AN: It took me a while to get this chapter finished. I had to rewrite some of it as I'm a bit OCD. But I'm happy with where it's going and I really hope you guys are still interested. I know you all want Logan and Rory to get together straight away but these things take time and I hope you stay with me in the meantime. Don't forget to leave a review once your finished reading this chapter. I always love to hear what you're thinking. But if not, thanks for reading and until next time…
Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. Sadly.
An Offer She Couldn't Refuse
Chapter Six: Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?
Loyalty is a quality that anyone would look for in their friends. The very definition precludes to being faithful to a specific subject, be that person, land or country. As Logan stood in the crowd watching his friends talking animatedly with the person he despised the most, he started to question whether loyalty was something people only talked about. Because apparently his friends didn't see it as an important part of friendship.
People danced around about him as the music rose to a crescendo. He was completely surrounded by people but he had never felt more isolated. What was it about this girl? Why couldn't she just stay out of his life? She was the one who broke up with him. He hadn't seen hide nor tail of her for the last few months and now suddenly she was everywhere he went. She was hanging out with his friends. Drinking in his hangouts. After a long night of having to deal with his mother and her attempts to set him up, all he wanted to do was hang out with his friends and get wasted. He didn't want to have to deal with his ex-girlfriend. He didn't want to have to deal with all of the baggage that came along with that. But it seemed like he had no choice on the matter.
"Logan!" he heard someone call his name from the other direction. Tearing his gaze away from the infamous brunette, he glanced over towards the bar to see Colin waving him over. He had a guilty expression on his face as soon as he saw the scowl form on Logan's. He held his hands up in defence as Logan joined him at the bar.
"I didn't know she was going to be here. It was Rosemary's idea," he admitted, making sure Logan knew he was free of any blame. The last thing he wanted was to get into an argument with Logan. He just wanted a quiet life with no drama.
Logan furrowed his brows as his eyes were drawn back to the table. He watched as Rory laughed at whatever stupid thing Finn had said. They all looked so cosy, he felt sick. He felt betrayed.
"What the hell are they playing at?" His annoyance was more than evident. If this was part of some misguided plan to reunite him with Rory, they were wide off the mark. He wasn't interested in her any more. Sure he still felt a slight pang, but it was nothing that he would act on. They were ancient history.
Colin just shrugged his shoulders as the bartender finished pouring his drinks. He arranged them on the tray and brushed passed Logan on his way back to the table. Logan followed, his eyes lingering reluctantly on the brunette.
"Logan!" Finn called out as soon as he spotted him. Logan just glowered at his Australian friend and planted himself on a chair at the opposite end of the table. He made sure he was seated as far away from Rory as possible. He didn't even glance in her direction, which made conversing with Finn all the harder considering he was sitting beside her. However, that was fine with Logan. He didn't really want to talk to Finn right now.
Colin dished out the drinks and then sat next to Logan, trying not to make eye contact with Rory. He felt guilty even just looking in her direction. It was clear to everyone, including Rory, that Logan wasn't happy with her being around. Rosemary just rolled her eyes and made a point of turning her back on Logan to talk to Rory. Juliet sucked on her straw, dancing to the music as she sat mindless to the tension brewing. The rest of the table's inhabitants felt the growing discomfort and tried to ignore it, but it was pretty hard. Logan's brown eyes were burning a hole through Rory, every time he took a sip of his scotch; he would violently bang the glass back down on the table, causing Rory to jump where she sat.
Finn and Rosemary were doing everything in their power to ignore Logan and take Rory's mind off him, but it wasn't working. She would listen as Finn animatedly told her of one of his many misdemeanours, and would laugh at all the appropriate parts, but she was always hyper aware of the angry blonde at the other end of the table. Her eyes were helplessly drawn in his direction too. She felt uncomfortable and unwelcome. She could almost see the hatred emanating off of him. If it hadn't been for Rosemary practically holding her down, she would have run away instantly.
"So, I informed the nice policeman that I do have a licence just not in this country. Apparently, that isn't good enough. So he arrested me. I had to call those two to come rescue me." Finn nodded over to Logan and Colin who weren't speaking at all. Rory hesitantly followed his gaze; she was scared to even look in Logan's direction. When she did, her eyes met Logan's and he held her gaze with a scowl.
"What are friends for?" Logan spoke with a sarcastic tone to his voice. He and Finn exchanged a look and then his smouldering gaze returned to her. Rory bit her lip as she shifted uncomfortably on her chair.
"Well, anyway. My father's lawyers are fairly competent at their jobs, and I didn't have to pay any fines." Finn shrugged. Rosemary sniggered.
