Disclaimer: We don't own Gilmore Girls.
"Rory, what do you say to one final walk around campus?" Logan asked the next morning after they'd had breakfast. Rory smiled at him.
"Sounds perfect, Logan. Just let me change first," she happily agreed. Rory quickly dressed in her white sundress, a pair of flats and a jean jacket before she pulled her hair back in a ponytail. "Ready!" she said. Logan grinned at her, that was his Ace, she could pull on anything and he would still think she was the most beautiful woman in the world. He took her hand before the two of them headed to the door and Logan locked it behind them.
They didn't rush through their walk around the campus, they took their time and wandered hand in hand through the different buildings and stopped to get coffee at the coffee cart where they'd first met.
"I can't believe this time tomorrow I'll be getting ready to graduate. I'm really going to miss it here," Rory confessed as they walked past the Yale Daily News office.
"You might come back. Either for another Bachelor's degree or for your Masters. You never know," Logan said. Rory nodded and opened her mouth to respond when she was interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone. Keeping a hold on Logan's hand while they sat down on a nearby bench, Rory placed her coffee cup beside her before she answered.
"Hi sweets! I can't believe I'm going to have a Yale graduate tomorrow. It seems like yesterday we were moving you into your dorm for freshman year. You ready for your graduation party tonight? You would not believe the number of times your grandmother has called me with reminders about the party," Lorelai rambled. She rolled her eyes at her final statement, she'd never understood why her mother couldn't just call once with all the reminders, but that was Emily Gilmore.
"Hi Mom, I know! I can't believe I'm graduating tomorrow either; this last year just flew by. I am ready for my graduation party, and I have some news, are you ready for this?" Rory asked. Lorelai took her phone away from her ear and exhaled before she put it back to her ear.
"What news? You sound excited," she said. Rory looked over at Logan and squeezed his hand in excitement.
"Okay, first of all, Milan Kundera is speaking at our graduation and second, Logan and I are moving to Palo Alto!" Rory said breathlessly. The first piece of news sailed right over Lorelai's head as she felt the air in her lungs evaporate, had Logan proposed to Rory?
"Wow, this is unexpected. And Milan Kundera, that's . . . exciting, hon," she said, trying to inject some excitement into her voice when she felt the total opposite. Rory, oblivious to the sudden change in her mother's mood, chattered on enthusiastically.
"We talked about moving last night after we came back from Grandma and Grandpa's. We had a glass of wine, well, okay, actually we finished a bottle of wine and had a conversation about the future. I was feeling so lost and confused about what lay ahead for me, and then after Logan and I talked it was like all the doubts and fears in my brain cleared and everything came into focus. I better go, Logan and I are taking one more walk around the campus," Rory said.
"Okay hon. Hey, is there any chance you can get more tickets to your graduation?" Lorelai asked, she wasn't ready to hang up with her daughter just yet.
"No, I could only get four. People have been trying to get extra tickets since the beginning of the year. Why?"
"The whole of Stars Hollow wants to come to your graduation. These people basically raised you, Rory. You were able to get six tickets for your graduation from Chilton, you can't get a couple extra?" Rory rolled her eyes and shook her head at Logan, who gave her a questioning look.
"It's really sweet they want to come, but that's not how things work at university graduations. Each graduate only gets four tickets. I got tickets for you, Dad, and Grandma and Grandpa. Logan is sitting with some friends he hasn't seen since last year but he'll meet up with us after for pictures. We're just on our way to the library, we'll see you at the party tonight. Bye Mom."
"Bye hon." Rory hung up and slipped her phone into her pocket before blowing out a breath. Logan stood and helped Rory up.
"What was that all about?" he asked. Rory shook her head as she picked up her coffee cup.
"Oh, the entirety of Stars Hollow wants to come to my graduation. Mom got upset when I said I couldn't get more tickets, but really if you think about it, that would be taking away tickets from all the other graduates. It's not just my graduation day, it's theirs too. Paris, Olivia and Lucy, everyone else, they all have families who want to see them graduate," Rory ranted as they set off towards the library, her angst and nerves about tomorrow coming to the forefront again. Logan knew he had to do something to calm her down, and fast.
"Rory, breathe. Getting all worked up like this is not good for you. Come on, deep breaths. Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out. That's it," Logan coached her. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself as well as Rory. Rory finished the last of her coffee and tossed the empty cup in a nearby garbage can.
"That feels better. Thank you. I guess part of it is that Luke won't be there tomorrow. He came to my high school graduation and so did Sookie and Jackson," she explained as they walked into the library.
