It was certainly the truth that Rory didn't have a lot of time on her hands, struggling with every genre possible at the NYT, working voluntarily serious overtime, proving she not only belonged there but wanted to be there. Still, the convenient location to the guy's office, and the fact that most of the guys had some sort of plans for each day of the weekend led effortlessly to them extending an invitation to Rory as well at least half of the times. It was almost like old times. Drinks after work. Watching a movie at the Roxy Cinema. Escape rooms. Finn getting the four of them put on all kinds of guest lists and the group going out never quite knowing where they'll end up.
The guys felt like they were on a mission - livening up Rory's life, that's how they guys saw it at least. But in reality it was very much the other way around as well - Rory's presence bringing some fresh blood into their shenanigans and getting Colin and Logan reacquainted with the city from fresh perspectives that didn't always include the places only the wealthy got to experience.
Colin hadn't stopped teasing Logan about the fact that somehow formerly Mr. Partypooper was all for going out now that Rory was joining them. But truthfully, Logan was not oblivious to the fact that Colin and Finn were simply happy to see him appear more like his former self and he didn't deny that he enjoyed Rory's presence, even if so far things really were quite innocent.
Most of the time they really did appear like friends. And it wasn't even that hard as they'd been friends before. Underneath their relationship they'd been friends, sharing their love for books, music, art, love for food, as well as working passionately and good humor. The latter was what got them through some of the most awkward moments like choosing whether to sit besides each-other at the theater or dare to switch one of them out with Finn, who'd kept a running joke about how one day he was going to win Rory over now that she was a redhead. Beneath the surface both of them were kind of trying to prove that they could be friends also to the guys.
But on occasions there were struggles.
That night they were at a business type event at the top floor of a new building just off Madison Square Garden, one of the guys' clients had invited them. Not their usual cup of tea, after working hours, but the location was to die for and there was an open bar. So it didn't take that much convincing for the four of them to crash it and just see where the night led them from there. Plus if they made a few contacts in the process, they knew it wouldn't hurt their business either.
"Now this is an odd crowd to be in," Logan commented after observing the room for a couple of minutes from the open bar while waiting for his drink.
"How so?" Rory asked, just having taken a thirsty first sip of her first Cosmopolitan.
"There's a lot of people I used to know back when I worked for dad," Logan replied.
"Oh?" Rory reflected, noticing indeed a few people she too recognized. "Oh, yeah. Isn't that…?" she added.
"It is," Logan replied.
"And what was her name, I'm sure I've seen her before," Rory continued.
"Callie… um… Camila? Underwood, I think?" Logan recalled, oddly enjoying this trip down memory lane. Once upon a time her and Rory did this type of event all the time. They were the stars at these things, excelling at it as a couple.
Rory shrugged, appearing unaffected by the deja vu moment.
"And that…?" Rory said, gesturing towards another familiar face. Rory knew them to be either with one foot in the publishing business or simply be involved in media more generally.
"Samson, uh-huh," Logan hummed. Logan really didn't blame Rory for not remembering all of their names - it was not like she was expected to.
Suddenly a familiar voice caught their attention.
"Logan, is that you?" a positively familiar face appeared in front of the two.
"Oh, my god! Hugo!" Rory chimed.
"And Rory! Almost didn't recognize you, you look great," Hugo replied.
"Hi! Great to see you!" Logan reflected.
"Likewise," Hugo said.
"So, what brings you here?" Logan inquired, trying to shift the deja vu feeling he was experiencing about this very same situation.
"Oh, just keeping up with what's what and who's who, you know?" Hugo discussed, being known for not being a fan of this type of things.
"Hugo, actually helped me get my first real job," Rory shared with Logan for the first time.
"He did?" Logan asked with surprise, having not heard of this part until now.
"Yeah… When I um… didn't get the fellowship, I called or wrote to everyone I knew, including him, and he just offered me this opportunity to cover the Barack Obama campaign. Thankfully some other reporter had just left the job to move to Dubai or something. The stars aligned, I suppose you could say," Rory explained, showing her gratitude for landing the position.
"Yeah, and she turned out to be totally brilliant at it, too," Hugo added.
"I bet," Logan reflected.
"You're too kind. But in all honesty I was such a rookie back then," Rory added, humbly.
"Usually it's quite difficult to find people to cover campaigns, being on the road like that. You know, for personal reasons - families, kids etc. But clearly you two are living proof how it really doesn't change much for a relationship in the long run if you put your mind to it," Hugo said, patting Logan on the shoulder, giving Logan a sudden jolt. Logan hadn't realized at all that Hugo was unaware of their somewhat public break-up that had devastated him, but then again Hugo had never had Rory working in the same office as him, and both, Rory and Logan had spent a good chunk of time in other parts of the US, beyond Hugo's well-meaning radar.