"They should be more than competent by now. They've had plenty of practice with you as a client," she remarked and Juliet giggled beside her. Rory even managed a smile before she felt Logan's eyes on her once again. She felt like she was a mouse trapped in a cage and that with one sudden move he would jump across the table and rip her head off. It was becoming slightly ridiculous now. It had been months since they broke up. Surely he couldn't still hate her?
She sighed, going by his behaviour; he could and definitely did still hate her. Apparently, Logan Huntzberger could bare a grudge like no one else. She sipped on her drink and then placed it back on the table before stealing one more quick glance in his direction. He wasn't looking at her this time. He was engaged in a debate with the other guys at the table. She was thankful to finally have his focus somewhere else.
She turned back to Rosemary and smiled, "I'm just going to go the ladies."
"Want me to come?" she offered cheerily. Rory's smile grew.
"No that's okay. I think I can manage by myself. I'm a big girl." Rosemary studied her closely and then shot Logan a look that no man would want to be on the end of.
"Okay," she said reluctantly but with a smile.
"Hurry back, love." Finn said as she stood up. The sound of his voice and her movement caught Logan's attention and he glared at her.
"Leaving so soon?"
Rory didn't answer. She noticed the slightly satisfied smirk on his face as he sat back against his chair.
"I'll be back," she replied deciding to give as good as she got. She held his gaze for another few seconds before turning away and heading to the restrooms. She could feel Logan's eyes on her. In fact, she could feel the whole table's eyes on her, but she tried not to focus on it. She wasn't going to let him get to her. He didn't know the whole story. She wasn't the one to blame.
She had to keep reminding herself of that.
RLRLRLRLRL
Having spent fifteen minutes waiting in line for the ladies and then another fifteen battling against umpteen others for a small portion of mirror space, Rory made her way back out into the club. The place was jam-packed and as she stood watching the antics of the others at the table across the room, paying particularly close attention to a certain blonde, she suddenly felt very thirsty.
Tearing her gaze away from Logan, she squeezed her way through the crowds ending up at the bar where she stood for another fifteen minutes before she managed to get served. People jostled by her, but they didn't interrupt her thoughts. She couldn't stop her mind from wandering. High on the list of topics that was causing her consternation was Logan's cold behaviour towards her. She knew they weren't exactly on the best of terms but he could at least have tried to remain civil. Instead of going out of his way to make her feel as unwelcome as possible.
She started to feel slightly aggrieved by his behaviour. Yes, she hadn't handled things between them in the best way, but there were major factors in that. It had been over six months now since they broke up, surely she hadn't dented his ego so much that he was still bitter about being dumped. She wasn't even going to consider that perhaps his feelings ran deeper. She wasn't going to go there. Seeing him again had thrown her through a loop. He was still the Logan she had fallen for and despite time having passed, she still felt a pang whenever he was around. She couldn't bring herself to consider the possibility that he might feel it too.
"So, what the hell are you doing here?" she heard a deep voice speak from behind her. She spun around and gasped as she found herself face to face with Logan. His brown eyes had darkened. They were filled with fury and his aggressive body language made her feel intimidated by him.
"Getting a drink?" Her voice sounded so weak she had to clear her throat as she couldn't focus on anything but his harsh, penetrating eyes.
"Why are you all of a sudden everywhere I go? You're not stalking me are you?" His gaze flickered from her to the bar tender as he gestured for another refill. Rory shifted awkwardly. She could feel annoyance that he would assume she was here because of him. When in fact, she'd had no choice. She would have much preferred to stay home with a good book, but Rosemary was insistent.
"Don't flatter yourself," she spat back meeting the full intensity of his heated gaze full on, "Rosemary invited me. I couldn't say no. I didn't know you were going to be here."
Logan didn't respond. He folded his arms across his chest and stared at her directly. Rory matched his stare but neither spoke. It was like they were part of some kind of bizarre staring competition and neither were willing to back down.
"Rory?" a familiar voice drifted through the crowd drawing her attention away from Logan. She glanced over his shoulder to see Vanessa coming towards them. Rory smiled and turned to greet her, ignoring the glowering blonde beside her. Logan stood at the bar watching the two friends.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" she asked as Vanessa hugged her. She looked as awesome as she always did. She could wear a potato sack and still look amazing.
"I'm celebrating my engagement," she told her enthusiastically, clearly a little tipsy already.
"Is Patrick here?"
"Oh no. It's just me and some of the girls. I tried to call you, but your grandmother said you were already out," she explained and gestured to the bartender for a refill.
