Origin Story

August 2015

Standing at the arrivals gate in at Heathrow Airport, Rory took inventory of all her belongings; suitcase, laptop bag, purse with all her essentials, passport, notebooks, wallet, cash and credit cards. She walked past the exit towards the crowd of people waiting for their arrivals. She scanned the scene until her eyes fell upon a man holding a placard with her name. 10 minutes later she was in the back of a car spiriting her away to her hotel. There waiting for her in the lobby was the purpose of her visit; Naomi Shropshire.

She had been pursuing the Naomi Shropshire angle for a few months now. This year marked the twentieth anniversary where Britain made sweeping changes in laws regarding women and sexual assault, a legislation that was spearheaded by Naomi. The changes had a great influence on other changes that took place in other Western countries, including the US. Rory, believing that a Naomi story had teeth, pitched it to various publications, finally landing with The New Yorker, featuring Naomi for their Talk of the Town column. After 5 years of chasing stories, 5 years of freelance uncertainty, five years of rejections, Rory felt an assignment that may, at last, give her solid footing in the journalism world.

For the next four days, Rory spent every waking hour following Naomi. They had lunch with her colleagues, took a two night trip to her childhood home where Rory met and interviewed old friends, teachers, and neighbors. She hung out with her in the evenings drinking coffee laced with whiskey or bourbon. It was exhausting work, as Naomi was a force to be reckoned with. She had the energy of a tornado, and the determination of a bull, but Rory was glad to have her days filled because it was not only meaningful work but was also an excuse to avoid another matter, or rather person who occupied the non-Naomi space in her brain.

That person being Logan Huntzberger.

The last time Rory saw Logan was two months ago in Hamburg where she was covering an environmental conference where Naomi was the keynote speaker. Rory and Logan's chance meeting happened in a café on what was supposed to be her last day in Hamburg; the connection only happened because New York flights were canceled due to inclement weather. She remembered their initial meeting being surprising and awkward as her last memory of him was the profound heartbreak she felt as he walked away from her after she turned down his marriage proposal. She thought about him often throughout the years; on good days she wished him well and hoped that he was happy, while on bad days she wondered what life would be like if she had made a different decision and said yes to his proposal. She knew something's about his life as the internet made everyone's live public, especially someone in the media business.

And yet, there they were together again in some random café in Hamburg. The discomfort they felt at the onset of their meeting quickly faded, and the two of them fell back into the comfortable banter they once shared. They ended up spending the day together, playing tourist, all the while they continued their reconnection, updating each other on relatives and mutual friends, debating issues of the day, reminiscing about college life, and exchanging stories about their lives. At the end of the evening, after more coffee, dinner and after dinner drinks, he dropped off at her hotel. Standing outside of the hotel, they exchanged contact information, promising to stay in touch. They gave each other a long affectionate hug, and on impulse, she kissed him on the cheek. Then, with a smile and a wave she turned and walked into her hotel, where once out of site she practically ran to the elevator and up to her room, where she closed the door, sat on the floor, and dissolved into tears.

Her reaction to their meeting made her hesitant to contact him again. Obviously, there were some unresolved feelings, but she could not pinpoint exactly what those feelings were. Was she still in love with him? Was she mourning the life that she could have had? Was this delayed reaction to their break-up that was so quick and had no real closure? She decided that she would not contact him as seeing him again would open old wounds that have long since healed. They both moved on, they were different people, so there was no point. However, the pull was there; the need to reach out, the curiosity of how his life would continue, the longing to connect and to be in his presence again. Maybe seeing him is what I need to do, she thought to herself. Maybe seeing him will help me resolve my feeling and get closure once and for all. It was safe after all, as he was engaged and she was seeing someone (albeit not seriously.)

