Chapter 3
"So, there I was, in the middle of the street, freezing my ass off, 30 minutes into my beauty sleep, scared out of my mind my second night in Brisbane. And this one here was going around managing the whole thing, talking to the firefighters, building managers and tenants like he owned the place. Well, as it turned out - he did. He made sure I was warm, which wasn't all that special, as he was doing the same to the Wilsons," Gigi shared, finally having gotten around to telling her family about how she'd met Finn. "But I guess we caught each other's eye and then sometime later we ran into each other in the elevator and got to talking…," she added, taking a sip of wine as everyone sat at the dinner table.
By the evening the storm had passed, leaving everything smelling wonderfully fresh. The birds sang around them, giving them the perfect evening for dining amid tropical lushness the gardener had created around the house.
"So, you were living in the same building?" Rory reflected.
"Not just," Finn chuckled.
"He was on the top floor just above me. So, when I did my yoga or listened to my music, he would hear everything," Gigi pitched in.
"So, you went to bang on her door to tell her to keep it down, I assume?" Rory teased Finn.
"Nah, though that would've been a good excuse, come to think of it," Finn replied.
"Oh, Finn - have you lost your game?" Rory teased.
"So, how did the two of you know each other exactly?" Christopher asked the dreaded question.
"We knew each other through a mutual friend. Maybe you remember, Logan?" Rory explained to her father, trying to keep the connection a lot less critical than it was.
Finn certainly took note of that and didn't elaborate.
"Of course! Logan…," Christopher reflected, knowing how that was no ordinary connection. "But I've got to ask," he began on a more urgent matter as connection to Logan rather put Finn's exact age into perspective for him. "Doesn't the age difference bother you? I mean Gigi's just a…," he said, being cut short.
"Dad, don't," Rory said, cautioning her father.
"Fine, but you've got to see how she's my little girl. And after what six months in this country, she's announcing to me she's going to marry you, someone who's that much older than her. You can't blame me for worrying about her," Christopher exclaimed.
"I'm not that little, Dad," Gigi complained, not appreciating his protectiveness.
"If this was Rory, I wouldn't worry. Or you were Rory's age. I just don't understand where the rush! I mean we've all been in love before, I've almost married in my early years too. But that doesn't mean that it would've been a good idea. I just don't understand - why now!?" Christopher explained.
"If this was Rory," Gigi replied, mockingly, and rolled her eyes, taking offense. "You always think better of her than me. Why is my judgment any worse just because I'm younger? I can't seem to remember any major bad calls in my life, have I?" Gigi debated.
"Gigi, he didn't mean it like that," Rory tried to calm her sister.
"You're young, you're still figuring things out," Christopher replied.
"Excuse me, but I don't think you know your daughter very well if it's her judgement your questioning," Finn suddenly announced, causing the hairs on Chirstopher's neck to stand up. It wasn't often someone dared to speak to him that way, but it certainly made him see Finn as a lot more equal, seeing him stand up for his daughter like this.
Whether that was a good thing or not, was something Rory remained tentative on for the time being.
"Dad, listen, please," Gigi insisted.
"Fine," Christopher relented, knowing from his own experiences how sometimes young love was a love that would indeed last a lifetime. His own love for Lorelai had never really faded, even if he'd consciously known they weren't that good for each-other.
"Yes, we're in love. I want to marry him. We are a good match in every way possible, and if you just give it some time - spend time with us, I'm sure you'll see that. But if you're asking 'why now?' Then fine - part of it is about me wanting to stay here and get double citizenship. I am just a student here now, but I want to work here, too. I already have a position lined up for me starting after New Years," Gigi explained.
"There," Finn noted, a little too boldly, feeling like if Chirstopher had only heard them out right away, things would've never gotten to this point where Gigi would feel offended. He was offended too, having his feelings doubted like this, but he was old enough to not be shaken so easily about someone's opinion. Besides, he was very used to having people underestimate him.
"Well, okay. At least you're being upfront about it," Christopher agreed.
"But it's not the only reason, is it? I mean there's got to be other ways for you to stay and work here?" Rory said, adding with a glance towards Finn. "Not that I don't think Finn's a great guy, but it's just rare to see people so determined to marry someone at your age. And I don't mean that as doubting your decision, just an observation on my part."
"No, it's not," Gigi confirmed.
"I love her, I really do," Finn said, causing Rory's heart to melt a little too. It was an odd feeling, seeing someone who'd been all about the party and good laughs, suddenly become so serious and to do that in relation to her sister.
Gigi looked up at Finn, and held his hand, making it evident that she felt the same way.
"Okay, good," Rory relented, not wanting her father to spoil things further.
They continued to eat, discussing their plans for the next coming weeks - sightseeing and so forth, the gist of the worries having at least to some extent subsided.
