Author Note: Sorry guys, this one got really long. As always, Logan's inner thoughts are italicized. I don't own any characters.
"Look after Rory, okay?"
"Of course, Mr. Logan," Frank says.
They share a genuine hug, and Logan wades into the throngs of people at JFK. Customs, check-in, board. It's all a blur. The anxiety and lack of sleep are getting to him. He plops down in first class, and lets his eyes close.
This is my life now. I live in London. Without my girl, without my friends, without a clue how the fuck I am going to do this.
Rory didn't ask me to stay even though I practically begged her to. Is she ready for a break? I mean, she didn't even let me talk to her about long-distance. How faithful I want to be to her. How I have no interest in seeing what London has to offer.
I can't think like that. We are fine. Better than fine. She loves me and believes in me. She didn't try and stop me because she knows I can do this. I can prove to Mitchum that I'm not some aimless frat boy.
A few hours later, he wakes up disoriented, with drool covering his chin. He sits up, acknowledging the woman in the seat next to him and shakes his head to clear the cobwebs. His watch tells him there is just over an hour left on his flight so he rings the flight attendant for water.
I wonder what she's been doing all day. Probably sleeping. I wonder if she's found the rocket.
He smiles to himself, thinking about how much time he had put into that. He had wanted a gift that was uniquely Rory, not a Birkin or jewelry. Nothing that his dad would give his mom.
He had gone to a vintage bookstore in Hartford, but had been distracted by the display of model planes and trains in the window of the toy store next door. He had loved putting them together as a kid, and he wandered in to see the goods. The rocket struck him immediately.
He had spent the last month building, gluing, and painting it in Colin and Finn's apartment until it looked exactly like the one from "The Long Morrow." Even after explaining it, neither of them understood how such an esoteric gift was supposed to impress Rory. Colin had actually burst into laughter until Stephanie had smacked him and declared it the most perfect and romantic gift she had ever heard of.
And it is perfect. It's exactly what I want to say to her. What I want her to understand about the depth of my feelings. That I would spend forty years in suspended animation for the chance to grow old with her.
She'll know what I'm trying to convey. She'll understand it. She's the smartest person I know. Way smarter than Colin and Finn.
She has to remember watching it in the pool house. I made a big deal about it.
What if she doesn't remember? It's been a while, and I destroyed the DVD when we were broken up.
Fuck. I should've left a note instead of trying to be so mysterious and romantic. She's probably like "A rocket? What the hell, Logan? Where are my diamond earrings?"
Shit, I blew it. She won't understand how much I love her. She'll remember what a dumbass I am and think that I'm going to sleep my way through Europe.
He rings for the flight attendant again. "I'm actually going to need a seven and seven too."
He sips his drink and tries to settle down.
Of course she'll get it. This is Rory. She gets everything.
Except when she had me steal a yacht because she was mad at Mitchum. Or when she dumped me without realizing it. Or when she assumed that I was stupid enough to actually jump off a cliff with no instruction.
Well, actually those last two were more my fault than hers.
Fuck.
Calm down. It's fine. It's not like I can't explain it to her if she didn't get it. Which she did. Because it's Rory.
He sighs loudly and puts his head in his hands.
"Are you alright?" the elderly woman next to him asks.
Logan blushes as he realizes he has a guest at his pity party.
"Fine, thanks," he mumbles.
What is wrong with me? Confidence is not a problem I usually have.
Once wheels touch down, I'm retiring this sad sackery. I've got my girl, everyone is going to love me, and I'm going to kill at this job.
Because I'm Logan Fucking Huntzberger.
He drains his drink and tries to feel as confident as his inner monologue is.
After a bumpy landing, he breezes through customs and hits the baggage claim. As soon as his phone becomes active again, he calls Rory.
He tries the apartment, but no answer. He checks his watch. 3:43. Maybe she's on campus doing paper stuff. I'll try her cell.
"Hello?" Rory answers.
"Miss me?" he asks her.
"Logan, where are you?"
"Heathrow. I just landed," he tells her as he grabs a luggage cart from the line.