Rory took solace in the fact that she probably couldn't see him anyway as Naomi had every minute of the day booked. However, after a night out and about with Naomi eating and drinking, plans changed. It started with Naomi canceling early morning on the last full day of her trip, "Dahling, so sorry, but I am feeling under the weather. I hate to cancel, but I don't feel remotely human. Enjoy the free hotel room and play tourist for the day. I will be in touch." said Naomi's voicemail. At first, Rory looked at this as a good thing. She would find a place to write and dive into her article. She was here in London to work after all, not to play, and certainly not to hang out with ex-boyfriends. Yet, try as she might not to give in, she lost her resolve around lunch. Ok, she thought to herself. Just send a text. After all, it's the last minute, he is probably busy or is out of town.

So she sent a text. Once she pressed "send" she nervously put her phone down, not knowing what to think.

Logan was sitting in a meeting when the text came in.

Hi, it's Rory. I am in town for on assignment, wondering if you had time to grab of cup of coffee.

I am here until tomorrow afternoon (4 pm flight.) No worries if you don't have the time. I know it's last minute.

Logan sat there in shock. He knew that they made a promise that they would get in touch in the event they were in the same town, but never in his wildest dreams did he think it would actually happen (although he had to admit to himself he had hope that it would happen.)

Logan was at a loss at how to respond as his last encounter with Rory did not go as he expected. He thought about their goodbye when he dropped her off in front of her hotel after spending the day together in Hamburg, more specifically he thought about that innocent kiss cheek that sent him into a tailspin. For a week afterward, Logan was an emotional mess, resurrecting feelings that he thought were long dead and buried and, even worse yet, making him question his commitment to his fiancée.

So what should he do? Logic told him to send his excuses or just ignore the text. After all, he owed her nothing. But something else told him to text her back. Assurance, he old himself, assurance that meeting in Hamburg was a nothing. Meet with her, assure yourself that Hamburg was a fluke and move on.

Coffee?! You are in London, my dear. It's TEA! TEA! And just Tea? How about dinner? I would love to take you to try some of London's exqusite local cuisine.

He immediately put down his phone, nervous about her response, not knowing what to think.

What could she say? No? She couldn't without looking foolish (at least that what she told herself.) She accepted, plans were made, and evening out with Logan was set. Looking at her wardrobe, Rory panicked. Nothing she brought seemed appropriate for a dinner with her ex, an ex who was engaged to a beautiful heiress. So instead of working, Rory spent the afternoon shopping, looking for the perfect outfit that would say, "I'm doing great but I am still devastatingly attractive" in an effective yet subtle way.

They met at a café near his office. She was drinking her coffee when she saw him walking down the street. She stood up as he walked up to her. With a bright smile, he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. After some polite chitchat, they set off to dinner, during which Rory talked about her week with Naomi. She described her experience with Naomi and her excitement about the prospect of being published in the New Yorker and the possibilities of it leading to more. All the while she was talking, Logan paid close attention, smiling proudly at her as she recalled the week. "Work dork" Logan called her good-naturedly after she finished her account of her week in London. "Work dork dinner companion" Rory shot back.

From that point, the slight tentativeness between them broke and before they knew it, they again settled into the familiar comfort of old friends. While it had been about a month since their last meeting, it seemed like days. Dinner led to a long walk around Hyde Park where they stopped every now and then to take in various street buskers and other touristy sites. They eventually ended up at the bar of Rory's hotel where they talked more and had after dinner drinks. Finally, around midnight, it was time to part. She walked Logan to the outside of the hotel entrance where he could hail a cab. "Thanks for a lovely evening." She said to Logan, "It was great to see you again."

"Yea" Logan replied, "Eight years of no contact and now, two meetings in less than two months. How lucky are we? Thanks for getting in touch."

"Well, if I am in London again, or you're back in the states, let's make sure to get in touch again."

"That would be great."