"Yeah. I'm just here with some old friends from Yale. We're just catching up." Rory pointed over towards the group who were being entertained by Finn once again. Vanessa followed her gaze and giggled.
"Why don't you join us?" Rory turned to eye Logan suspiciously as he spoke. He was leaning nonchalantly against the bar staring at Vanessa appreciatively. Vanessa grinned at him as she gave him the once over, admiring his handsome features. "And you would be?"
Logan smirked and peeled himself off the bar, offering his hand to Rory's new friend. "Logan Huntzberger, pleasure to meet you."
Rory shuddered as she recognised the seductive tone in his voice. His eyes were fixed on Vanessa, completely ignoring Rory's presence. Vanessa giggled and took a step towards him. "It's nice to finally meet the legendary Logan Huntzberger,"
"Legendary?" Logan asked amused that she already knew who he was. He wasn't surprised. Most people had heard of his exploits. Rory rolled her eyes as Vanessa nodded coyly.
"So, how do you two know each other?" he asked, remembering that Rory was still standing beside them.
"We met at some DAR function. We'd run out of cream cheese and Rory totally saved the day." Vanessa explained drawing Logan to acknowledge Rory beside them. He smirked at her.
"Wow, I can see Rory's talents are being put to good use." His tone was dripping with sarcasm as he met her gaze. Rory flushed with embarrassment and he turned his focus back to Vanessa. "We've been friends ever since."
"Well, any friend of Rory's is a friend of mine." He placed his arm around Vanessa's shoulder and she grinned up at him, enjoying his closeness. Rory watched on, feeling more nauseous by the second. "Why don't you come sit with me?"
"I'd love to," she fluttered her eye lashes at him. It was pretty clear that her fiancé had been completely forgotten about. "If that's alright with Rory."
Rory suddenly felt the weight of both their full attention on her and she didn't like it one bit. Logan's smirk widened and he flung his arm over her shoulder, catching her off guard.
"Oh Rory doesn't mind, do you Ace?" Her eyes widened in surprise by his use of her old nickname. She hadn't heard that name for so long and she didn't miss the little flutter her heart made at hearing the term of endearment. She managed to look up at Logan as he squeezed her shoulder and continued grinning admiringly at Vanessa. She felt awkward at having him so close to her. Her skin was on fire as he touched her and she felt her stomach dip at the contact. But at the same time, she felt angry at him for clearly just using her.
"Not at all," she bit out and smiled grudgingly at Vanessa. Logan gave her one last squeeze and then dropped his arm from her shoulders. He reached for Vanessa's hand and led her back to the table, completely ignoring Rory. Vanessa went along with him, excited that she was in the company of the legendary Logan Huntzberger. Rory stared suspiciously after them. Logan was clearly trying to make her jealous.
As they reached the table, Finn looked up and greeted Rory with a warm smile. He stood up and pulled her into a big bear hug, almost squeezing the life out of her.
"Rory! You came back!" he said loudly capturing everyone's attention. Logan and Vanessa sat down at the opposite end of the table, completely engrossed with one another. "I was going to send out a search party, love."
"Sorry, I…bumped into a friend and…" her gaze fell on Logan and Vanessa as he whispered something into her ear. Finn studied Rory for a second before following her wistful gaze. He narrowed his eyes and frowned instantly as he saw some dark haired girl giggling under Logan's rather over friendly attentions. He felt angry at his childhood friend. He was clearly just trying to get a reaction from Rory. He knew exactly how he operated. His eyes were drawn back to Rory as he heard her sigh dejectedly. He smiled sadly at her, seeing firsthand that Logan's ploy was working. He had to admit, he was slightly surprised by her reaction. Being the one who had broken up with Logan, she really had no reason to be upset, especially considering how things had turned out. But seeing her miserable, heartbroken expression just made him all the more certain that something else was going on. Rory was clearly still hung up on Logan, if her jealous reaction was anything to go by. He moved his chair closer to her and slung his arm over her shoulders giving her a comforting squeeze.
"Don't let him get to you, Love!" he yelled over the loud music. Rory met his gaze and offered him a small smile.
"Easier said than done," she replied and Finn gave her another squeeze. He drew his eyes away from Rory to find Rosemary dancing provocatively with someone who definitely wasn't him. She was pressed up against some guy moving seductively to the music. Finn felt an overwhelming surge of jealousy and disappointment as he watched her. He suddenly found that he could relate to Rory. He understood exactly how she was feeling. And he didn't know about her but he had no desire to sit and watch the object of his affections getting intimate with another guy. He narrowed his eyes at Rosemary 'getting her freak on' on the dance floor and then sneaked a look at Logan and his mystery woman. Likewise, they were getting very friendly at the other end of the table. Logan had his hands all over her while she whispered in his ear.