Rory replies instantly. "I miss you so much."
Good.
"I miss you, too. I've only been here two and a half minutes, and I can already tell it sucks," he laughs, as he starts loading his bags up.
"It does suck," she agrees. "I've heard that about London. You should just get on a plane and come home. You gave it a chance."
"Are you on campus? I tried you at the apartment, but I didn't get an answer."
"No. I'm back in Stars Hollow. That apartment suddenly felt very big and empty," she pouts.
"So what are you gonna do with your first day of freedom?"
"Oh, I'm going to go play racquetball with my mom."
What?
He teases her. "This is a really bad connection. It sounded like you were gonna go play racquetball with your mom."
Up ahead, a uniformed driver waits up ahead with a sign that says "Huntzberger." He stops in his tracks. I just need a few more minutes. Ask her now.
"Hey! I could have a hidden talent for it. You never know."
"Did you open my gift?" he asks her bluntly.
"Of course."
"What did you think?" Please understand it.
"I thought… wow!"
Oh, thank God. "Yeah, pretty cool, right?"
"So cool."
"Ahhh. I'm glad you like it."
"Like it?" She laughs. "I love it!"
"I'm so glad you got it." Though I did think this would elicit more of a response…
"Oh yeah. Totally."
"When I left, I suddenly got worried you wouldn't get it. But of course you got it."
"Yeah. Of course I got it. Of course. I loved it."
"I knew you would. Alright Ace, I gotta go. I just wanted to tell you I touched down. I'll call you later."
"Okay. Bye, and… thank you."
"Of course. I love you," he says as he hears Rory hang up. No 'I love you?' That was quick…
Calm down. Don't be a sad sack. Everything is fine. Let's go meet the new Frank and get this started.
"I think you're looking for me," he tells his new driver. "I'm Logan Huntzberger."
"Yes, sir. I'm Paul. Let me take that." He wheels Logan's bags away and out into the night air.
The time difference strikes Logan for the first time as he is overcome by the night sky and the bright lights of London.
"Wow. What time is it?" he asks.
Paul replies, "It's just about nine, sir." He pops the trunk on a black town car and begins putting Logan's things in.
"Oh, don't call me sir. Logan is fine."
"Certainly. You've been to London before, yes?"
"Um, yes, but not really… sober," Logan admits. "Just the nightlife, basically. So feel free to tell me anything you would need to tell a first-time visitor."
"Will do, sir, er…Logan. Your flat is in Hyde Park. I was going to take you straight there unless you need to make any stops."
"Um… I think I have to work tomorrow so I may need coffee, breakfast, stuff like that."
"My understanding is that your secretary set the flat for you. It should be ready, at least for your first day," Paul says.
"Okay, then, let's go."
Logan leaves the partition up, and Paul narrates the drive, pointing out neighborhoods and parks that he has never paid attention to before. It feels quainter than the London he knows.
They pull up to his flat, and Paul helps him get his things into the elevator. Unloading into the apartment, Logan looks around. It's awesome. It feels just like my penthouse in New Haven.
"So, can I be of any more assistance, or would you rather I just come back for you in the morning?"
"I'm good. Do you by chance know what my schedule looks like tomorrow?" Logan asks. "I know surprisingly little."
"Yes, I believe you have a meeting at 8:30. It's about a five minute drive. So when would you like me to arrive?"
"Actually, pick me up at 7:30. I need to get in the building and get acquainted with everything. Thanks, Paul. For everything." Logan smiles at him.
Paul nods curtly and retreats out of the flat. Logan heads to the kitchen for a snack and finds that Paul was right. There is plenty of food and beverage there. He grabs a water bottle and heads toward the bedroom.
His exhaustion takes over. He gets ready for bed, and tries to call Rory again. It goes straight to voicemail. There is no time for disappointment, though, as he falls asleep in minutes.
Logan wakes up in an empty bed. This is the first time in ages that Rory hasn't been next to me.
The loneliness is palpable. He checks the clock, does the math, and decides that it is too late to call her. She is certainly asleep.