"Your Dad didn't come to your high school graduation?" Logan questioned in disbelief. Rory shook her head.
"No, we weren't close then. He didn't really show any interest in having a real father-daughter relationship with me until I started college. He just came into my life and Mom's when it was convenient for him. If I'm being really honest, Logan, I-I wish I could get an extra ticket so Luke could come. He's always been there for me and Mom," she admitted. Logan nodded slowly, he'd seen for himself how much Luke cared for the Gilmore girls, and while they hadn't had the best first meeting, Logan and Luke had developed a mutual respect. As Logan thought about his first visit to Stars Hollow a few weeks ago, he would even say the gruff diner owner with a heart of gold approved of him. By this time, they were standing in the same spot Logan had seen Rory with Anna. Rory looked around before she grinned at Logan.
"Do you remember when Anna came to tour Yale, and you saw me smell that book?" she asked. Logan laughed and patted the pocket of his jacket.
"I was just thinking about that. I'd never seen someone be so passionate about books they smelled them. Do you just do that with old books or do you do it with new ones too?" he asked. Rory laughed and blushed as they walked over to one of the leather couches and sat down.
"I do it with both. New books smell of stories just waiting to be told, while old books smell of stories well-loved and cherished." Logan smiled at Rory and her passion for books as the latter ducked her head and blushed. Placing his fingers under her chin, he gently tilted her head back up to look at him. She looked into his face and saw an open expression of love and sincerity that made her heart flutter.
"I love you, Rory. Before I met you, I don't think I knew what real love was," he said softly. Rory blushed an even deeper shade of red.
"Logan . . ." she trailed off as Logan brushed her ponytail back over her shoulder, never taking his eyes off hers.
"It's true, Rory. You're the first person other than Honor who ever told me they love me. I never knew what it meant to love a woman until you," he said. Rory's eyes filled with tears as her heart filled with love for this man. The man who had crept in and taken her heart for his when she was nineteen.
"That was beautiful, what you just said to me. I, um, I don't know what to say." Logan reached up and brushed her tears away.
"You don't need to say anything, Rory. Are you ready to continue our walk?" he asked. Rory shook her head.
"No, I just want to sit here for a few more minutes. Drink in the library one more time," she said. Logan nodded and moved so he was sitting close enough to Rory that she could rest her head on his shoulder.
"I love it here. I love this school, I've made so many good memories here, good friends. And I met the man I want to marry," she said after a few minutes. Logan turned to look at her.
"Are you saying you want to make an honest man out of me, Ace?" he asked with a smirk.
"I think that happened when we weren't looking," Rory quipped. Logan laughed heartily and Rory joined him.
"I think you're right. I guess I should be asking if you want me to make an honest woman out of you," Logan said. Rory started laughing but stopped when she saw the look on Logan's face. Silently, he pulled a small wooden box shaped like a book out of his pocket and opened it to reveal a blue velvet box.
"Logan—" Rory breathed as he took the velvet box out and flipped it open. Logan swallowed hard as he got down on one knee in front of Rory, who didn't try to stop the tears flowing down her cheeks. Rory watched him through glassy eyes, her hand over her mouth. She wanted to commit every detail to memory, the way Logan's hand shook as he reached to take her left hand in his free one. This was really happening. Logan swallowed again and rubbed Rory's fingers with his thumb as he began to speak.
"Rory, from the moment I met you, there was this spark. I was drawn to your determination, your intelligence and your beauty. I've never met anyone who has touched my heart the way you have and I never dreamed I would find someone who I wanted to share my life, my dreams, my heart and my home with. For me, home is wherever you are. Lorelai Leigh Gilmore, will you marry me?" he asked. Rory's face split into the biggest smile he'd ever seen, her eyes lighting up until they were orbs of blue fire.
"Oh my God, yes! Yes, I will!" she half-whispered. Logan slid the ring onto her ring finger and kissed it before he pulled her into his arms, kissing her soundly. Rory kissed him back before she pulled away to look at the ring on her left hand, tears of happiness spilling down her cheeks.
"I'm not dreaming, right? This is real. We're in the Yale library and the man I love more than anything in the world just asked me to be his wife," she asked. Logan nodded, feeling a few tears make their way out of his own eyes.
"It's real, Ace. We're starting fresh right now," he said, echoing the words from that day three years ago. Rory hugged him hard before she pressed her lips to his.
"I love you. I love you. I love you; I love you," she whispered over and over against his lips. Logan held onto her tightly.
"I love you, Rory Gilmore. My heart belongs to you, and it always will."
The proposal has happened! I loved writing this scene and I hope you all enjoyed it.