"Oh, we're not…," Rory managed to say first, just as Logan was about to open his mouth.
"Oh! My apologies," Hugo said, sounding surprised.
"Quite alright, you couldn't possibly have known," Logan replied. "But we're still friends," he explained.
"Yeah, but either way - it's good to see two bright and intelligent people out in the world, making things happen -, together or apart, doesn't even matter and it was silly of me to assume things in this day and age," Hugo replied, apologetically.
"You know, Rory actually managed to get that fellowship that she got turned down the first time," Logan added, glancing at Rory briefly, knowing how she wasn't much to boast about this type of thing too naturally, and went on to explain it further. Logan knew Hugo was exactly the kind of person one ought to boast to. He was no longer just the launcher of a simple online-magazine. That same magazine was actually pretty successful now and had established numerous side-ventures in the field as well. Hell, Hugo probably knew everybody who was anybody in the business better than Logan did by now.
They continue to talk for a while, not entirely superficially even. But to Logan, mostly it just kept bringing back the same emotions he'd felt when he and Rory had done this for real, and as a couple. He'd always been so proud to not only have Rory, gorgeous as she still was, by his side, but also to hear her speak and impress people, make them laugh and at the same time find ways to be completely genuine.
After Hugo had left, heading on to talk to someone he'd been meaning to catch all evening, it was, however, Rory's behavior that caught Logan off guard.
"I think I ought to go venture a little that way, you know, mingle," Rory said, excusing herself from Logan's company.
Maybe they'd indeed looked a little too inseparable standing there right that, almost as if joined at the hip. But it was what had come the most naturally.
Logan talked to a few people, as did Rory - but Logan couldn't help watching her from a distance. He wanted to figure out what her agenda was. Because as far as he knew - Rory hated mingling. But what he saw was that Rory had actually become a lot better at it, than she'd once been. It came out more effortlessly. All her reporter experience, as she'd shared with him that she'd both worked for Hugo and someone Christiane Amanpour herself had sent her work to, putting the connection into very good use.
After some time, Logan relaxed a little more himself, allowing himself to do what he did, and not think so much about Rory. And his charm seemed to work.
"Excuse me," suddenly a cute pixie-haired woman in killer heels said, pulling Logan's attention away from the brochure he'd casually perused for a moment. Her voice was smooth and confident.
"Uh-huh?" Logan responded, noticing now her brightly painted lips.
"I've got a bet going with my friend over there," the woman said, and nodded towards another blonde across the room who gave a playful wave. "I could use your help to win," she added.
"Oh? And what's the bet?" Logan smirked, having been in rather similar situations before.
The woman leaned in and smiled flirtily. "She had some doubts about me having the guts to come and ask the most handsome man at this event out to have drinks with me later. Do you mind helping me win?" she asked.
Logan chuckled, feeling no-doubt flattered. But he had a feeling that the woman might know more about him than he knew about her, also possibly his connection to his family's fortune. He was pretty sure her enthusiasm would die down once he came clear about the fact, not that it was something he tended to do when he just met someone.
"Look I'm fl…," Logan began, and had wanted to suggest that he didn't even know her name. He had had too many mindless dates in his lifetime to now at least want to have drinks with someone he found interesting. And while the situation had pushed topics concerning Rory aside, giving him something (someone?) new to think about, suddenly all of the former came rushing back.
"Excuse me, honey?" Rory's voice surprised her, and she slipped her hand around his forearm, like she once had done for real. "There you are, I was looking for you everywhere," she mumbled, as if scolding him slightly.
"Well, I'm right here," Logan replied, looking straight into Rory's piercing blue eyes as if wanting to understand what she was doing.
"Oh, I see someone I've been meaning to talk to. Excuse me," the woman said, scattering away as quickly as she appeared.
Logan chuckled, but rubbed his forehead from confusion just the same. Rory's grip on him slipped away, and he could sense the loss of that exceptional warmth. It was an odd sensation - one he was unable to fully process right this second.
"What was that?" Logan asked.
"You looked a little cornered there," Rory repeated a familiar phrase.
"I wasn't cornered nor did I need saving," Logan said, the words sounding a little cold.
It was the look on Rory's face, the disappointment and hurt, which Logan hadn't anticipated that cracked open some new level of understanding in him. He wasn't the only person in this secretly finding his thoughts lingering on the by-gones and the 'good times'. Was Rory hoping for something? Was she disappointed he could actually enjoy flirting with someone other than her? But how could she… it was her that hadn't wanted him?