Pull it together. There is too much to do today to be such a pussy about missing my girlfriend. Get dressed. Get to the office. Work. First impressions. Meetings. Go.
Thirty minutes later, Logan steps out of the town car and looks up at the building where the London branch of the Huntzberger Media Group sits. The noisy streets buzz, even at this early hour. People are moving quickly, reminding him of the pace of New York. His cane and walking boot are certainly going to hold him back here, and he decides tomorrow is the day he ditches them.
The security into the building is tight, but Logan's newly-acquired credentials let him head straight to the top floor. Coming off the elevator, he walks right into someone, knocking all of his papers onto the ground.
"Sorry. I wasn't even looking," Logan apologizes as he squats down to help the man gather his things.
"No worries," the stranger says as he looks up and sees Logan. "Oh. You're Mr. Huntzberger. We met in February when you were here. I'm Steven. I'm actually going to be your secretary. Let me show you to your office."
Logan follows Steven down the hall toward the back corner, sizing Steven up as they walk. He is young, maybe Logan's age, with dark hair that falls into his eyes. His suit is nice, well-tailored. I was so pissy that weekend, I don't remember him at all.
"Here we go, Mr. Huntzberger. I've set everything up as well as possible, but obviously just let me know what changes need to be made."
"Oh, call me Logan. Mr. Huntzberger is my father." I can't believe I actually just used that line. Shaking his head, he continues, "And Paul said you fixed the apartment. It's perfect. Thanks."
"The apart- oh, you mean the flat."
"Yes, the flat. Gonna have to work on my slang here." The two men share a awkward laugh.
"Yes, well same goes for the flat as the office. Let me know as changes need to be made. And we are going to be hiring you a personal assistant to take care of your groceries, cleaning, and other sundries."
Logan frowns. "I don't really need all that. I can do that stuff for myself."
"Yes, sir, but your mother called me personally and-"
WHAT?
"My mother called? Okay, Steven. First rule. You do, unfortunately, have to answer to my father, but feel free to ignore my mother. She has no right to… Just forget all that. I am perfectly capable of buying my own groceries."
"Alright, then," Steven replies. "I'll leave you to get settled in. I'll come by when they are ready for you in the conference room. And ring me on line 1 if you need anything. Cheers."
And with that flourish, Logan is left alone in his office. As always, his mind turns to Rory and what she would think of it. I wish she could see me in here. She would be really proud of me.
She should just come to London. She's not taking any classes this summer. And I know she wants to work, but she really doesn't have to. If she needs money, I can just give it to her. I'm really rich, and she should get some perk from that.
He boots up his computer and starts researching flights. He grabs his credit card and is about to purchase one for next week when he pauses to think it through. Maybe she wants to spend the summer with her mom. They missed last summer together, and they probably want to do a bunch of silly things together this year. Like… play racquetball.
But I have to do something. I feel so lost without her physically near me.
As a compromise, he looks at tickets for December. Lorelei will have to share her then. She just will.
I want her here for all of Christmas break. Maybe Italy, maybe France. It'll be so romantic.
That's it. I'm buying these.
He prints boarding passes and asks Steven if he will overnight them to her. Just as he heads back into his office, his cell phone rings.
"Hello?" he says, trying not to sound too eager.
"Hey!" she says excitedly.
"Hey!"
"I'm sorry for calling so early. Did I wake you?" she asks.
He laughs. "I'm actually at the office."
"On a dare?" she deadpans.
"It's my first day, Ace," he explains. "So I'm trying to make a good impression."
"So you're like... dressed and everything?" she asks, incredulous.
He grins. "New suit, new shoes. I even brushed my hair." He eases down into his chair.
"So how's the office? Is it fabulous? Do you have a window?" Her questions come fast and furious.
"I wouldn't say it's fabulous, but I do have a window." I knew she would be proud.
"Can you see the queen?"
"Actually, my office looks out at Piccadilly Circus," he responds.
"So you can just see elephants and clowns walking past your building all day long? That must be nice," Rory jokes.
