Baby, It's Cold Outside

Christmas 2017

Six months had come and gone since Rory and Paul broke up for the second time.  She couldn't believe what she was doing when she had called him on New Year's Day but had always felt guilty about the way she'd treated him while they were dating.  With Logan completely out of the picture, she felt like this time around he'd get a fair chance.  She'd be able to devote herself to him, instead of seeing someone else behind his back and constantly forgetting him.

After losing her baby shortly after her mom's wedding, she became severely depressed.  She didn't want to do anything or see anyone.  Basically, Rory shut herself in her childhood room when she wasn't at the Gazette.  She hadn't even had time to get used to the idea of being pregnant, and it was gone in a flash of light.  Despite the fact she was still in the very early stages, it felt as if a part of her was missing.  She tried to think of it as a blessing in disguise because she wouldn't have to be reminded about Logan on a daily basis.  Rory had tried hard to heal and move on after their goodbye.  He wasn't an easy one to forget and thought that hopping back up on that horse would help.  She didn't want to have to work hard to find someone, so she went back to the comfortable and safe.....Paul.

Things went well for about two months, and she'd really made an effort in their relationship.  Soon, she was wondering what she had seen in him in the first place.  Although he was kind and sweet, he was also dull, boring, and very forgettable.  By three months in, she'd forget dinner dates and meetings in the city.  Before she knew it, she wasn't calling or texting him when she said she would.  The inevitable was just around the corner with another break-up quickly approaching.  She had even failed to send him a return text to confirm the termination.  She just didn't really care.

Rory called Paris, who told her about several dates apps that were helpful for her.  She'd been trying to jump back into the dating game since the divorce from Doyle was finalized.  Rory wasn't sure why because they lived together and still slept together when he was in town.  It had always seemed that they were perfect for each other, but Paris insisted on dating.  At first, Rory resisted the idea of putting herself out online.  She was sure there was no one worth meeting from those types of things.

About two weeks later, after much contemplation, she found herself sitting in front of her computer, and she was filling out a profile for a website called 'The Date'.  There were no pictures allowed, only words, so your personality was based on several essay questions.  Its premise was to connect you to people who were most likely compatible to you without judgment based on a picture and slightly modeled after the singing competition 'The Voice', where singers are rated for their voice without seeing their faces or look.  She liked the anonymity of it but was still wary.  She clicked submit and closed her laptop.

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Finn had never been the type to even consider settling down, but lately, the urge kept creeping up on him, and he couldn't pinpoint why.  He thought it had something to do with his best mates settling down and getting ready to start families.  Logan had married, and Colin was set to get hitched.  Even Robert, who had lived by the bachelor-for-life philosophy had found a woman to tame his wild ways.  He was starting to feel like he was the odd man out at most functions because he usually went stag.  It's not as if he couldn't find a woman, it was the fact he couldn't find any quality women.  They all seemed the same to him, and he dreaded any sort of relationship with any of them.  He found them to be shallow gold-diggers.  His family was one of the wealthiest in Australia and owned a chain of hotels and other properties around the world.  He loved the freedom it provided him as far as work was concerned, but he found it hard to stay in one place too long.

After years of traveling, Finn decided to give New York City a try for the long term.  He'd loved the city and all it had to offer, except the winters.  Those he could deal without, but he knew he could always escape if they became too cold or long.  He found himself a place in Chelsea and fell into a nice routine: gym, work, and a wonderful happy hour walking distance from his new pad.  He was surprised at some of the exceptional people he'd met at the local pub.  Once or twice, he'd gone home with a random woman, only to discover she was the same as all the others.  The last one had been a stage-five clinger and practically stalked him afterward.  That had been his last local happy hour.