A/N This chapter will seem anticlimatic. This is on purpose. A more dramatic meeting is in the works for later.
"Hello Ace."
"Hi Tristan."
"Hello Logan, Summer"
Logan looks at his wife. He's shocked to hear her name from his ex's mouth. He quickly masks his shock by taking a sip of his drink.
"Hello Summer, it's been what? eleven years?" Tristan breaks the silence with a smirk.
"Something like that," Summer replied, looking at her high school fling.
"So I see we all know each other," Rory says looking around the quartet.
"I was just wondering about that Ace, it seems I'm the odd one out here." Logan smirks, as he sees Rory smart at the nickname.
Tristan also sees the smart and wraps his arm around Rory's waist instead of just a delicately placed hand. She instantly relaxes at the pressure.
"I suppose you are. Myself, Summer and Tris here all went to high school together. Met everyday at my locker matter of fact." At this final sentence, Tristan smirks, while Summers' face flushes.
"So I see Tristan finally got his Mary?" Summer intoned, looking them both up and down.
"Something like that," Tristan responded with a bored tone.
"Well it's been nice catching up and all, but I see Grandma Emily trying to catch my eye. We better get over there before she comes looking for us. Logan, Summer I'm sure we will see you again. Come on Bible Boy, Adolf beckons." Rory pulled Tristan away without a second glance at the other couple.
Rory and Tristan mingled their way around the party. Occasionally they would stop for a dance, whenever they needed a break from the monotony of small talk. Rory and Tristan had attended multiple society parties together since they had reconnected during law school. While they had both been single it had helped to stop the family set ups, as both families agreed the pair would be a good match if they ever did become more than friends, even though Rory and Tristan knew that would never happen, even before Finn and Louise had come back into the picture. Most of the crowd knew that Tristan was engaged to Louise Grant, and all of the crowd knew about Logan and Rory's history. The gossip hounds were watching the two couples work the room with bated breath.
While the society gossip mongers watched both couples, Logan and Summer were both watching Tristan and Rory work the room. Logan was trying to see what this blonde guy had that he didn't, he was disappointed to see that it didn't look like Rory's life had fallen apart, she looked happy and content and even more beautiful because of it. He was sure it was just an act so he wouldn't know how much she regretted turning him down. Summer was trying to understand why it still felt like she was a second choice behind Rory Gilmore after eleven years. If anything Rory should be jealous of her Summer thought, she was the one with the rich hot husband and the life of leisure. Summer looked at her husband, he was also staring at the couple and she didn't understand why, she had history with them, he didn't.
Later that night as Rory was leaving the bathroom she bumped into someone.
"Oh excuse me, I'm very sorry about that," she started.
"Are you really?" Summer questioned.
"Of course I am, I didn't even see you so how could I have known who it was I bumped into?" Rory asked, confused where Summer was going with this.
"So how does it feel to have my sloppy seconds Gilmore?" Summer sneered
"Tristan and I are just friends Summer, so there is no seconds' having going on at my end. For you on the other hand, how does it feel knowing your husband proposed to me first, and of his own volition not at Daddy Dearest's request?"
Rory laughed at the shock on Summers' face. "Let me guess, you didn't know that I was the college girlfriend he proposed to after two and a half years together? I'll take your silence as a yes. Don't feel bad, he kept a lot of secrets from me too, it's why I said no. Anyway it's not my intention to cause any trouble, I honestly thought Honor or someone may have mentioned me by name."
"I'm not sure if I believe you, he would have told me." Summer's face showed she was not as certain about that as her words implied.
"Ask Colin, Stephanie or Finn, I'm sure they would all confirm it. I know they are all still friends as I had supper with Stephanie last week." Rory watched Summers face as she got that final dig in, she knew from talking to Stephanie that they all could barely stomach Summer, that her still being friends with them would hurt her feelings.
"Or not. Anyway I've got to go Tristan is waiting for me, we need to get back to New York, we have plans for the rest of the weekend. Happy Holidays Mrs Huntzberger." and with that Rory quickly walked away with a spring in her step.
While Rory was having her tete-a-tete with Summer, Tristan was getting their coats from the closet so they could leave. They had already said goodbye to the Gilmore's and he was anxious to get on the road and back to the city. He sighed as he spotted Logan heading his way.
"So you and Ace?" Logan smirked confidently.
"Rory and I are just good friends," Tristan replied.
"How come she never mentioned you before if you have been friends for so long?"
"Rory and I had much more of an antagonistic relationship during high school. If anything I was much closer to your wife during those years." Tristan smirked, two could play at this game, and he had much more ammunition in his pocket than Logan did.
Logan wished he could say it was a surprise but Hartford was small enough he knew what Summers' reputation had been like when she was younger. She was pretty much the female him.
"Where did you and Rory reconnect? I haven't heard much from her since graduation."
"Oh you mean since she turned you down? Funnily enough Rory and I reconnected the following fall, and became friends." Tristan watched to see if that comment landed the way he thought it might. He saw Logan's smirk twist as though he was in pain.
"Well it seems like a lot has changed over the past few years. What is it you do Tristan? Sorry I never caught your last name."
"Du Grey, and I'm a lawyer."
"Du Grey? That explains a lot. My father always said Rory was a gold digger."