He smirks. "It's brilliant."
"Brilliant? Oh my God, you're turning British! Do you have a secretary named Moneypenny?"
"My secretary's name is Steven."
"Steven Moneypenny?"
"Yes!" he laughs.
"So…" she hesitates. "I just wanted to thank you for the rocket."
"You already thanked me."
"I know I did, but I wanted to thank you again," she stammers. "I'm not sure I conveyed how much I loved it in our last conversation. I really, really loved it."
That's the reaction I was hoping for.
"I'm glad."
"I can't wait to come see you, Logan. I can't wait," she gushes.
"I already got you a ticket," he tells her.
"You're kidding!"
"I got it right here," he says, thinking of the dates, wishing they were sooner. "I was gonna Fed Ex it to you. You should have it tomorrow."
"Oh, my God!" she says, excitedly.
"So tell your mom you're not gonna be home for Christmas."
"Christmas?" She sounds disappointed.
Shit, I know she likes to spend the holidays with Lorelei. I just... have to convince her to spend it with me this year.
"Two weeks, just you and me," he presses on. She's got to come here. "I've already cleared it with my Dad." Liar. "It's gonna be amazing. I'm still playing with the itinerary." Stop rambling. "But how do you feel about London, Paris, and Rome?" Please. I need this to look forward to.
"Wow," she says flatly.
She's still not convinced.
"I figured we'd do a week in London, then a quick train ride, and we do three days in Paris, and we finish our trip with a four day sojourn in Rome. And we still have enough time for one last night in London before you have to fly back home." He finally takes a breath.
"Logan, that sounds… amazing," Rory says. Thank God.
He looks up to see Steven waving at him in the doorway.
"Oh, hey, Ace, I should take off. My first staff meeting. They're waving me in."
"Oh. Okay, good luck," she wishes him.
"Alright. Thanks. Cheers."
"Cheers."
Cheers? What the hell is wrong with me? I'm not actually fucking British. He closes his phone. How about 'I love you, I miss you, Life sucks here without you?'
Steven leads him into a conference room filled with who he assumes will be his co-workers. The space is dominated with men in suits, yet a woman is the first to come and greet him.
"Hi. You must be our newest colleague. I'm Bobbi. Welcome to HMG."
Wow. They don't know who I am.
Thinking fast, he smiles his most charming smile and replies "I'm Logan. Happy to be here."
"This is Phillip and Nick and Will and..." She turns to the room and raises her voice. "Oi. This is Logan. You lot can introduce yourselves!"
One man, who he believes was named Nick, comes forward to shake his hand. "Tough week to start, mate. The CEO is in tomorrow, and he is a right prick."
Logan laughs. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Oh, a Yank! Where are you from?"
"Connecticut-" he begins, but trails off as Nigel Adams enters the conference room. Everyone quietly chooses a seat and sits down.
Well that was fun while it lasted.
Nigel waves him forward to the head of the table and introduces him. "I see some of you have already met, but this is Logan Huntzberger. He's going to be overseeing the webpage changes, so many of you will be reporting to him. Logan, any words?"
Charming.
"Well, like Nigel said, I'm Logan Huntzberger, but my name does not in any way mean I'm your boss. I'm a part of your team. I'm excited to be here, and I can't wait to get started. My office is down the hall, and you can drop by anytime."
Logan sits as Nigel takes over. "As I am your boss, I am going to need reports from…"
When the meeting finally breaks, Logan heads down to his office and settles down in front of his computer. Nick (Nick?) knocks against his door and steps into the office when Logan waves him in.
"Mate, what I said earlier… About your father… I was just…"
"Don't even worry about it. He is a prick. I would know better than anyone," Logan reassures him. "And I'm not here to be his eyes and ears or anything. I am just here for the job, and I plan on talking to Mitchum as little as possible."
Nick nods slowly. "Okay, well, welcome to the team." He leaves the office, then returns, and pokes his head back in. "We all go for pints on Monday after work at the bar on the first floor. Do you want to come?"
