"I'll see you tomorrow, Ace," Logan said softly, placing a kiss on his girlfriend's lips.

Rory smiled, savoring the feeling of his lips brushing against hers. She raised her hand and placed it on his cheek, gently pulling him down for one last goodbye kiss. She wasn't sure what it was about Logan, but he definitely made her more daring.

"Bye."

He slowly got up from the porch swing, placing his hands in his pockets as he began his decent down the steps. When he reached the ground, he turned around to shoot her one of those smirks she had grown to adore.

"I have to say, I'm looking forward to the looks on Colin and Finn's faces."

She laughed, "I'm picturing them as we speak, and if they are even halfway close to my expectations, we have to bring a camera."

"I'll be sure to grab mine on the way out the door tomorrow," he said with a grin, "See ya."

She watched his car until it rolled out of sight. Slowly, she brushed her fingertips against her lips, remembering vividly the feeling of Logan's kiss. She couldn't get over how he made her feel, how every kiss seemed to make the world get just a little bit brighter. But God, for as much bliss as she brought until her life, she couldn't help being petrified of him. He said he cared about her, and he said he wanted to commit to her. But how much of his words could she actually believe?

More than anything, she wanted to believe that Logan wouldn't say those things to her if he didn't mean them. More than anything, she wanted to believe that Logan wouldn't break her heart like her other two boyfriends from the past. And when he was kissing her, or running his fingers through her hair, all the doubts she had seemed pushed aside. But then, she would remember her romantic history, and maybe more importantly, his romantic history, and she would feel herself almost falling apart. What if he hurt her? What would happen then?

She shook her head slightly and curled up tighter on the swing, trying to force all of the worries out of her mind. But try as she might, she couldn't help but wonder if the two of them together was right. She wanted it to be right, but they were so different. What if she wasn't enough for him? What if he got bored? She was falling so fast, she couldn't help but wonder what the landing would feel like.

Logan was one of the most incredible people she had ever met, and he already knew her so well it was almost eerie. What happened if this relationship fell apart? Not only would she lose her boyfriend, she would lose her best friend. Was it all too much of a risk? But then again, wasn't that what Logan was about? Risks? Could she blindly jump into something like this? Was she capable?

She wanted to be.

"Hey, kid."

Rory glanced up quickly at the sound of her mother's voice and smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"I had a break at the inn, so I thought I'd come home and say hi," Lorelai paused, "And I saw the most interesting thing while I was at Luke's."

Rory accepted the coffee her mother held out as she finished the last statement and raised her eyebrows, "What?"

"Oh, just this silver, fancy car, a Porsche I think. Any idea who that might belong to?"

Rory could feel a blush creeping over her cheeks, "Maybe..."

"It would happen to be Logan, would it?" Lorelai inquired, faking shock as she placed a hand over her heart.

"It might have been."

"Oh, come on Rory, you're killing me. Why was Logan here?"

"He wanted to talk to me," Rory explained, "About the kiss."

She tried to keep a smile from creeping over her features, but she was completely unsuccessful. Just the mention of Logan, and kissing Logan, was enough to make the butterflies return to her stomach. The feeling she got when she thought about him, well, that was why she was taking the chance.

"And?" Lorelai prodded.

"And," Rory drew out the word, "He asked me to be his girlfriend."

Lorelai's blue eyes grew wide, "Really?"

Rory nodded.

"Continue with the story. Don't leave mommy hanging."

Rory cracked a smile, "After a long talk, and much convincing on his part--"

"Oh my God!" Lorelai interrupted, "You're dating Logan!"

"I'm dating Logan," Rory confirmed.

"But I thought he didn't 'do girlfriends' or whatever."

Rory shrugged, "He said he wanted to change for me."

"Aw, how cute. You could be in a movie," Lorelai teased.

"Stop," Rory protested, tucking her arms around her curled up knees.

"But who would play you? Or him for that matter? Brad Pitt? Nah, a little too hold. How about--"

"Hey," Rory held up her hand, "Could you stop planning my movie for two seconds."

"Okay. What's up?"

Rory shrugged as she rose, "Nothing. I just wanted you to stop talking long enough for me to get away."

She laughed at her mother's mock wounded expression as she walked into the house and closed the door. A few seconds later, Lorelai came pounding after her, hands placed firmly on her hips.

"Yes?" Rory inquired, raising her eyebrows with a grin.

Loreali stuck out her tongue as she walked into the kitchen to join her daughter.

"Oh, very mature," Rory chided.

"Stop teasing mommy."

"Oh, fine; ruin my fun."

"Hey, you ruined mine," Lorelai reasoned, pulling out a chair to sit down, "So, tell me more."

Rory followed in suit, "There's not much else to tell."