"What do you say we get out of here?" he leaned towards Rory and whispered in her ear. She looked up at him curiously. He stared back. "I don't know about you, but I'm not a glutton for punishment."
Finn pointed towards the dance floor where Rosemary was now attached to her dance partner via the mouth. He had to fight the urge to go over there and pull her off him and then pummel the guy for daring to touch his Rosemary. However, the truth was, Rosemary had never been his. He was just deluding himself into thinking otherwise.
Rory followed his gaze and felt nothing but sympathy for Finn. For as long as she had known Finn, he had been chasing Rosemary relentlessly. And while he had never been lacking in the female department, she could sense that his feelings for this particular redhead ran deeper than he let on.
She sighed and finished her drink. She sneaked one last painful glance at Logan and Vanessa, who now had her tongue in his ear. Patrick was well and truly forgotten about.
"Let's get out of here."
Finn nodded and grabbed his coat and hers, helping her into it. He waved goodbye to the others as Rory informed Juliet of her readiness to leave. Juliet hugged her and then returned to her conversation with the cute boy beside her. Finn smiled at Rory and held out his arm for her to take.
"Ready?" He asked eyes wide and a bright smile on his face. Rory couldn't help but smile back at him. He was such a character, always so full of life. It was infectious sometimes.
"Ready." She nodded and resisted the urge to take one last look at the people she was leaving behind. She didn't see Logan's disapproving glare as he watched her leave with Finn.
RLRLRLRLRLRL
"Ssh!" she held her finger up to her mouth indicating for Finn to be quiet as they made their way to the pool house. So far without waking up her Grandparents. Finn, however, was feeling the effects of his alcohol intake mixed with some fresh air and was very interested in yammering on, loudly.
"Did you just shush me?" Finn asked as she sent him her patented withering glare.
"Yes. My Grandparents are sleeping. I really don't want to deal with them right now," she whispered loudly. "So keep your voice down!"
Finn hunched his shoulders and placed his finger over his mouth copying Rory from before. He had a childish smile on his face as they manoeuvred their way past the pool.
"Have you ever gone skinny dipping in there?" he enquired gesturing to the peaceful water. Rory shot him a look that had him quivering and he forced his finger back over his mouth. He followed her quietly as they eventually came to the door of the pool house. He stood with his hands in his pockets waiting for her as she searched her bag for her keys.
"You really like him, don't you?" he said after studying her quietly for a few moments. Rory's blue eyes fixed on him and she pondered his question briefly before shrugging. She returned her attention to the door and finally managed to unlock it. She pushed open the door and Finn followed her inside, closing the door behind him.
"Well?" He wasn't going to let it drop. Rory tugged off her coat and kicked off her shoes.
"Well what?"
"You still like him but you were the one to break it off. It doesn't really make any sense," he explained as Rory padded through to the kitchenette to make them both some coffee.
"It's clear that you weren't just using him when you were together. I saw the way you reacted tonight when that girl was all over him. If you really wanted him for his connections, you wouldn't have cared whose tongue was in his ear."
"I never used him," Rory admitted insistently. She was tired of that accusation being thrown at her. Did people really think she was that good of an actress? Her feelings for Logan had always been real. Too real. That's why it hurt so much.
"So, why did you break up with him?" Finn quizzed her as he slumped down on the couch.
"I didn't have a choice," Rory replied and he craned his neck around to look at her with curiosity in his eyes.
"What do you mean?" He sat up and twisted around so he was facing her. Rory poured herself some coffee and took a sip before answering his question. She flirted with the possibility of telling him the truth, that it was Shira who forced her hand. But she knew that Finn was the wrong person to tell as word would get back to Logan and after tonight, she just wanted to forget all about him and their entire relationship.
"Sometimes," she sighed and picked up the other mug of coffee, bringing it with her as she sat down beside Finn, "…some things just aren't meant to be."
She handed him the mug and then let her head fall on Finn's shoulder. He took the mug and let her words roll around in his head. What did she mean by 'she didn't have a choice'? Why didn't she have a choice? What exactly was she hiding?
"Rory?" he asked, wanting to find the answers to his questions tonight.
"Hmm," she responded sleepily. Her eyes were closed and she could feel the events of the day catching up with her. She let out a yawn and Finn gazed down at her with a frown on his face. His questions would have to wait. She was exhausted and he felt that after the night she'd had to endure he would let her off the hook. For now at least.