I need to talk to Rory, but I suppose this is how I will get everyone to know me beyond my last name.
"Sure, I'll be there."
The day drags. Logan meets more people than he can count, and he sits in on meeting after meeting. He gives his input when asked and is slightly surprised that he actually knows what he is talking about. His colleagues seem to respect his opinions, and he is proud of himself in a way that he hasn't been in a long time. He wants to share this feeling with Rory so badly, but when he calls her at the end of his day, it goes straight to voicemail.
Bobbi comes by at the end of the day to collect him. In the elevator, she asks questions about America, his broken leg (I do not want them to know that story), and generally talks his ear off.
But once inside the pub, he immerses into the group. Everyone gets rowdy quickly, and Logan realizes that this is a group he can live with. Laughter comes easily, and he begins to feel comfortable. There is only one thing keeping this from being a great first day.
On cue, his cell phone rings. "Ace?" he yells above the noise of the pub.
"Logan?" she asks faintly.
"Babe. Hold on. Let me get somewhere quieter." He hands his pool stick to Will and motions that he is heading outside.
"Hey, can you hear me now?" he asks her as he steps out the door.
"Yes. How was your first day? Sounds loud."
"Yeah, sorry about the noise. I felt like I had to come for drinks with everyone. Today actually went very well. My co-workers are all nice, and I think I actually can do this job. I mean, a lot of little things are different than home, but that's to be expected. Like, this morning, I walked into the conference room, and I wanted an everything bagel, and there were just these really dry scones. And I am supposed to drink coffee only in the morning and switch to tea after lunch."
"Well, I'm glad it went well, minus the scones and tea. I knew you could do it," she trails off. He can tell from her voice that something is up. She's not even commenting about the coffee.
"Ace. What is it?"
"It's stupid, and I don't want to bore you with it. Just a weird day."
Logan takes a deep breath. What if she can't do the distance? What if she's done with me?
"Rory, stop. I want to know what's happening with you… Is it me? Are you… upset with me?"
"No. No, Logan, it's… My mom slept with my dad," she says.
"What?" he exclaims. "What about Luke?"
"I guess… they broke up or something, and she went straight to Boston and slept with Dad."
"Okay... So putting aside how weird it is that you know these types of things about your parents, is this a bad thing? I mean, I know you love Luke, but don't you want your parents back together?" he asks.
"I don't know yet. Probably. But it will inevitably blow up, and then things will be really awkward for me. And I think Dad really wants this to happen, and Mom is just rebounding. It's… I don't know. I think I need a little more time to process. I'm so irritated with Mom. And I couldn't get a hold of you, so I went to Lane," she begins to ramble. "She came home from Mexico, and she's devastated. Apparently, the sex was bad, and now she thinks it's an international conspiracy."
"Back up. The sex was bad? Honeymoon sex? Isn't that supposed to be like the best sex you can have?"
"I know! I guess they only did it once. On the beach with sand and actual crabs, and plus it was her first time," Rory says.
"Ouch. Yeah, sex on the beach is never as sexy as it sounds," Logan agrees.
"Oh, do you have a little experience with that?"
"Rory…" he cautions.
"Sorry. Anyway, she thinks sex is always this torture for women, and it's some elaborate scheme not to tell the truth."
Logan laughs. "What did you tell her?"
"That sex is actually great, and she should try it in a bed."
He smiles. You got that right.
"And I hope Zach will just… say and do the right things," she continues. "He's not exactly smart when it comes to reading Lane's feelings. I know they're married, but I don't think they are actually all that close. Not like we are."
In that moment, he misses her so much, he loses all of his resolve from this morning. "I wish you were here. Forget Christmas. Do you want to come this summer?"
"Do you want me to come?" she asks, tentatively.
"God, of course I do. I've been trying for weeks not to come off as needy, but fuck it, Rory. I'm needy. I need you."
"Me, too. And I want to come there. I want to so badly…"
"Okay, then let's make it happen. As soon as you want."
"I don't know, Logan. I've thought about it a lot today, and I feel like it may be good for us to do this apart."
What?