"Are you happy?"

Rory paused, her words stopping in her throat. The first thing that came to her mind was a huge 'yes!'. But then, as her thoughts and concerns over the situation returned, she found herself faltering. How happy could she be when she felt like the fresh relationship was just one giant ticking time bomb?

"I am, but..." she paused, not really knowing where to go from there.

"But?" Lorelai pried.

"He scares me. This whole thing honestly petrifies me."

"Why?" Lorelai asked, her eyes slightly shocked.

"Because I'm his first girlfriend. What if he finds out he doesn't like the whole commitment thing? What if he decides I'm not worth it or gets bored? What am I supposed to do then? He's never dated a girl like me, but I feel for him things that I never felt for anyone else and I've only been dating him for a few hours. I just don't want to get hurt again and--"

"Rory," Lorelai interrupted gently, reaching for her daughter's hand, "Relax and stop analyzing everything so much, okay? I've seen the way Logan looks at you, kid. He's got it bad. Just go with it and you'll be okay."

"I just don't want to get hurt again," Rory repeated, her voice wavering.

"Hey," Lorelai said with a small smile, "Logan adores you, believe me. I knew that the minute he spend all that time here when Jess broke up with you. He's not going to do anything to cause you pain, not on purpose."

"But he's Logan. It might not be on purpose, but he might hurt me just because he's used to having more than one girl. I'm not what he's used to."

"He came here, Rory, he wants this. Just be happy. I know you want to be."

Rory slowly allowed a smile to curve up her lips, "He does make me happy, really happy."

"Then just be happy, and worry about the other stuff when it happens."

"Okay," Rory nodded slowly, still not completely sure of herself, "Shouldn't you be getting back to the inn."

"Probably. Michel probably beat a guest or two to death with a stapler right now. I hope it was that couple that checked in this morning."

Rory rolled her eyes with a smirk, "Oh, the hospitality."

"Service with a smile!" Lorelai laughed as she rose, "See you later."

"Bye mom."

--------

Rory turned her car into the Chilton parking lot and steered it into her space, her hands clutching the wheel in a death grip the entire time As much as she mentally prepared herself for this day, she knew deep down she still wasn't ready to tell their friends, especially Colin and Finn, about her and Logan's new relationship.

Her guy friends were practically her brothers, and as overprotective as two of her own would've been. She knew how hard it was for a boyfriend of hers to win them over, and even though Logan was already their best friend, they knew his history with girls as well as she did. They would be worried about her, and probably a little upset. How were they supposed to handle it if her and Logan broke up?

Sighing, she leaned back against the seat and made no move to get out of the car or turn off the engine. Maybe if she sat there long enough the day would just pass her by and she wouldn't have to go inside and tell the story to Colin, Finn, and Stephanie.

A tap on her window interrupted her thoughts and she turned her head to see Logan's laughing brown eyes staring back at her. With a smile, she wound her window down.

"You know, Ace," he greeted, "This whole school thing only works if you actually get out of the car."

"How long did it take you to figure that one out?" she retorted.

"Just a few months actually," he grinned, "You ready to go?"

Sh nodded slightly as she turned off the car and slipped out to stand next to her boyfriend. He leaned down and placed a gentle, yet passionate kiss on her lips and she couldn't help but smile. As worried about their relationship as she sometimes was, he still made her so happy.

"So, what's on your mind?" he inquired, "You seem distracted."

"Aren't you the least bit worried about how our friends are going to react to this?"

He laughed and slipped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close, "Actually, yes. Colin and Finn combined could quite possibly kick my ass."

"Logan!"

"Ace, relax. If all else fails, I'll just get them drunk."

"Oh, excellent plan."

"I know," he planted a kiss on the top of her head, "Don't worry about it."

"East for you to say. You're not practically their little sister."

"God, I hope not or we'd all have something to worry about."

She couldn't help but laugh, "Stop it."

"Hey, I got you to smile didn't I?"

She glanced up as the entered the doors together and clenched her teeth together, "That smile will be disappearing in about three...two...one..."

"What the hell?" an Australian voice bellowed.

Rory cringed as she neared the gathering of their friends, Logan's arm still wrapped tightly around her shoulders. Although it wasn't unusual for any of her guy friends to put their arms around her, it was unusual for them to pull her into their side the way Logan was.

"Hi Finn," Logan said brightly, "How's your morning?"

"What the hell?" Finn repeated, motioning towards the couple.

Logan sent a smirk down at Rory, before turning back to Finn, "Good, huh? That's nice to hear. How about you Colin? Stephanie?"

"What's going on here?" Colin demanded, "Is this what I think it is?"

"I don't know," Logan replied, obviously enjoying himself, "What did you think it is?"