"That's funny, my father always told me not to talk badly about a host's family while in their house. Strange how which lessons are important is always interpreted differently by different families. I need to go see what is keeping Rory, we need to get back to New York. We have plans." As he said that he saw Rory walking towards him, he met her half way and curled his arm around her waist as they walked to their awaiting car.
It was late when they got back to the city. Rory and Tristan had both relayed their final conversations with the respective Huntzbergers to each other. They were happy to see that their appearance at the party together had rattled Logan and Summer much more than Logan and Summer's presence had rattled them. Rory climbed out of the car at her apartment building; she had promised Tristan that she and Finn would join him and Louise the next day for a late brunch.
"Honey I'm home," Rory called as she let herself into her apartment. The apartment was dark other than some light coming from some lamps that Finn must have left on. Shucking her coat into the closet, she continued walking through the apartment. "Finn? Are you still here?" She didn't think he would have gone home without letting her know.
Rory walked into her bedroom there were candles lit everywhere but still no Finn, she could see light coming from the bathroom so she gently pushed the door open. It was full of candles and there was a steaming bath run with bubbles and rose petals. Finn was standing there with 2 champagne glasses in his hand.
"How?" Rory managed to stammer out.
"Tristan texted me when you guys hit the city so I started lighting candles then." Finn set down the champagne glasses, and Rory flew into his arms.
Rory took a deep breath and inhaled Finn's scent. "Thank you," she said, reaching up and cupping his cheek with her hand. "Two seconds in your arms and all of my anxiety about everything that's happened this evening has disappeared .I don't know how you do it, but I hope this feeling never goes away."
"Come on Kitten care to share a bath with me and tell me all about it?" Finn asked, looking her carefully in the eyes. Tristan had said everything went fine, but Finn needed to be sure for himself.
"How about we get in the bath and talk about anything but tonight?" She replied, turning so he could unzip her dress.
Finn had already been in his robe when he greeted Rory so he climbed into the bath first as he knew Rory would want to sit in front of him leaning back against his chest. The advantage of this was he got to enjoy the show as his girlfriend undressed to join him.
Rory hadn't been lying earlier when she said she had a treat for him under the dress, he saw as she let the dress drop to the ground. She was wearing a red and cream balconette style bra, the cups were cream satin and outlined with red lace. The bottoms were a matching barely there thong with a cream satin triangle, with red lace. What almost sent Finn over the end was a red lace garter belt that was attached to some sheer stockings.
"Bloody hell love, you had that on under your dress all night while you were out with another man? I don't know whether to kiss you or spank you." Finn exclaimed once he got his breath back.
"How about we leave the spanking for another night," Rory responded matter of factly, as she said that Finn's breath left him all over again. This was a different side of his girlfriend.
Rory put one foot on the end of the tub and slowly unsnapped her stocking from the garter belt and hands gently skimming her thighs rolling it down her leg to her toes. She repeated the action with her other leg, finishing just as Finn came to his senses and tried to reach out and touch her. Next to go was the garter belt, as it dropped to the ground she reached behind her back and undid her bra, she eased the straps off her shoulders and down her arms, as the cups fell away freeing her breasts. That left Rory standing there in just a barely there thong. At this point she stopped removing her underwear and raised her arms to remove the few pins that had been keeping part of her hair out of her eyes. As Finn watched her, arms raised doing incredible things to her breasts, she was turned at an angle that he could see the delicate curve of her uncovered bottom, watching as the lace disappeared. He couldn't believe how lucky he was.
Once she was finished freeing her hair entirely, Rory looked at Finn with a raised eyebrow. "Room for me in there?"
"Come on in love," he responded huskily.
With that sentence Rory looked him straight in the eyes as she slowly shimmied the thong down her legs, before stepping into the bath and easing herself into position resting against Finn's chest.
Finn's arms came up around her shoulders as his legs hugged either side of her waist. "Not that I'm complaining, because believe me I'm not, but what was that show for Kitten." he dropped a kiss on her head.
"I'm just so happy to have you, Finn. You are amazing, you let me go out with another man tonight without a second thought, I've never had someone display that level of trust in me before and I felt like you needed a little reward."
"Rory, being with you is my reward. Of course I trust you. I love you and I know that I am secure in what we have together."
"See Finn, you're amazing how you can just say things like that so straightforwardly. i never need to guess with you," she leans back further and kisses his chest where she can reach at the angle she is laying.
"On that note, Rory, how would you feel about coming home with me between Christmas and New Year?"
"Home? You mean Australia?"
"Yes Kitten, I'd love to bring you there and show you around where I grew up."
"I'd love to see the places that made you the man you are today, Finn, but I want to stay here for Christmas."
"I knew that Rory, I mean leave the day after Christmas for a week, maybe spend New Years eve in Sydney?" he said sheepishly.
Rory could tell he'd been thinking about this for a while and was nervous to ask her. "I'll check my schedule for work first thing tomorrow and see how long I can be gone for."
"Thank you," he said, tilting her head and kissing her tenderly, before laying back again. They continued laying in the bath talking. They each knew this bath was more sensual and about their connection instead of just sexual, it was exactly what they needed, although they also both knew they would end up making love as soon as they got out. Until then the gentle tender kisses and caresses were enough.