"No. I don't want to break up, Rory."
"I don't want that either! That's not what I mean. I just think you need to focus on your career and your colleagues. Honestly, would you have gone out with everyone tonight if I was waiting at home for you?" Rory asks.
"Probably not, but they suck anyway." He exhales loudly. "It's all football, football, Oasis, football."
"You just said that you liked them!"
"Well, I lied," he lies. "I want you to come here."
Rory sighs. "Let's stick it out a little longer. Enough time for you to get settled in your job and your neighborhood. Maybe right before school starts, I'll come visit. What do you think?"
"I think… that I love you. And you're the smartest person I know, so I will follow your advice, even though I don't like it."
They chat for a few more minutes, until there is no part of their days they haven't covered. As they hang up, Logan leans back against the bench and closes his eyes. She's probably right. I need to be focused on work, especially with Mitchum coming tomorrow.
He calls Paul to come get him and goes back inside the pub to say his goodbyes. They're not actually a bad group. I just need to figure out the EPL. What is the difference between Manchester United and Manchester City anyway?
He is in the office early again on Tuesday. He needs his game face on before he meets with Mitchum. His father orders him around all day, and is basically, well, a right prick. The day flies by, and he is so busy that he never has a chance to call Rory until he gets home. He leaves a quick voicemail, then starts getting ready for bed. The time change is catching up with him, and he can barely stay awake. He texts Rory that he is going to sleep and that he will call her tomorrow.
Wednesday, he arrives around 7:30 and tells Steven to block off time for him after lunch to call Rory. Mitchum keeps him busy straight through lunch, and at 3:00 the meeting finally breaks. He settles for voicemail again.
His dad insists they have dinner together that night, further blocking his time. Is he doing this shit on purpose? I'm never going to get to talk to her.
By Thursday, Logan has hit his breaking point. He tells Mitchum in no uncertain terms that he needs a break and goes into his office, closing the door behind him. He dials her number, desperate to hear her voice.
"Hey!" she answers, after a few rings.
"Ace! I'm so glad I finally caught you. It's been three days," Logan laments.
"I know. I hate it. How is everything?" she asks him.
"Sucks. Mitchum is just running me ragged, and I don't like not being able to hear your voice every day." He sighs. "What's been going on?"
"Everything's fine, but I've been kind of bored without you. I'm tutoring this sweet kid, and Lane- oh my God. Lane is pregnant!"
"What? From the bad honeymoon sex? Wow, whose puppy did Lane run over?"
"I know. And she is freaking out. She hasn't even told Zach yet, so I have been trying to help her through it. I'm not sure I am though."
"Come on," he says. "You're a great friend, and your advice is usually spot on."
"Hmm. I don't know. Fortunately, I haven't had to go through this myself. What about you?" she asks.
"Have I ever gotten pregnant from bad sex on the beach?" he jokes.
"Shut up. I meant- how is work? Any new friends yet?"
"Work sucks. It's boring and hard. I think I'm doing pretty well though. I guess I actually learned something after five years at Yale," he laughs.
Mitchum knocks on his door, opening it before Logan can even acknowledge him. "Logan. Get off the phone. Your team is waiting."
Logan rolls his eyes. "Ace, I gotta go. I'll call you tonight. I wanna hear about your tutoring, and… everything else."
"Oh, I can't. I'm going to Friday night dinner."
"Wait, what? I mean, I know I've been a little jet-lagged, but it's Thursday, right?" he asks.
"Yes, but Mom can't go tomorrow, and we haven't been in a few weeks. Grandma is insisting, and you know how she is about the phone at the table. Can you call me before you start in the morning?"
"I have to be here really early tomorrow. It'll be the middle of the night for you," he says.
"I don't care what time it is. Just call me when you can. Promise me."
"Okay. I'll talk to you in the morning. I love you."
"Love you, too," she replies.
Logan heads to the conference room with a little more pep in his step.
In what is becoming the norm, Logan is in the office early on Friday morning. He has an early prep with Mitchum before he is introduced to the board as a full-fledged member. I know she's asleep, but I've got to get a call in with her before all of this shit starts.