Christopher had made it an early night, needing some shut-eye.
Gigi had gone to pick up Sylvie's kids from their friend's, almost acting like their temporary parent or something - an equally weird mental image for Rory, leaving Finn and Rory alone.
Rory was nursing a glass of scotch on the veranda, as Finn joined her, sitting across from her on the outdoor couch set.
"You really didn't make the connection that I was her sister?" Rory asked, finding it a little curious.
"She only ever referred to you as 'her sister' and that you went to Yale. But to be honest, she didn't really talk about you with me all that much. As far as I understood, she mostly grew up by herself," Finn explained.
"I guess that's true. But I was there when she was born. Well, not in the room, but at the hospital," Rory said, finding in a little sad her sister didn't think of her as someone more important. She'd been there for other things too – her graduation, getting accepted into colleges, offering her a shoulder to cry on when she'd broken up with her first real boyfriend and so on. She'd been there more than Gigi's mother had.
"How old were you then?" Finn asked, curiously.
"18," Rory replied.
Finn sighed.
"That still kind of surprises me, you know. Each time I get a reminder to how young she is… catch a glimpse of her ID, someone asks for her ID at a bar or just… everything related to her studies. Other times - I just forget. I don't know whether she's some old soul or whether it's me who's never really grown up, but I just don't think about age when we're together," Finn clarified, knowing how it just sounded silly.
"Well, for what it's worth I do hope you two find a way to be happy - in whatever form that may be," Rory said, acceptingly.
"I appreciate that. And I really do believe she's mature enough to make a decision like that and if at some point she discovers that an old bugger like me is not enough for her, then I have no problem giving her a divorce. But I'll die trying to make sure that doesn't happen," Finn explained, determination shining through him.
Rory smiled, appreciating him saying that.
"I like seeing this other side of you. I guess, this is a perfect example of my sister seeing something in you that I never really got to see," Rory sighed.
For a moment there was just silence, the two watching the moon shine upon the gorgeous Bougainvillea tree and listening to the sounds of insects and nocturnal animals.
"You know…," Finn began, reading Rory's mind better than she believed she did. "I don't know if you care, but in case you were wondering… Logan's coming in a couple of days. He arranged to do some business in Sydney and also here. He wanted to combine this into a working holiday of sorts. I was thinking of putting him up in the guest house, but if that's too weird for you, I can still make some other arrangements for him," Finn offered.
Rory couldn't get a word out and it was her focused breathing, trying to calm herself, that betrayed her, letting Finn sense how this was a sensitive subject for her. For years, Rory had just pushed everything down, telling herself how she was no longer influenced by him.
"Is he, um… coming alone?" Rory asked, biting her lip. It wasn't like she was looking to rekindle anything, but rather she wanted to avoid further awkwardness by having to tiptoe around his wife in close quarters.
"He is," Finn said but didn't elaborate, but definitely struggled to hide a hint of a smile.
"Don't you even…," Rory warned him. "I have a family back home. I just don't want it to be awkward" she explained, feeling judged.
"I didn't say a word, Love," Finn chuckled, leaning back in the chair.
Rory shook her head, knowing well that Finn know all about their somewhat questionable relationship.
"Um… did you ever talk to him about the time that I called you… years ago?" Rory asked, quietly. It hadn't been her proudest moment, calling Finn days before Logan's wedding, holding in her possession a piece of information that could've both made Logan reconsider things and crush him at the same time.
"You mean that hypothetical situation you described to me? What was it - 'for a friend'?" Finn asked, in an amused tone, recalling a very surprising, and at the same time worrisome phone call they'd had. He'd been sure, Rory had been talking about herself.
There was a reason why Rory had said to Finn when they'd last seen each other 'I think I'm going to miss you most of all'. Rory and Finn were known to call each other on occasion. Mostly it was just casual banter, innocent and platonic. But a few times she'd called him with some more serious matters too. They'd, however, always sort of circled around the topics, not quite admitting to each other that things in their life sucked at that specific time.
"Uh-huh," Rory replied, the back of her throat suddenly feeling narrow. But she'd long dried her tears, now it was just the question whether she was going to have to face not having told Logan in person and wondering whether he was mad at her.
"Like I said back then. Ignorance can be bliss sometimes," Finn said, seriously, answering Rory's question.
Rory inhaled sharply from relief, truly believing not everything that had happened needed to be brought back into the light. It was not like it would've changed anything.
"But I do know that he has missed you too," Finn said, opening up a wound that had been barely stitched up for years.
Rory took in that information with a large sip of her scotch, wondering what he'd meant by that. But it was her pride and conscience that stopped her from inquiring what she really wanted to know. What had Finn just based his words on?