
Mitchum gave her her week of notice right after Logan left and he took over.
She didn't resist. He saw hurt in her eyes, but she stayed composed and agreed to help with whatever needed to be done. She refused his offer to have her stay on as a reporter.
Mitchum was disappointed, because he was losing a talent. But as he'd told Logan, it was a decision that was unavoidable.
He looked up when he heard the door being unlocked. He didn't know who it could possibly be, especially at this time of night.
Logan walked in, his face fatigued and weary, but his eyes sparkling with a certain determination.
"You're up. Good" he said and dropped his bag next to a chair, taking off his coat.
Mitchum looked on not hiding his shock.
"What are you doing here? What about the paper in L.A.?" he asked in disbelief as he watched his son.
"You know there is nothing there that needs my attention, it was just an excuse to send me away" he said annoyed.
Mitchum didn't disagree. It was mainly a mean to get him out of here and get him to have some perspective.
The two of them stared at each other. Mitchum studied his son as he sat down in a chair and running his hand through his hair took a deep breath.
"I am replacing her Logan, it's the best for the paper" he started, choosing his words carefully.
"I know" he interrupted.
His approval surprised him. Mitchum narrowed his eyes trying to understand why he came back in the middle of the night if it wasn't to make a scene.
"Who did you have in mind?" Logan asked focused.
"Uhm... Fred Janicke" he spoke with caution "he agreed to come in tomorrow to have a look"
Logan cut him off:
"Tell him someone else got the job"
Mitchum stared at him bewildered.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I have a proposition for you"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Rory was lying awake on her bed unable to sleep.
She couldn't say how long she has been staring at the ceiling for, but it surely must have been hours.
Rest wouldn't come.
She sighed. Taking a deep breath seemed to ease that weight she's felt for the past week, if only for a second.
She was not surprised by Mitchum's decision. She was ready for that possibility the minute she heard the paper is being sold. She's never really considered it actually happening up until Logan left. It surprised her how little losing her job affected her
She wondered what the reason was.
She's been the editor for the past one and a half year, after the previous editor passed away suddenly. She's been working at the paper for a long time by then and she was already a sort of cornerstone, helping out with editing and everything else. This paper has always had a homely atmosphere and making her the editor seemed natural at the time.
She took the role appreciating the challenge, but also feeling a great deal of gratitude towards the previous editor and the paper itself.
She never really considered the possibility that this is not necessarily what she wanted.
Not until Logan asked her about it. He seemed to figure it out in a couple of days time, barely even knowing her and yet it took her this long to even consider it.
So really, it was a sense of relief. A chance for her to start over, reconsider what she really wanted from life, move on.
She didn't want to stay on at the paper. She didn't want to see a stranger take over of something that was part of her life for so long.
Plus it was better to be away from the Huntzbergers.
And that lead her to the real cause of her frustration.
Logan.
Realizing that losing her spot as editor didn't crush her made her face the fact that the reason she felt broken, felt like crap was really... Logan.
The way he left.
It seemed like a flight, a cowardly act and it enraged her. She couldn't make sense of it, couldn't explain it.
And frankly after a couple of days she felt sick of wanting to explain it. She felt it was pathetic, a slap in her face, so she forbid herself to think about him or whatever was happening with the two of them.
Of course it was not so easy forgetting Logan Huntzberger.
Or anything about him.
The memories, so few, but so sharp kept returning to her conscience. The fact was that meeting him brought something back into her life, evoked feelings, needs she had forgotten about. And now the void seemed to leave her with an ever-present ache.
She sighed again and prayed for sleep to silence her thoughts.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I don't see how this is any different from when she was the editor" Mitchum leaned back in his seat unimpressed.
"Oh but you do. It's the next best thing to yourself seeing over the editing" Logan spoke quickly, in a quiet voice, determined.
His father was not an easy person to convince, but he knew he had a strong argument. And he was desperate.
"Why would I agree to this?" his father asked incredulous.
"Because if you don't I'm quitting my job" his words echoed in the quiet room.
Mitchum paused as if trying to analyse the weight of the threat.
"I loose you either way" he said still not convinced.
"But this way you get to keep me as a son" he replied.
Mitchum realized he had this all planned out. He sneered.
"You would turn your life upside down and oppose me just because you fell in love with this girl?"
Logan dropped his gaze, now staring at a spot on the carpet. His voice was even more quiet than before, but determined as ever.
"Isn't it time I did?" he looked up again, staring at his father.
Mitchum took a deep breath as if admitting defeat. Maybe it was time.
"Fine. I'll give this 6 months. Nothing more." he said in a cold tone "I have to tell you I have a hard time believing in this. Not your idea, your feelings. But you seem convinced. So go ahead and do it, if this is really what you want."
He paused studying his son.
"But you still have her to convince."
Logan was aware. Getting her to even listen to him was probably a bigger task than convincing his father tonight.