He dials her number from his office phone.
"Hi," she whispers. Crap, she's really asleep.
"Morning, Ace," he says as Steven brings in a coffee tray. "Thanks," Logan acknowledges.
"How's your day going?" Rory asks.
"My day hasn't started yet. How was your yesterday?"
He hears her yawn. "I'm still sleepy."
Ugh. This time difference blows. "I can let you go back to sleep."
"No, no. I'm up. I'm up. What happened yesterday?"
"My yesterday or your yesterday?" He thinks of a point he wants to make with Mitchum (I need a little bit more personal time), scribbles it on a post- it, and sticks it to his screen.
"Either one," she says.
"Let's see. I had a scone for breakfast. Not as dry as Monday's, but I still think there's room for improvement. And then I went into a meeting with about eighteen different department heads, all of whom I believe are named Nigel, and that meeting lasted for about nine hours."
"Was it a cranberry scone?"
"Blueberry." He writes a new post-it. 'Think of better things to talk to Rory about.' He sticks it to his monitor.
"Those are my favorite kind."
"Your turn." Please have something better than dry scones. This may be our only conversation for a while.
"Well I'm tutoring this new kid Benji. And, oh, it was really funny, because he kept misusing this word. I don't remember what word it was, but... it'll come to me. Anyway, he kept misusing it, and I didn't want to correct him cause I didn't want him to feel embarrassed."
An IM from Steven pops up on his monitor. Your father is waiting for you in the conference room.
Rory continues, "But then, he messed up on the work sheet, and he realized all by himself that he had misused the word." She laughs. "I guess it wasn't funny 'ha-ha,' it was more… funny 'you had to be there.'"
He whips off a reply to Steven. Tell my father to go fuck himself. It's 7:00 AM.
"That's okay," he tries to reassure Rory. God, why is this so awkward?
"Are you working?" she asks, crestfallen.
Shit she heard me typing. "Just IMing."
"If you have to go…"
"No! I just have to let my assistant know I'm on the phone with you so I'll be two minutes late to the meeting," he says.
"I don't want you to be late for your meeting."
"It's no problem. I don't mind." I would rather hear your voice than do anything constructive in this office.
"Now I feel like I have to come up with something really great to talk about," Rory says.
"No pressure."
He gets another IM from Steven. I told your father you would be a minute, and now he is walking toward your office.
"Ohh." I hate him.
"What?" she asks.
"Nothing," he says quickly.
"Now you really have to go…"
Mitchum pokes his head into Logan's office. "Well, yeah."
"Philanthropic," she exclaims.
"What?"
"Philanthropic. That was the word Benji kept misusing. He kept saying 'philan-tropic.' He thought it meant tropical. It was funny."
"I'll call you tonight," Logan promises.
"My tonight or your tonight?" Rory asks.
"Gotta go, Ace," he says, hanging up and glaring at his father.
"Dad, seriously, come on. You have been up my ass since you got here. We still have plenty of time before everyone else arrives."
"This is your future, Logan. Walk with me. When everyone arrives, and we make the formal introduction, I want you at your best. No sarcasm, no smugness, none of it. You got me?"
Logan nods.
"So, how is Rory?" Mitchum asks.
"I wouldn't know."
After work that day, Paul drives Logan home so that he can quickly change into dinner clothes. Several members of the board want to take him out. ("Tradition!")
He sees a missed call from Rory and tries to get back to her. He leaves a voicemail explaining where he is going, but that he will take her call whenever it is.
Logan can admit that dinner is good, and the scotch is even better, but hanging out with sixty-year-olds is just not his idea of a good time. He tries to check his phone discreetly every few minutes until Mitchum finally says "Just go outside and call her."
Logan excuses himself from the table and heads to the door. Just as he pushes it open, he feels his phone buzz in his pocket. He opens it up to find a text message from Rory.
Presently a wave of passion swept over us and our hands groped frantically for the burning flesh.
Holy shit. Is she… is she trying to have text sex?