"Knock is off, Huntzberger," Stephanie scolded, "Are you two dating?"

Rory was instantly taken aback by Stephanie's bluntness, but Logan didn't miss a beat.

"Is that what they're calling it these days?" he asked, still smiling.

"No," Colin interjected quickly, "No, no, no, no, no."

"That's not what they're calling it these days?" Logan shot back, "Is there a new term? I really should keep up on the slang."

"You can't do this, either of you," Colin informed them, ignoring Logan's comment, "You can't do this to her, and you're not that kind of girl."

Rory took a small step backward, "Colin, it's not what you think."

"Oh?" Colin raised an eyebrow, "I know Logan, Rory. And I know you. You aren't this girl. You don't--"

"Last time I checked," Rory interrupted, her voice sharper than she intended, "I was a girlfriend kind of girl."

Rory was amazed at how quickly one simple word could stun the group into silence. Colin's jaw dropped, Finn leaned heavily against the lockers, and a small, surprised, yet almost knowing smile crept over Stephanie's pretty features.

Of course, it was easy to see why the three reacted the way they did. This was Logan Huntzberger after all. He didn't do girlfriends, hell, he didn't even date the same girl for more than two days if he could help it. And yet here he was, standing before them with his arm wrapped around her, not denying the fact that she was his girlfriend.

What scared her was how long he would want to be there.

"Excuse me?" Finn stuttered, "Did you just say...?"

"Girlfriend," Logan confirmed.

She had to admit, she liked the sound of the word coming of his lips.

"I knew it!" Stephanie beamed, touching Rory's arm gently, "I knew you were different."

"Okay, come here," Colin all but grumbled, reaching out and pulling Rory out from under Logan's arm.

He practically dragged her down the hallway until they were out of Logan's earshot, and when Rory turned around Finn was following the two of them, his hands folded over his chest.

"What?" Rory asked, refusing to make eye contact with her friends.

"I thought you were scared of him breaking your heart," Colin accused.

"I was," she paused, "I still am, but I've decided that this is worth it."

"Are you sure about that, love? Because we know Logan and..."

"I know Logan, too," she snapped, suddenly feeling defensive, "Don't think that I don't. But he says this will be different, that he wants to be my boyfriend. And I'm going to try and believe him."

"Rory, I don't know if this is such a good idea. I don't want to see you get hurt. I'm not so sure he can handle this," Colin explained, his voice gentle.

Rory stared off down the hallway, feeling tears building behind her eyes. Hearing her own fears voiced by someone else felt like a dagger to her heart. She wasn't so sure Logan could handle this either, but as soon as she felt his arm go around her there was nothing she wanted more than for everything he told her to be true. Logan was worth the risk, right? Deep down, he had what it took to commit to her, right?

"I'll admit that I'm scared, but he makes me feel, I don't know, alive. I want this. Sometimes I'm terrified, but I want this."

She said the last three words firmly, convincing herself as much as Colin and Finn. She did want this, she knew that. She just wished there was some way for her to know that it all wasn't going to crash and burn. More than anything, she wanted things to be okay for them, she wanted Logan to be the one not to break her heart.

And she wasn't asking for a guaranteed forever; no, that would be crazy. She just wanted for him not to tear her apart if they ever broke up, for her not to lose her best friend if ever they parted ways.

"Okay," Finn sighed, "But Rory..."

"Yeah?"

"Be careful. Logan's like our brother, but he's also like us. We know how we are and that's how he is. We wouldn't know how to handle having a girlfriend, which means since he is practically us he wouldn't know either."

Rory smiled slightly, "The sad part is that I followed that. I'll be careful."

Colin stared at her intently, "This isn't going to be like all your other boyfriends, Rory. He's our friend, too. And we can't just turn on him if you two ever..."

"I know," Rory held up her hand, "I would never expect you to."

The ringing of the bell ended their conversation.

"We'll talk more later," Colin informed her as the two turned to leave.

"I wouldn't expect anything less."

When they disappeared from sight, Rory felt a familiar hand press against the small of her back and smiled. She turned around to face Logan and kiss him softly.

"How did it go?" He asked, taking her hand as they headed down the hallway.

"Better than expected."

"Should I be watching by back?"

"I think you're pretty safe."

"Oh, good," he said lowly.

Before she had time to react, Logan pulled her to the side of the hallway and kissed her hard on the lips. At first, she tried to pull away, uncomfortable with the large public display of affection. But after a second, the pure spontaneity of the moment took her over and she found herself getting lost in his kiss. She wrapped her arms around him, not even noticing the shocked stares getting sent in their direction.

When they pulled apart, Rory stared up at him breathlessly, and he simply laughed.

He leaned down and hovered his lips next to her ear, "Now I can do that whenever I want."