Logan put his hands on her arms. They both leaned in for a hug. However, unlike the hug they had during their goodbye in Hamburg, this one went longer, getting tighter and tighter as the seconds passed. Rory felt Logan bury his face in her hair breathing her in, while she realized that her hand was stroking the hair on the back of his head. Finally, they broke their embrace, leaning their foreheads together, obviously trying to fight the wave of emotion sweeping over them. The next thing they knew they were kissing. When they parted they stood just looking at each other, holding each other's arms, not wanting to let go. They knew that they were tied to other people; they knew that the right thing to do was to walk away and never contact each other again. But they didn't, they couldn't. Eight years, a lifetime of separate experiences, only to go full circle, back to the way they felt. After a moment she let go of him and took one step back, her left hand still holding his right. She looked at him, knowing that she had a decision to make. Let his hand go and you can walk away, no harm no foul, she told herself. Instead, she tightened her grip and took another step back, causing Logan to move a step forward with her. Before they took the next step Logan interjected, "Ace? Are you sure? I can go home." He said, meaning a word while at the same time hoping she would want to continue.

Without saying a word, she stepped forward and kissed him again, then together they walked back to her hotel.

While their night together was magical, in the light of day it looked very different. Rory stood in the bathroom brushing her hair deep in thought about the night before and what it meant, She missed him, dare she admitted she still loved him, but this did not erase the realities of their lives. Her life was in flux; she was unsure of so much. Moreover, he was engaged thus who knows what he was thinking last night. Was it one last hurrah, the need for closure for a relationship that ended so awkwardly? Or worse yet, did he revert back to his old ways and she was just another conquest? She had no idea as she could not say that she knew Logan anymore. All she knew was she needed to get control of the situation and fast.

Logan, on the other hand, felt no confusion, he was still in love with Rory. How matters would shape up between them was unclear, but he knew that Rory was for him and that he had to end things with Odette. This would be hard, but he could not go into a marriage with her knowing how he felt about Rory.

Room service arrived, and they both sat down for breakfast. It was Rory who spoke first. "So..." She said trying to be nonchalant. "So..." Logan said smiling at her. "Last night..."

"Last night."

"I have many feeling right now."

"Ok, just let it all out. What are you feeling Rory?"

"Last night was...wonderful. I haven't felt that good for a long time."

"Well, we were always in sync."

"True. So the question is, what now?"

"What are you thinking?" Logan asked with a smile.

"I am thinking while it was a wonderful night and I don't regret it at all, in the light of day, this makes out lives rather complicated. My life is in flux and you are engaged..."

"Are you feeling bad about that Rory?"

"Well, now that that reality has set in, yes,"

"Please don't. This was just as much your decision as mine. I could have stopped."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because I felt like there was still so much between us."

"And how do you feel now?"

"I feel like I know how I feel about us."

"Me too."

"Really."

"Closure."

"Excuse me?"

"Closure. The way we ended all those years ago, with you just walking away, there was still so much emotion there. Last night was a culmination of emotions. Don't you agree?"

Logan looked at her trying hard to keep his emotions in check. Her statement was not at all what he expected nor what he wanted. He was taken by surprise, surely she is not serious, he thought. No Rory, I love you and I want us to be together, he thought. But, he stopped himself. After a deep breather he realized, this is graduation all over again. Eight years have passed and we are back where we started; Rory just didn't love me the way I loved her. While utterly crestfallen, there was no denying that there was some truth to Rory's observation. They did end with so much unspoken. Perhaps that what this month was all about, unresolved feeling.

"Yes," Logan replied,

"It was all about closure."

"So we're good?'

"Yes, more than good. So in our minds, this encounter will be known as Logan and Rory's last hurrah?"

"Ummm, no. How about...Vega?." She proposed.

"As in?" he responded confused.

"As in, 'whatever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas."

Logan looked at Rory with a reassuring smile "Vegas it is."

Logan stayed after breakfast, keeping Rory company while she packed and took her to the airport. Standing at the security they said their goodbyes, not knowing if or when they would see each other again. After a heartfelt goodbye which included a hug and a chaste kiss on the cheek, Rory turned left. Just as she did before in Hamburg, after clearing security and out of sight, Rory cried, but this time she felt relief. Life with Logan was officially done.

Meanwhile, as he again stood watching her departing image, Logan resolved to erase all doubt his encounter with Rory created in his mind. If he and Rory were really meant to be, it would have happened by now he thought. She was right, this was about closure. Now that he got it, he could move on, marry Odette, and live the life he was destined to have.